Streaming Media Server

Technology is providing increasingly rich and varied ways of consuming media, and education naturally reflects this evolution.  Using video and audio can assist Learning, Teaching & Assessment in many respects.

It can become more engaging - facilitating deeper and more meaningful understanding.  It can also provide a more flexible means of communication – both in terms of appealing to students with different learning styles, but also by facilitating content being accessed and revisited as and when required.

Delivering media via a streaming server (where it begins to play before the whole file, which is often large, has downloaded) allows the use of media in more efficient and integrated ways.  Cardiff Met has established a streaming media service over the past four years, and feedback from staff and students has been very positive.

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The role of LTDU is primarily to promote the learning opportunities that streaming media offers, whilst supporting staff in its use via training.  The use of streaming media is a very rapidly evolving field, and as such LTDU are responsible for evaluating developments, and potential opportunities for using alternative systems. If you are interested in learning more about the Streaming Server and the opportunities it offers.

Also find out how to connect iphone to samsung smart tv
streamsofpleasure.com/how-to-connect-iphone-to-samsung-smart-tv

What is Media Hosting?

Media Hosting, Streaming Video, Video on Demand
Media Hosting allows your website to broadcast video-on-demand (VOD), live streaming and web/podcast to your users over everyday internet connections. With streaming media, your audience can see and hear your media almost instantly.  The quality of the video and audio are only limited by the viewers download speeds and physical equipment. We host your on-demand audio and video files in Windows Media, Flash Video and Quicktime. With us you can expect nothing less than high performance and quality delivery across the globe.
Live Streaming
When hosting your live stream with NationalNet, the opportunities are endless. Take advantage of webinars, online business meetings and educational conferences. You can utilize live streaming to reach a global audience in one swift move.

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Video on Demand
Video on Demand (VOD) hosting capabilities with NationalNet means your content is being streamed uninterrupted, in DVD quality over the Internet. Using high bandwidth distribution to broadcast your video for a superior, interactive experience. The end user can access the content at their leisure instead of a fixed point in time like a television broadcast.

Check here process to connect iphone to samsung smart tv
streamsofpleasure.com/how-to-connect-iphone-to-samsung-smart-tv

So what is VOD?
Downloadable movies or video files that are transmistted over the Internet just like any other kind of static image, text or sound file (typically Flash, Quicktime, WMV or MPEG).

What is Media Hosting?

Media Hosting, Streaming Video, Video on Demand
Media Hosting allows your website to broadcast video-on-demand (VOD), live streaming and web/podcast to your users over everyday internet connections. With streaming media, your audience can see and hear your media almost instantly.  The quality of the video and audio are only limited by the viewers download speeds and physical equipment. We host your on-demand audio and video files in Windows Media, Flash Video and Quicktime. With us you can expect nothing less than high performance and quality delivery across the globe.
Live Streaming
When hosting your live stream with NationalNet, the opportunities are endless. Take advantage of webinars, online business meetings and educational conferences. You can utilize live streaming to reach a global audience in one swift move.

Related Articles : streamsofpleasure.com

Video on Demand
Video on Demand (VOD) hosting capabilities with NationalNet means your content is being streamed uninterrupted, in DVD quality over the Internet. Using high bandwidth distribution to broadcast your video for a superior, interactive experience. The end user can access the content at their leisure instead of a fixed point in time like a television broadcast.

Check here process to connect iphone to samsung smart tv
streamsofpleasure.com/how-to-connect-iphone-to-samsung-smart-tv

So what is VOD?
Downloadable movies or video files that are transmistted over the Internet just like any other kind of static image, text or sound file (typically Flash, Quicktime, WMV or MPEG).

Advantages of streaming media

Streaming media is video or audio content sent in compressed form over the Internet and played immediately, rather than being saved to the hard drive..

With streaming media, a user does not have to wait to download a file to play it. Because the media is sent in a continuous stream of data it can play as it arrives. Users can pause, rewind or fast-forward, just as they could with a downloaded file, unless the content is being streamed live.

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Here are some advantages of streaming media:

Makes it possible for users to take advantage of interactive applications like video search and personalized playlists.

