I use a Chromecast, a Roku, or the apps on our smart TV. But mostly the Chromecast along with Plex.
My laptop acts as the server hosting the files, while it is streamed to the Chromecast attached to our TV, and I use my smartphone to use the Plex app as the remote.
@Mac454 you need a powerful laptop for stream encoding? I run my Kodi on a Pi (of course I call it KodiPi on my network) and a salvaged Win7 laptop for my Kodi on Windows.
@caffeine_dude My laptop is a couple year old Toshiba with a wee little i3 chip and 8GBs of RAM. When Plex needs to encode on the fly to the Chromecast, you can hear the laptop working, but it can handle the .mkv files I tend to use. The only issue I experience is an occasional hiccup which appears to be from network issues.
@Mac454 Played around with the idea (thanks to Amazon) with sending window's chrome tabs to the chromecast but I think the screens were Silverlight, Anyway laptop was an older gaming laptop with a decent video card and 4+4 cores (hyper threading) doing this crushed the machine, it maxed out 4 cores and used 6gb of memory. I just figured you needed a hell of a PC to serve media to chromecast because of encoding. I will reevaluate the idea of plex.
Chromecast, I also don't pay for electricity so it's never off. The constant stream of pictures is nice, it's like having a dynamic painting in the center of my living room.
My Tivo box does Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and probably other stuff too, though I only use Netflix there. Every so often I also use a Roku or even the Wii U.
3 Mac Minis hooked up to 2 smart TVs and the dumb TV in my Man Cave/wife's junk storeroom. Also 2 smart Blu-ray players. With Netflix, MothershipPrime, and free Hulu we don't need no cable.
My TV is the second monitor on my main Windows machine which is a Plex Media Server that has about 4TB of media.
I mostly use Plex Home Theater, but also a bunch of other apps including vlc, slingbox client, netflix, hulu, amazon prime, etc. The Slingbox is on an extra FIOS box at a friend's house, though I normally use it only for soccer matches.
In my house 4 TiVo units, 2 TiVo Minis, an Apple TV, FireTV, Firestick, Logitech Revue, Sony Blu-ray, Chromecast, Xbox 360, Sony Internet TV powered by GoogleTV, and a Kindle Fire attached to a TV with an HDMI cable all get the streaming job done. The TiVo is easily the main "go to" device though and the Chromecast is the least used.
I voted "game console," as the PS3 gets most of the Netflix and Hulu action, followed by Wii U. We also use a Chromecast for Sling content slung from tavlets or phones, but the old Chromecast isn't great at it. Get a really cheap alternative on here and I'll buy it.
I picked "smart apps" but what I really mean is, like, "pluggable computer". Full-featured computer that plugs into the option slot. I recommend it to everyone.
Having a computer plugged in to the TV is definitely the way to go. PC is the one platform I can guarantee every publisher will make sure their content is on. Because if they don't, someone else on the internet will.
My HTPC. It has a display that is editable for weather, news, email etc. It streams, is a cable dvr, plays blue ray and is a gaming machine all in one.
@caffeine_dude It's an Antec Fusion 430 case with power supply. I added mobo, vid card, ram & hdd. It's running Win 7 with Media Center and has a Hauppauge WinTV-DCR-2650 with a cable card. I also built a system with an Antec Micro Fusion 350 for my wife and a mini itx case for my daughter. I bought this case a few years ago from a site called Ice Monkey, but they shut down the site. Looks like ebay is the best place to get one now.
@Kyser_Soze Nice, looks commercial ever consider Linux? I tried Linux and it was more painful than Win, but then again I have more experience on win than Linux.
I am not sure anyone noticed this, and perhaps instead of being buried in this thread it should be a PSA. The ChromeCast app now is a one stop shop for finding a movie or TV show. Lets say you have CBS,Crackle, HBO GO, Netflix, FoxNow, and Hulu and you want to watch Have Gun --Will Travel you can see it is unavailable (still). So you search Dexter, Pick the serial killer without the accent (not Dexter's laboratory the cartoon) and I see I can watch it on Netflix, buy it from the playstore or get it on Vudu if I install the app. This is a fantastic idea as we end up with more and more apps. I am not sure how many apps took advantage of this new feature, but in a future where having over 10 apps for watching streaming content is a new norm, this is the feature to save us. Picking the app you would like to watch the show on launches the app, so it is an extra step but better than hunting down which app you show is on, or worse yet watching something with commercials that is on Netflix.
FYI CBS, Crackle, HBO GO, Netflix, FoxNow, and Hulu are all searched by ChromeCast app.
TL/DR Chromecast's new feature searches other apps on your phone and lets you know where to find your show.
Let me be the first sucker who bought a Mohu back in December chime in on it. They're still sitting in their boxes with all the good intentions and laziness one could expect from a mediocre employee. Hope to have them running in March.
Anyone out there using their Mohu that can enlighten me on my prospects for happiness using it to stream of Netflix/Hulu and watch local digital tv?
