Streaming Media? Digital Media Devices Reviewed

Media Streaming Devices are really just small boxes that plug into your HD TV adding a range of new features for your TV viewing pleasure. While they may work with older standard definition TVs, you will get the best results with an HD model. The primary purpose is to allow you and your family assess to online services such as Hulu and Netflix directly to your TV screen.

Now of course, it is never as simple as that, is it? Many of the devices currently available have a range of different features which can make a buying decision all the more difficult.

Here are some of the extra features or functions you MAY like to have listed below:

* Access to social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook,
* Web browsing,
* Ability to watch YouTube videos,
* The ability to share what's on your TV screen with external devices such as tablets, smartphones and PCs,
* The ability to record TV programs to a built in hard drive,
* USB ports that let you play a range of digital media formats

So do you REALLY need one?

The main question you need to answer is, do you like watching TV shows and movies online? If the answer is YES, then you should really consider purchasing a Media Streaming Device. Watching TV and movies on your computer may be okay if it's just you watching but it's not really much fun if the whole family would like to watch as well. It can get a bit crowded huddled over a computer screen! Much more comfortable and a much better experience to watch on your fabulous big screen TV, isn't it?

Many of these boxes also connect to your local network, making it easy to stream content from your computer to your TV without the use of wires or the cumbersome process of burning files to disc to watch on your DVD player. So if you already have a lot of downloaded media, then a device that can play these files on your TV from your computer is just the ticket.

The last thing to bear in mind is what type of TV do you already have? Some modern HD TVs have some of these features already built in, so you will need to compare this with what an extra media streaming device can provide.

Okay, so now we have a bit of an idea what a Media Streaming Device is and what we use it for in our own life, let's have a look at some of the best on the market at the moment in closer detail

...yes I doubt if many of you reading this wouldn't have heard of Apple TV . It's certainly the most famous name in multimedia streaming devices and now the price for the standard model has dropped so significantly, it is now a real contender for your lounge or media room. Of course, Apple TV does have some limitations so let's have look at them now.

Basic Specs of Standard Model:

Average Price: 3.9

Size: 3.9 x 3.9 x 0.9 inches

Connection: HDMI

Resolution: Up to 720p

SD Card Slot: None

USB Ports: None

Storage Space: None

Internet: Wi-Fi, Ethernet

Web Browser: None

Netflix Available: Yes

YouTube Available: Yes

Hulu Available: No

Amazon Video Available: No

What's Good about Apple TV

Well, for one thing the price! Apple TV is now around the $100 mark, making it affordable to almost everyone these days. Good news if you have stumped up big bucks for some of Apple's other products recently! Secondly, the size has been reduced since the first generation Apple TV, becoming much more compact. If fact, it's almost a quarter of the original size, which is great news if space is an issue.

Other features of the design is it's intuitive to use. It comes with it's own remote control, which is sleek and small. If you are like me and already own other Apple products, you can download the remote app to your iPad, iPhone or iPod. Now as someone who not only loves and owns other Apple devices and loves apps this is a great feature for me personally. Despite the small size of the device, there are connections for external speakers (or you can use your TV's own speakers), an Ethernet connection if you don't have Wi-Fi at home and the HDMI slot to connect the box up to your TV.

Airplay...is the newest feature of Apple TV, allowing you to share your multimedia between your other Apple devices. So now you can look at photos, listen to music or watch movies wirelessly from your iPhone or iPad on your TV. Brilliant! No more transferring files from device to device. Other things I like are the ability to access the iTunes Store and the inbuilt internet functions. This includes viewing videos on YouTube, listening to online radio stations and viewing photographs on Flickr. Netflix users can also take advantage of direct streaming to their television screen.

Is there any Bad Points Then

No product is perfect, and there are always things that some people won't like. Here they are. The password input is hardly private! When entering your iTunes or wireless network password, it will show on the screen. It's not blanked out either. Apple TV can store our password so you don't have to publicly enter it each time, but this leaves it exposed to being abused (especially if you have kids).

No flash! If you are using other Apple products you are probably used to this by now. If not, then you may need to factor this into the decision making process.

No storage on this model. The are a couple of models now available that have storage capacity. See below for more details.

Should you buy an Apple TV device?

Well, if you have a large iTunes library, like to stay within the Apple family then this is a no brainer. The price is fantastic and the device is small, easy to use and set up. The only downside may be the lack of a hard drive and no access to Hulu Plus but I think the positives far outweigh the negatives.