Over the past decades, computer technology has changed the format of external storage media several times. If half a century ago, punched tapes and punched cards were used for this, then magnetic floppy disks, after which it was the turn of laser disks, then today solid-state drives are in priority.
Meanwhile, some information systems still use very special devices for storing and recording information - streamers.
What is a streamer?
In English, the word "Streamer" denotes long narrow tape ... Today, streamers are most often called people who broadcast live video of any event on the Internet. However, in the professional environment of computer scientists, this word denotes an information storage device in which information is recorded on a magnetic tape.
The recording and reading device resembles a reel-to-reel tape recorder in principle: a tape covered with a ferromagnetic compound is rolled through a block of magnetic heads, with the help of which individual sections of the tape are magnetized, and thus the digital information is recorded.
What are streamers for?
Today, streamers are a fairly rare type of equipment used to create and store backups of important information. The advantage of a magnetic tape is the safety of data even with a completely de-energized equipment, due to which, in the event of an emergency situation associated with a computer system shutdown, the most important arrays remain protected from loss.
The use of tape drives as information carriers for constant work is irrational, since searching, reading or writing the necessary pieces of data on a magnetic tape takes much longer than using modern hard drives or solid-state drives.
Properties of modern streamers
Unlike the technology of previous generations, modern streamers operate with rather large volumes of data recording. The increase in storage capacity is achieved thanks to the modern digital technology LTO. Their most important characteristics:
- up to 160 GB of data compressed 2: 1 can be recorded on a cassette;
- recording is carried out at a speed of 49.3 GB / hour (one cassette is filled in 3.2 hours); 
- the streamer is connected to the computer via USB or SCSI.
The device connects and operates in plug-and-play mode, which allows you to start backing up within a minute after installing a new tape.
Streamer benefits
Experts refer to the advantages of the latest generation of streamers:
- high capacity of a standard magnetic tape cassette;
- low cost of magnetic tape and its unpretentiousness to storage conditions;
- stability and reliability of work;
- minimum power consumption for storing massive amounts of data.
It should be remembered that the magnetic tape storage cassette does not need to be connected to a power supply and does not consume any electricity at all.
Disadvantages of streamers
The main drawback, which streamers will never be able to get rid of, is the low speed of data access: in order to find the desired fragment of the recording, the tape must be rewound to the section on which it was recorded.
And one more thing: despite the fact that magnetic tape is very cheap, making the streamer itself costs a significant amount.
How do streamers record information?
The recording of information in the streamer is carried out in one of two main ways: linear or italic-line.
- The linear method of recording data on a magnetic tape is as follows: information is applied in the form of parallel tracks running along the tape. When recording, the tape moves forward or backward relative to a stationary recording or reading head. When a track reaches the end of the tape, recording continues on the next track, with the tape moving backward. Modern streamers use multi-head technology that operates simultaneously on a number of parallel tracks.
- The line-by-line method of recording data is similar to that of a consumer VCR. The write and read heads are located on a drum, which rotates as the tape rolls past it. The data is written in the form of transverse tracks, located with a slight slope. This allows the recording to be denser without narrowing the gaps in the heads or speeding up its movement. 
Modern streamer head assemblies use both linear and line-slanted recording methods.
Today there are a huge number of different media players, streamers and other devices that are designed to display streaming video from online services on the TV, as well as media files stored locally on the computer. Streamers are very convenient devices, and the first step in choosing them is to determine the purpose of use. What will the streamer be used for? For streaming video or music from the web? Or to use online services? Or maybe the user has a huge collection of multimedia files on their computer that they would like to view on a large TV screen?
Definition of media players
Many people confuse players and streamers and think that they are one and the same. What are the differences? Media players connect to your home network. They are designed to play movies that are stored on your computer. Players work according to a standard that allows devices to receive and transmit media content over a home network.
Defining streamers
A streamer is a device for connecting to online services. Some models are capable of playing stored files. They have a program in the firmware that connects to the library on the local computer or others. But often streamers are devices that do not have a certificate that allows them to work according to the same standard as a media player.
Then which device is best for watching movies and TV shows, as well as listening to music from online sources or local storage? Where to stop the choice? There are some factors to consider.
