The Best Android TV Player

Android TV is a clean, intuitive and robust operating system, and the Nvidia Shield takes full advantage of it. The Shield splits the difference between a streaming box and a gaming console, and has a lot to offer on both fronts. In addition to enjoying your favorite shows and movies on apps like Netflix, Hulu Plus and Plex, you can download hundreds of high-end Android games. You can also stream big-budget titles like Borderlands from the cloud via the Nvidia Grid program. Rounding out the video offerings, the Shield will be able to display and record TV broadcasts when tuners become available in the future. Add in support for 4K content from sites like YouTube and Netflix, as well as the ability to play your own media via USB, the Shield is one of the most versatile streaming players.

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Types of Streaming Media Players

Not all streaming media players are the same, and some will fit your personal needs better than others. In addition to the particular services each one offers, you'll probably want to decide which type of streaming media player works best for you.

First, there are the straightforward streaming media consoles. The function of these devices is to simply stream media, and they typically don't have any other major applications. But they're perfect for viewers happy with their current home entertainment setup, and they don't need anything additional besides streaming capabilities. The most popular console in this category is the Roku, the first player to work with the Netflix streaming service. It has since come out with more advanced models and offers an array of streaming services in addition to Netflix. Other boxes to consider in this category include the WD TV, Apple TV, Google TV and Boxee Box.

If you have TiVo or you're a gamer, you might actually already own a perfectly good streaming console. In addition to its recording features, TiVo can stream Netflix, as well as Hulu and Amazon content. And several game consoles, such as the Sony PS3, the XBox 360 and the Nintendo Wii have the ability to stream media. If you've been looking for an extra excuse to get a gaming console, the streaming abilities could make it worth the purchase for you.

If gaming isn't your thing, but you'd like to have the versatility to play DVDs and Blu-ray discs, you could opt for any of a slew of DVD/Blu-ray players that offer streaming. Companies like Insignia, LG, Panasonic, Samsung and Sony offer not only Blu-ray players but also HDTVs and home theater systems with streaming functionality. So, if you were already planning on a major overhaul of your current home entertainment center, it's certainly worth considering getting something that also satisfies your streaming desires.

Finally, besides consoles, you might also consider simply streaming to a mobile device. Although people seem to prefer to watch Netflix and Hulu on TV rather than a mobile device, streaming videos from YouTube is extremely popular on smartphones and tablets.

What else should you take into account when looking for a streaming media player?

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Streaming Media Player Guide

In 2007, the already popular movie rental mail service Netflix introduced streaming capabilities, allowing subscribers to watch select movies and TV shows directly through their computers. It wasn't long before the Web site Hulu.com became popular for its own streaming content, including the latest episodes of popular TV series. With the right equipment, users can also send these Internet feeds through to their television, thereby adding a vast library of content to their home viewing options. Cable companies have even started to fear that customers are canceling their subscriptions in favor of simply using online streaming media services.

As streaming media has exploded in popularity in the past several years, consumer demand has been increasing for devices that allow people to watch streaming Internet content more easily from their televisions. And we seem to have more choices than ever before when it comes to home entertainment. But with a plethora of choices also comes a great deal of confusion. Those who pride themselves on smart purchases might feel lost in the sea of devices, each one promising the best streaming capabilities.

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About Roku Stick Review

A long with Roku, Apple and Google, Amazon is a major player in streaming TV devices, and the Fire TV Stick is the most popular Amazon streamer. It's small, cheap and capable, and people seem to like it. In fact it's the most-reviewed product in Amazon history, with more than 100,000 user reviews, averaging four out of five stars.

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Count this as one review that's less enthusiastic. After a year and a half on the market, the Fire TV stick is showing its age. It's not the the Fire Stick is a bad device; it's not. It's that its similarly price rivals are so good. All of the Fire TV Stick's competitors have shipped newer streamers since it debuted, and the two closest in price -- Roku Streaming Stick and Google Chromecast -- are both better right now.

