STREAMING DEVICES & STREAMING SERVICES Ford s Colony Computer & Technology Club May 16, 2016
WHAT IS STREAMING? Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a provider. The verb "to stream" refers to the process of delivering media in this manner; the term refers to the delivery method of the medium, rather than the medium itself, and is an alternative to file downloading. A client media player can begin to play the data (such as a movie or an audio file) before the entire file has been transmitted. CODEC Client Player CODEC Buffer
POPULAR STREAMING SERVICES - 1 Cost $8.25 month ($99/year) $8/month $10/month Content Movies, original series, and older HBO series. Current and past seasons of broadcast TV shows. Movies, original series such as House of Cards past seasons of shows such as Breaking Bad. >100k titles Pros Free with an Amazon Prime, a growing content library, free Amazon Prime Music. Current and previous ABC, Fox, NBC shows; older CBS shows, a few cable channels, and now some original series. Vast selection, original programming, wide device support. Cons Few current episodes of programs from channels other than HBO, time lag before release of blockbuster movies. Includes ads, modest selection of movies, limited selection of older shows. No current episodes of programs from other channels, lag before getting blockbuster movies. Compatibility Wide device support (except for Apple TV). Almost universal device support. Almost universal device support.
POPULAR STREAMING SERVICES - 2 Cost Pay per view; rent/own and library UV options $4.99/mo.; also an option through Amazon Prime Free but requires you have ESPN through your cable or satellite TV service Content > 25,000 titles. Latest content on Vudu same day as DVD released. Love British TV? Over 1,800 hours of programming Foyle s War, Doc Martin, Poirot, etc. All ESPN channels excepting blackout content for your area Pros Pay per view; rent/own and library UV options; HDX supports Dolby 7.1 Many British series, shows unavailable elsewhere Live streams of network content; archives of ESPN shows Cons Purchase option only on new movies on date of DVD release; rental option delayed 1-2 weeks. Not everyone s cup of tea; some series available through other services Compatibility Wide device support (except for Apple TV). Roku, Apple TV, PC/MAC Almost universal device support.
STREAMING DEVICES MANY FORM FACTORS Pros Cons Other Form SMART TV s Built in to TV Single remote Services offered dependent on brand Most offer both hard connection & WiFi Some offer 4K Blu-Ray Players Integrated with player; single remote for both BluRay and Streaming Services offered dependent on brand Most offer both hard connection & WiFi Game Consoles Integrated with console; single remote for both console and Streaming Services offered dependent on brand Most offer both hard connection & WiFi Some offer 4K, but need a 4K capable TV Set Top Boxes Separate remote, some with voice recognition for navigation. Wider choice of streaming services with some brands Services offered dependent on some brands Most offer both hard connection & WiFi Some offer 4K, but need a 4K capable TV Cost $$$$ $$-$$$ $$-$$$ $$-$$$ $$ Stick Separate remote. Wider choice of streaming services with some brands. Travel friendly Lowest entry cost Services offered dependent on some brands Some have no remotes WiFi only
DEVICE FEATURES YOU SHOULD CONSIDER User Friendly Remotes Some remotes have built in microphones. These enable searching by voice command instead of typing one character at a time. Some remotes have back-lit buttons, which are very helpful in a dark or dimmed room while viewing. App & Service Management There are thousands of streaming services; and more coming on line all the time. Make sure your streaming device choice allows easy adding, deleting and arranging of Apps and services. User Friendly Search On the better systems, search looks across all services you have rather than only playing their brand favorites. There are 3rd party apps and websites that can provide this agnostic search.
DEVICE FEATURES YOU SHOULD CONSIDER Services You ll Definitely Want Which services are must haves? Netflix? Amazon? Vudu? Determine which devices offer your must have services. HDMI - Best (HD) Connectivity to Display/TV Most every device will interface to your TV via HDMI. If you have an older TV that does not have HDMI, make sure your streaming device has the compatible interfaces to allow you to connect. Connections to your display devices in order of highest quality first: 1) HDMI; 2) Component (RGB) + separate audio; and 3) Composite video + separate audio If you have a separate sound system that you wish to use, make certain your streaming device can support it. Connections to your audio system in order of highest quality first: 1) HDMI; 2) optical; and 3) analog audio. Component* - Better (HD) Composite* (SD only) * Requires a separate connection for audio F C C TC M ay 2016
CONNECTIVITY TO THE INTERNET Is your level of internet service fast enough? Content Acronym Video Resolution Internet Speed (D/L) Standard Definition SD 480i 1-2.3 Mb/s High Definition HD 720p 2.3-4.5 Mb/s High Definition HD w/hd Audio 1080p 4.5-9 Mb/s HD 3D HD 1080p > 9 Mb/s 4K UHD 2160p 15-25 Mb/s Most streaming devices accept direct wired internet connection as well as WiFi. Use this direct wired capability if at all possible. This connection will offer you the best bandwidth and speed to your streaming device up to the maximum speed of your service. Several streaming devices offer Dual Band WiFi (2.4 GHz & 5 GHz). If you have a dual band WiFi router, consider using the 5GHz band. Less interference and competing traffic. WiFi signal strength weakens at a rate of the square of the distance; and speeds decline as a function of signal strength.
STANDALONE STREAMING DEVICES Source: PC Magazine: The Best Media Streamers of 2016 - BY WILL GREENWALD - APRIL 26, 2016
ROKU MOST UBIQUITOUS OF STREAMING DEVICES! Over 3,000 channels and counting. Some examples: Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Vudu, Hulu, Blockbuster, CinemaNow, M-Go, HBO Go, Google Play Movie and TV, HBO Now, Showtime, CBS All Access, Disney Movies Anywhere, MLB.TV, NHL, WWE Network, NFL Sunday Ticket, NFL, MLS, UFC.TV, Tennis Channel Everywhere, Sling TV YouTube, Pandora, Spotify, Picasa, Flickr, Facebook, Watch Disney Channel, Watch Disney Junior, Watch Disney XD, Fox Now, FX Now, Watch ESPN, NBC, Starz Play, Nick, Crackle, Vimeo, Plex, Slingplayer, Showtime Anytime, TuneIn Radio, iheartradio, Amazon Music, Rdio,Vevo, Slacker, Epix, and more Roku 4 - $130; support 4K; has voice control; separate earbuds and audio jack for late night listening; dedicated button for several popular services; dual band WiFi; and a USB jack. Roku Stick - $50; dedicated buttons for several popular services; and dual band WiFi; great for travelling.
ALREADY IN APPLE S ECO SYSTEM? If you re already an Apple user, particularly iphone, ipad, and/or ipod Touch, you may find the feature set of the Apple TV worth considering. You can link your Apple TV to your icloud account and view any and all media content including itunes, Photos, etc. linked to your account. AirPlay is another slick feature enabling you to project content from your idevices to your Apple TV and onto your TV. Some competing content services unavailable Amazon Prime Video F C C TC M ay 2016