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Local media and streaming media

With the Player, you can play two types of digital media files: local media files and streaming media files. Digital media content that you must download to your computer—either partially or completely—before you can play it is known as local media. Digital media content that you can only play while you are connected to the Internet is known as streaming media.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both types of media. For instance, you can play local media without being connected to the Internet. However, local media files can consume a great deal of hard disk storage space. Streaming media files, on the other hand, do not consume storage space on your computer; however, you must be connected to the Internet to play them.

Files known as progressive downloads are a type of local media that behave in some ways like streaming media. Unlike typical local media, when you click a link to a progressive download, the Player plays the file as it downloads it. However, like other local media, once the file has completely downloaded to your computer, you can play the file again without being connected to the Internet.

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