Ease of use and a wide range of features
If you need to target family members who are afraid of any technical difficulties, there are simple streamers. These are devices that have a very easy menu, and the control panel is elementary to use. The Roku Box is probably the easiest streamer to navigate and configure. Its price starts at $ 40. It has large icons and a very convenient menu that will be understandable to any novice user. Older people say this model is easy to learn.
Other models are more functional and require certain skills to use them. One of the good models is the Boxee. A very handy streamer. Reviews about him are mostly positive. This model has broad search capabilities. With it, you can share your recommendations with other users, as well as get feedback. A large number of apps and channels are available. Despite its extensive capabilities, such a device can scare an unsure user or a beginner.
Streaming media or local library?
In the event that the user's main interest is associated with services that provide online access to television shows or online music playback, it is necessary to consider options for buying a streamer that works specifically with the services of interest. Some manufacturers give you different names for online streaming services: channels, applications. A list of such services is always indicated on the box, but over time, thanks to updates, new ones appear. You need to regularly check the manufacturer's website if the required service is not found.
The Roku Box is great for streaming video, but the computer requires dedicated media server software. You can also use a USB connection to play pre-downloaded files.
What is a WD TV Live Streamer? This is the golden mean. The model is capable of transferring media from popular services, playing home files and photo slideshows. How is this streamer running? The photo of the remote control suggests that everything is very simple, since there are not many buttons there.
Boxee can search for files on the home network, sort them. In addition, you can choose a cover for them. Supports a large number of online services.
Data storage
If the user has run out of storage space and wants to move libraries from the computer, preference should be given to streamers with built-in memory or those models to which hard drives can be connected via USB. When transferring files to the hard drive or to the tape drive's memory, there is no need to turn on the computer to access multimedia. In addition, there will be no dependence on interference in the Internet connection, and problems with stopping and buffering the stream will be eliminated.
The WD TV Live Hub streamer model contains a hard drive that you can copy files to for centralized storage. From there, all computers connected to the home network will have access to it.
Compatible with media file formats
Streamers are devices capable of handling a huge range of different video and music formats. It is imperative to check the specification prior to purchasing to ensure the device is capable of playing the user's existing files. For advanced users looking to play formats such as MKV, the Netgear streamer can be advised.
Apple TV
If the user has a laptop, smartphone or tablet from Apple, you can think about purchasing a media streamer from the same company. It is easily mastered by users of Apple technology. As long as streaming services are dependent on purchases from the iTunes store, there are many options for playing from a smartphone or tablet.
There is an interesting possibility of creating a "mirror" effect, where what the user sees on the iPad display is transmitted to the streamer. But I must say that the files go through the compression process, and they will not be output on a large TV in the same quality as on a small tablet screen.
TV streamers or standalone streamers?
Modern smart TVs and set-top boxes are capable of playing streaming and local media files. Do I need to buy such a TV or set-top box where the streamer is built-in, or is it better to opt for a standalone player?
All-in-one systems have their advantages. So, the video does not go through an extra step that degrades the quality. Modern technology is getting more and more applications. On the other hand, standalone streamers are so small that they can be carried and even taken on trips. In addition, if you already have a TV, then buying a streamer will cost much less.
Of course, the final decision is made by the user. You just need to study the information in advance so as not to make a mistake with the choice. Fortunately, the market is saturated with models for a variety of preferences and financial capabilities.
The global esports market is rapidly evolving. The industry is overgrown with various accompanying phenomena and people. Among them are streamers. People who playfully earn decent amounts of money. And in the literal sense of these words: they are really paid to play their favorite computer games, and along the way they comment on everything that happens on the screen.
This type of earnings appeared in the world less than ten years ago. For a long time, few people took it seriously, and the question "Who is a streamer?" elicited mostly skeptical grins. Now the situation has changed. It got to the point that the influential business magazine Forbes publishes the ratings of the top streamers, and the tabloid press discusses the personal lives of commentators with interest.
Who are streamers, how much and what do they get money for?
Streamers broadcast online and comment on the entire gameplayStreamers are akin to popular sports broadcasters. True, they not only talk, but also play themselves - in online mode they show others how to overcome obstacles in their favorite computer games, explaining their every step.