Allows content deliverers to monitor whatstreaming media visitors are watching and how long they are watching it.
Provides an efficient use of bandwidth because only the part of the file that's being transferred is the part that’s being watched.
Provides the content creator with more control over his intellectual property because the video file is not stored on the viewer's computer. Once the video data is played, it is discarded by the media player.
Media is usually streamed from prerecorded files but can also be distributed as part of a live broadcast feed. In a live broadcast, the video signal is converted into a compressed digital signal and transmitted from a Web server as multicast, sending a single file to multiple users at the same time.

Streaming media is transmitted by a server application and received and displayed in real-time by a client application called a media player. A media player can be either an integral part of a browser, a plug-in, a separate program, or a dedicated device, such as an iPod. Frequently, video files come with embedded players. YouTube videos, for example, run in embedded Flash players.

Streaming media technologies have improved significantly since the 1990s, when delivery was typically uneven. However, the quality of streamed content is still dependent upon the user's connection speed.

Streaming Media Stick vs. Streaming Media Box

Not everyone wants to buy a new TV just to get access to all the latest smart TV streaming media features. And you don’t have to. A streaming media player, like Roku 3, Amazon Fire TV, Nexus Player or Apple TV can provide nearly all (or sometimes more) of the streaming media services and games that a smart TV includes built in, and they’re only $99 or less.

So if you want to add streaming audio and video to your home AV system, you now can choose between a small set-top-box (why do we still call them that when they don’t sit on top of TV sets anymore?) player, or a stick version that connects directly to the TV’s HDMI port. Roku 3 or Roku Stick? Fire TV or Fire TV Stick? If you’re stuck between a stick and box, here are some considerations before you buy:

Price The first thing you’ll notice when comparing a streaming box to its streaming stick sibling is the cost. A Roku 3 box costs $99, as does the Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV (Apple doesn’t have a stick version, yet). The Roku stick is only $50, the Amazon Fire TV Stick is $39, and the Google Chromecast is only $35. On price alone, it seems like the stick is the much better deal.

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Google Chromecast

Connections All three of the streaming media sticks require one HDMI port to connect to a TV, plus a free USB port on the TV to connect for power. If your TV doesn’t have an available USB port, then a wall plug adaptor can also be used. To connect to your broadband network for streaming, all three sticks use Wi-Fi. If your Wi-Fi connection is strong, then you may be satisfied with that; however, for more reliable streaming, especially for high-definition movies and games, a wired Ethernet connection to your router is better, and for that you need the box versions of Roku or Fire TV, not the stick. Both the Roku 3 player and the Fire TV box include an optical audio output, which can be plugged directly into your AV receiver. This is useful if you have an older receiver or can’t use the receiver’s HDMI connection, but still want the best sound experience from your system (most audio return channel outputs on TVs downconvert the surround sound audio to stereo).

Roku 3
Size The size of a streaming stick is one of its best features. They’re about the size of a USB thumb drive, so they’re completely out of sight when plugged into an HDMI port on the back of the TV. With a streaming media box you need someplace to place the box. If you rely only on antenna and streaming, you can have a TV with no attached boxes to worry about. The size also makes them easily portable. You can buy one stick and move it around to the various TVs in your house without much trouble. They’re also easy to take with you on trips or visits (you’ll only need to reconfigure the wireless connection).

Roku Streaming Stick
Remotes Here’s an area where the boxes rule. First, Chromcast doesn’t have a remote. You use your smart phone as the remote, and for some people, the convenience of that will be great. If you like a good remote, though, then you should opt for a streaming box over a streaming stick. Let’s take Roku first, The Roku 3 comes with a small, but very good, Bluetooth remote with an included headphone jack (and some cheap purple earbuds). The remote that comes with the Roku Stick does not include a headphone jack. Amazon’s Fire TV comes with a nice remote that includes a microphone for voice search. The stick version of Fire TV also has a remote, but the voice search feature is omitted. The remote on the Nexus Player also supports voice search.


