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What Is Streaming TV







We hear all about cutting the cord and saving money by streaming your tv, but what is streaming? Well that is what we are here to answer.

Definition:
Streaming is a method of transmitting or receiving data (especially video and audio material) over a computer network as steady, continuous flow, allowing playback to start while the rest of the data is still being received.  All that really means is that streaming is watching or listening to content over your internet connection instantly without having to completely download anything.

What can I stream?
Audio and video.  Whether you want to watch live sports, your favorite tv show, or even just relax and watch a movie, it can all be done by streaming.  Have a favorite podcast or love to listen to music? By streaming you have access to tens of millions of songs and podcasts at your fingertips.

Streaming Requirements

The most important thing when it comes to streaming is having a fast and reliable internet connection.  How fast depends on a few different factors. 

  1.  Do you plan on streaming music, video’s and/or television programming?  Video’s and television programming require much more bandwidth/speed than music.   
  2. Internet speed can affect the quality of audio and video.  Faster internet speeds produce better quality.  An example would be watching a video in 720p vs 1080p HD. The 1080p HD video will look better and be clearer, but it will also need a faster internet speed to keep the video from buffering or looking choppy.
  3. How many streams could your family be watching at the same time?   The more devices you stream to, the faster your speeds should be.


Devices
Streaming can be done from several devices, a smart tv, computer, or even your smart phone!  Some companies even make products specifically for streaming, such as Roku, Amazon, Google, and Apple. These devices allow you to take your stupid tv and make them smart, so you can stream without having to spend a bunch of money on upgrading your TV.

Services
Now that you have a fast and reliable internet connection and you know some of the devices you can stream from, where do I get content to stream?  There are thousands of applications out there that allow you to stream both audio and video.  Some of these applications are free and some will cost you a monthly fee.  Some examples of free services would be Crackle, The Roku Channel, Pluto Tv, Tubi, YouTube, and Pandora just to name a few.  Paid service examples include fuboTV, Sling, Philo, Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Spotify, Apple Music, and many more. 

Streaming is the way of the future.  If you are interested in learning how, or just need to know where to get started, contact us 309.778.8611 for a free phone consultation or follow us on Facebook@onesource  where we post streaming and smart home news daily.

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