STREAM/watch movies/tv
on your TV/Ipad/Iphone

Streaming is a technology used to deliver content (movies, TV shows, sports events, music, etc.) to computers, TV's, ipads & phones over the internet. Streaming transmits data—audio & video—as a continuous flow, which allows you to begin to watch or listen to anything almost immediately.  Live Streaming is the same as streaming, but specifically used for content delivered in real time as it happens (sports, one-time events, etc.) Movies/tv shows/sporting events that you stream live are not stored on your computer/tv/device.

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Streaming & downloading are two contrasting ways of watching what you want to watch. The key differences are when you can start watching the content & what happens to the content after you're done with it. Streaming doesn't save it & downloading saves it for a future time.

So consider just substituting the word 'watched' for "streamed" or "downloaded". It could help you wrap your head around these terms. Example: "Last night I streamed/watched the new Spike Lee movie BlacKkKlansman on Netflix."

Downloading When you download a movie/tv show onto your device you need to download the entire thing before you can watch it. What you download is permanently on your device until you delete it. Downloading movies/tv shows, etc. is most commonly used when:

  • You want a copy of a specific show or movie to be available whenever you want to watch it.

  • You want to have a bunch of shows/movies to watch while you're traveling.

You can also stream TV through the internet without subscribing to cable, which "can" (but not always) cut cable costs. This is done by subscribing to various services that offer you specific stations in different packages. There are pros & cons to doing this, but that all depends on your personal needs.