Many people might be happy with watching regular TV programming using a set-top box, and indeed the quality of content on most TV channels is much better today than it was a few years ago.
Movies, sports, music and the news are all there, but the biggest problem with this method of accessing content remains the schedule.
You need to tune in at the right time, or make do with whatever is playing when you do tune in.
However, many are now opting for a more convenient way to watch video content streaming.
The easiest way to access video content is through an app on your smartphone, which can either use mobile data or connect to Wi-Fi to access the content you want.
But the biggest issue with that is the screen, it’s too small and doesn’t make for a great viewing experience.
That’s where streaming devices which need only power and a Wi-Fi connection to fetch online content from free and premium streaming services, this letting you access a big catalogue of quality video content that includes TV shows and movies, with enjoying the viewing experience on your big-screen TV.
Why you need to Buy a Streaming Device?
The best reason to buy a streaming device is to enjoy on the big screen the wide variety of content on offer on streaming services right now.
A lot of really good TV shows and movies can be view on traditional cable or DTH TV, some of the best new TV shows are being release by streaming services that double-up as production houses.
Popular shows such as Game of Thrones can be watch first on streaming services, even before they are air on TV in our country.
There are also many other popular shows and movies that are available to watch on-demand on streaming services, so you can choose when to watch whatever you want to watch.
You can even pause when you need a break, or watch an entire series in one go rather than wait and watch an episode every week.
The idea of streaming suits anyone with a busy and unpredictable lifestyle.
Streaming devices only need a good Internet connection at home and the right TV to make the most of the features of whatever device you buy.
If you have a 4K HDR TV, it would make sense to opt for a device that supports 4K streaming.
It’s also worth picking your device base on the streaming services you intend to access and make sure the services you use most often have proper apps on the streaming device you choose.
List of Best Streaming Device
Apple TV
Picture quality, stability and smoothness of the interface are superior on the Apple TV but it has high price of the Apple TV range.
The Apple TV 4K price set at Rs. 15,900 for the 32GB version, up to Rs. 17,900 for the 64GB version.
With support for Airplay, you can quickly and smoothly mirror your Mac or iOS device’s screen on your TV using the Apple TV.
You can access 4K and HDR content from providers that support it, which includes iTunes Movies, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video in India.
If you depend on YouTube, the Apple TV range does have an official app, 4K streaming isn’t support.
Others apps including Hotstar, JioCinema, The Washington Post, NDTV, Sony Liv and Zee5, among many others.
You can also play games on the Apple TV, with a bigger and better catalogue of games available as.
You can stream music from Amazon Prime Music, the Apple TV lets you access your Apple Music subscription to stream audio tracks.
If you don’t have a 4K TV, you can also opt for the Rs. 12,900 Apple TV 4th Gen, which streams at up to full-HD resolution and offers largely the same experience as the 4K variant.
Amazon Fire TV Cube (2nd Gen)
The Fire TV Cube (2nd Gen) has unique for a big reason, hands-free Alexa voice assistance.
Combining the capabilities of a Fire TV streaming device and an Echo smart speaker, the Amazon Fire TV Cube (2nd Gen) lets you stream in 4K HDR, and also control the experience and connect device using only your voice.
The Fire TV Cube (2nd Gen) supports the Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos formats for high dynamic range and sound encoding respectively, and runs the updated Fire TV user interface.
The streaming device supports all major apps, including Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, YouTube, and Apple TV.
While Amazon’s own Prime Video tends to be highlight on the user interface, it’s easy and convenient to access content from various other services as well, with excellent apps available for the interface.
Amazon Fire TV Cube (2nd Gen) price set at Rs. 12,999, the Amazon Fire TV Cube (2nd Gen) is quite expensive, and costs considerably more than the Rs. 5,999 Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K.
The latter largely has the same capabilities when it comes to core functionality, also supporting 4K streaming, as well as Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.
The Fire TV Cube is considerably more powerful in terms of the hardware, and hands-free voice assistance from Amazon’s Alexa makes this worth it for power users.
The hands-free functionality works well, and can be use for a number of purposes, including controlling the TV or home entertainment setup.
Although you can connect it to just about any television and enjoy the benefits, the Amazon Fire TV Cube (2nd Gen) is best use with a high-end home entertainment setup that includes a soundbar, or AV receiver and multi-speaker system.
You can use the device to not only add hands-free voice capabilities to your existing home entertainment setup, but also as a capable streaming source device that can send the best possible signal to your system.
If you don’t have a 4K or HDR TV, you might prefer the Amazon Fire TV Stick (3rd Gen).
It’s considerably more affordable than the 4K version at Rs. 3,999 with new hardware, and now sports the new Fire TV UI.
While the device does not support Ultra-HD streaming like the 4K version, this should be fine as long as you’re using it with a full-HD television.
Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite price set at Rs. 2,999, and offers most of the capabilities of the Fire TV Stick (3rd Gen) including full-HD streaming and access to all of the apps and services available on the Fire TV UI.
The Fire TV Stick range now supports Miracast screen mirroring too.
Xiaomi Mi Box 4K
The Xiaomi Mi Box 4K price set at Rs. 3,499, this streaming device plugs into an HDMI port on your TV and runs Android TV 9 Pie, giving you access to various apps and games from the Google Play store on the big screen.
Xiaomi Mi Box 4K is a standalone streamer that functions independently and is control using its own remote, you don’t need to use a smartphone or tablet as a controller.
Mi TV Stick
The Mi TV Stick price set at Rs. 2,799, the Mi TV Stick tops out at full-HD resolution, and is ideal if you have a smaller television.
Mi Box 4K runs Android TV 9 Pie and gives you access to apps and games in the Google Play store.
Most popular streaming services are accessible through the Mi Box 4K and Mi TV Stick, with 4K and HDR content support only on the former.
Other Popular Streaming Devices
There are many streaming devices available, with many of the most affordable options essentially enabling screen mirroring from smartphones or computers.
Recent months have seen the launch of affordable compact streaming devices such as the MarQ by Flipkart Turbostream and Airtel XStream Stick.
Both of these devices run on Android TV, with the Airtel device further offering access to the Airtel XStream platform.
Such devices will come in handy if you don’t have a smart TV, or aren’t very happy with the smart interface of your existing TV.
You can also use a gaming console to stream movies and TV shows, with modern consoles such as the Sony PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Xbox Series X supporting 4K HDR and dedicate apps for streaming services.
You can also buy a smart TV with a good operating system such as Android TV or Fire TV, and not bother with a streaming device at all.
Using an HDMI cable to connect your laptop or computer to your TV is the most affordable and arguably easiest way to add smarts to the big screen.
You can simply load up content through dedicate apps or a browser on your laptop, and watch it on your TV.
