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Did you know that you can finally stream content online, like movies or YouTube videos, to your big screen TV without using a computer or having to buy a special box designed to do this? Internet TVs are now available, as well as a new line of Blu-ray players that will do this for you as long as you have a fast broadband connection.
There are about 20 TVs selling for around $1000 and half a dozen Blu-ray players for around $150 that will stream movies online. All newer TVs hitting the market soon will have internet streaming functionality and will be available sometime this year. And some tech folks are predicting that all newer Blu-ray players will have it on all of their models. They will also include this function in the lower priced models.
There are other electronic devices like the popular game boxes on the market that also have internet streaming features.
While one of these TVs or Blu-ray players doesn’t offer a full internet browser that can go anywhere on the network, it will allow streaming of movies and TV shows from various companies online. You can watch videos from YouTube, news, sports and more from Yahoo and view some digital photos stored on select online sites or enjoy music from Internet radio stations. Of course, the movies and TV episodes will be charged for a subscription or may be pay-per-view.
Video streaming is easy to set up for use on your TV or Blu-ray player. Most services will give you a good quality image, but don’t expect it to be the same as an HD Blu-ray disc.
When looking to upgrade your DVD player to a Blu-ray player, you should consider one of the internet-enabled models or one that comes in a home theater package. DVD players will pull the same content from the Internet as TVs. The benefit of doing it this way is that you can modify or adjust the TV’s settings when receiving content from a DVD player.
When you get a Blu-ray player for Internet content, look for a BD-live model. These models require a broadband connection, but some also come with Wi-Fi that can take advantage of your home Wi-Fi signal. It’s worth the extra money if you can go this way and don’t have a broadband cable connection where your entertainment system is set up.
Also keep in mind that each brand of TV or Blu-ray player has been associated with a specific streaming service. Your content will vary, so find the services you’d like to have, and then buy the player that offers them.
Once you connect your TV or Blu-ray player to your network, you’ll use your remote to access your apps. You will see some icons or widgets appear at the bottom of the screen. This is similar to the widgets or icons on your computer, but it will be for the services that came with your device.
You will have thousands of movies at your fingertips. You can browse a library and order with just a few clicks. Rates vary, but they’re about the same as driving to your local video store. And no late fees! Some services offer a monthly fee, others with unlimited services.
Picture quality can be like standard definition and high definition footage is more like DVD quality. As more and more equipment comes onto the market, we can also expect services to improve in the not too distant future.