Streaming vs. Downloading: It's All Downloading?
2025-05-26
This article reveals the core difference between streaming and downloading video: whether the device retains cached video frames. Streaming players buffer frames to handle network fluctuations, which is essentially downloading. Platforms restrict downloads based on user trust, relying on users to delete cached files. Users can circumvent these restrictions, retaining copies. While differences exist in file order, transcoding, and DRM, the core distinction lies solely in whether the video file is retained.
(danq.me)