You can watch streamers' broadcasts on YouTube and Twitch.tv channels.
Leading streamers manage to earn millions in a month - through paid subscriptions to their channels, voluntary transfers (donations) from grateful viewers, as well as advertising, the volume of which has been growing lately.
Top 10 most popular
Some streamers have millions in revenue How to become one of the lucky streamers in a million? Let's try to find out using the example of dozens of the main stars of the world streaming.
Tyler Blevins (Ninja)
Tyler is only 27 years old The name of this young man (he is only 27) is known today not only to fans of computer games. The American press named him "the very first person to make a million dollars streaming." Tyler has over 16 million subscribers and monthly earnings of $ 53.7 million. He invests part of the sums earned in securities, and sends part to charity - helping homeless animals.
Michael Grzeshek (Shroud)
Among the subscribers there are paid ones, each of which brings about 86.5 thousand dollars a month A former esports player who joined streamers and did not seem to regret it. He set his record last year, when viewers around the world spent a total of 13.6 million hours watching his broadcasts in just a month and a half (from mid-August to the end of September). More than 2 million people have subscribed to the Grzeszek channel. Among them there are paid ones, each of which is guaranteed to bring him 190 rubles a month. Michael's total earnings in 30 days is 86.6 thousand dollars.
Guy Baim (Dr. DisRespect)
At the same time, Bam's streams are watched by about 400 thousand users A streamer widely known in English-speaking countries. He goes on the air in sunglasses, a black wig and a fake mustache. The audience likes his emotional presentation and striking expressiveness. He often broadcasts from very exotic locations. For example, he once went on the air from a boat moving at a breakneck speed across the ocean. Baima's channel is watched by up to 400 thousand viewers at the same time, and his earnings from one game on donations can reach from 22.6 to 30 million dollars.
Vladislav Sinotov (SilverName)
Vladislav is one of the most successful streamers in Russia The star of Russian-speaking streaming. He especially did well in 2017 when he began commenting on the Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft game. In it, Vladislav is one of the strongest Russian players. The Russian airs SilverName every day and manages to keep the audience's interest for about four hours in a row. The commentator tries to keep the size of his earnings secret. And he succeeds: information about Sinotov's millions has not yet leaked to the network.
Tyler Steinkamp (Tyleri)
For the game, Tyler collects up to 66-67 thousand dollars in donations One of the most controversial and scandalous commentators. Its distinguishing feature is sharpness in communication with fans of games. For this, he was often sent to the ban, but then still returned online. Up to 200 thousand people simultaneously gather to watch the game and listen to the streamer's harsh comments. At the same time donations from fans bring him up to 15 thousand dollars per game.
Felix Chelberg (PewDiePie)
Over the entire existence of the channel, Felix has collected about 14.5 billion broadcast views According to Forbes magazine, this commentator, specializing in horror games and action games, has collected 14.5 billion views of his broadcasts on YouTube alone. In addition, he boasts about 65 million subscribers to his channel. They brought him a very impressive $ 11.5 million in 2017 alone.
Mark Fischbach
In addition to streaming, Mark is engaged in TV shows Markiplier's revenues are estimated at millions of rubles. His channel has 18.5 million subscribers. They learn the secrets of the game from Mark, laugh at his jokes, and, in addition, actively translate donations for him. Forbes estimated Fischbach's last year's earnings at $ 11.5 million.
Ian Hickox, Anthony Padilla (Smosh)
Comedians broadcast animation clips and short films with author's dubbing The duo of two American comedians has gained popularity with humorous videos and animation clips. In addition, they post funny Spanish dubbed short films online. For some time now, one of the activities of a couple of comedians has become streaming. And the showmen did not fail - they have already collected about 23.5 million subscribers and earned $ 10.6 million.
Evan Wong (VanossGaming)
Wong dropped out of school to stream For the young Canadian, streaming was a hobby at first, but Wong quickly realized that a fun hobby was a very promising pursuit. He dropped out of university and focused entirely on his channel. On it, he not only comments on games in real time, but also posts funny collections with selected moments from different games. He now has over 20 million subscribers and an estimated annual revenue of $ 13.5 million.
