Internet 101

Media on the Internet

TV, radio, and the Internet used to be completely separate things, but that's no longer true with today's technology. You can now watch TV shows on your computer, and you can connect to the Internet on many TVs and DVD/Blu-ray players. In addition, radio stations from around the world allow you to listen online, and many online-only radio stations now exist.

iTunes radio

Streaming media

TV and radio on the Internet are examples of streaming media, which means the media downloads while it's playing so you don't have to wait for it to download first.

Not all media is streaming. If you've ever bought music via the iTunes Store, you probably had to wait for it to download before you could listen to it.

Media players and embedded media

Media is often embedded in a webpage, which means it plays within the web browser. Other times, you'll use a separate program called a media player to play it. Examples include Windows Media Player and iTunes. An iPod contains built-in media player software that can play various types of files.

Windows Media Player

Online media on your TV

You can now access online TV shows, movies, and music on your TV. Many newer TVs are able to connect to an existing Internet connection. If yours doesn't have this feature built into it, you can buy a separate digital media receiver, which is a small device that connects to your TV. Apple TV and Roku are two examples of digital media receivers. Many game consoles, such as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, can also be used to access online content.

Browsing movies with Apple TV