Slide 4 of 4
Here are all the components that work together to make streaming media
happen on the web.
First, you need a computer connected to the internet over a local area
network or a modem. You also need a web browser with the proper player
or plug-in installed. Plug-ins can be downloaded on the web for free.
A plug-ins works in conjunction with the browser to play streaming encoded
files in a particular format.
A web server stores web pages or HTML files. Streaming media files normally
reside on a separate dedicated streaming server. So when a media link
is clicked on a web page the browser reads the HTML code, and lets the
player/plug-in take over. The player negotiates with the streaming server
and gets the target media file using a path statement. After a few seconds
of buffering the media file begins to stream within the player onto your
screen.
So next time you click a streaming media link on a web page try to envision
all these components working together.
In the next few sections we’ll look at the different types of content
you can stream as well as the streaming technologies that make it all
possible.
