FREE Internet TV: 4 Tools to Get Started to Get Started, All You Really Need Is a Computer with Internet That’S Capable of Streaming Video

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

FREE Internet TV: 4 Tools to Get Started to Get Started, All You Really Need Is a Computer with Internet That’S Capable of Streaming Video FREE Internet TV: 4 Tools To Get Started To get started, all you really need is a computer with internet that’s capable of streaming video. But, if you don’t want to be hunched over your computer every time you watch one of your favourite shows, here are some components that can really improve your experience: #1. High-speed internet connection This is essential for fluid playback and the possibility of playing HD content. You’re going to want a 5Mbps connection at the minimum, but more speed is always better to reduce loading times, increase stream quality, and allow for multiple streams at the same time. You’ll also need unlimited bandwidth (or a high bandwidth cap) to make sure you aren’t dinged with a lot of extra fees. If you have a bandwidth cap or a slow connection, you may be interested in my guide to saving money on your internet costs. #2. HDMI cable It used to be that HDMI cables cost $100 or more and no one was plugging their comput- ers into their TV. It’s much more common now – but in case you still don’t have one, you can pick up it up almost anywhere. They even sell them at Dollarama for around $3 each. Here’s a well-re- viewed cable from Amazon for $5 with free shipping. When it comes to digital cables like HDMI, you rarely need to be concerned about the quality of the cable itself. A digital signal will come through the same no matter how fancy the cable is. The only time you might need a higher bandwidth or top-quality cable is if you want to maximize the full power of your 4K TV, or you have a very long cable run (more than 25ft). #3. HDMI capable streaming device Normally, I would recommend a dedicated Home Theater PC (HTPC) running Windows 10 as the ultimate device for free internet TV... ...But setting one up can be both overwhelming and expensive for people who are new to streaming. - 02 - So, I’ll give you a few options so you can choose what works for you based on your com- fort level: Easy setup, intermediate setup, advanced setup, or existing setup. Easy setup If you want a small, easy to use, and inexpensive device to get your feet wet streaming – I'd recommend the Fire TV Stick. It gives you lots of streaming apps to get started with, including Netflix (but you won’t be able to stream everything from Canadian network sites like you could with an HTPC). It only costs about $50, comes with an easy-to-use remote, and it’s basically plug-and-play. Intermediate setup A good compromise between a full HTPC with Windows and a limited streaming device is an Android TV box. If you buy a higher-end box, you can do most things you can on a windows HTPC and get the benefit of the huge library of apps on the Google Play store. Here’s a powerful model with good reviews. The downside here is some Canadian network sites block Android devices from access- ing their streaming videos through a mobile web browser. But the good news is that several bigger ones like CTV, City, Bravo, Space, and The Comedy Network all have apps that work just fine. Simply search the Google Play store for the Canadian networks listed above and you could find even more. Advanced setup I use a dedicated Home Theater PC running Windows 10 plugged directly into my TV to get my free internet TV. The reasons for that are plenty... Not only can you use a simple web browser to access Canadian network sites, but you can also easily install dedicated TV streaming software like Kodi and Plex to make navi- gating content easier and stream your own home videos and music. - 03 - Then, you can run streaming services like Netflix and YouTube either through the dedi- cated apps or right through your web browser. If you hook up a microphone, you can even use Cortana to control many aspects of your TV with your voice. The problem is that almost no one sells a Windows device out-of-the-box that’s perfect for this. Usually you need to start with a bare-bones system (no hard drive or memory installed), buy and install those components (very easy), and then install Windows your- self (also easy). Here are the components I recommend: HTPC Bare-Bones System (small and power efficient) HTPC Compatible Memory HTPC Compatible Solid State Hard Drive (very fast) Windows 10 Installing the components usually just amounts to opening up the case with a screw- driver, popping the component into place like Lego, and closing it back up again. Watch- ing a YouTube video is more than enough to be able to do it yourself with no issues. Existing setup If you’re not ready to buy a dedicated device just yet – then most laptops, many tablets (i.e. Microsoft Surface), some phones, and modern video game consoles are capable of hooking up to your TV and streaming video. Do a little research into your current device and see what it’s capable of. If you’re planning to use an existing computer, tablet, or phone – then getting a Google Chromecast to wirelessly stream video from your existing device to your TV is a super convenient way to go. Don’t make this mistake The biggest mistake you can make when buying a streaming device is to cheap out and buy a lower-end model. I’ve recommended devices above that have enough horsepower to handle most things you throw at it while not breaking the bank. Don’t go any cheaper, or you’ll most likely regret it. - 04 - #4. A good remote To get the full experience, you want to be able to control your TV with a remote – not a keyboard and a mouse. Sitting on your couch with those clunky tools just isn’t appealing. Fortunately, there have been many technological advancements in this area and there are a lot of HTPC remotes to choose from. Designing a remote to control a computer isn’t an easy task. As a result, what’s available functions quite differently. After trying several remote styles myself, I personally have settled on a basic air remote with normal controls on the top and a mini keyboard on the bottom. You simply wave your hand at the screen (kind of like a Wii Remote) to control the mouse cursor – it’s pretty easy and intuitive after a little time playing with it. Here’s a model that works on Android TV boxes, Windows PCs, and several other devices. Note: Both the Fire TV Stick and Android TV box recommended above come with remotes, so you won’t need to purchase one separately. To read my ultimate guide on internet TV, you can go here. - 05 -.
