Want to watch movies and television on your
TV rather than your computer? We help you choose a media streaming device that
lets you do just that
The digitisation of TV and increasing
popularity of alternate delivery methods such as download stores and online
streaming services like Lovefilm and Netflix has made data-driven entertainment
more popular than ever before. Once the preserve of the enthusiast, there’s now
a solid market for media streaming devices: small set top boxes which allow you
to connect your TV (and other devices) to all manner of online services
otherwise restricted to PCs and ‘smart’ devices.
How
To Buy…A Media Streaming Device?
In the years since their inception, media
streaming devices have become both affordable and simple to use. But that
doesn’t mean they’re simple to buy. They’re still unfamiliar hardware, and
their place in the home is far from assured. Buying one means that you’ll have to
learn what they are and what they can do, probably from scratch, before
deciding which one is best for your particular needs. Unless, of course, you
read our guide first…
How Much Should You Spend?
The price of media streaming devices starts
relatively high; even the cheapest on the market have an RRP around $80. For
this, you’ll get a device capable of interacting with online services, but
which doesn’t contain any substantial onboard storage. They may have a USB port
or card reader to allow you to connect external storage, but even this isn’t
guaranteed.
Once you add onboard storage, the price
quickly skyrockets depending on how much there is available. The most expensive
Buffalo Linkstation Live model (which has a 3TB hard drive under its hood) has
an RRP of $377. Not exactly casual buyer territory.
Buffalo
Linkstation Live model
However, both of these devices are at the
extremes of the price range. If you budget around $160 for a media streaming
device, you’ll get a fairly capable model with a reasonable amount of storage
and software included for all popular streaming services.
Note that retailers are likely to sell
streaming media devices below RRP, so if you shop around you should be able to
find low-end models going for as little as $48 without too much trouble. We
strongly advise that you at least read reviews of them before slapping down
your hard-earned cash, though. The cheapest devices are often made by
unreliable manufacturers and contain buggy, poorly translated software. It’ll
probably do the job, but not well.
At the other end of the spectrum, don’t be
too tempted to pay a huge amount extra for storage space alone. Remember,
streaming devices don’t normally record media, and the presence of a network
connection means that even if it does gets full up, you can just copy the
contents onto your PC for more long-term backup.
What Make/Model/ManufacturerShould You Look For?
It’s difficult to find a stand-out
manufacturer in a field dominated by cheaply made and technically dodgy
products, but there are a few models we can recommend.
The Roku 2400EU LT is a $80 streaming media
server that has almost all of the features entry level users could want: Wi-Fi,
remote control apps for iOS and Android, support for Netflix… but not Lovefilm,
sadly. The lack of an Ethernet option might put people off, and if you’re big
on picture quality, beware than the output is limited to 720p. However, it’s
compact and easy to use, and the lack of external storage support is
compensated for by its ability to stream off a networked PC. Indeed, even
though you might be unfamiliar with the brand, all of Roku’s streaming media
devices are worth looking at.
Roku
2400EU LT
If you’re already on the Apple bandwagon,
you should definitely consider an Apple TV, due to its seamless integration
with services common to Macs, iPads and iPhones. You can pick up the 2012 model
for $128 on Amazon, but again, there’s no Lovefilm support. The Apple TV works
with iCloud, AirPlay and iTunes, though, so you have a good range of options
for getting media onto your TV from wherever you want it. There’s even support
for 1080p video. It’s not a bad choice even if you don’t have other Apple
devices, admittedly, but you won’t get as much out of it if it’s the only one
in your home.
If neither of those devices fulfils your
needs, take a look at those from the likes of Xenta and Cyclone, both of which
create strong hardware with simple yet fully featured software. Western
Digital’s TV Live range is also well-reviewed, although given that they’re at least
twice as expensive as many of their competitors, you can be forgiven for
looking elsewhere.
What Technology Should You Look For?
Since the market is quite a recent
invention, there’s no such thing as a ‘standard’ media streaming device. This
means that capabilities vary wildly depending on price and manufacturer. There
are, however, a number of features we advise that you check for before buying
any media streaming hardware.
First and foremost, check the networking
capabilities. Your media streaming device will need to be connected to your TV,
so ask yourself: how will it then connect to the Internet? Wired and wireless
connections both have their own advantages and disadvantages (which we discuss
in depth in the technical limitations section) but don’t assume that every
device supports both types of connection. Some will be wireless, some will be
wired, and others will have both Wi-Fi and Ethernet.
Secondly, look for support for streaming
media services, especially those you have a subscription with. The majority of
devices are compatible with Netflix and Lovefilm isn’t out of the question
(although it is less popular), but what about iPlayer, 4OD or the ITV Player?
What about YouTube? If there are services you make particular use of, ensure
that the player has the necessary software to interface with them before you
buy it, because there are no guarantees that you’ll be able to install some
afterwards.
Finally, consider the storage capabilities
of the device. Some devices are streaming only (although they may come with
server software to let them stream media from your PC), some support external
storage like memory cards or USB sticks, and others have their own internal
storage that you can copy files onto using your home network. The most
sophisticated devices even have their own built-in torrent clients and RSS
readers, allowing you to download video directly from the web (from legal
sources, naturally). It’s also worth checking format compatibility: can it
transcode media, or will you have to provide it with compatible video from the
outset? Does it have the ability to output 1080p over HDMI-out, or are video
resolutions capped at 480i because it has support for composite-out only?
If you’ve found the answers to these
questions, all of the most important bases should be covered by the time you
get it home. You may also want to check for a remote control, just in case some
manufacturer has really decided to cut corners, but other than that, these are
the attributes to care about.
