Streaming Video

HowStuffWorks "How Streaming Video and Audio Work"
Streaming video and audio have come a long way since then. According to  Bridge Ratings , 57 million people listen to  Internet radio  every week. In 2006, people watched more than a million streaming videos a day on YouTube [source:  Reuters ]. The same year, television network ABC started streaming its most popular  TV  shows over the Web. People who missed an episode of shows like " Lost " or "Grey's Anatomy" could catch up on the entire thing online -- legally and for free.  Streaming Video - How it Works (and Why it Sometimes Doesn't) | Videomaker.com
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/basics/streaming-video-and-audio.htm

Real streaming video, on the other hand, is most often used by producers and distributors with deeper pockets, since it requires a special software server. A streaming server is a specialized piece of software that controls the actual streaming of the video, often adjusting the data rate on the fly to compensate for the vagaries of the Internet. It lets viewers jump ahead to later portions of a clip, skipping entire portions without downloading them. Streaming video files can remain on the server, so no matter how long they are, you don't have to worry about it taking up your hard drive space (although the files can sometimes be found in your Internet Temp directory). This can also work as a theft-prevention and redistribution security tool.
http://www.videomaker.com/article/8553-streaming-video-how-it-works-and-why-it-sometimes-doesnt

Netflix vs VUDU vs Hulu Plus vs Amazon Streaming Video Services
*While each streaming video service provides different features and content, use the comparison chart below to find the best service based on individual preferences or needs. Pricing was accurate at time of publication. Check with vendor for discounts or free trials.
http://mkvxstream.blogspot.com/2012/04/netflix-vs-vudu-vs-hulu-plus-vs-amazon.html

Streaming video subscriptions continue to climb
For many consumers, streaming video has become "an adequate substitution" for premium channels, he says, because most TV series and movies on HBO and Showtime, and cable networks like AMC, can be found on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. "One of the trends we watching is people starting to have Hulu and Netflix or Hulu and Amazon and what impact does that have," Crupnick says.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/personal/2014/01/20/npd-streaming-rises-pay-tv-drops/4658933/