Roku's new-for-2016 stick costs a bit more, but it's worth it for the extra apps, speedier response times and more open, customer-friendly interface. The slightly cheaper Chromecast is more appealing for phone-centric users who don't mind the lack of a remote (though, notably, it lacks the Amazon Prime video app).

Amazon's Stick is good enough, but struggles to stand out against the tough competition. The Alexa voice assistant is easily accessible if you buy the more expensive version ($50 versus $40) with the voice remote, but since you have to have your TV on, it's hardly a viable Echo or Dot substitute. Amazon has done a good job adding must-have apps, but they get buried by menus designed -- more than any other device I've ever used -- to make you browse, search for and buy video from just one source: Amazon itself.

The Slingbox M2 is an ideal choice

The Slingbox M2 is not for cord cutters, as it doesn’t host any streaming services like Netflix, Hulu Plus or Amazon Instant Video. However, it provides place shifting for cable- or satellite-TV subscribers. The Slingbox M2 hooks into your cable box, then transmits the signal to just about any computer or mobile device, anywhere in the world. With simple setup and excellent picture quality, the Slingbox M2 is an ideal choice for videophiles who want to take full advantage of their premium TV channels, even when they’re far away from home.

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Your most affordable streaming option - The Chromecast

Like any good streaming stick, the Chromecast 2 is concealable, portable, and doesn't take up much room. A recent redesign even adds a splash of color to the device. But the best changes to the Chromecast are under the hood -- it supports 802.11ac and features an adaptive antenna system -- and in the app you use to control the streaming device. Google revamped the Chromecast app to make it easier to find streamable content, highlighting video from apps already installed on your phone. The addition of support for Spotify helps Chromecast close the gap with Roku's Streaming Stick and the $35 price tag makes the Chromecast your most affordable streaming option.

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Roku 4 - The 4K Streaming Service

The Roku 4 is the first model from Roku to support 4K streaming services. Most 4K TVs already have these apps built in, and the Roku 4 offers no benefits over those versions. It does provide the wide selection of apps that other Roku players do, and it includes a new feature to help you find your missing remote. Most people won’t need this model’s added features today. And considering that it’s almost twice the price of the Roku 2, unless you really need a particular 4K streaming service that the Roku 4 offers, you should probably stick with the cheaper Roku Streaming Stick.

Currently, the latest box also doesn’t support HDMI 2.0a—only HDMI 2.0. This detail will be important in the future when more high-dynamic-range content starts to stream. Roku has been vague on whether it will be able to upgrade its devices to HDMI 2.0a via a firmware update if streaming services require that. The company does say that it’s waiting for the standards to be solidified. The Roku 4 has an optical output, too, so if you own an older soundbar or receiver that doesn’t support HDMI, this is a great feature to have.

Even so, however, most people can save some money today and just get the Roku Streaming Stick.

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How to Pick the Right Streaming Service

New online streaming services offer unprecedented viewing options.There are basically two options: all-you-can-eat subscription services that offer unlimited streaming for a monthly subscription, typically around $8 to $10 a month; and pay-per-view services, where you rent or buy individual movies or shows on an a la carte basis.

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If you opt for a subscription, it’s worth noting they tend to have fewer current movie and TV titles than pay-as-you-go options. Pay-per-view titles are often available sooner. Subscription services make the most sense for those who watch a lot of shows and movies, or who like to binge-watch watch several shows or even entire seasons. If you only watch one or two movies or shows a month and prefer more current releases, a pay-per-view services is the better bet. Here’s a breakdown of the top options.

The Powerful Roku Stick

While the Roku Stick isn’t quite as robust feature-wise as the Roku 4, it’s nearly just as good. It’s fast, powerful, and it’s totally portable, making it a breeze to grab as you head out for a stay at a hotel. The streaming stick is also compatible with the Roku app, which makes searching for content and connecting the device to Wi-Fi connections that use web-based passwords — such as hotels or dorm rooms — as easy as possible. It even allows you to stream audio, via the Roku app, to an Android or iOS device connected to your network for private listening.

