Online piracy has caught the attention of people around the world. Even those individuals who have not participated directly in the action of downloading pirated movies, music, and other materials have more than likely heard about the millions of dollars that are being lost by the studio companies who work hard at producing the content. Companies have taken the idea that YouTube has made popular which is streaming videos and learned that they could stream full length production movies to customers at a relatively affordable prices.

Netflix seems to be one of the largest online movie streaming services at the present moment. Other applications such as Amazon and Apple’s own iTunes offer movies which are available on an individual basis. For people who have streaming devices they are offered such programs as Crackle which streams movies and does not charge any money at all, albeit their collection is rather limited and changes as time goes on. In the days where companies are competing with bandwidth offerings, many of those ISP’s are shelling out big money to upgrade their existing infrastructure to offer the highest speeds available.

As internet speeds are becoming faster and faster, customers have the ability to watch movies right from a device that can sometimes be a fraction of the size of the latest Blue Ray player. Blue Ray players offer superior image and audio resolutions to the outgoing DVD format which they were intended to replace. Companies such as Netflix and Amazon are already starting to roll out the ability to stream movies in 4K resolution which surpasses what Blue Ray is capable of doing.

Ultimately the benefits to streaming videos is only limited to the bandwidth available in a particular area. Companies are quick to keep up with the format offerings which are constantly changing because unlike much of the traditional hardware which may need to be replaced, the software might have to be the only thing that has to get upgraded. Ruling out the need to go and pick up videos from a rental store or waiting for them to have to be ordered through the mail also is added benefit and convenience.

No questioning that the internet has taken the way we interact socially and completely changed it. Gone are the days of actually, “missing” people. Now if you miss someone you can simply video chat and boom! There they are. However, another way that the internet has changed our world, is the way in which we conduct business and education. And even if you are the kind of person who shuns social media, you can not shun the internet necessity built into most of the consumer software that we use each day.

Banking

Many banks rely heavily on their customers having internet accessibility in order to carry out regular day financial tasks. In fact many banks are doing away with brick and mortar branches all together in favor of entirely online banking. It is not hard to imagine a time in the very near future when all banking will be done online.

Personal Finances

Many of the types of consumer software that individuals and businesses use in order to keep track of record keeping require an internet connections in order to function properly and access all of the features of the consumer software. Most book keeping software can electronically file your taxes and take care of many other financial tasks when there is a reliable internet connection.

Education

Many public and private schools are also doing away with traditional communication methods for students, parents and teachers and relying more and more on email communication. Parents of students who want to stay involved and up to date on their child’s education and school news need an internet connection in order to stay in the loop. Many schools rely on parents viewing the school website in order to be aware of important announcements and changes. When a parent is not connected they can miss out on important information that can affect their child’s education.

Personal

Not everyone likes social media, but because so many people do, it is becoming the most popular and most easily used way to keep in touch with friends and family who are not close by. Perhaps in the past you could expect your loved ones to send you pictures through the mail and keep you up to date with phone calls or letters, but now everything is posted on social media and if you want to stay connected many people prefer you connect with them that way.

Having a CenturyLink Service in OR makes many aspects of your financial, educational and personal life easier and more compatible with the consumer software that is being used by our schools, banks, and other family members.