The easiest way to start is by using a
network-aware media player, such as Windows Media Player or iTunes. You build your
media library in the player, and then choose to share either the whole library or just
parts of it.
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132 Part II: Intermediate
Sharing is simple and effective. Here??™s how it works:
The shared library remains on the computer that??™s sharing it, and when a
participating computer goes to play a song or other item, the sharing computer
streams that item across the network to the playing computer. This
means that the item isn??™t copied from the sharing computer to the playing
computer in a way that leaves a usable file on the playing computer.
Streaming is a way of sending a file across a network connection in order so that the computer
receiving the file can start playing it before receiving the whole file. If you view a video on YouTube,
that??™s streaming.
Participating computers can play the shared items but can??™t do anything else
with them; for example, they can??™t burn shared songs to CD or DVD, download
them to a player such as an iPod or Zune, or copy them to their own
libraries.
When a computer goes offline or is shut down, library items it has been sharing
stop being available to other users.
As you no doubt spotted, that last bullet point holds a major drawback. Unless
you keep all the sharing computers running all the time (and prevent any laptops
from leaving the building or your wireless network), you will lose access to some
of the shared items.
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