With streaming media, the beginning of the file is downloaded and begins playing while the rest of the file is downloading. This alleviates the aggravation of waiting minutes, or even hours, for audio or video files to download. Video and audio can now be experienced as they are happening, allowing for virtual meetings, international broadcasts, and free or pay-per-stream live events. Streaming media can also be used to transmit pre-recorded media files on demand from a server.