Sonya Reed (Omgitsfirefoxx)
The girl began to comment on the first games 5 years ago Sonya is a streamer with five years of experience, she commented on her very first games in 2013. She has her own YouTube channel with 789 thousand subscribers. And also a channel on Twitch, where her broadcasts are watched by another 800 thousand people. The girl is one of the ten most expensive streamers in the world, although accurate information on her income cannot be found. It is only known that a large part of her earnings are advertising contracts with such giants as Audi and Intel.
Stream now is a real business that brings millions of dollars in income Comedians joke that the first streamers appeared in the Soviet Union in the late 1980s. It was then that a few Soviet children - most often the offspring of the party nomenclature - had the very first game consoles at home. We went to visit whole yards to see how this curiosity worked: one child was playing, the rest, holding their breath, watched and eagerly caught the comments.
History repeats itself. True, streaming is no longer child's play. This is a very real business, bringing in millions.
- So young and drunk ... Why are you lying under a tree?
- Because I'm a streamer
- It's like a trimer? Get up, we'll give you some tea, trimer ...
Streamers, stringers, video bloggers - who are these people, who are increasingly appearing all over the world and in Ukraine? How do they differ from each other and how do they manage to make money on these not the most trivial activities? An intelligible answer to this seemingly simple question somehow hangs in the air. We decided to stop beating around the bush and finally put everything on the shelves.
Who are streamers?
Despite the similar names, streamers and stringers do not have much in common - in fact, these are two parallel phenomena. Stringer is a freelancer, freelance journalist, a person who fulfills orders for a particular professional story. At the same time, the streamer broadcasts information in real time, and a high-quality picture, of course, is desirable, but the efficiency and uniqueness of the content in this case is much more important. At the same time, these phenomena can boil down to the same thing - a stringer can receive a request for a journalistic story in real time, and a streamer can prepare reports from the scene “on order”. However, the stringer does not have its own channel for broadcasting - he sells his story to some media, while the streamer can both work in this format and develop his own resource.
Video blogging can also be attributed to this category of free operators, with the peculiarity that a blog is an author's product in a specific genre and topic. For example, the notorious This is Good - jokes-jokes in the mode of a short Internet show or numerous beauty blogs on YouTube, in which girls from young to old share the intricacies of weaving braids and creating nude-makeup. The main feature of video bloggers is that this content is recorded in advance, and not broadcast online. The number of subscribers to the channels of bloggers and streamers varies from hundreds to hundreds of thousands and often becomes the main occupation for the author, even if he started as a hobby.
Of all the forms described, streaming is the most unpredictable and free-spirited, as well as the most promising, so as lovers of experimentation, we will focus on it. How do they become streamers, what do they tell us about, and what does this phenomenon even mean?
How to become a streamer?
Streaming is like a one-actor theater: the author of a report becomes a director, cameraman and presenter in one person, while remaining a direct participant in the plot. He also voices what is happening, and his comments are no less important than the picture: the popularity and relevance of the plots depends to a large extent on them. Comments become especially important when the image quality for technical reasons leaves much to be desired - the voiceover not only explains what is happening in the frame, but also allows people to be distracted by their business and switch to listening mode. First of all, streaming is, of course, a creative process that requires a certain talent and skill to improvise. There are no textbooks or special courses on this topic: the maximum that can be found for self-education is the advice of other pioneers. However, in this area, its own professional nuances appear.
What are streamers broadcasting about?
The concept of "streamer" is not tied to a specific area and has its own varieties in different areas - from serious social and political topics to a purely entertainment genre. For Ukraine, of course, political streaming is especially relevant. The activation in this area is associated with the events on the Maidan - it was then that the value of the moment was especially high, and the credibility of the information was assessed based on personal trust in its source. Online streaming in terms of audience coverage competed with the main TV channels and became almost the main reference for receiving news: in addition to EspressoTV and Hromadske.tv, there were also individual streamers, such as Alexander Baraboshko (Cruz Cruz) or Bogdan Kutepov, who transmitted information to his own arrangement - Kutepov danced and led round dances around the Maidan, Cruz used slang and expressed himself in a language far from the formalism of traditional media. They both became broadcasters of what was happening in a format understandable and interesting to their audience. In general, individual journalists and entire media projects arose as a reaction to the lack of an adequate source of information that would meet the needs of the situation and the target audience.
