Definition: There are businesses that will sell or rent you a movie and deliver it via the Internet in a way that it is displayed on your screen, but you don't end up with a copy of it on your hard drive or anywhere else. The process of sending the movie from their computer system to your screen without putting a complete copy of it on your storage media is called streaming. Downloading and streaming are two different ways of delivering movies over an Internet connection, and each has its advantages.

If a movie is being streamed, you can begin viewing immediately, while if it is being downloaded, there will usually be a noticeable — perhaps even a lengthy — delay before you can begin viewing. A common way of watching a streamed movie is on a computer screen. However, there are special-purpose devices that permit a streamed movie to be displayed on a TV screen. Remember to always respect copyrights and the intellectual property of others. Illegally streaming movies has the potential of getting you into legal trouble.