Amazon Fire TV
Speed and Power If you’re an impatient person, the speed factor might be a deal-breaker for you. In order to make the streaming media players small and less power hungry (and cheaper) they don’t have nearly the processing power and memory of a streaming media box. This will make them slower when launching apps and searching content. It can also impact gaming. In fact there are games the Fire TV stick can’t play but the Fire TV box can. Also, if you power your stick with one of your TV’s USB ports, it will need to completely boot up each time you turn the TV on, which could take a few minutes. The box version are always plugged into a wall and always on. Content With a few exceptions in video games, the content on streaming media sticks vs. streaming boxes is identical. There is one issue that might convince you to purchase that new TV instead, and that’s 4K. Currently there is no streaming media device (except Sony’s $699 FMP-X10, and that’s primarily a hard-drive video server) that can deliver Ultra HD 4K video. A company called Nanotech has been promising one for a year, but it’s still not available. If you want to watch streamed 4K video from Amazon, Netflix or any of the other services that will be coming online this year, you need to use the app built directly into the TV. Will Roku, Apple and Amazon eventually come out with 4K video players? Probably, but not so far.


Sony FMP-X10 can stream Netflix in 4K.
So which wins, the Roku 3 or Roku Stick? The Amazon Fire TV or Fire TV Stick? Google Chromecast or Apple TV? That largely depends on how you use the system and what you want to get out of it, but understanding the factors above should make the decision easier for you. If you decide you want to buy a new smart TV, Netflix will soon offer recommendations.

How to Invest in Streaming Media ?

You watch streaming media. Does that mean you should buy streaming media stocks?

Consumer eyeballs are mesmerized by streaming video. And there's plenty of it to watch, produced by everyone from celebrities to the neighborhood geek. For the first half of 2015, YouTube consumption vaulted ahead by 60 percent over the year before, a significant factor in the growth of parent Google (ticker: GOOG, GOOGL).

But as with all seismic shifts, the breakneck growth of streaming video is creating big winners and big losers. Here's how to read between the pixels and detect key investing trends.

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"In general, it's the newer companies – Facebook [FB], LinkedIn [LNKD], Netflix [NFLX] – that are benefiting from this trend," says Craig A. Huber, media analyst at Huber Research Partners in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Companies that launched with digital DNA still have to run fast to keep up with rapidly evolving technologies and consumer expectations. "Netflix has 42 million households in the U.S., and its $8 to $9 monthly price is a bargain," Huber says. "You get all these great movies and original content, and it changes the whole ecosystem. Viewers become comfortable watching great content with no commercials. Why would they ever go back? Netflix is a death knell for cable networks and broadcast TV. One of those guys should have bought Netflix a long time ago, but now it is too late."

Laura Martin, senior analyst for entertainment and Internet with Needham & Co., an investment bank and asset firm in New York, says the distribution channels are largely built out. Cable and wireless companies provide the infrastructure; nothing shows up on a screen unless mobile devices, computers and televisions are connected to streaming and Internet services.

In fact, companies that "own the last mile" have a nearly guaranteed source of income, Martin says, though these services will likely become commodities and will face price pressures. "Now the fight is over content. Digital media consumption is growing in triple digits."

Chasing revenue. That's why Amazon, Facebook and Apple (AAPL) are tiptoeing into original content, analysts explain. These and other companies want a slice of the video pie that Google largely owns via YouTube. Even relatively new companies are aggressively rolling out video services. Twitter (TWTR), for instance, originally founded as a microblogging text-based service, is now pushing its Vine, a micro-video social media feed.

The challenge is how to capture revenue from a seemingly endless stream of video content. "The focus for the next three years will be on how content companies will get money," Martin says. "The Internet has taught consumers that content is free."

Subscriptions are one model, but Martin also believes embedded e-commerce is a promising concept, because it lets consumers immediately buy what they see on the screen.

"Investors have patience for three to five years. The digital media ecosystem can be healthy if new content makes money. Otherwise, it could be the new Netflix, with 90 percent of content from television," Martin says.

Huber projects the total U.S. digital ad market, desktop and mobile to reach $58 billion this year – about 24 percent of all U.S. advertising. In 2010, he says, digital accounted for about 11 percent of all U.S. advertising expenditures and was mainly confined to desktop computers. "All the growth is going to mobile," he says.

Old media, fading brands. Traditional media companies – those started in the print era, such as newspaper and magazine companies – are struggling today to keep raking in revenue from their fading print products while persuading advertisers and consumers to advertise online.