Recommended publications
  • Smart Home Automation with Linux Smart
    CYAN YELLOW MAGENTA BLACK PANTONE 123 C BOOKS FOR PROFESSIONALS BY PROFESSIONALS® THE EXPERT’S VOICE® IN LINUX Companion eBook Available Smart Home Automation with Linux Smart Dear Reader, With this book you will turn your house into a smart and automated home. You will learn how to put together all the hardware and software needed for Automation Home home automation, to control appliances such as your teakettle, CCTV, light switches, and TV. You’ll be taught about the devices you can build, adapt, or Steven Goodwin, Author of hack yourself from existing technology to accomplish these goals. Cross-Platform Game In Smart Home Automation with Linux, you’ll discover the scope and possi- Programming bilities involved in creating a practical digital lifestyle. In the realm of media and Game Developer’s Open media control, for instance, you’ll learn how you can read TV schedules digitally Source Handbook and use them to program video remotely through e-mail, SMS, or a web page. You’ll also learn the techniques for streaming music and video from one machine to another, how to give your home its own Twitter and e-mail accounts for sending automatic status reports, and the ability to remotely control the home Smart Home lights or heating system. Also, Smart Home Automation with Linux describes how you can use speech synthesis and voice recognition systems as a means to converse with your household devices in new, futuristic, ways. Additionally, I’ll also show you how to implement computer-controlled alarm clocks that can speak your daily calendar, news reports, train delays, and local with weather forecasts.
    [Show full text]
  • Home • Support • Technical Articles • the Home Theater PC Highway
    Home • Support • Technical Articles • The Home Theater PC Highway The Home Theater PC Highway This month at CableWholesale, we will take a ride down the Home Theater PC highway. Alex, one of the programmers and network administrators behind CableWholesale, will be your guide on this PC building journey. He has built custom PCs since the early 90s. A Home Theater PC is a personal computer whose purpose is to augment one's home theater. It bridges online video, local digital media libraries and PC gaming to the TV and Stereo. You can purchase pre-built systems or go it my way and build your own. They come in a variety of flavors from Windows, Linux or even Apple TV. The complete functionality is up to the designer. They can include tuner cards so that the TV signal runs through the computer and they can have video capture cards for Tivo-like functionality. Their limits are your imagination and budget. Building a computer is not the issue for me; heck, anyone can physically build a computer. It is somewhat like playing with LEGOs, parts only plug into certain places. However, my space is extremely limited; I had no space for a monitor much less a desk, and I need to be able to play games and stream movies from the Internet. The only space I had available to me was a receiver-sized slot on my Home Entertainment rack. Therefore, I was aiming for the HTPC (Home Theater Personal Computer) style computer and since I already had a TV and Audio/Video equipment with HDMI inputs, I had a good idea of what I hoped to carry out.
