By streaming we refer to the decoding of a file consurrently with its download, i.e. rendering the contents of the file as they become available, without having to stand by for the entire file to be downloaded. Streaming is very useful in applications that involve live content (such as readio transmissions, or newscasts) or media files that tend to be very large, that is in applications where the user cannot afford waiting for the download to be completed before the file can be decoded. Not all file formats can be streamed. Many common media fromats/compressions that we use everyday, such as GIF or WAV require the entire file to be available before the decoding can take place. Formats such as mpeg-3 or RealAudio on the other hand, can be decoded as the data comes in. Such formats are called collectively streaming formats.