There are, of course, some drawbacks inherent to the Roku Stick’s smaller form factor. It doesn’t have the expandable storage the Roku 4 does, nor is it capable of 4K playback. If those things aren’t important, however, it’s a way better deal. The stick is portable and far cheaper than the Roku 4, and the 2016 version is the fastest and most reliable iteration of the device yet.

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Roku4,The best Streaming Device of Roku Series

The fourth incarnation of the Saratoga-based company’s flagship streamer is the most comprehensive to date, sporting thousands of channels, 4K content, an intuitive cross-platform search utility, and an excellent user interface. The compact offering is slim and subtle, and equipped with nonskid rubber and enough weight to prevent it from getting shuffled around in your entertainment center. The remote is simple, but allows snappy navigation of Roku’s extremely intuitive channel-based interface, dedicated buttons for a few streaming services, and, best of all, features a built-in headphone jack for wireless listening when turning up the TV volume is a no-go. The device also features a microSD slot for extra app and game storage, as well as built-in Wi-Fi and an Ethernet port for when a faster connection is of the utmost importance.


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Best offerings from Apple TV

The Apple TV remains one of the best offerings on our roundup — especially if you’re already heavily-invested in any of Apple’s other devices or services — and the latest iteration of the streamer is even better than its predecessor. While most essential services are supported (sorry, no Amazon Prime!) Apple Airplay and apps like iOS Remote make the Apple TV’s user experience unique. You can easily beam any content you’ve previously purchased or rented through the iTunes Store directly to you TV from the cloud, freeing your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad up to do other things. Sharing personal photos and videos from iOS devices is also easiest with the Apple TV, and the device’s speedy operation and integration with Siri render it a must-have for Apple aficionados. The bright colors and rounded icons help, too .

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Amazon Firе Stick Fеаturеѕ

Thе Amazon Fire Stiсk iѕ tо the Firе TV whаt thе Roku Stiсk iѕ to the Rоku 4; thе ѕmаllеr, ѕimрlеr vеrѕiоn of thе ѕtrеаming box. The Amаzоn Fire Stiсk gеtѕ рrорѕ fоr giving users ԛuiсk access to Amаzоn’ѕ entire librаrу of ѕtrеаming соntеnt, whiсh inсludеѕ a fаir аmоunt оf оriginаl рrоgrаmming аnd a hоѕt оf аррѕ and gаmеѕ оffеrеd thrоugh Amazon’s app ѕtоrе. Thеrеin liеѕ the rub, hоwеvеr. The Fire Stiсk is an Amаzоn рrоduсt to a fаult, аnd at every turn, thе dеviсе’ѕ uѕеr interface will ѕtееr уоu tоwаrd Amаzоn content. Vоiсе search rеѕultѕ аlѕо tеnd tо fаvоr the Amаzоn librаrу, and thе voice-compatible mоdеl will run уоu $10 mоrе than the basic Fire TV Stiсk. Whilе thiѕ might рut оff ѕоmе, thе dеviсе’ѕ lоw price роint аnd robust integration with Amаzоn’ѕ ѕеrviсеѕ mаkеѕ it аn еntiсing сhоiсе for Amazon Primе uѕеrѕ. Thе intuitivе hоmе-ѕсrееn layout hеlрѕ, tоо.

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Amazon Fire TV Stick for Amazon fans

A long with Roku, Apple and Google, Amazon is a major player in streaming TV devices, and the Fire TV Stick is the most popular Amazon streamer. It's small, cheap and capable, and people seem to like it. In fact it's the most-reviewed product in Amazon history, with more than 100,000 user reviews, averaging four out of five stars.

Count this as one review that's less enthusiastic. After a year and a half on the market, the Fire TV stick is showing its age. It's not the the Fire Stick is a bad device; it's not. It's that its similarly price rivals are so good. All of the Fire TV Stick's competitors have shipped newer streamers since it debuted, and the two closest in price -- Roku Streaming Stick and Google Chromecast -- are both better right now.

