What Is Streaming?
Streaming is a way to watch or listen to content without having to download it. You’ll often hear the term “streaming” in relation to watching movies and listening to music on the internet.
What Are Some Examples of Streaming Content?
Popular sites and services that stream content include Netflix, Vudu, Pandora, Hulu, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and many more. For example, when you select a video on YouTube, you’re streaming that video from YouTube’s site and servers to your own computer or media streamer. Streaming happens in real-time; the file is delivered to your computer like water flowing from a tap.
What Do You Need for Streaming?
You’ll need a fast internet connection for streaming, especially if there are several users in your home sharing the bandwidth. Higher-quality video, such as high-definition video with digital surround sound, requires a faster connection.
Downsides to Streaming
Streaming technology is becoming very sophisticated, but you still may run into a few glitches. If your internet connection is spotty or drops out, your movie or song will be unstable or even unable to play. The most common issue with streaming is buffering. A buffer is like a song or a movie’s temporary memory storage, holding the content you’ll see next. This makes for a smooth viewing experience. But a slow or spotty internet connection won’t be able to fill that buffer quickly enough, so your media content may freeze up for a few moments while it struggles to catch up to real-time.
What Is Downloading?
Unlike streaming, when you download media, you save it to your computer, tablet, smartphone, or other device. You’re taking a copy of the digital content “down” from the internet or a specific website to reside on your device. After you download a file, play it again whenever you want.
What Are Some Examples of Downloaded Content?
Download content to your phone or another mobile device to enjoy while you’re on the go. This is great for long plane trips where you don’t have internet access and can’t stream entertainment.
What Do You Need for Downloading?
To download, you need a device with an internet connection and a source. For example, if you want to download a song from Apple Music, access it from your internet-connected device, select a song, and download it. That content is available to you offline whenever you want.
Downsides to Downloading
The main downside to downloading is the concern that a virus or other malware is hijacking a ride onto your device. This is particularly a concern with downloading software. Be sure to download only from trusted sites, and keep up-to-date antivirus protection on your devices. Downloading media content like movies, music, or books is usually fast, but it can sometimes take a while to download. You’ll usually have to wait until the download is complete before you can watch the media.
