Playing soundORvideo in real time as it is downloaded over the Internet as opposed to stORing it in a local file first. A plug-in to a web browser such as Netscape NavigatOR decompresses and plays the data as it is transferred to your computer over the WORld-Wide Web. Streaming audio OR video avoids the delay entailed in downloading an entire file and then playing it with a {helper application}. Streaming requires a fast connection and a computer powerful enough to execute the decompression algORithm in real time. (1996-11-06)