There are many devices available geared toward bringing digital media from various sources directly to your TV. From online content to your personal media files, these devices practically turn any television into a Smart TV. The capability, functionality, and cost of each streaming media player vary between manufacturer and specific model. In this review, we will discuss the differences between some of the top streaming media players under $100, and explore the characteristics of each device. These streaming media players include Apple's AppleTV, Netgear's NeoTV products, Roku's media players, and Western Digital's WD TV media devices.
What are streaming media players?
Streaming media players are devices, also known as stand-alone or set-top boxes, which can connect to your home network in order to access your stored media. When connected to the Internet, these devices have the ability to deliver content from many online streaming media services such as Netflix (movies), Pandora (music), Facebook (social media), and Flickr (photo sharing).Why should I consider a streaming media player?
With the increasing demand and availability of online streaming media services like Netflix and Pandora, and the growing popularity of home theater entertainment, the addition of a streaming media player provides a cost effective solution for bringing a variety of quality content directly to your television. Many households have large amounts of video, photo, and music files stored or shared on their personal computers, portable hard drives, mobile devices, and possibly shared on their home network. Before the presence of streaming media devices, the desire to enjoy these media files in the comfort of one's home theater brought about interesting and at times complicated solutions. Streaming media players make the process virtually effortless.Which streaming media player should I choose?
One significant factor in deciding which streaming media player to purchase is "Where is the majority of the content that you want to enjoy through your home theater coming from?" Either (1) devices on your home network, or (2) online streaming media services. Another factor to consider is your television input connection (i.e. Composite A/V, HDMI) and desired resolution (i.e. 480p, 1080p).Home Network (including personal computers, portable hard drives, and mobile devices):
Some streaming media players work seamlessly with media stored and shared on your home network, while others could be quite cumbersome depending on your "operating system media environment".
With stored media, file types must be considered when choosing your streaming media player.
Streaming Media Services:
Streaming media players come equipped with popular online streaming media services such as Netflix, Pandora, and Flickr.