Technologies make people consume media and entertainment differently. Streaming has become one of the most popular ways to connect with audiences or provide better engagement to users. It’s also an innovation that amplifies immersion in games, allowing some of the perfect casinos for live dealer roulette to emerge. They give a better playing experience, adding more depth to simple games or content that users now expect from modern entertainment.
The question is, how does streaming work? What technologies does it use to deliver the best viewing experience to users? Here’s how streaming is done and the technologies supporting it.
What Is Streaming?
Streaming is a way for users to consume media over the internet without downloading it first. It can be videos, live events, or music. So, users won’t have to save the file to their device, but instead, the media is delivered in small chunks as the user consumes it.
One of the best examples is Netflix. Users can enjoy any movies they want without downloading anything. YouTube is another popular platform for videos. For music, Spotify is a great example. Users can listen to music or podcasts without saving them on their device. They’re all categorized as streaming.
How Streaming Differs from Downloading
Streaming is when users enjoy the media in real time, with the internet loading the files. When someone downloads a video, the file will be saved onto their device’s hard drive. Users can’t play the media until the whole file finishes downloading.
Streaming, on the other hand, allows the platform to play the media without downloading the file and saving it to the device. The media will load over time instead of being loaded all at once, and the information loaded by the platform isn’t saved locally.
How Does Video Streaming Work?
When a stream is done, the media is compressed and divided into small data packets. They’re then transmitted continuously over the internet. The platform or video player on the device will retrieve the packets, decode them, and start doing playback in near real time. Users don’t need to wait to enjoy the video as long as they have a good internet connection.
The media has evolved and has become a rich landscape. Downloading is no longer the most convenient way to consume complex media.
Some popular streamed content, like esports, invites millions of viewers simultaneously. CDNs (Content Delivery Networks) are the hero that handles large-scale streaming.
The technology caches and distributes multiple versions of video files across servers worldwide. By serving segments from edge servers closest to the user, CDNs lower latency and buffering. It reduces the distance data has to travel. That way, it allows video streaming services to scale efficiently to millions of users using the same platform.
This is the standard model that video streaming platforms now use. It ensures a consistent experience for users, regardless of their location. There’s also adaptive bitrate streaming that players commonly use. It automatically switches between versions of content at different bitrates and resolutions.
TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) typically transmits these video segments for reliability. However, in several low-latency cases, it typically uses UDP (User Datagram Protocol) to prioritize speed. Streaming technologies are made to adapt to changing conditions so the platform can maintain smooth playback, with graphics quality as high as possible to ensure players aren’t encountering stalled streams.
The Technologies Behind Streaming
Multiple technologies build streaming to ensure smooth delivery, playback, and reliability of the content. Here are some of the technologies that support it.
Video and Audio Compression
Raw video and audio files are massive in size. To make an efficient stream, platforms can’t use them directly. This is where compression technologies (codecs) step in to lower the files’ sizes without sacrificing their quality.
H.264/AVC is the most common video codec used for streaming due to its efficiency and quality. Some of the top platforms using this codec are Twitch, YouTube, and Netflix. Meanwhile, there are also H.265/HEVC platforms used for delivering 4K content.
Streaming Protocols
Streaming protocols handle media data transmission from a server to the users’ devices using the internet. HTTP Live Streaming is widely used for delivering video content, but it’s mostly used for mobile devices. MPEG-DASH is another popular protocol for adaptive streaming.
For platforms like Twitch that need to stream in real-time, they typically use RTMP (Real-Time Messaging Protocol). It converts video to DASH or HLS. Platforms like Google Meet or Zoom that need real-time video streaming processing utilize WebRTC. Live gaming stream platforms also use it.
Content Delivery Networks
CDNs are distributed networks for delivering content from locations closer to users. As it reduces the distance data has to travel, it lowers latency, which improves loading times. Cloudflare, Akamai, and Amazon CloudFront are among the biggest CDNs used by big platforms like YouTube and Netflix.
Adaptive Bitrate Streaming
Depending on the user’s internet speed, the streamed video graphics quality can be adjusted. This is because platforms are using Adaptive Bitrate Streaming, which will give users the best possible graphics quality without interruptions.
When the user’s internet speed drops, it’ll automatically lower the video resolution to prevent buffering. On the other hand, if the user’s internet connection is strong, the video resolution will automatically be set to 1080p or 4k for the best viewing experience.
