Video Streaming
Streaming Services
More and more, streaming services are becoming a standard means of entertainment in the home. Whether it is Music or Video streaming, most people have had some exposure to this service via means like Netflix or Pandora.
Even now, Live TV services are now available across video streaming, thus allowing people more freedom of choice when it comes to their viewing preferences.
Below is a list of several popular streaming services, some of these you probably already know!
- Netflix – On demand TV and movies
- Hulu -On demand and Live TV
- Pandora – Radio style music service
- iHeart Radio – Recorded and Live Radio
- SlingTV – Live and On demand TV
- DirectTV Now – Live and On demand TV
- Playstation Vue – Live and On demand TV
- Youtube TV – Live and On demand TV
- Spotify – Streaming Music
- Amazon Prime – On Demand TV, Movies and Music.
What do I need
Streaming services can be accessed on many devices. From Smart Phones to Smart TV’s, your options are very diverse. Here are some basics about how to gain access to Audio and Video streaming services.
Audio
Smart Phones, Smart TV’s, computers and dedicated streaming media players like Roku or Amazon Fire TV products will gain you access to streaming audio services. All of these services require a near constant internet connection for the services to perform adequately.
Video
In reality, the options are pretty much the same for viewing streaming video. As long as it has a screen for the video to play on and has access to the applications to play it. Do realize not all devices are created equally.
We have found that dedicated streaming media players offer the best quality and service. Some of our favorite offerings are from Roku, Amazon and Apple TV.
Streaming Devices
Here is a list of several streaming media devices. This is not an all inclusive list, but should give you a general idea of where to start looking!
- Roku
- Amazon Fire TV
- Apple TV
- Android TV
- Smart TV’s (Sony, Samsung, LG, Vizio)
- Blu-Ray Players
- Smart Phones and Tablets
Affects on Data Limits
Streaming services do require a connection to the internet that is near constant. This does mean that it will consume data. Here are some general statistics of how this will affect your data usage.
- Music Streaming will use about 115 Megabytes an hour. This is roughly 1/10 of a Gigabyte.
- tandard Definition (480P)Video will use between 500 Megabytes to 1 Gigabyte per hour.
- High Definistion (1080P) Video will use approximately 2 Gigabytes per hour.
- 4K Ultra High Definition Video will use between 7-10 Gigabytes per hour depending on the service being used.
- Another key thing to note is screen size. The larger the screen is, the more data that will be consumed.