streaming

adj 1: exuding a bodily fluid in profuse amounts: "his streaming

face"; "her streaming eyes"

2: moving smoothly and continuously; "crowds flowing through

the canyons of the streets"; "fan streaming into the

concert hall" [syn: {flowing}]

3: (of liquids) moving freely; "a flowing brook" [syn: {flowing}]

n : the circulation of cytoplasm within a cell [syn: {cyclosis}]

streaming

Playing {sound} or {video} in {real time} as

it is downloaded over the {Internet} as opposed to storing it

in a local file first. A {plug-in} to a {web browser} such as

{Netscape Navigator} decompresses and plays the data as it is

transferred to your computer over the {World-Wide Web}.

Streaming audio or video avoids the delay entailed in

downloading an entire file and then playing it with a {helper

application}. Streaming requires a fast connection and a

computer powerful enough to execute the decompression

{algorithm} in {real time}.

(1996-11-06)