Digital Media Concepts

Digital media content that’s delivered to your computer as you play it is called streaming media. Streaming media is not stored on your hard disk, so you need to be connected to the Internet to play it. Digital media that’s stored on a hard disk is called local media. You can play local media without being connected to the Internet, but it can take up a lot of space on your hard disk.

When you play streaming media, Windows Media Player stores an advance supply of data to help prevent interruptions during playback. This advance storage process is called buffering. The Media Player status area alerts you as data is buffered. As more data in the file is streamed, more data is buffered.

If data in the buffer is depleted, you might notice a pause in the playback. Media Player automatically adjusts the buffering. However, if you notice consistent interruption during playback, you can increase the number of seconds that data is buffered.

To increase the amount of time that data is buffered:

1.	Click the Tools menu of the Windows Media Player, and click Options.

2.	Click the Performance tab.

3.	Under Network Buffering, select the Buffer: ‘X’ seconds (where ‘X’ indicates seconds) option.

4.	Click in the box and type the number of seconds you want Media Player to store advance data.

Content providers such as recording companies can also secure digital media files by requiring license registration before the files can be played. This makes the files less likely to be illegally copied and redistributed. Media Player cannot play certain files without a valid license. When you download a licensed file from the Internet, you’re directed to an Internet site to register for the license. The license is then downloaded to the computer and applied only to the file that you’ve downloaded. In some cases a fee is required to obtain a license.