We use a disc player (can't even remember if it plays Blu-ray or just dvds) that has apps to stream on the flat screens. The kids have an old wii that they can watch Netflix with on the old tube TV in the basement when they're down there doing their laundry or playing. Kids and husband use all the TVs. If I'm watching anything it's through Kodi on my laptop.
We have a FireTV box, FireTV stick, a Windows Media Center and now a Raspberry Pi with OSMC. If I can get it running well, the Raspi will replace the Windows box as the main server and everything will use a variant of the FireTV with Kodi to access the Raspi.
With Kodi I can access almost any app, reach my media library, watch live TV from my rooftop antenna and have full DVR abilities. Such an awesome time to be alive if you're a tech nerd like me. :D
I have owned them all, and honestly like the Fire TV stick best. I do love my trusty Roku, but it is now in the guest room as I like the simplicity of the Fire TV stick.
I have a Chromecast and a Roku, but I mostly use the Roku. I find it simpler to use and less likely to lock up than the Chromecast. Also the Roku has a less complicated interface for watching Amazon video and works with the version of Plex that I have on my server (newer versions of Android Chromecast/Plex app no longer work with it, and I can't update the server version). I also use a media PC with BeyondTV PVR for viewing OTA and satellite shows.
Windows HTPC running Kodi streaming media from my 12TB RAID5 Synology NAS (getting close to ordering another 6TB drive to expand). I guess I'm my own streaming service.
I've used 'em all and Amazon Fire TV is hands down the best for me. It runs KODI flawlessly, along with Netflix and Amazon Prime. You can also stream games from your PC if you have an NVIDIA GTX 650 or higher with an app called Moonlight. You can even use Remote Desktop in Moonlight to stream your entire PC to your Fire TV.
One more PSA: The ChromeCast and Raspberry Pi can take CEC commands. What this means to you can pause and play streaming video on your TV using the TV remote. If your TV accepts the commands, (I had to go into menu options to turn the feature on)
I like the Android Yatse remote control for Kodi. The free version will be enough, but I paid for mine because it is that good and the developer deserved it. Yatse imports my library so I can start a show from my phone (like the chromecast apps)
Fire TV Stick replaced my old Roku. Disappointed neither has a browser built in to allow streaming content from ABC/CBS/NBC websites, but not worth the effort to kludge something.
In a pair of these.
@Pavlov you're fishing for comments? Just wading for someone to say something?
chromestick & firetv with Kodi.
I use Roku, Chromecast, FireTV Stick, and apple tv, another poll that needed to be checkboxes instead of radiobuttons.
Notice I didn't say mohu channels (and also notice you didn't offer it as a choice either... ;) )
I use a Chromecast, a Roku, or the apps on our smart TV. But mostly the Chromecast along with Plex.
My laptop acts as the server hosting the files, while it is streamed to the Chromecast attached to our TV, and I use my smartphone to use the Plex app as the remote.
What a time to be alive!
@Mac454 you need a powerful laptop for stream encoding? I run my Kodi on a Pi (of course I call it KodiPi on my network) and a salvaged Win7 laptop for my Kodi on Windows.
@caffeine_dude My laptop is a couple year old Toshiba with a wee little i3 chip and 8GBs of RAM. When Plex needs to encode on the fly to the Chromecast, you can hear the laptop working, but it can handle the .mkv files I tend to use. The only issue I experience is an occasional hiccup which appears to be from network issues.
@Mac454 Played around with the idea (thanks to Amazon) with sending window's chrome tabs to the chromecast but I think the screens were Silverlight,
Anyway laptop was an older gaming laptop with a decent video card and 4+4 cores (hyper threading) doing this crushed the machine, it maxed out 4 cores and used 6gb of memory. I just figured you needed a hell of a PC to serve media to chromecast because of encoding. I will reevaluate the idea of plex.
Chromecast, I also don't pay for electricity so it's never off. The constant stream of pictures is nice, it's like having a dynamic painting in the center of my living room.
Game console, Smart apps built into the TV, or Computer connected to the TV, as needed.
App-enabled blu-ray player.
A TiVo. Plus a Roku for the odds & ends that don't yet stream to a TiVo.
My Tivo box does Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and probably other stuff too, though I only use Netflix there. Every so often I also use a Roku or even the Wii U.
I own a chromecast. We don't have home Internet though.
3 Mac Minis hooked up to 2 smart TVs and the dumb TV in my Man Cave/wife's junk storeroom. Also 2 smart Blu-ray players.
With Netflix, MothershipPrime, and free Hulu we don't need no cable.
Plex on FireTV, FireTV Stick, Tivo, or PS3 depending on the TV.
Of the 4, the Full FireTV gets the most use for streaming.
My TV is the second monitor on my main Windows machine which is a Plex Media Server that has about 4TB of media.
I mostly use Plex Home Theater, but also a bunch of other apps including vlc, slingbox client, netflix, hulu, amazon prime, etc. The Slingbox is on an extra FIOS box at a friend's house, though I normally use it only for soccer matches.
