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On the Road with Alexa and the Amazon Tap
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jun 09, 2016  |  1 comments
Hands on with Tap, the new portable version of Amazon's wildly popular Echo speaker/personal assistant.
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How Will We Search for TV Shows in the Future?
Barb Gonzalez  |  May 26, 2016  |  1 comments
Representatives from traditional pay TV and from Over the Top (“OTT” or online streaming) companies gathered at the 20th Annual CONNECTIONS conference in South San Francisco to discuss TV and video content delivery. In a series of keynotes and panels, the conversation was centered on the future of home entertainment and how we will find and manage what we want to watch.
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Hulu to Offer Live TV Streaming Bundle in 2017
Barb Gonzalez  |  May 13, 2016  |  0 comments
Hulu has announced plans to offer a live TV streaming service as an alternative to traditional cable. Slated to launch in 2017, the service aims to offer “live sports, news, and events” and a limited number of cable and network channels at a price that undercuts the price of cable TV.
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FilmStruck Streaming Service to Include Criterion Collection Films
Barb Gonzalez  |  Apr 27, 2016  |  3 comments
Turner Communications has announced FilmStruck, their over-the-top (“OTT” or online) streaming service that will include Criterion Collection films. The Criterion Collection has been available as part of a Hulu subscription but will soon be pulled and offered exclusively on the new Turner subscription service.
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Getting the Most Out of MightyTV's Movie Discovery App
Barb Gonzalez  |  Apr 13, 2016  |  0 comments
A hands on review of the MightyTV movie streaming discovery app. Check out the tips on how to use the social and mashup features of this unique new app.
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Hands On: Dish Hits a Homerun with Hopper 3
Barb Gonzalez  |  Mar 31, 2016  |  0 comments
Dish's Hopper 3 has a completely redesigned interface, powerful new hardware, and 4K capabilities that have improved the Dish experience making it easier to watch what you like whether it's your favorite sports team or learning about what's coming to theaters.
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Sony, AT&T Offer Streaming Alternatives to Cable
Barb Gonzalez  |  Mar 10, 2016  |  1 comments
Sony's Playstation Vue and AT&T's DirecTV Now promise a streaming alternative to cable TV programming. These bundles and the FCC's proposal to open access to cable channels without a cable box are changing the way we get our TV programming.
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Mighty's Mini Music Device Plays Spotify Without a Phone
Barb Gonzalez  |  Feb 25, 2016  |  1 comments
Mighty Audio has launched a Kickstarter campaign for an iPod Shuffle-like device that stores and plays Spotify playlists.
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How to Stream “Out of Africa” While in Africa
Barb Gonzalez  |  Feb 18, 2016  |  1 comments
On a trip to Kenya, I discovered the best way to stream my movies and music while traveling outside the U.S.
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First Look at Spotify's New Video Channels
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jan 26, 2016  |  1 comments
Spotify has made a name for itself as one of the leading streaming music services and this week will add video to its Android and iPhone apps. Officially, video will roll out on the Android app first, followed by an update to the iPhone app in the coming weeks.
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CES 2016SmartStream
CES 2016 Streaming Recap: From 4K HDR to Vinyl
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jan 13, 2016  |  0 comments
Like many other gadgets at CES, this was the year that ideas became reality in streaming services, media players, and smart TVs.
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Sonos Gets Apple Music and Trueplay Tuning
Barb Gonzalez  |  Dec 17, 2015  |  0 comments
With the Sonos Controller app's latest update, a public beta of Apple Music is now available for streaming to Sonos speakers. The update also adds Trueplay speaker tuning, which optimizes sound quality based on the acoustics of where a speaker is located.
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Second Generation Chromecast and Chromecast Audio Review
Barb Gonzalez  |  Dec 03, 2015  |  2 comments
The newest Chromecast model has hardware and software improvements. Do you need to upgrade to the second-generation Chromecast or to the Chromecast Audio?
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Apple TV 2015 Review
Barb Gonzalez  |  Nov 18, 2015  |  2 comments
The fourth generation Apple TV finally brings true apps to your TV but doesn't offer 4K. Still, new features may make it your top choice among the new media streamers.
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Streaming Device ReviewsSmartStream
Roku 4 Streaming Media Player Review
Barb Gonzalez  |  Nov 04, 2015  |  2 comments

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $130

AT A GLANCE
Plus
4K streaming to UHDTV
Agnostic search finds titles in multiple services
Notifications when specific movies become available

Minus
Remote mic is inaccurate
Search can’t find specific episodes of specific seasons

THE VERDICT
If you own a 4K TV, this is a slam-dunk. If not, the advances in hardware are still enough to step up from a Roku 2.

One must wonder if Roku waited to release its fourth-generation media streamer until the aptly named Roku 4 was capable of streaming 4K content. The newest Roku box can connect to compatible UHDTVs to stream 4K movies, TV shows, and videos from Netflix, Amazon, YouTube, M-Go, and a growing number of 4K streaming sources. And though 4K streaming is the Roku 4’s main appeal, improvements in hardware and the software interface make it the best Roku box yet.

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