Streaming has taken the world by storm. These days, most people have accounts with up to three streaming services, and that number is expected to keep growing. With multiple innovations in technology over the years, there is a large variety of options for the of people that want to access their favorite movies and TV shows. Even with the aggressive marketing for Smart TVs, they aren’t exactly a necessity thanks to the options available.
Today, we will share some of our top picks on how to stream your favorite shows without using a smart TV.
HDMI
This is the most guaranteed way to get your favorite shows hooked up to a TV in a fast and effortless manner. Most TVs today have an HDMI port that can be hooked up to a laptop. Getting an HDMI Cable isn’t too difficult as well. Check around your house for a cable, and you may be lucky to see one lying around. Alternatively, most of these are cheap anyway! They usually go around for less than $8.
With HDMI’s, the only issue might be the discomfort from positioning your laptop very close to the TV, making it hard to pause and control the experience. This is easily curbed with a remote app like Microsoft Remote Desktop.
Chromecast
If you have an Android smartphone, a Chromecast is a no-brainer purchase. With a Chromecast device, you can stream your media by plugging it into your HDMI port. Once connected, watching your favorite shows on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ will be as simple as a tap on your smartphone screen.
There are over 4 different Chromecast models to choose from, with all of them being great choices. If you are a sucker for fast network speeds and 4K streaming, you can look towards purchasing the Chromecast Ultra for $70.
Gaming Console
Talk about killing two birds with one stone. If you own a PlayStation 4 or an Xbox One, you can access your favorite TV shows directly from the console. These devices are great media players, and they both have apps like Netflix, Now TV and BBC iPlayer in their respective stores.
Apple TV
An Apple TV is a small box-shaped device that connects your TV to the app store. This grants you access to apps that let you stream TV shows, movies and music. The Siri enabled remote lets to control your device with your voice. This makes it a great choice for any binge watchers that don’t want to spoil a relaxed position.
The Amazon Fire TV is virtually like the Apple TV. Both are great choices for anyone that loves a voice-controlled streaming experience.
Laptop Streaming
This is probably the easiest and most popular way to stream TV shows today. With a laptop, you just need to enter your login details to your favorite streaming service and start binging. Also, nothing beats the portability of carrying a laptop around!
As new innovations are created annually, we are starting to see a rise in IoT. Soon enough, streaming videos in a car will become a mainstream occurrence!