(also called: streaming media, online broadcasting, streaming audio)
Introduction
Streaming is the method of delivering media content to the end-user . The term stems from the way the media is delivered, which is it is transfered in a sequence of bytes that are delivered in exact same manner it was produced. Another major aspect of streaming is that the entire content does not need to be transfered before it can be accessed. While the media is being streamed, the end-user obtains it at the time they enter the broadcast.
When streaming audio content, the audio is first streamed from its source location to a streaming sever. The server maintains a buffer of the streamed media and streams that buffer to the connected listener (or end-user ) through a media player that decodes the stream. Because of the nature of streamed media, most streamed audio is not instantaneous , as in, there is a delay between what is presented and when the end-user receives it. This delay varies based on many factors including the type of connection of the listener, the physical location of a streamed server, and the method used to send the media out. On average the delay between the broadcaster and the streamed media is 10 to 30 seconds long.
