Even though TV streaming is proving to be insanely popular, there is still a large chunk of individuals who are unaware of how this technology works. Additionally, those who are aware of these services are not conversant with the different kinds of TV streaming quality there is in the services. Hopefully, our article will act as a guide to tackle both of these challenges and teach you more about the hardware, software, resolution and internet speeds you may need to stream TV at your home or office.
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TV-Streaming Services: How To Access Them
Streaming your movies or TV shows online entails the use of three primary methods. While there is a variety of ways, these three hold most of the services and are compatible with a lot of devices and home networks.
1. Use of a TV-Streaming Device – The method of a home device is the common amongst the services, and there are a variety of ways that the tools will offer you the content
2. Through the smart TV – You can connect your TV-streaming device to your smart TV and get access to free-to-air TV channels and catch up with the latest shows. However, you will need an internet connection and build a home network. Such streaming services include Netflix.
3. Game consoles – gamers using Nintendo, Xbox, and Sony PlayStation consoles get access to the games own streaming services and can link them to the TV-streaming platforms such as Quickflix and Netflix
4. Apple TV – Apple also has their hardware to plug into the TV and access the iTunes content and stream apps through different devices such as iPhone, iPad or Mac to your smart TV.
5. Chromecast- a TV -streaming device to plug into your TV and stream the content form your Android or IOS devices.
6. Media hubs- Hardware TV-streaming devices with a collection of applications for the streaming services. A good example is Telstra TV, which carries many streaming services.
Online Streaming Services
There are also the typical streaming services which purely rely on you opening an account online and linking it your devices to watch the TV shows. The services include Netflix, Amazon Prime, HULU, Fox Now and Sling TV.
Downloading and Streaming Platforms
Apple has a movies and TV shows platform from where you can watch the content on your home PC or Mac using an IOS device or iTunes software. Additionally, the Google Play Store has enabled viewership and downloading of their TV content through a PC, Android devices or smart TVs with Chromecast.
What to consider for your TV-streaming service
The Picture Quality
TV-streaming services have three kinds of picture quality: SD, HD, and 4k. SD is the lesser quality with a 576p resolution, making them also cheaper to view. For decent quality TV-shows, the high definition (720p or 1080p) and Ultra high definition (4K-3840P) are the best options
Internet Speeds
The amount of internet data in need depends on some factors. The quality of your data allowance, your ISP and the data plan play a key role in how you would stream your TV content. However, most streaming platforms recommend 2Mbps for their essential HD viewing without much disruptions and buffer-free.
Supported Devices
With a lot of tools and consoles within the household, it right to seek a service that can connect to a large percentage of them. While it may seem unnecessary at first, it is wise to remember that your family member will at times need to watch the TV content.
The Channels and Fees
Ultimately, the final decision lies in what you want to watch and for how much. The challenge lies in picking the number of channels you want as the more the channels, the higher the monthly charge. Moreover, it is wise to choose a service with a range of channels to give you more options.
Conclusion
Given the explosion of the TV-streaming industry, it would not be wrong to anticipate that the future is in TV-streaming services. As a viewer, you get a lot to choose from the current market regardless of the type of content you want. Hopefully, our guide would act as a direction to you selecting the right TV-streaming service for your household.
