With the right high-speed Internet service, there are many possibilities for streaming multimedia. Some accessibility includes online radio, Internet TV, multimedia playback, movie downloads and video sharing services. Music, movies, sports and television shows from around the world are available through a variety of free and paid services. Music downloads revolutionized the way the music industry sells various target groups.
According to Digital Media Wire (January 29, 2009), Netflix, which offers digital movie distribution as well as blue-ray discs, reports that media streaming on the Internet is growing at a faster speed than Blu-ray Disc technology. In one quarter, there was an increase in the number of subscribers to streaming video by 30%. This is a terrific jump in new subscriptions. The disadvantage of streaming movies with a provider, such as Netflix, is that, in general, the best movies are released on DVDs first to generate more profit. Many of the “watch at once” movies were “B” and below movies. Because of this, it seems that the Netflix mail delivery service will not be anywhere in the near future. However, media streams seem to be moving forward, as technology is to watch the future, and plans are moving ahead to make high-quality movies accessible to the consumer.
Streaming eliminates the waiting time for the download — instead, the stream is continuous and plays immediately after it arrives. To prevent files from capturing huge bandwidth, they are usually compressed. Depending on the media player you are using and the speed with which the file is compressed, the stream time may differ slightly.
The stream is considered either "live" or "on demand." The live stream is generated through what is called the true stream, which means that information is sent directly from the source to the target without saving to the hard disk. The stream is then played on a computer or other device capable of reproducing the stream. Usually it is available only once (for example, during a sporting event or concert). On demand streaming, which uses services such as Netflix, is done through progressive streaming. Files are saved to the hard disk and then played from this location. On demand threads are available for a long period of time.
If you are interested in streaming technology, you must have two things: the power of your processor and sufficient bandwidth. Both hardware and software for streaming multimedia are developing rapidly; There are many options available in terms of setting sufficient CPU power. When buying Internet service providers, you will notice that different times are available that allow streaming video through their service. Some things to consider when purchasing bandwidth will be: will streaming live or on demand? Do you need audio, video or both? How often do you plan on streaming and for how long?
Flows are here to stay, and technology will continue to improve as demand continues to grow. Internet providers continue to evolve also with technologies and speeds that will correspond to rapidly changing times.