Tragic events in the East have become a new round in the development of streaming - in hot spots it has become not just an addition to traditional news bulletins, but sometimes the only source of information. The conditions of the hybrid war also require hybrid media capable of penetrating where the journalist's ID will not give a pass. In this sense, streaming is not just a new type of digital journalism, but also a new form of communication: while news stories are limited by the formality of the format and the time of release, the streamer creates the effect of personal presence and virtual participation in what is happening. The main feature of this format is mobility, the absence of officialdom and formalism, the feeling of being on the sidelines. This format is relevant all over the world, as evidenced by the creation of the Newswire news channel, which will be based on YouTube and will consist of videos filmed by eyewitnesses of important events around the world. These videos will be shared with traditional TV channels to illustrate their news. The “presence effect” is gaining momentum, increasingly pushing neat news stories out of the field of information that we agree to consider reliable.
A separate type of streaming is gaming. These guys make money by streaming their video games online. Watching someone else's game turns out to be quite an exciting experience, given its popularity among video game lovers, who, while watching streams, communicate with each other and discuss what is happening. The most famous game streaming platform, Twitch.tv, was founded in 2011, and during its existence has managed to provoke a boom in esports, and the number of its viewers today reaches many millions a month.
As in the case of journalistic streaming, the comments of the gamer himself are of central importance here - the game skill and the player's charisma are equally important, who must be able to captivate and hold the audience's attention. This is what ultimately determines the potential profit. In order to earn money by streaming, you need, first of all, a powerful computer, the Internet and a special program like Adobe Flash Media Encoder or XSplit. The rest is a matter of involvement and dedication. They really will be needed by everyone who decides to set foot on this path: game streaming is quite a profitable activity, however, in order to be competitive in it, you will have to deal with your channel quite seriously.
One gets the impression that the money in game streaming is taken "out of thin air", not otherwise. But no - its monetization is based on quite material pillars, which, moreover, are very diverse. For the viewing itself, money is not credited, so streamers earn mainly from advertising (embedded and in the form of ad units), the price of which is the higher, the more popular the channel. Initially, you need to contact advertisers on your own initiative, however, in the process of promotion, they will find you themselves and there will be no end to them, because this field is very beneficial for them. The streamers' account is also replenished thanks to paid subscriptions, which, among other things, allow subscribers to get rid of the very pop-up ads. Another potential source of income is donor contributions. On average, if you seriously engage in game streaming - devote 6-8 hours a day to this activity and develop your channel in all of the above ways - then in a few months, if you have a grip and a well-known talent, you can earn about 2 thousand dollars. And if you don't stop there, then after some time your earnings may well reach 5-6 thousand per month.
Streaming of social and cultural events - concerts, festivals, presentations - can be distinguished as a separate group. In addition to 7 thousand physically present guests, the presentation of the new iPhone in real time was watched by millions of people around the world. The transition from traditional TV to the Internet space opens up new horizons for live broadcasting: if the meetings of the UN General Assembly are still shown live, then more niche events will be awarded only a short story in the news bulletin. Now, with a light hand, we are watching the Limp Bizkit concert on the video hosting Ustream, sipping tea on our couch. At the local level, this achievement is even more tangible: thematic lectures, meetings, round tables that you would otherwise hopelessly miss are now increasingly being broadcast online, and the companies providing such services to organizers seem to have orders for a long time.
From a philosophical point of view, it all looks like the embodiment of our old dream - to be in several places at the same time. Every year this desire becomes more and more urgent, recalling already a necessity. There is demand - there will be supply, so voila - you are here and there, and the border between reality and virtuality already seems to you ghostly. Vive le progrés!
Who is she? Many Runet users are fans of one beautiful girl who plays fashion games on a computer, broadcasting the whole process live (i.e., she is streaming). This girl's name is Karina Kozyreva (or Sycheva), she maintains her blogs on YouTube, and also streams on a popular service called Twitch. The girl does not limit her Internet space and can broadcast her life through Instagram, VKontakte and any other popular social network. Let's take a closer look at streamer Karina. Who is she?
How was it all?