Roku's new-for-2016 stick costs a bit more, but it's worth it for the extra apps, speedier response times and more open, customer-friendly interface. The slightly cheaper Chromecast is more appealing for phone-centric users who don't mind the lack of a remote (though, notably, it lacks the Amazon Prime video app).

Amazon's Stick is good enough, but struggles to stand out against the tough competition. The Alexa voice assistant is easily accessible if you buy the more expensive version ($50 versus $40) with the voice remote, but since you have to have your TV on, it's hardly a viable Echo or Dot substitute. Amazon has done a good job adding must-have apps, but they get buried by menus designed -- more than any other device I've ever used -- to make you browse, search for and buy video from just one source: Amazon itself.

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Best 4k Streamer Roku4

When you drop a chunk of change on a shiny new thing, like a big TV with 4K resolution, the urge to accessorize can be overwhelming. If that urge has just overtaken you, the Roku 4 looks pretty sweet.

This squat little box spits out the widest variety of 4K video available today -- including Netflix, YouTube, Amazon, Vudu and M-Go -- and makes finding actual 4K TV shows and movies easier than ever. It's still early days for 4K so even those services don't have much, and newer 4K movies cost a bundle, but if you're hot to demo that new TV, I guess some 4K is better than no 4K.

Streaming videos in 4K resolution can deliver better picture quality than HD or 1080p resolution streams, but you'll need a big 4K TV, a fast Internet connection, and in the case of Netflix, the most-expensive subscription plan to take full advantage. Just don't expect a drastic improvement. Even to an image quality stickler like me the best non-4K streams from Netflix and Amazon look pretty awesome, and in my comparisons I find it difficult to tell the difference between them and actual 4K streams.

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Facts About Third Generation Apple TV

The third generation of the Apple TV received a price cut this year, making plugging your TV into Apple's ecosystem quite accessible. In addition to offering support to key Apple-only features, the Apple TV can also connect to your iPhone and iPad and show the contents on its screen on your TV.

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About TiVo BOLT Features

TiVo BOLT has a whopping 500GB of built-in storage and can record up to four shows simultaneously. It can also stream 4K content from popular services, thus allowing you to make the most out of the latest generation of TVs. Rather atypically for a set-top box, it is beautiful to look at, too. The BOLT requires a subscription, but TiVO has you covered for the first year.

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A cheap HDMI cable

Want a "quick and dirty" solution for streaming video on your TV? If you've got an HDTV, and your laptop has an HDMI output, just get a long cable and call it a day. (This will also work with most DVI and DisplayPort/Thunderbolt outputs, if you have the correct adapters or cables.) And remember: a cheap HDMI cable will work fine -- no reason to pay for so-called "premium" cables. While the gadgets above will cost you $50 minimum, this solution can cost you as little as $6 -- assuming, of course, that you already have the laptop and the HDTV.

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What about just buying a Smart TV?

If you're in the market for a new TV, you might think, "These new 'Smart TVs' already have these streaming features built-in. Why don't I just get one of them and forgo the boxes mentioned above? It's no fuss, no muss, and no wires."

Well, sure, you could do that. But you're probably going to end up overpaying for the streaming features, and actually losing flexibility in the long run. We prefer to buy a TV strictly on picture quality, and then spend an extra $50 to $270 on getting any one of the devices above, depending upon your needs (PS3 for gaming; a Blu-ray player if you still want to play your old DVD collection; a Roku if you want maximum value and affordability; Apple TV if you already have a lot of iTunes content). That way, you can always mix and match boxes in the months and years ahead, and still have your TV purchased on maximizing picture quality.

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About a Good Streaming Stick,The Chromecast 2

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Like any good streaming stick, the Chromecast 2 is concealable, portable, and doesn't take up much room. A recent redesign even adds a splash of color to the device. But the best changes to the Chromecast are under the hood -- it supports 802.11ac and features an adaptive antenna system -- and in the app you use to control the streaming device. Google revamped the Chromecast app to make it easier to find streamable content, highlighting video from apps already installed on your phone. The addition of support for Spotify helps Chromecast close the gap with Roku's Streaming Stick and the $35 price tag makes the Chromecast your most affordable streaming option.

