Company
Date Published
Dec. 3, 2023
Author
John Selvinraj
Word count
1238
Language
English
Hacker News points
None

Summary

Media streaming is a technology that enables continuous transmission and playback of audio and video files from a server to a client over the internet or a network, without complete file downloads. It relies on protocols like HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) and Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH). The history of media streaming began in the early 1990s with advancements in internet technology and bandwidth. In the 2010s, broadband internet and smartphones led to an era of on-demand content services like Netflix and Spotify. Adaptive streaming allows for dynamic adjustment of stream quality based on user's internet speed. Key components include content preparation, delivery via a content delivery network (CDN), adaptive streaming protocols, media players, and user interaction features.