NWA-PCUG Newsletter Article, June 2012
Streaming Media
By John Somers,
member, ICON Users Group, MO March 2012 issue,
The ICON – Newsletter of the Interactive Computer Owners Network

http://www.iconusersgroup.org
Jesomersmail (at) mail.com (click to email author)

“Streaming” is listening to music, watching a TV program or movie as it is being delivered to you over the internet. The technology is very difficult (say geek intensive) but it works and well for many of us and is an alternative to cable or satellite delivery of the signals. Several years ago Bill Gates said famously or infamously, “The internet, who needs it!” And this year Steve Jobs said, “We are in the post PC era”. More and more people use the internet and communicate over smart phones and tablets and do not use computers as we know them. Smart phones and tablets are indeed computers but without a large monitor and a keyboard.

Streaming of music began in the mid to late 90’s as personal computers became more powerful and the networks connecting them became capable of supporting faster data rates. As these trends continued, it became possible to stream TV programs and eventually movies. This is different from buying or renting a TV program or movie which is downloaded to your computer for you to watch at your convenience. The driving force is us—we do not want to be tethered to the radio or TV stations schedule or have to go to a movie theatre or to a store to buy a DVD. We want to watch what we want when we want it. Time shifting has become more sophisticated compared to the days of the VHS or Beta (remember them?) Netflix recommends 5 Mb/s or more for the best audio and video experience.

First, the sources. (And I will write only about common and legal methods/sources of content, not about illegal/pirated sources of content—mostly or completely off-shore now and clearly violating copyright.)

All the websites listed in this article are .com‘s unless another domain is listed. (Example: Pandora.com)

MUSIC: Pandora, Spotify, 8tracks, Deezer, fizy, Grooveshark, Last.fm, Mflow, MOG, Pandora, Qriocity, Rhapsody, Slacker, Thumbplay, we7, WiMP and Zune are among the streaming music sources. This list is probably not complete as things change practically daily. Pandora and Rhapsody are among the best known. Pandora is free but you get ads. There is a paid version ($3.50/month) without ads. You get to choose your artist or genre or composer or song and they deliver that or similar material to you. It is also available on many automobiles and on tablets and smart phones as well as computers. For details of how each of these services work and if you need to download a player, and whether they are free or pay I refer you to their websites. Which, if any, you choose, is a very personal choice: what works for you. Your computer will understand the format as all send MP3’s and other common music formats. Only Microsoft uses Windows Media Audio files for music but Zune (Microsoft’s service) streams in MP3, AAC, MP4, mp4, mov, and WMA formats.

TV Programs and Movies: some commercial, some not. Zune, Netflix, Atom.com, blip.tv, Break.com, Citytv.com.co, DaCast, EngageMedia, Flickr, iFilm, imeem, Metacafe, MoboVivo, Multiply, MyVideo, Openfilm, Phanfare, Qik, Revver, RuTube, ScienceStage, sevenload, showmedo, Tudou, Twango, U-verse, Veoh, Vahoo Video, Youku, and YouTube are among sources for streaming video on-line.

I want to emphasize the commercial ones with commercial TV programs and movies and those most used: Netflix, Hulu, and HuluPlus, and Amazon. You can also get TV in Win7 with Media Center set for TV. Some networks are increasingly moving you to their site for the TV programs (CBS on Hulu for example). Disney-ABC, NBC and Fox own Hulu. Netflix is an independent company which began renting DVD’s by mail and more recently began streaming. You may be aware of the upset when they tried to separate the DVD service and the streaming and charge more for streaming.

Hulu free gives you the latest 5 episodes of your favorite TV programs. For $7.99 monthly (HuluPlus) you get the full season and sometimes more than one season. Movies are the current ones and many older ones (Some services claim 10,000.) You get to choose. It’s not the manager of your local Cineplex choosing. Once released on DVD they become generally available if the service has negotiated rights to the flick or to the studio’s films. There clearly is conflict between Netflix, Hulu and Amazon and other streaming services and the studios. The movie companies are terrified about what happened to the music industry and only grudgingly cooperate.

How do you get the signal from your router/wireless access point to your TV and what equipment do you need? The simplest way is by registering your device with the service using your Xbox, Playstation 3, Wii, Blu-ray DVD player, smart phone, or other internet/wireless enabled device. Yes, you can use a computer and the HDMI output on your computer to the HDMI input on your TV. You can also use an Ethernet cable network or route the signal through a power line network. If you want to see other internet material on your big screen TV (using it as a giant monitor), you need a “smart” TV. Remember the signals on the internet are different from those on your cable/satellite/or over the air TV station, and a “brain” is needed for the conversion automatically. Some Smart TV’s are wireless enabled, and Sony and Samsung make wireless adapters for their TV’s. I presume other manufacturers do so also.

Amazon now has two forms of video access: Amazon Instant Videos and (Amazon) Prime Instant Video. The former provides rental or purchase of videos which may be watched by streaming or downloaded to your computer and watched later. Prime Instant Video provides unlimited streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows without commercials if you are a Prime ($79/yr) member. Not all videos in the Amazon Instant Video store are in the Prime instant video catalog. Videos in the Prime Instant Video catalog can only be watched by streaming and are not available for downloading. There is a great deal of information on the Amazon site. Start on the upper left side of the home page where it says “Instant Video” and on the following page on the right side below “Start Your one Month Free Trial” is “Help and FAQ’s.” Click there and on the following page in the middle in blue is a link “Amazon Instant Video” and then on the next page in the middle is “Watching Videos” which gives several choices depending on whether you will be using a computer or an internet connected device. When you (tired yet?) go to your choice, you will get details of connection methods and possibilities.

The easiest way to connect is the HDMI cable from computer to TV and there are adapters to convert the business end of the HDMI to composite cables (3 cables, Red and white audio and yellow video) if your set requires those connectors.

Roku, a streaming device, available for about $50 from roku.com has comprehensive connection directions. The Roku XD/S has HDMI and component output for high fidelity video on new and older televisions.

Nintendo has just announced that Hulu and HuluPlus can now be streamed on the Wii ( they previously just had Netflix) but you will need to download an “app” from their website.

Redbox and Verizon have announced they will start a streaming service, no details yet.

I will mention ITunes since everyone knows them. They stream radio stations, podcasts, and ITunes University (lectures from many U’s; there is a huge list on their site) but not TV programs or movies. Those are rentals. If you rent a TV program or movie from them, it is downloaded to your machine (not streamed). You have it for 30 days, but once you start watching you only have 48 hours (TV) or 24 hours (movie) to watch it. From iTunes.com, download iTunes 10.5 for Mac/PC.

Important to remember: not all services carry all content (programs, movies), and not all devices other than computers (and Roku?) will display all content. Check their websites before plunging in. Apple TV and Google TV seem to be especially limited but other devices may be also.

The bottom line is that the power of computers, the capacity of operating systems, and the capabilities of the networks have improved to the point that streaming has become possible for almost everyone.

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