    [Show full text]
  • Crestron Digitalmedia™ Technology and Hdbaset Agenda
    Crestron DigitalMedia™ Technology and HDBaseT Agenda . The world is digital . HDMI problems; HDBaseT solutions . What is DigitalMedia™? . Why HDBaseT? . Leading the HDBaseT charge: DigitalMedia™ Crestron DigitalMedia™ Technology and HDBaseT The world is digital Crestron DigitalMedia™ Technology and HDBaseT Consumers and Hollywood are aligned . Consumers want the latest features » 1080P » High resolution multichannel audio » 3D . Hollywood wants content protection . No analog formats can offer any of these features Crestron DigitalMedia™ Technology and HDBaseT Consumer sources have fully transitioned . Bluray – only 9 of 45 at Bestbuy.com offer component out . Satellite and cable TV, TiVo . Playstation3, XBox . AppleTV, Boxee box, Roku . Home Theater PC’s Crestron DigitalMedia™ Technology and HDBaseT HDMI problems HDBaseT solutions Crestron DigitalMedia™ Technology and HDBaseT HDMI system problems . Distance limitations . Cable installation, infrastructure . Control for remote displays . System verification Crestron DigitalMedia™ Technology and HDBaseT Distance limitations . Standard HDMI » Approximately 30 feet . DigitalMedia™ 8G+ » 330 feet on standard twisted pair cable Crestron DigitalMedia™ Technology and HDBaseT Cable installation and infrastructure . HDMI cables are prohibitively difficult to terminate in field . HDMI cables with connectors can’t pass easily through conduit . HDMI connector has tiny pins which can be fragile . HDMI connector may easily come disconnected . Testing HDMI cables requires specialized equipment Crestron DigitalMedia™ Technology and HDBaseT Cable installation and infrastructure . HDBaseT is compatible with standard category cabling . Easy, well-known terminations . Easy to pull through walls over long distances . Easy to terminate and manage CAT5e with DM 8G+ Crestron DigitalMedia™ Technology and HDBaseT Control for remote displays . The farther your display gets from sources, the farther it (likely) gets from your control system .
    [Show full text]
  • Get Windows Media Center Running on Windows 10
    Get Windows Media Center Running On Windows 10 ollowing Windows 7, home-theater Linux built to support home-theater cobble, and kludge it back into working F PC fans haven’t gotten much love applications; run an old version of order—eventually. from Microsoft. When Win8 launched, Windows that still supports WMC; We’ve actually been testing out various many were dismayed that in order to get choose an alternative DVR utility such Win10 Windows Media Center fixes for Windows Media more than a year, Center onto the but we finally feel OS, they would confident that have to pay for the we’ve found one Media Center Pack, that will work for which was a $9.99 a majority of users. add-on unless you It probably won’t managed to snag work for everyone a free copy within (we’ve heard that, at a relatively short least in some cases, time frame. As of cable card users about this time last may not be able to year, however, the get some features Windows 8 and 8.1 to work), but this Pro Pack (which let fix has worked for you upgrade to Pro us on three separate versions of the OS) Win10 installations. and Media Pack Want Windows Media Center on Windows 10? Let’s do this. Read on to see if it’ll (which includes the work for you, too. all-important Media Center functionality) were taken down as Plex, Kodi, NextPVR, or one of those But First, Some Tuner Talk and are no longer available for purchase.
    [Show full text]
  • Using the DIAL Protocol for Zero Configuration Connectivity in Cross
    Institutionen f¨ordatavetenskap Department of Computer and Information Science Final thesis Using the DIAL Protocol for Zero Configuration Connectivity in Cross-Platform Messaging by Emil Bergwik LIU-IDA/LITH-EX-A{14/030{SE 2014-06-18 Linköpings universitet Linköpings universitet SE-581 83 Linköping, Sweden 581 83 Linköping Link¨opingsuniversitet Institutionen f¨ordatavetenskap Final thesis Using the DIAL Protocol for Zero Configuration Connectivity in Cross-Platform Messaging by Emil Bergwik LIU-IDA/LITH-EX-A{14/030{SE 2014-06-18 Supervisor: Anders Fr¨oberg, Link¨opingUniversity Shu Liu, Harbin Institute of Technology Peter Steiner, Accedo Broadband AB Examiner: Erik Berglund, Link¨opingUniversity Abstract Today's living room context offers more and more possibilities when it comes to when and how to interact with the television and media content offer- ings. Buzzwords such as "TV Everywhere" is something that both hard- ware manufacturers, content providers and television networks are pursuing to great lengths. At the core of such marketing schemes is the availability of platform-independent content consumption. In a Utopian setting, the end-user should never have to worry if he or she is currently using a smart TV, tablet, phone or computer to view a video or photos, play music or play games. Taking the concept even further, the devices should also be able to connect and communicate with each other seamlessly. Having for example a television set (first screen) controlled by a mobile phone (second screen) is commonly referred to as companion device interaction and is what this thesis has investigated. More specifically, a way of discovering and launch- ing a first screen application from a second screen application using the zero configuration discovery protocol named DIAL has been implemented into a cross-platform messaging solution.
