The primary distinction between downloading and streaming video is that the latter involves the constant, real-time transmission of video files. In addition to live-streamed content currently being created, video streaming is also possible. The data is deleted after the video has been streamed rather than copied and saved.
It is not possible to play downloaded content while it is downloading. Downloaded video files load all at once instead of loading and buffering portions of the video one at a time.
History of streaming video
Consumer PCs only had the sufficient processing power to display streaming media in the late 1980s. Until now, CD-ROMs and other nonstreaming techniques have been employed.
The purpose of buffering
Buffering is another issue with video streaming. A media player loads a video stream a few seconds in advance through the process of buffering. This ensures that the stream doesn’t lag and that the video can continue to play even if service is briefly interrupted. The video will stop playing while buffering is still going on if a network connection is slow enough or if service is interrupted for a long enough period.
In addition, if a router is too slow to send video data to a device, then the video will buffer. This can be avoided, and the user’s streaming experience can be enhanced by upgrading the router and internet speeds.
According to Forbes, YouTube, in particular, has grown to be such a powerful video streaming platform that it is currently the second-largest search engine in the world, processing up to 3 billion searches each month. YouTube is the only other major search engine after Google. YouTube receives so much content that if one tried to view every video, one would fall behind by more than 300 hours every minute. That is the same as slipping behind every minute for more than a week and a half.