Web Streaming

Web streaming is the process of delivering multimedia — usually audio or video — over the World Wide Web. Web streaming requires three things: a media source in a format that can be streamed; server software that can stream it; and a client, or player, that can play it on a user's computer or other device, such as a smart phone or an Internet radio receiver. The client is often a plug-in that runs in a web browser, but can also be a dedicated media player. Players include features like rewind, pause, and fast forward.

Streaming media does not need to be downloaded and stored on a local computer. In fact, most of the time it cannot be saved to a computer. As media is streamed, it is stored in a temporary storage space called a buffer so that it can be viewed or listened to before the entire file has loaded. Generally, a few seconds of media are buffered before the file begins to play. Interference or a slow Internet connection can cause playback to stall if new data can't be loaded into the buffer quickly enough.