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New Epix and Amazon Deal: Is it time to Get Amazon Prime?
Barb Gonzalez  |  Oct 03, 2012  |  0 comments
As Netflix's exclusive deal with EPIX has expired, Amazon jumped at the opportunity to enter into a new multi-year licensing agreement with the cable channel content provider. The deal brings EPIX movies and original programming to Amazon Prime Instant Video streaming.
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SmartStream
What is a Media Controller?
Barb Gonzalez  |  Oct 01, 2012  |  1 comments
A media controller is not a device or a physical remote control. You can’t go to the store and buy a media controller. "Media Controller" is a DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) certification. Part of a home network streaming media solution, the media controller finds photos, music and movies on connected media servers, and sends (pushes) the media file to an enabled media player, Smart TV or other streaming device. Typically you’ll find that a media controller is an app on a smartphone, tablet or computer.

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SmartStream
Nintendo TVii Comes to Wii U
Barb Gonzalez  |  Sep 18, 2012  |  0 comments
The upcoming Wii U will include Nintendo TVii. See how Nintendo is rocketing past its competition to bring you a complete streaming video experience.
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SmartStream
Mirror your PC Wirelessly to a Neo TV Pro
Barb Gonzalez  |  Aug 30, 2012  |  0 comments
Mirror your PC wirelessly to a Neo TV Pro for unlimited streaming from the Internet displayed on your TV.
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SmartStream
The New and Improved Hulu
Barb Gonzalez  |  Aug 23, 2012  |  1 comments
Online TV show streaming website, Hulu, has a new look. See the new features including a better design to view on an HDTV.
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SmartStream
Streaming the 2012 Olympics Live
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jul 26, 2012  |  1 comments
Watching the Olympics on TV was always a frustrating experience for me. Along with the frequent commercial interruptions, I had to sit through hours of weightlifting and shot-putting to see synchronized swimming. (I know, you were sitting through the synchronized swimming to see the shot-put.) But that problem has been solved for the 2012 London Olympics. NBC has created a website and an app for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices that will show live coverage of every sport and match from start to finish.
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Other TechSmartStream
How Much Bandwidth Do You Need for Streaming Video?
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jul 16, 2012  |  18 comments
For those who stream video from online sources, the speed at which data can be sent into their home is critical. If your connection isn't fast enough, streaming video can sometimes stall as it fills the buffer in the receiving device, or the content provider might send a lower-quality stream because it senses that your available speed can't handle anything more. So how much speed do you need?
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Other TechSmartStream
How to Create the Perfect Pandora Station
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jun 26, 2012  |  3 comments
If you’re in search of the perfect music station, with a little dedication and patience, you can customize Pandora. For the uninitiated, Pandora is a free online music-streaming service. Unlike other “free” online music services, it can be streamed to smartphones, tablets, TVs, media-streaming devices, and more without a premium subscription fee.
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Other TechSmartStream
How to Stream Media Over Your Home Network
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jun 18, 2012  |  4 comments
Streaming media from online sources provides a huge variety of movies, TV shows, and music that can be rented or watched for free. Still, you may have downloaded movies and music and stored them on your computer as well. Your media libraries may be filled with movies, TV shows, music that you ripped from CDs, and/or digital photos you've taken yourself.
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SmartStream
Are Smart TVs a Dumb Idea?
Barb Gonzalez  |  May 17, 2012  |  12 comments
In a recent article by Patrick Nelson on the Tech News World blog, he makes the case that Smart TVs are a dumb idea and that they will go the way of the LaserDisc. For anyone unfamiliar with the term, a "Smart TV" refers to a TV that connects to the Internet and your home network, using built-in apps for streaming video, music, photos, games, and more.
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SmartStream
Movies: Stream, Rent, or Buy
Barb Gonzalez  |  Apr 23, 2012  |  4 comments
Perhaps you just bought a media-streaming device or a smart TV that connects to the Internet to stream movies and TV shows from online providers. Where will you get your movies? Is it better to buy, rent, or stream them from monthly subscription services like Netflix or Hulu? If you buy movies, should you download them to your computer or save them to an online cloud service?
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SmartStream
Scrambled Basic Cable, Anyone?
Barb Gonzalez  |  Apr 06, 2012  |  8 comments
I recently cut the cord and canceled my cable TV subscription but kept cable-delivered broadband Internet access. Unfortunately, dropping cable TV didn't work for me because my antenna reception is spotty, so I was glad when someone told me that I could connect my TV to the cable jack and get my local channels. Little did I know that I was being "illicit" and that my circumstances were part of a bigger controversy.
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SmartStream
Walmart Disc-to-Digital Service Available Via Vudu
Barb Gonzalez  |  Mar 19, 2012  |  16 comments
Physical DVD and Blu-ray collections may soon be a thing of the past—the trend is clearly toward streaming movies from online sources. Walmart and the Hollywood movie studios know this, and they've responded by announcing the Walmart "Disc-to-Digital" service. I've been focusing on streaming media for a number of years, and I'm extremely excited about this forward movement by retailers and Hollywood movie studios.
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Other TechSmartStream
Integration
Barb Gonzalez  |  Aug 25, 2008  |  0 comments
Simple ways to set free your photo, music, and video libraries for the “10-foot” home theater experience.
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HDTV TechSmartStream
Simplifying Home Theater
Barb Gonzalez  |  Aug 13, 2007  |  First Published: Jul 13, 2007  |  0 comments
This year's TVs are incorporating ease-of-use features.

While I love the amazing picture on my flat-screen HDTV, there are times when I find myself nostalgic for the days when all you had to do to watch TV was pull on a power button, turn the channel dial, and adjust the rabbit ears. It's bad enough that we home theater enthusiasts struggle to decipher menus and muck about a 75-button remote control, but it's our loved ones who curse us when they can't figure out how to use the TV. Manufacturers and retailers have been talking about simplicity in home theater for the past few years. Well, 2007 is the year that easier menus, setup, and remotes have been incorporated into some HDTVs. Some companies have been quietly working toward ease of use; others, like Philips, have made the pursuit a brand tag line: "sense and simplicity." Perhaps you can finally relinquish your remote to your nervous spouse.

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