The Brisk Development of Media Streaming Devices

A century ago, the concept of live broadcast was simply a far-fetched idea that was never given enough attention and mulling over by pundits and experts in media broadcasting. Their attitudes then were simply understandable because the technologies that could support live broadcast and wireless video transmissions were not available at that time.

It would take another century for HD wireless transmissions to develop and attain the necessary technologies to facilitate live broadcast and streaming, and it is good to know that we are fortunate enough to witness the full fruition of these technologies, and enjoy the benefits afforded by these technologies. Nowadays, there are myriads of media streaming services which we can readily avail of; and we can still hope in the near future that these technologies will be further improved and enhanced.

Understanding the Concept of “Streaming Media”

There seems to be a glut in the productions of streaming video software nowadays, considering the fact that the use of such software seems to be the “in” thing nowadays; and that the production and marketing of these software are indeed profitable at this time.

Streaming media involves the transmittal of multimedia contents, whether audio or video to the end-users. Unlike in the previous ways of accessing these multimedia contents, the multimedia contents nowadays are received constantly and continuously by the end-users from the one who produces or provides the contents. This process of continuous delivery of multimedia contents is termed “streaming,” and the process of delivering these contents in real-time is called “live broadcasting” or “live streaming.” Additionally, the concept of live video streaming often pertains to the process of delivering a video content while that video content is being shot or produced in real-time somewhere else.

There are several prerequisite technologies that brought about the development of live broadcast technology. These prerequisite technologies include the following:

• Expansive internet networks
• The continuous development of powerful operating systems and advanced home computers
• The development of sophisticated software
• Availability of complementary hardware
• Standardization of formats and protocols
• Continuous increase in available bandwidth

The expansion of the internet has really ushered in new ways of behaving and new ways of performing human endeavors. With the World Wide Web at hand, the world has virtually become a global village wherein far-flung places are made interconnected. Hence, the onset of the World Wide Web is indeed critical to the development of multimedia streaming and HD video transmissions. On the other hand, the onset of the World Wide Web has also ushered in the development of various applications that readily enable end-users to maximize the use of the internet. The proliferation of HD live streaming and live transmission software, for example, made possible the realization of real-time media streaming around the world. The technologies necessary to achieve real-time live streaming and broadcasting are perfectly available at present.

The use of live media streaming may still be in its incipient stage. Its full potential has not yet been fully realized. Every year, an improved and more sophisticated software and hardware would usually emerge out of anonymity. Moreover, the competition among vendors of hardware and software is vigorous and healthy. For this reason, consumers can further expect less expensive media streaming devices and software in the near future.