    [Show full text]
  • Intel® NUC and the Home Theatre Personal Computer on the Linux* Mint Platform Using XBMC
    G001 Revision History Revision Revision History Date 1.0 First release of the Intel® NUC Home Theatre May 2013 Personal Computer on the Linux* Mint Platform using XBMC 2.0 Second release of the Intel® NUC Home July 2013 Theatre Personal Computer on the Linux* Mint Platform using XBMC INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH INTEL® PRODUCTS. NO LICENSE, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, BY ESTOPPEL OR OTHERWISE, TO ANY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS IS GRANTED BY THIS DOCUMENT. EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN INTEL’S TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALE FOR SUCH PRODUCTS, INTEL ASSUMES NO LIABILITY WHATSOEVER, AND INTEL DISCLAIMS ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY, RELATING TO SALE AND/OR USE OF INTEL PRODUCTS INCLUDING LIABILITY OR WARRANTIES RELATING TO FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, MERCHANTABILITY, OR INFRINGEMENT OF ANY PATENT, COPYRIGHT OR OTHER INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHT. UNLESS OTHERWISE AGREED IN WRITING BY INTEL, THE INTEL PRODUCTS ARE NOT DESIGNED NOR INTENDED FOR ANY APPLICATION IN WHICH THE FAILURE OF THE INTEL PRODUCT COULD CREATE A SITUATION WHERE PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH MAY OCCUR. Intel Corporation may have patents or pending patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights that relate to the presented subject matter. The furnishing of documents and other materials and information does not provide any license, express or implied, by estoppel or otherwise, to any such patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights. Intel may make changes to specifications and product descriptions at any time, without notice. Designers must not rely on the absence or characteristics of any features or instructions marked “reserved” or “undefined.” Intel reserves these for future definition and shall have no responsibility whatsoever for conflicts or incompatibilities arising from future changes to them.
    [Show full text]
  • Home Theater Pc Chassis
    HOME THEATER PC CHASSIS Model: HTPC 200 BA & SA Color: Black & Silver Quick Installation Guide (U.S. & Canada Only) Version 1.0 DISCLAIMER No warranty or representation, either expressed or implied, is made with respect to the content of this documentation, its quality, performance, merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose. Information presented in this documentation has been carefully checked for reliability; however, no responsibility is assumed for inaccuracies. The information contained in this documentation is subject to change without notice. In no event will nMedia will be liable for direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to use this product or documentation, even if advised of the possibility of such damages. TRADEMARKS All trademarks used in this user guide are the property of their respective owners. COPYRIGHT © 2006 by NMEDIA SYSTEM, INC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form by any means without the written permission of NMEDIA SYSTEM, INC. TECHNICAL SUPPORT If a problem arises with your system and no solution can be obtained from this user guide, please contact your place of purchase or local dealer. REVISION HISTORY V 1.0 August, 2005 Note: This user guide is designed to provide the user a quick reference for chassis setup. We assume you need the information regarding how to assemble the system, such as Motherboard, CPU, RAM Memory, Hard Drive, DVD ROM, Operating System…, etc. Based on this assumption, we make this user guide of quick installation guide.
    [Show full text]
  • Kodi Lite Driver Installation and Usage Guide
    Kodi Lite Driver Installation and Usage Guide Revision: 3.0 Date: Monday, July 10, 2017 Authors: Alan Chow Contents Overview ................................................................................................................................................................................. 3 Features .................................................................................................................................................................................. 4 FAQ .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Change Log .............................................................................................................................................................................. 6 Purchase & Support ................................................................................................................................................................ 8 Developer Information............................................................................................................................................................ 8 Important Notice..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Driver Installation ...................................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • HOME THEATER PC CHASSIS Model: HTPC 5000B Color: Black Quick
    HOME THEATER PC CHASSIS Model: HTPC 5000B Color: Black Quick Installation Guide (U.S. & Canada Only) Version 1.1 DISCLAIMER No warranty or representation, either expressed or implied, is made with respect to the content of this documentation, its quality, performance, merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose. Information presented in this documentation has been carefully checked for reliability; however, no responsibility is assumed for inaccuracies. The information contained in this documentation is subject to change without notice. In no event will nMedia will be liable for direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of the use or inability to use this product or documentation, even if advised of the possibility of such damages. TRADEMARKS All trademarks used in this user guide are the property of their respective owners. COPYRIGHT © 2004-2013 by i18 Technology Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form by any means without the written permission of i18 Technology Inc. TECHNICAL SUPPORT If a problem arises with your system and no solution can be obtained from this user guide, please contact your place of purchase or local dealer. REVISION HISTORY Version 1.1 December, 2012 Note: This user guide is designed to provide the user a quick reference for chassis setup. We assume you need the information regarding how to assemble the system, such as Motherboard, CPU, RAM Memory, Hard Drive, DVD ROM, Operating System etc. Based on this assumption, we make this user guide of quick installation guide.
