Channel notes · Television & streaming explained

A practical guide to TV and streaming.

Thirty clear guides to the medium — genres and formats, how streaming works, home viewing, discovery, and the history of television — each in seven short sections.

01Genres & Formats

Documentary, the miniseries, anthology and serialized formats, and how television shapes stories.

001 Understanding Documentaries Beginner 002 What Makes a Miniseries Beginner 003 Anthology Series Explained Beginner 016 The Sitcom Format Beginner 017 Serialized Drama Beginner 018 How Reality TV Works Beginner

02Streaming Technology

How streaming delivers video, adaptive bitrate, codecs, and fixing buffering and playback.

004 How Streaming Works Beginner 005 Adaptive Bitrate Streaming Intermediate 006 Video Codecs and Compression Intermediate 019 Fixing Buffering and Playback Beginner 020 4K and HDR Explained Intermediate 021 Streaming Audio Formats Intermediate

03Home Viewing Setup

Screen size and distance, picture settings, sound, and putting a comfortable viewing space together.

007 Choosing Screen Size and Distance Beginner 008 Basic Picture Settings Beginner 009 Setting Up a Soundbar Beginner 022 Building a Home Theater Intermediate 023 Refresh Rate and Motion Intermediate 024 Choosing a Streaming Device Beginner

04Discovery & Curation

Watchlists, subtitles, parental controls, recommendations, and managing what and how you watch.

010 Organizing a Watchlist Beginner 011 Subtitles and Audio Tracks Beginner 012 Parental Controls Beginner 025 How Recommendations Work Intermediate 026 Managing Streaming Subscriptions Beginner 027 Watching Together Online Beginner

05TV History & Technology

Broadcast history, aspect ratios, color television, and how TV delivery has changed over time.

013 A Short History of Broadcast TV Beginner 014 Aspect Ratios Explained Beginner 015 How Color Television Works Beginner 028 Cable, Satellite, and Antenna Beginner