They "talk all day long about digital and mobile," says Huber, but are still struggling to figure out how to profitably convert their heritage to digital revenue. "The traditional print part of their business has been hurt much more than they've picked up in digital."

Champagne or bubble? With all this froth, a bubble might be in the making, says Elle Kaplan, CEO and founder of LexiON Capital, a wealth management firm in New York. "History often repeats itself, and we can see many commonalities between some of today's digital media companies and the businesses in the dot-com bubble.

"For many companies like Twitter, there are massive business valuations based on their user base, while the company is still not displaying a sustainable revenue model or turning a profit," Kaplan says. "Millions of users tweeting or logging in mean nothing in the long run if you can't draw revenue from them. Investors seem to be catching on for some companies, and we could see a bubble if the trend continues."

Why Stream?

When you use Steam In-Home streaming, one PC sends its video and audio to another PC. The other PC views the video and audio like it’s watching a movie, sending back mouse, keyboard, and controller input to the other PC.

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This allows you to have a fast gaming PC power your gaming experience on slower PCs. For example, you could play graphically demanding games on a laptop in another room of your house, even if that laptop has slower integrated graphics. You could connect a slower PC to your television and use your gaming PC without hauling it into a different room in your house.

Streaming also enables cross-platform compatibility. You could have a Windows gaming PC and stream games to a Mac or Linux system. This will be Valve’s official solution for compatibility with old Windows-only games on the Linux (Steam OS) Steam Machines arriving later this year. NVIDIA offers their own game streaming solution, but it requires certain NVIDIA graphics hardware and can only stream to an NVIDIA Shield device.

Best Apps to Stream TV Shows on NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV

When it comes to streaming devices, NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV, the next generation streaming media player, is at the top of heap. Boasting some of the best hardware of all streaming devices, SHIELD also benefits from being part of Google’s ever-growing ecosystem of media streaming apps.
Of course, figuring out which apps are best for you can take some digging. That’s why we’re here. Whether you’re a pure cord-cutter with a deep-seated dislike for the cable and satellite providers and prefer stand-alone subscription-based services like HBO NOW and SHOWTIME, or you’re happy with your cable and satellite provider and simply want to extend your viewing experience to your SHIELD Android TV we have you covered.
Stand-alone Subscription-based Apps
Sling TV app streams your favorite TV shows

