Streaming media

Streaming media is a method of delivering multimedia through a network for immediate playback. This technology allows users to watch videos or listen to music using a media player. Unlike file downloading, where a user must obtain an entire file before using it, streaming happens in real-time or near real-time.

This process is essential for modern services like video on demand, streaming television, and music services. While we mostly associate streaming with the Internet, it also occurs on local area networks. For example, a home server can stream media to a TV via DLNA.

Streaming can even happen between two devices using Bluetooth, which relies on radio waves rather than IP protocols.

The mechanism of streaming relies on the transfer of data in a stream of packets. These packets move from a server to a client device. The client then renders the media as it arrives. This is a continuous flow of information. If the data does not arrive fast enough, it can cause a buffer underrun. This is a problem where the playback stops because the device has no data to show. To prevent this, devices often download parts of the media in the background.

This ensures a smooth experience for the viewer. The efficiency of this process depends heavily on the available network bandwidth.

There are different types of streaming delivery methods. Live streaming is the real-time delivery of content during its production. This is very similar to how live television broadcasts content through specific channels.

Another method is multicasting, which broadcasts the same copy of multimedia over an entire network.

Streaming is not limited to audio and video. It also includes streaming text, such as live closed captioning or real-time text. It is important to distinguish the delivery method from the media itself. Traditional systems like radio and television are inherently streaming. In contrast, items like books or audio CDs are inherently non-streaming.

History shows that the desire to transmit media is very old. In 1881, the Théâtrophone allowed subscribers to listen to opera via telephone lines. This service operated until 1932. In 1897, the Telharmonium was patented. Later, in the 1920s, George Owen Squier patented a system for distributing signals over electrical lines. This technology became the basis for Muzak. Another interesting example was the Telephone Music Service, which ran from 1929 to 1997. It served 120 bars and restaurants in Pittsburgh. Customers used a telephone to request songs from a library of 100,000 records. An operator would play the record on a turntable and pipe the music through the phone line.

Modern digital streaming faced many technical hurdles. Early computers lacked the CPU and bus bandwidth to support high data rates. In the mid-1990s, networks were still quite limited. Practical streaming required advances in data compression. Uncompressed audio requires 1.4Mbit/s for CD quality. Raw SD video requires 168Mbit/s, while FHD video needs over 1000Mbit/s. Without compression, these requirements were too high for most networks. In the 1990s, companies like RealNetworks and Microsoft helped popularize online streaming. These companies helped move the technology from specialized uses to the general public.

Early internet milestones helped prove the potential of live streaming. In 1993, the band Severe Tire Damage performed a live gig at Xerox PARC. They used roughly half of the total internet bandwidth at the time. The video was pixelated and the audio quality was like a bad telephone connection. In 1994, a school music festival in New Zealand was webcast to 16 viewers in 12 countries. By 1995, RealNetworks pioneered the streaming of a baseball game between the Yankees and the Mariners. These early experiments showed that the internet could host massive, real-time events.

Today, streaming is a dominant force in how we consume media. It has changed the way we interact with music and video. Instead of buying physical copies, many people use subscription services.

We also use streaming for convenience, such as sending audio to wireless speakers via Bluetooth.

This technology connects us to a global library of content instantly. It has moved from a niche technical experiment to a fundamental part of global communication.