Articles about Streaming

If you're fond of watching TV, and most folks are, then you likely have some accounts with online services to supplement your viewing options. Several good choices exist, one of which is provided by online retail giant Amazon. Prime includes video streaming that competes with rival Netflix and now it's beefing up the original content available from this service.

13 new shows are debuting on the service, though they are pilots only. Amazon prefers to let the viewers decide what becomes a series and what gets shelved. So, your viewing and comments help here.

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It's that time again -- the part of the month where Netflix rolls out its report on ISP performance. This is something that became important back during the Comcast debacle. That was when the streaming service was held hostage while negotiating a deal, all the while with its speed on the carrier steadily dropping.

Well, the top three have not changed and, despite the shakedown, Comcast still is not among them. Verizon FiOS retains its seat at the top, follow by Cablevision and Bright House. Comcast at least hasn't ceded its number four position.

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Social networks' interest in video show no signs of abating. As talk mounts about a video tool from Twitter, Facebook has acquired video compression startup QuickFire Networks. This acquisition comes just days after the social network acquired speech recognition firm Wit.ai, so 2015 has already been a busy year.

Facebook upset some mobile users by introducing videos that played automatically, and this latest acquisition may go some way to calming those upset by increased data usage. QuickFire boasts using a "proprietary technology that dramatically reduces the bandwidth needed to view video online without degrading video quality".

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Sling Box and Xbox may have similar names, but they are rather different technologies. However, that doesn't mean the two products can't get together to improve the entertainment in your living room. That's exactly what is now happening as Microsoft announces Sling TV (a bit different from Sling Box) for its gaming and entertainment console.

Sling TV which will be coming to the Xbox One, adding even more entertainment options. The service will carry many channels, including live sports, news, internet video and more. The new partnership has been announced by Xbox Live chief Larry Hryb, or Major Nelson as he is more commonly known.

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We're all familiar with Chromecast, Google's nifty media streaming dongle that makes light work of chucking a video from your computer, phone or tablet to your TV. Fancy doing something similar with audio? Google must have been listening to you because the company has just launched Google Cast for audio.

The idea is virtually the same as Chromecast -- in fact it's based on exactly the same technology -- and it's just as simple to use. Start listening to music on your Android phone or tablet, iPod, iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows computer or Chromebook and you can throw it to a set of compatible speakers without the need for wires.

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2014 was a big year for Roku, with the debut of the streaming stick as well as Roku TVs. But 2015 promises to be even bigger, with announcements coming out of the Consumer Electronics Show taking place in Las Vegas this week. The set-top box maker has a lot to talk about for the new year.

To start out, Roku claims TCL will release a whopping 12 new models of TVs featuring the software. All will be coming in the first half of this year. The new lineup will come with varying hardware configurations that promise different designs.

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If you have been experiencing problems accessing Netflix through a VPN recently, it's not because the company has started taking a harder line. Despite an apparent increase in problems connecting to Netflix through a VPN, the company says that it is not handling things any differently to normal.

TorGuard had reported an increase in the number of error messages its users experienced when trying to get their streaming fix, but Netflix is not owning up to clamping down on VPNs and proxies. While TorGuard expressed surprise at the appearance of a VPN-related error message, Netflix insists that it is business as usual.

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Netflix is one of the many websites that can only be accessed in certain parts of the world or has region specific versions. Of course, where there's a will there's a way, and there are numerous tools that can be used to bypass any restrictions that may have been put in place.

Whether using a VPN or a proxy, it's relatively simple to access Netflix from anywhere in the world. Netflix -- or rather the studios whose shows are being "pirated" (if that's the right way of looking at it) -- has had enough. It is fighting back, blocking access to some people who use circumvention measures.

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When it comes to cord-cutting, there are few options available to the sports fan. While some sports provide options for online subscriptions, the NFL is not among them, forcing fans to use "alternative" methods for watching their team play on Sunday. As the regular season ends, so does one of the best sources for accomplishing this.

Wiziwig.tv is closing its doors, after providing live streaming sports of all varieties to its users. The website cites a change in law in Spain that would possibly trip it up, resulting in ridiculously heavy fines if found guilty, which seems likely.

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2014 could be viewed as the year of set-top boxes. 2015 is likely to see even more action, as more of what we watch moves to online content, be it Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu Plus, the new CBS offering, or one of the lesser known competitors. When you take all of that into account, you'd assume it would have been a big year for Roku, and you'd be right.

Today the company ran down the numbers for 2014 and they were a bit staggering in terms of just how well the set-top box maker has performed.

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Imagine if in the 1990's, there were CDs that only played on certain players. In other words, what if Warner Brothers released the Red Hot Chili Peppers' iconic album, "Blood Sugar Sex Magik", and it only worked on CD players made by, say, Pioneer? Not only would it harm consumers, but also limit the reach of the artist. If you did not own a Pioneer CD player, you could not hear the album.

If a new rumor by the New York Post is to be believed, Apple is planning such a thing, but rather than CD players, its iTunes and Beats Music would be the means of harming the consumer. Yes, the fruit-logo company may be working with artists (and ultimately record labels) to bring album-exclusives to its own music services.

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The market is thick for set-top boxes these days, but Roku 3 tends to be the most popular choice with many consumers. It's simple to set up and has perhaps the most content. The "channels", as Roku calls them, are an ever-growing ecosystem of networks and online content.

The steps for getting it up and running are fairly simple. The box will help you along, walking you through each step. The first, and most obvious, is plugging it in to an outlet and then connecting the HDMI cable.

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This year Amazon jumped into the set-top box market with a remarkably mature competitor. Since its release, the Fire TV has continued to accumulate features and improve. In fact, it's now serious competition for the likes of Roku and Apple TV. So did you find one under your tree this year? If so, there are a few things to know.

First, and perhaps most obvious, you need to  have an Amazon account. That shouldn't be a barrier for most people. You'll just need to enter your email and password to get up and running on your new set-top box. It also needs to connect to Wi-Fi, unless you can use a wired connection (which is better). If your router is password protected then that will be the final entry to start.

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Pandora is one of the grandfathers of streaming music services, and remains among the most affordable and well known sources around. It's available on phones and even set-top boxes, not to mention, right on your computer. There are also apps for smart TVs and Blu-ray players. In other words, it is almost ubiquitous.

Now the music service is launching on your Xbox One. The new app was built specifically with the gaming console in mind, with an interface designed to look good on your TV. It will not only be pretty, but provide music while you play your game, and even adds a couple of new features.

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If you subscribe to Hulu, and many cord-cutters, along with some who aren't, do, then you know that it has become a haven for content of all sorts. Care to watch last night's episode of The Blacklist? You can do that, along with countless other shows. The service has also been working on original content in an effort to rival the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Now the Twentieth Century Fox TV Distribution for FX network is signing what Hulu terms a "landmark deal" to bring more of its original content to the service.

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