Sling TV App ($10.99 / month)
The Holy Grail, and often most difficult thing for cord-cutters to resolve, is live TV. Sure, over-the-air HD is great for local TV but what about live cable TV? That’s where Sling TV comes in. For $20 a month you can stream everything from HGTV and ESPN to the History Channel and, of course, those ever-present Law and Order: SVU marathons on TNT.
SHOWTIME app lets you watch and on-demand TV
SHOWTIME ($10.99 / month)
Relatively new to the cord-cutting game, SHOWTIME is not new to the movie game. With the SHOWTIME app, cord-cutters can watch whatever is airing live on SHOWTIME or even benefit from on-demand access to every season of every SHOWTIME Original Series. Once downloaded users will benefit from a 30-day free trial. After that the service is $10.99 a month.
Netflix app streams first-rate TV shows
Netflix App (Plans start at $7.99 / month)
First on every cord-cutters list of must-have apps, while Netflix used to be all about watching movies, the California-based company also produces a bevy of first-rate shows like Orange is the New Black. How many times have you heard a friend say about an upcoming movie or TV show, “I’ll just wait until it’s on Netflix?” Now that’s saturation.
HBO NOW app stream all HBO’s original series
HBO NOW App ($14.99 / month)
HBO NOW is the standalone streaming service that gives you all of HBO including every season and every episode of HBO's original series. If that’s not enough, you’ll have access to the biggest and latest movies. A cord-cutter’s dream-come-true, HBO NOW doesn’t require you have a subscription with a participating cable or satellite TV provider.
Hulu app offers the best place to view newer TV content
Hulu App (Plans start at $7.99 / month)
While Netflix boasts a veritable treasure trove of content, the fact remains that much of its content isn’t the freshest. Because of that, Hulu is arguably the best place to view newer content. You may not get to watch The Late Show with Stephen Colbert the night it airs, but it’s still pretty funny the next day.
CBS All Access app lets you watch live and on-demand shows
CBS All Access App ($5.99 / month)
While it’s possible to watch your local CBS broadcast in HD with an HD antenna, CBS All Access! adds something extra, the ability to watch more than 6,500 episodes of your favorite CBS shows on-demand. New episodes of current shows will be available on-demand the day after their first airing. Of course if the signal from your HD antenna is spotty you can use CBS All Access! to actually stream your local CBS broadcast. In addition to current shows, CBS All Access! will also let users watch classic shows like Star Trek and I love Lucy ad-free. After a one week free trial CBS All Access! is $5.99 a month.
Free Streaming Apps
Kodi app helps you browse and view all media from local and online sources
Kodi App (Free)
Kodi media center, formerly known as XBMC Media Center, is an open source cross-platform software media player and entertainment hub for digital media for HTPCs (Home theater PCs). With Kodi users can easily browse and view videos, photos, podcasts, and music from a local source including hard drives, optical drives, local networks, and the internet using only a few buttons.
Plex App for Android TV helps you organize and stream media content
Plex for Android TV App (Free)
While keeping things in the cloud has surely taken off, the fact remains that a lot of us still have terabytes of media content. From movies and music to TV shows and pictures, Plex for Android lets you keep your content in one place while streaming it to any manner of data on pretty much any device imaginable.
Pluto TV app offers 100+ TV channels
Pluto TV App (Free)
Watch 100+ TV channels handmade for the Internet, free on any device, anywhere. Kick back and enjoy familiar favorites like news, music, comedy, drama or try Pluto TV exclusive channels like FailArmy, Classic Toons and yes...Cats 24/7. The folks at Pluto TV hand-pick and organize millions of hours of clips, full episodes and viral sensations into TV channels for the web. Their ever-expanding universe of content includes staples from news to fashion, partnerships with some of the best content creators on this planet - like Bloomberg TV -and real-time agile channels capturing the social chatter.

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UVideos Android TV App (Free)
Your favorite entertainment, news and sports shows from Univision, Unimás and Galavisión as well as exclusives! Watch episodes of your most popular novelas and shows anytime, anywhere!

PBS KIDS App (Free)
Gone are the days of kids’ shows coming on only at specific times of the day. Remember Saturday morning cartoons? While kids nowadays expect to be able to watch their favorite shows whenever they’re free, this is also a boon for parents as it’s now even more easy to keep them occupied. At least with PBS Kids parents can rest assured that the content is good.

Smart Streaming Media Devices

You should never put your eggs all in one basket.

This applies to media streaming devices as well, some of which support 4K movies and shows. A few let you play indie games (or much more graphically intense games), and some are better than others at helping you search for content. To see which one worked best for my needs, I tested them all. Here are my findings.

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1. Vizio M65-C1 4K Ultra HD TV ($1,400)
My top pick right now due to the reasonable price and 65-inch size, this Vizio M65 television has it all. You can watch 4K movies using the UltraFlix app, Netflix, and Vudu with surround-sound. In my tests, the 4K streams looked clear without any pauses or slowdowns over a 200 Mbps connection in my home. Streaming directly to the TV means less device and cable clutter in your entertainment room.

2. Roku 4 ($130)
Here's your golden ticket for 4K streaming on a budget. The Roku 4 is priced well below the NVIDIA Shield Android TV but supports multiple 4K sources, including the Vudu app, YouTube, and Netflix. There's a handy 4K spotlight channel for finding 4K movies. I did prefer the Shield remote, since the Roku 4 remote is a bit bulky and the voice search button is hard to find. Also, the latest Amazon Fire TV is still $30 cheaper, even if it doesn't make 4K searches as easy.

3. NVIDIA Shield Android TV ($200)
One of the surprises with the Android TV is that the quality is amazing, even in HD. An HD stream from the Android store of The Revenant looked colorful and crisp. You can watch Netflix and YouTube videos in 4K, but the Vudu app is not available. The games can't compete with the X1 for graphics, but indie releases like Never Alone are definitely worth playing.

