What is the Difference Between Streaming and Downloading?

Streaming and downloading media, do you know the difference?

16:22 06 December 2017

Both streaming and downloading allow you to access digital media content, but they are not entirely the same. Streaming is what happens when you watch Netflix and YouTube or when you’re listening to music sites like Rhapsody and Pandora. These give you access to different types of media without the need to copy and move files from one device to another.

 

Streaming is a great way to access files, however, if your internet connection is slow, the video you’re watching will often buffer, which means that it could be delayed. Several seconds of video is streamed to your computer or network media player in order to keep the video playing in the event of an interruption of the internet connection.

 

Downloading, on the other hand, requires that you download the file first so you can watch it at a later time. The process involves connecting your device to the source of the file, which then copies and saves it to your hard drive. Usually, you need to wait until the download is complete before you can watch the media. Once downloaded and saved, the file can be streamed to other devices.