Streaming Devices Testing Tips

Testing streaming players is usually a simple process that prioritizes content over performance. Any streaming player worth its salt can play video well, but only a good one possesses straightforward navigation, robust search features and a wide variety of content to suit all tastes.

The first thing we evaluate is the setup, to see how quick and simple it is. From there, we take the user interface for a spin to see what content gets highlighted, what gets hidden, and how easy it is to navigate to our favorite channels. We'll also watch a few different shows on a variety of channels to gauge the quality of the video and audio.

After that, it's onto the extra features, like gaming, voice search and screen mirroring. These factors don't weigh quite as heavily toward the final score, but they're nice to have if they work well, and extremely distracting if they don't.



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5 top tips for live streaming video on social media

1. Thе title аnd description fоr уоur broadcast matters, bесаuѕе thаt'ѕ whаt gеtѕ shared. Yоu'll bе prompted tо enter a title оn Periscope аnd a description оn Facebook Live. Yоur Periscope title ѕhоuld bе short аnd compelling. Thе Facebook Live description ѕhоuld bе compelling, but it саn bе a bit longer, bесаuѕе it lооkѕ likе a traditional Facebook post whеn it'ѕ shared.

2. Whеn уоu plan tо broadcast live, lеt аѕ mаnу people аѕ роѕѕiblе knоw ahead оf time. Sо fоr Periscope, соnѕidеr tweeting ѕоmеthing оut in addition tо uѕing Periscope's Twitter button tо announce уоur live broadcast. On Facebook, соnѕidеr a separate Facebook post ahead оf timе alerting people tо уоur plans. Alѕо оn Facebook, уоu саn аѕk viewers tо subscribe tо уоur streams, ѕо thеу gеt notified whеn уоu аrе broadcasting live. Aѕk people tо share уоur broadcasts.

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3. Build audience bу acknowledging уоur audience. Yоu саn't rеѕроnd bу typing whеn уоu'rе broadcasting live. Yоu'll ѕее comments оn thе screen in front оf you, but уоu'll nееd tо address thе commenter аnd speak уоur response inѕtеаd оf typing it. Yоu ѕhоuld make thаt уоur No. 1 habit оn аnу live streaming platform. Nоthing says, "I аррrесiаtе уоu bеing here" mоrе thаn acknowledging a viewer, whеthеr уоu аrе rеѕроnding tо a question оr simply ѕауing hi. It might bе impossible tо rеѕроnd tо everyone, but making аn attempt iѕ аll thаt'ѕ nесеѕѕаrу here.

4. Plan оn оnе longer broadcast rаthеr thаn a bunch оf separate ones. Remember thаt whеn уоu gо live, уоu trigger a nеw event. On Facebook Live, уоu'd hаvе tо enter separate descriptions, аnd nоw уоu'd hаvе additional posts bеing shared. Thаt'ѕ nоt аѕ big оf аn issue оn Facebook, bесаuѕе thе post differentiates bеtwееn "is live" аnd "was live." On Periscope, if уоu broadcast live аnd gо offline аnd thеn gо online again, уоu hаvе separate tweets. Older tweets wоuld соntаin links thаt wоuld gо tо аn аlrеаdу completed broadcast. Thаt lack оf intuitiveness will confuse уоur followers.

What is Streaming Media?

Streaming or media streaming is a technique for transferring data so that it can be processed as a steady and continuous stream. Streaming technologies are becoming increasingly important with the growth of the Internet because most users do not have fast enough access to download large multimedia files quickly. With streaming, the client browser or plug-in can start displaying the data before the entire file has been transmitted.

For streaming to work, the client side receiving the data must be able to collect the data and send it as a steady stream to the application that is processing the data and converting it to sound or pictures. This means that if the streaming client receives the data more quickly than required, it needs to save the excess data in a buffer. If the data doesn't come quickly enough, however, the presentation of the data will not be smooth.
There are a number of competing streaming technologies emerging. For audio data on the Internet, the de facto standard is Progressive Network's RealAudio.

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