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4. Amazon Fire TV ($100)
For those who live in the Amazon "world" and purchase on-demand movies, watch Amazon Prime shows and movies, or use the Alexa voice assistant for controlling the lights in your home or ordering a pizza, Fire TV is an excellent choice. I liked the smaller size because it fit better in a smaller living room space next to an HDTV. A new version now supports 4K streaming, making this the lowest cost option in my round-up.

5. DISH Hopper 3 (Varies)
I'm a major fan of the DISH Hopper 3 and it's brand new interface. Channels and information are darker, which makes the video and any color logos pop. DISH has done a great job of integrating media streaming from Netflix with video on demand in one search field. For 4K video, there are a few on-demand movies but DISH will likely ramp up 4K content soon.

6. Tivo Bolt ($300)
Choose the Bolt if you are always searching for content. I found it easy to search for any show (like The Shannara Chronicles on MTV) and see which streaming services supported it or whether it was only on Mid-Continent Cable (note that the Bolt does not support satellite television yet). You can easily enable or disable streaming services in your search. Update: The Bolt does support 4K movies in Netflix and on YouTube not not on the Vudu app or video-on-demand.

7. Google Chromecast ($35)
Nothing beats the price of this colorful, portable dongle, although it does not support 4K streams. It plugs into a free HDMI port on your TV or receiver and draws power from an available USB port. This is the device you want for convenience if you already use an Android phone or tablet. I used one to stream from a Google Chromebook Pixel 2015 and noticed the video quality stayed crystal clear.

8. Microsoft Xbox One ($300)
My true fallback device (go Forza series), the Xbox One is a convenient streamer for Netflix, Hulu, and rentals from the Xbox store. Because you can quickly switch between a video stream or an X1 game, even if the total cost is a bit more than most streaming gadgets. For the price, the X1 is ideal for gamers but not for anyone who wants to jump on the 4K bandwagon.

9. Sony PlayStation 4 ($300)
Like the X1, the PS4 also supports the most common streaming services including Hulu, Vudu, Netflix, and Amazon video. You can also rent and stream from the PlayStation store, but none of the content is in 4K. (At least, not yet.) A rumor about the PS4.5 suggests it will support 4K.

10. Yamaha Musiccast RX-A1050 ($1,200)
This receiver ties everything together. I was able to test all of the media streaming devices using the HDMI inputs, stream music from the MusicCast app, and connect my Xbox One all at the same time, switching easily between them to search for the best movie streams.

Roku Streaming Stick Functions

This device falls a little more in the middle at $50. Though it’s similar in many respects to the Chromecast in how it works — as a wireless HDMI input — the price includes a controller, so it doesn’t require another device to function. Of course, it still can be controlled with a tablet or smartphone and act as an input for them. It also supports 7.1 channel surround sound. Order a Roku 3500R Streaming Stick today.

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Streaming media advantages

Streaming media is video or audio content sent in compressed form over the Internet and played immediately, rather than being saved to the hard drive..

With streaming media, a user does not have to wait to download a file to play it. Because the media is sent in a continuous stream of data it can play as it arrives. Users can pause, rewind or fast-forward, just as they could with a downloaded file, unless the content is being streamed live.

Related Articles : streamsofpleasure.com

Here are some advantages of streaming media:

Makes it possible for users to take advantage of interactive applications like video search and personalized playlists.
Allows content deliverers to monitor what visitors are watching and how long they are watching it.
Provides an efficient use of bandwidth because only the part of the file that's being transferred is the part that’s being watched.
Provides the content creator with more control over his intellectual property because the video file is not stored on the viewer's computer. Once the video data is played, it is discarded by the media player.
Media is usually streamed from prerecorded files but can also be distributed as part of a live broadcast feed. In a live broadcast, the video signal is converted into a compressed digital signal and transmitted from a Web server as multicast, sending a single file to multiple users at the same time.

Streaming media is transmitted by a server application and received and displayed in real-time by a client application called a media player. A media player can be either an integral part of a browser, a plug-in, a separate program, or a dedicated device, such as an iPod. Frequently, video files come with embedded players. YouTube videos, for example, run in embedded Flash players.

Streaming media technologies have improved significantly since the 1990s, when delivery was typically uneven. However, the quality of streamed content is still dependent upon the user's connection speed.