In the process of streaming, viewers send the girl their donations (monetary donation) with textual accompaniment, voiced by a voice robot, in which they can either wish her success in her career, or express their opinion about what is happening. Often, the Internet public sends humiliating and offensive messages, from which Karina begins to get nervous and furious, and this gives the audience great pleasure. The reactions of streamer Karina (her photo is in the article) to humiliation is the main highlight of the whole project that she is leading. Her answers, which are often filled with obscene vocabulary, become real memes, which are subsequently discussed for a long time on entertaining and humorous resources ("Forchan", "VKontakte" groups and some forums). Karina's main target audience is Russian-speaking schoolchildren who are very fond of playing online games such as Dota 2, CS: GO, Minecraft and many others. The girl's appearance is very attractive, she has a pretty face, beautiful makeup and hairstyle. The girl's manners have some kind of appeal, due to which the audience subscribes to her channels.
Biography
Streamersha Karina was born on March 31, 1998 in Belgorod (Russia). In one of her videos, the girl said that she lived with her family in Belgorod until she was thirteen years old. Then she moved to Italy, where she began to live and study in the city of Legnano. Little is known about the family of streamer Karina. According to some sources, some of her relatives live in Russia, and she and her mother are in Italy. In Legnano, Karina attended college with a degree in Fashion Designer. From the age of twelve, the girl began to get involved in games. Loved multiplayer online games from Asian developers (like Perfect World). In 2013, the girl started playing Dota.
Way to success
In the summer of 2015, a modest girl Karina was at home and did not know what to do with herself. In her free time, she watched Dota 2 streams on Twitch and did not think about starting her own channel. A few days later, the girl was presented with decorative lenses, which she really liked. After that, Karina decided that she wanted to try to start her own live broadcasts on this service. The aspiring streamer had a dual-core laptop with a low-quality webcam at her disposal. It was impossible to work with such a technical arsenal, as there were constant delays and lags.
The girl decided to use her school tablet as a webcam (in Italy, children are given tablets at schools), and on the computer itself, play Dota 2 with minimum requirements. In such uncomplicated conditions, Karina became a streamer. On the first day, there were seventy viewers on her stream, on the second - a little more than two hundred, and by the third, their number had grown to three hundred. Soon one well-known streamer-esports player, and after him all his thousands of people, will drop in on her stream. Karina's popularity increased sharply, and donations began to pour in every minute. A month later, the girl earned a good webcam and a powerful gaming computer, which she uses to this day. They began to discuss her in many VKontakte publics, make memes with her, creating them. Bloggers filmed disclosures with the names “Streamer Karina, who is this and why is it in trend,” due to which the general interest only fueled. Almost everyone made up myths that it was a commercial project, that it was deliberately promoted everywhere, paying a lot of money for it. Over time, her persona began to be discussed at the level of major Internet publications and television. The headlines “Streamersha Karina: who is this and how you can make money by playing your favorite video games” were everywhere.
What is Karina doing now?
In March 2017, the girl celebrated her 20th birthday. After this date, streamer Karina left the Twitch service, because its format began to contradict the site's policy. Currently Karina Kozyreva has a successful YouTube channel. It is called "Streamersha Karina". At the moment, she has just over a million subscribers, on average, her videos are gaining one and a half million views. The girl makes various kinds of vlogs about her life. Now her work has nothing to do with games, loud obscenities and hysterical screams. In December 2017, Karina recorded a video entitled "The Whole Truth About My HYIP", where she honestly told her whole story about how she became a streamer, how she came to YouTube.
Streamersha Karina: personal life
On the Internet, disputes constantly arose about whether Karina had a boyfriend and who he was. Who is this lucky one, Russian schoolchildren thought so. For a long time, there were suggestions that the girl is in a romantic relationship with Andrei Nabokov, who is her producer and author of the entire project. As it turned out later, Andrei is Karina's uncle, which immediately dispelled the myths about their relationship. Why didn't the girl immediately clarify her personal life? Apparently, the public's discussions, arguments and guesses were only beneficial, because thanks to this, the activity of its channels only increased: likes, reposts, retweets, comments - everything that is needed for a successful video blogger.
Fitonyashka
Now Karina goes to the gym and works on her body. For 2018, he sets himself the goal of squatting with 80 kilograms and increasing power indicators in the deadlift.