    [Show full text]
  • Building Your Own Home Theater by Mark Streitman
    BuildingBuilding youryour ownown HomeHome TheaterTheater By Mark Streitman This column is more expensive than my whole theater My system is more like this Fancy Theater Chairs My Kind of Theater Seating TVs, Electroncs, Computers, Software What I'm here to talk about ●Home Theater in General ●Digital TV ●TVs, Projectors and other electronics ●DVRs and PCs ●Software ●How to put it all together My Guiding Principles for Home Theather I want the big movie theater experience I want great sound I want all my shows I want comfy seats or a couch I'm CHEAP! My General Requirements ●Want to watch TV shows when I want ●Play DVDs ●Watch any video files, local or on the Internet ●Play local or Internet Music ●Surf web ●Show Home movies ●Show Photos ●Play Games These can all be done as a family or with friends My Specific Requirements ●Dedicated Computer System ●Big Screen - 72” or larger ●Comfortable seating – couch ●Remote control ●Good sound system, Dolby Digital 5.1 ●Record the programs I want whenever they are on ●Have the choice to record new, old, watched, etc programs ●Have new shows pop up based on criteria, Ex. Sci-fi TV Series ●Movies, 3 stars and above ●On Screen Guide to view whats on TV My Specific Requirements (cont.) ●Lots of storage for high def shows ●Play DVDs ●Record shows to DVD ●Play or Save programs as video files and be able to move them to anywhere (network) ●Access the Internet ●Access music and pictures ●Play any of the above on any other TV or computer in the house (Client - Server) ●Be able to hack and modify things if I need to ●Reliable system DVR - Digital Video Recorder Definition from Wikipedia A digital video recorder (DVR) or personal video recorder (PVR) is a device that records video in a digital format to a disk drive or other memory medium within a device.
    [Show full text]
  • Getting the Most out of Your HTPC
    Reference Guide Getting the most out of your HTPC December 01, 2008 Table of Contents Introduction....................................................................................................... 2 HTPC Setup ........................................................................................................ 4 Installing Drivers ..............................................................................................................4 Windows Vista Drivers................................................................................................... 4 Available Movie Players ..................................................................................................... 4 Configuring 7.1 Audio ....................................................................................................... 5 CyberLink PowerDVD ........................................................................................................ 7 Enabling 7.1 Channel Audio in PowerDVD ....................................................................... 7 Corel WinDVD .................................................................................................................. 8 Enabling 7.1 Channel Audio in WinDVD........................................................................... 8 Arcsoft TotalMedia Theatre................................................................................................ 9 Enabling 7.1 Channel Audio in TotalMedia Theatre........................................................... 9 What To Look
    [Show full text]
  • Processor Support Specifications Memory Support Dimensions
    Experience the perfect digital home experience with the ZOTAC GeForce 9300-ITX WiFi. Harnessing the power of NVIDIA’s GeForce 9300 graphics processor, the ZOTAC GeForce 9300-ITX WiFi delivers NVIDIA PureVideo HD technology for flawless high-definition Blu-ray playback and superior scaling of standard-definition videos, and NVIDIA CUDA technology for accelerated video processing capabilities. The ZOTAC GeForce 9300-ITX WiFi pairs the GeForce 9300 graphics processor with Intel socket LGA775 processors – Intel Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad, Pentium and Celeron up to 1333 MHz front-side bus – for a high-performance platform that’s ready to take on high-definition video playback yet only occupy a 170mm x 170mm mini-ITX footprint. Hybrid SLI, PCI Express 2.0 x16, DDR2, high-definition audio and SATA 3.0Gbps technologies enable the ZOTAC GeForce 9300-ITX WiFi to have expansion potential worthy of a home theater PC. Specifications • NVIDIA GeForce 9300 GPU • GPU clock: 450 MHz (Overclockable) • Shader clock: 1200 MHz (Overclockable) Features • 16 stream processors • NVIDIA PureVideo HD support • Microsoft DirectX 10 with Shader Model • NVIDIA Hybrid SLI with GeForceBoost 4.0 compatible • NVIDIA Unified Architecture Processor support • NVIDIA CUDA Ready • NVIDIA PhysX Ready • Intel Core 2 Duo™ • Native HDMI with HDCP • Intel Core 2 Quad™ • Integrated 802.11b/g WiFi • Intel Core 2 Extreme™ • Intel Pentium™ family Expansion Up to 1333 MHz FSB support • • 1 PCI Express 2.0 x16 • LGA775 Socket compatible Memory support Connectors • 1 HD Audio Port (Line-in,
    [Show full text]