Streaming media refers to multimedia for playback using an offline or online media player that is delivered through a network. Media is transferred in a "stream" of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downloading, a process in which the end-user obtains an entire media file before consuming the content. Streaming is presently most prevalent in video-on-demand, streaming television, and music streaming services over the Internet.
A camera live streaming at a zoo by Niconico
A car audio receiver playing music being streamed via Bluetooth from a smartphone
A TV set streaming an audio file from a local home server
A computer network is a set of computers sharing resources located on or provided by network nodes. Computers use common communication protocols over digital interconnections to communicate with each other. These interconnections are made up of telecommunication network technologies based on physically wired, optical, and wireless radio-frequency methods that may be arranged in a variety of network topologies.
Network Packet
Fiber-optic cables are used to transmit light from one computer/network node to another.
Computers are very often connected to networks using wireless links.
An ATM network interface in the form of an accessory card. A lot of network interfaces are built-in.
