Top 5 Media Streaming Players
Nothing clever on TV? No problem, media streaming players saves the evening. Vendors like Amazon, Apple, Roku, Google and many more deliver a huge selection of movies and TV shows online. From a 6-Megabit Internet line, good HD quality is possible. And the video streams can be viewed not only on the computer, tablet or smartphone, but also very comfortable on the TV. Current smart TVs bring the mainstreaming providers themselves with their Internet access and appropriate apps on the screen. If this equipment is missing or not user-friendly, streaming boxes and sticks jump into the breach. They can be easily connected via HDMI to any flat screen TV, they call via WLAN the films and series of streaming providers. The fun is amazingly cheap.
What is Streaming Player?
Most streaming players are to be understood as small computers, on which as on the PC or also Smartphone own operating systems run. This device connects by cable to a monitor such as a TV, a projector or others, to play multimedia files including listening to music, watching videos, viewing images or playing games. They offer a wealth of features and rendering options beyond installing apps. For a streaming player, you need a TV that has an HDMI port. In addition, depending on the device, an Internet connection via WLAN or, if supported, via Ethernet cable needed. In addition, streaming players require a separate power supply via the mains plug.
Some people will tell you that to avoid the hassle and embarrassment encountered when choosing a media player, you just have to opt for high-end models. Either branded products or expensive models. These fill buyers’ expectations most of the time, but not always. With the diversity of brands and ranges of media players available on the market, it is often difficult to understand all their features and features, let alone to know precisely which specific model to choose. So we took the trouble to enlighten you through this article on the multimedia box, how to use it and make his choice. You will also see our selection of the best products.
Here’s The List
1. Amazon Fire TV Stick
With the new Fire TV Stick, Amazon wants to continue writing the success story of its streaming players. This will help new and improved hardware and voice assistant Alexa, who gets their firm place in the Fire TV operating system Fire OS. However, the new edition of the HDMI stick not only convinces with new voice commands but above all with noticeably optimized performance. The target group of the twice as expensive Fire TV box is shrinking because the surcharge for an optional memory expansion for many users does not pay off.
Features:
- Processor: Quad-Core
- Memory: 1GB
- Storage: 8GB
- Voice remote with Alexa support: Included
- Supported resolution : up to 1080p
- Wi-Fi connectivity:Dual-band, dual-antenna 802.11ac (MIMO)
Pros:
- Kodi-compatible
- very cheap
- Netflix, Prime Instant Video, BBC iPlayer and many more
- Much faster than the previous model
- Voice-controlled Alexa remote
Cons:
- Limited iPhone support
- Won’t run from most TVs’ USB power supplies
Buy for Rs.3,999 @ Amazon.in
Also Read: 15 Best Amazon Echo Compatible Devices
2. Roku 3
The main features specific to the Roku 3 are in the remote control: voice search, headphone jack, multidirectional Wi-Fi control. Some of the most valuable but not essential and you can do without, if you want to spend less, opting for the Roku 2 just as good as his big brother.
There is little to say about the Roku 3 case itself. It is small, bright black and like its predecessors, it will find its place in your living room without requiring more attention from you once connected. The remote is a little bulkier than its rivals but it fits well in hand. It works in Wi-Fi Direct. It is therefore useless to point it towards the housing to use it, which is very practical.
The A / B buttons are always programmable for games even if the offer remains fairly basic compared to Fire TV and Android TV. It has four pre-programmed buttons for direct access to YouTube, Netflix, Radio and Google Play. Convenient for subscribers, but a bit annoying for others. The location of the OK button just under the directional cross rather than in the center is also unwise.
