Some streaming broadcasters use streaming systems that interfere with the ability to record streams for later playback, either inadvertently, through poor choice of streaming protocol, or deliberately, because they believe it is to their advantage to do so. Broadcasters may be concerned that copies will result in lost sales or that consumers may skip commercials. Whether users have the ability and the right to record streams has become a significant issue in the application of law to cyberspace.

In principle, there is no way to prevent a user from recording a media stream that has been delivered to their computer. Thus, the efforts of broadcasters to prevent this consist of making it inconvenient, or illegal, or both.

Broadcasters can make it inconvenient to record a stream, for example, by using unpublished data formats or by encrypting the stream. Of course, data formats can be reverse engineered, and encrypted streams must be decrypted with a key that resides - somewhere - on the consumer's computer, so these measures are security through obscurity, at best. Efforts to make it illegal to record a stream may rely on copyrights, patents, license agreements, or - in the United States - the DMCA.

The generally accepted use of the term webcast is the "transmission of linear audio or video content over the Internet". A webcast uses streaming media technology to take a single content source and distribute it to many simultaneous listeners/viewers. The largest "webcasters" include existing radio and TV stations who "simulcast" their output, as well as a multitude of Internet only "stations". The term webcasting is usually reserved for referring to non-interactive linear streams or live events.

Rights and licensing bodies offer specific "Webcasting licenses" to those wishing to carry out Internet broadcasting using copyright material. Webcasting is also used extensively in the commercial sector for investor relations presentations, in E-learning, and for related communications activities. However, webcasting does not bear much, if any, relationship to the idea of Web conferencing which is designed for many-to-many interaction.

The ability to webcast using cheap and accessible technology has allowed independent media to flourish. There are many notable independent shows that broadcast regularly online. Often produced by average citizens in their homes they cover many interests and topics; from the mundane to the bizarre. Webcasts relating to computers, technology, and news are particularly popular and many new shows are added regularly.

Nullsoft Streaming Video:

Nullsoft Streaming Video (NSV) is a media container designed for streaming video content over the internet. NSV was developed by Nullsoft, the makers of Winamp.

The NSV format is another example of streaming video formats, offered by various companies and media players. Windows Media, QuickTime video, RealAudio and RealVideo streams are just a few examples of these, and each have their benefits and shortcomings.

One of the shortfalls of most streaming formats often comes from the difficulty in finding streams, or at least some form of directory service; and in some cases, none are readily available to the public at all.

With Nullsoft's SHOUTcast service, a media streaming and directory system, the NSV format has become very popular, along with SHOUTcast's enormous listings of Streaming Audio, which reach well into the thousands.

With Winamp version 5, came the convenient "Media Library", which offers integrated listings of both audio and video streams, returned directly from the SHOUTcast service. There was also a Library in Winamp 2.9x and 3, but came under a different name, "Library".

NSV streaming started in early 2003, but the real explosion came with the introduction of Winamp 5. NSV is now an open format.