One of the ways that many people view video files and hear audio files is through streaming technology. Streaming either audio or video files is a term used when a server computer on the Internet will send your computer specific parts of a full audio or video file at a time in order to view or hear the file in real time. This way you don’t have to download the entire file before watching it or listening to it.

Streaming is very popular and usually comes in three main formats, created by specific media companies.

These include streaming by:

  • Real Networks – Real Media – which can be broken down to Real Audio and Real Video
  • Microsoft – Windows Media
  • Apple – QuickTime

All three of these media companies make available their own streaming media players which usually work on both major platforms, including MS Windows and Mac OS X. These media players are usually free of charge, but can be upgraded for a fee to include special features. It should also be noted that other third party software developers also have free streaming media players that can play these three types of streaming media.

How to Record Streaming Media Files

It is possible and very easy to record streaming media files. While most file creators would prefer and try to stop you from recording streaming media files to your computer (usually by including Digital Rights Management), it is very easy to capture streaming media files and then record it to your hard drive or other source.

The main way to capture and record streaming media is with Capture and Record Streaming Media Software. These software applications are extremely easy to use, will capture practically every file that is streamed to your computer and then saves it on your computer. You can use many programs to convert the file to DVD, DivX or MP3 formats, among others.

It is important to note that there are lots of capture and record programs on the market, while the vast majority is fee based, they are usually affordable, costing less than $50. Most capture and record programs will have an easy to use interface and will be able to capture and record even DRM (Digital Rights Management) protected streams.

Many of the capture and record programs also come with enhanced features, one of these features include Seek. Seek is where you can fast forward or reverse a captured and recorded file. Many streamed video and audio files do not allow you to fast forward or rewind, however once it is captured and recorded, you can give your file this great feature.

Many capture and record programs can be set to record at the highest level of audio and video quality as possible. Another great feature is that if during your capture and record process, you lose the Internet connection or you have to stop the streaming process, you can easily go back to the point where you left off capturing and recording again. This way you no longer have to record the entire file again, just the parts of the file you didn’t get a chance to capture and record.

Common Streaming Problems

In order to ensure that you get the best possible recording possible, you should try to avoid common problems with streaming. They are:

Traffic Jams

Traffic jams can be considered Internet bottlenecks. Sometimes there are so many people on the Internet trying to download a particular file, the server just can’t keep up with it and will be slow to stream the file. The file may be slow, constantly interrupted or you might even lose the media stream completely. If you are planning on capturing and recording a streaming file, make sure it is not heavily in demand.

Computers with Poor Performance

If you have a slow computer or even a fast computer that is busy processing lots of different applications and data, you may be asking for trouble. If you are planning on capturing and recording a stream, close all non essential programs and make sure your computer is up to par to handle the task.

Slow Broadband o Dial up Connections

If you have a dial up connection, you can still capture and record streaming audio and video, however expect problems. The faster the connection speed, the more data your computer can receive at a time. Faster connection speeds will definitely result in higher streaming speeds and will give you the option of selecting the highest quality stream instead of the usually, lowest quality dial up stream.