Features:
- 1080p media streaming
- HDMI
- dual-band Wi-Fi
- Remote control with headphone jack and motion sensor
- microSD card slot
- Ethernet
- USB
Buy for Rs.13,611@ Amazon.in
3. nVIDIA Shield TV
The flat shield box from the graphics chip manufacturer Nvidia works with the Android TV operating system. This gives the Shield a great app selection. The controller works with a small remote control and a gaming controller. Class: In both Nvidia has a headphone jack installed. This saves you an ever-long cable to the TV. The greatest strength of the Nvidia Shield, however, is the sheer performance: you can jolt it, jump through the menus, commands from the remote control will kill you at lightning speed. YouTube videos, for example, launch the Shield in less than half-time compared to smart TVs or other streamers, a wait is almost impossible to measure. The Shield also delivers 4K videos from YouTube or the pre-installed Netflix app to appropriate Ultra HD TVs. Who wants to play their own music, photos or movies from the home network or USB storage can do that with the free Kodi app. The versatile media player played in the test without any problems all tested image and sound formats. So uncomplicated did the media playback with no other streaming player. Thanks to Google Cast compatibility, the Shield also receives streams from the PC from the Chrome browser as well as from a number of smartphone apps with cast function.
Features:
- Stream Over 1000 Entertainment Apps
- 16GB of Storage Space, for more space, opt for Shield Pro(but its cost is too high).
- Integrated Dual-Band 802.11ac Wi-Fi
- Plays 1080p & UHD 4K HDR Video
- 1 x HDMI 2.0b Input
- Remote Control with Built-In Mic
- Google Assistant Built-In
- Android 7.0 Nougat
- GeForce GTX-to-Display Streaming
Buy for Rs.28,073 @ Amazon.in
4. Xiaomi Mi Box 3
The Mi Box is produced by Xiaomi, one of the largest Chinese electronics manufacturers and the world’s fourth-largest smartphone manufacturer. Outside of China Xiaomi is less known, and for interested consumers, it is also a bit of a search for the Mi Box. The playing figure does not look very special: a black box of ten by ten centimetres with rounded shapes, an anti-slip edge on the bottom and a limited number of connection points on the back. There is HDMI 2.0a for connection to a TV, USB 2.0 for memory sticks or an external hard disk and an optical S / PDIF port for the digital sound that also serves as an analogue 3.
5mm audio output. A white LED on the front indicates that the Mi Box is switched on. Furthermore, the Mi Box has wireless connection options Wi-Fi (2.4 and 5 GHz) and Bluetooth (4.0). A fixed ethernet port is missing.
Features:
- support 4K
- quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 2.0 GHz processor
- 2GB of RAM
- 8GB of flash storage, though it is expandable via USB
- Runs on the latest Android TV 6.0
- A Bluetooth voice remote control
- Support HDMI 2.0
Buy for Rs.7,699 @ Amazon.in
5. Roku 4
It can be based on his specs, starting with his ability to support beefy audio-video files. The Roku 4 is cut for 4K, and it is carved like a rock.
The small box will support video files up to 60 frames per second UltraHD, it is also equipped with an HDMI 2.0 output and a SoC supporting HDCP 2.2 opening the door for reading. protected UltraHD files as is the case at Netflix. Without this hardware and software sesame, 4K playback point on the streaming service, even if your hardware is able to decode it. This makes it one of the few gears that are actually 4K compatible with Nvidia Shield TV.
Upgraded controller
The controller will also serve as an audio receiver, you can connect a headphone and keep it close to you to watch his program without noise in the house. Finally, we find the traditional voice search to dictate the name of a film or an actor to find the corresponding elements. Note that it will be possible to do without this remote control by using the Android or iOS application delivered with the Roku 4. Not that the remote easily has the tendency to get lost, it’s even the opposite since the brand has had a good idea to put a button on its case to bee the remote control to find it when you lose it. The good idea is that the solution allows you to leave the remote in the cloakroom when you go on vacation for a long time somewhere and want to take your Roku 4 with you. At the hotel or with friends, the relay and authentication services brand will also be via the application.
Features:
- Quad-core processor
- up to 60 fps 4K streaming
- 1080p home screen and user interface
- 802.11ac MIMO Wi-Fi
- 1.5 GB RAM
- Wi-Fi Direct-enabled remote control with voice search, headphone jack and “Remote Finder” function
- Companion apps for iOS and Android with full device control
Roku 4 is a great device, but if you already have Roku 3 it’s recommended to stick with it, as Roku 4 is not worth the upgrade price.
Buy for Rs.11,999 @ Amazon.in
So, this was our list of 5 media streaming players available in the market, hope this will help you to select your streaming device.
Also Read: List of 5 Best Kodi Boxes you can buy
