Internet Video Overview

There are 3 ways by which videos can be delivered over the internet:

1. Download and Play.

To experience Download and Play media, you must first download the entire media file to your hard disk before you can play it. In the 90's, this used to be the only way to watch videos over the internet. Today, it is still popular, especially among file sharing and peer-to-peer networks. However, if you are here at Filipino-TV.blogspot.com, most likely, your purpose is to watch most of the shows here on a regular basis just like you are watching TV. Downloading each and every video corresponding to each and every show or episode to your hard disk doesn't sound very practical, does it? So, actually, we are not adopting this mechanism for Filipino-TV.

2. Progressive Download.

This enables you to experience media as it downloads to your hard drive. That means that once the video is called, it begins downloading to your temporary files for viewing. Because of this, you can only watch up to the point in the video that has been downloaded so far. Also, you cannot skip ahead until the entire video has been downloaded.

Progressive Download is the preferred method of transmitting Flash video over the web so most videos that you see such as Youtube, Multiply, Google Video, MySpace, and almost any other video-enabled social video networking site are delivered by progressive download, and this is what Filipino-TV.blogspot.com will generally be using for all the episode video replays.

It is quite obvious when a video is being delivered via Progressive Download, because you will typically see the little status bar grow as the video downloads. You will not be able to move the scrubber button past the amount that has downloaded already. This makes it impossible to jump to the end of the video before that portion has downloaded. IF YOU HAVE A SLOW WEB SERVER OR LIMITED BANDWIDTH OR THE END USER IS ON A SLOW INTERNET CONNECTION, THEN IT IS POSSIBLE FOR THE END USER TO NOTICE BUFFERING (Please click to view more information on Buffering.)

3. True streaming

This enables the user to view or listen to the media as it is delivered over the internet in real-time. True Streaming is the only variety of streaming that allows for live broadcasting, and it also supports more advanced functionality than Progressive Download, enabling the user to control the media experience by pausing, skipping forward, or rewinding. Although different terms have been used to describe True Streaming, including webcasting, livecasting, web tv, or net.radio, the term that has prevailed is "streaming media" (more often it is just refered to as "streaming"). Examples of this are when you go to Abs-Cbn Live or GMA-7 Live.