The first edition of this book came about because I had made a career move from television to streaming media. Although it was still video, streaming seemed like a different world. The two camps, television and IT, had evolved separately. It was not just the technology. It was the work practices, the jargon – everything was different. I soon found that the two sides often misunderstood each other, and I had to learn the other’s point of view. What I missed was a top-down view of the technologies. I knew I could get deep technical information about encoding, setting up servers, distribution networks. But for the business decisions about what to purchase I did not need such detail – I wanted the big picture. I found out the hard way by doing all the research. It was just one more step to turn that information into a book. As with any technology, the book became outdated. Companies closed down or were bought out. The industry has consolidated into fewer leading suppliers, but what a potential purchaser of systems needs are stable companies that are going to be around for support and upgrades. The second edition brings the information up to date, especially in the areas of MPEG-4, Windows Media, Real, and Apple QuickTime. Much has happened since I wrote the first edition of this book. There has been an expansion across the board in the availability of network bandwidth. The price of fiber circuits is decreasing. Within corporate networks, it is becoming normal to link network switches with fiber. Gigabit Ethernet is replacing 10baseT. In many countries, the local loop is being unbundled. This gives the consumer a choice of ADSL providers. They may also have the option of data over cable from the local cable television network. All this competition is driving down prices. As third-generation wireless networks are rolled out, it becomes feasible to view video from mobile appliances. These new developments are freeing the use of streaming technology from just the PC platform. Although the PC has many advantages as a rich media terminal, the advent of other channels is increasing its acceptance by corporations.