(1) A DVD/Blu-ray mode (see
Bitstream mode).
(2) A series of bits. A bitstream typically refers to the transmission of data but may refer to that same set of data in memory or in storage. A bitstream may be structured in any number of formats, but the term is used at the hardware level when referring to the actual flow of data.
Bytestreams and Octet Streams
A stream of bytes, also called "octets," is a "bytestream" or "octet stream." See
byte and
octet.
Application/Octet Stream
An "application/octet stream" refers to bytes flowing over the Internet.