No TV here, therefore no streaming video on the TV that I don't have.
Nexus player.
TiVo and Xbox for TV in bedroom
In my house 4 TiVo units, 2 TiVo Minis, an Apple TV, FireTV, Firestick, Logitech Revue, Sony Blu-ray, Chromecast, Xbox 360, Sony Internet TV powered by GoogleTV, and a Kindle Fire attached to a TV with an HDMI cable all get the streaming job done. The TiVo is easily the main "go to" device though and the Chromecast is the least used.
I voted "game console," as the PS3 gets most of the Netflix and Hulu action, followed by Wii U. We also use a Chromecast for Sling content slung from tavlets or phones, but the old Chromecast isn't great at it. Get a really cheap alternative on here and I'll buy it.
Boxee Box running Kodi
Depending on the room it's either an Apple TV, a Blu-Ray player with apps or a small form factor computer.
I picked "smart apps" but what I really mean is, like, "pluggable computer". Full-featured computer that plugs into the option slot. I recommend it to everyone.
Chromecast or game console. My smart tv apps are painfully slow.
Tivo mostly, apple TV for airplay and apple purchased media. :)
Latest project has been a FireStick plugged into a Moto Atrix lapdock. Need to figure out how to control volume.
PS3, Smart TV apps, Chromecast with Plex.
Having a computer plugged in to the TV is definitely the way to go. PC is the one platform I can guarantee every publisher will make sure their content is on. Because if they don't, someone else on the internet will.
@ianrbuck
My HTPC. It has a display that is editable for weather, news, email etc. It streams, is a cable dvr, plays blue ray and is a gaming machine all in one.
@Kyser_Soze Where did you get it, what is the OS?
@caffeine_dude It's an Antec Fusion 430 case with power supply. I added mobo, vid card, ram & hdd. It's running Win 7 with Media Center and has a Hauppauge WinTV-DCR-2650 with a cable card. I also built a system with an Antec Micro Fusion 350 for my wife and a mini itx case for my daughter. I bought this case a few years ago from a site called Ice Monkey, but they shut down the site. Looks like ebay is the best place to get one now.
@Kyser_Soze that looks really snazzy! Mine is just in an NZXT Source 210, so it's really obvious that it's a PC.
@Kyser_Soze Nice, looks commercial ever consider Linux? I tried Linux and it was more painful than Win, but then again I have more experience on win than Linux.
AppleChromeTVCast.
@sligett Usually I put the rabbit ears on the swivel chair next to the window and use my foot to turn the chair to get the best image.
"To the left!"
"Stop right there!"
"You went past it."
"The tin foil fell off!"
Oh, that's screaming video, not streaming video.
I am not sure anyone noticed this, and perhaps instead of being buried in this thread it should be a PSA.
The ChromeCast app now is a one stop shop for finding a movie or TV show.
Lets say you have CBS,Crackle, HBO GO, Netflix, FoxNow, and Hulu and you want to watch Have Gun --Will Travel you can see it is unavailable (still).
So you search Dexter, Pick the serial killer without the accent (not Dexter's laboratory the cartoon) and I see I can watch it on Netflix, buy it from the playstore or get it on Vudu if I install the app.
This is a fantastic idea as we end up with more and more apps. I am not sure how many apps took advantage of this new feature, but in a future where having over 10 apps for watching streaming content is a new norm, this is the feature to save us.
Picking the app you would like to watch the show on launches the app, so it is an extra step but better than hunting down which app you show is on, or worse yet watching something with commercials that is on Netflix.
FYI CBS, Crackle, HBO GO, Netflix, FoxNow, and Hulu are all searched by ChromeCast app.
TL/DR Chromecast's new feature searches other apps on your phone and lets you know where to find your show.
We have a Wii. Its role for the last couple of years has been almost exclusively "Netflix viewing device".
Fire Stick and more recently XB1. so much crunchyroll.
Let me be the first sucker who bought a Mohu back in December chime in on it. They're still sitting in their boxes with all the good intentions and laziness one could expect from a mediocre employee. Hope to have them running in March.
Anyone out there using their Mohu that can enlighten me on my prospects for happiness using it to stream of Netflix/Hulu and watch local digital tv?
@denboy second. :)
@thismyusername But you say to notice how you didn't say Mohu. Are you trying to use perverse psychology on me?
@denboy hehe no, I do think I am not.
@thismyusername it's not like there isn't more that can't be done with what little we don't have here to not go on
@denboy
You need some more double negatives.
@FroodyFrog
@denboy
We have an Apple TV and a Raspberry Pi running Kodi.
We use a disc player (can't even remember if it plays Blu-ray or just dvds) that has apps to stream on the flat screens. The kids have an old wii that they can watch Netflix with on the old tube TV in the basement when they're down there doing their laundry or playing. Kids and husband use all the TVs. If I'm watching anything it's through Kodi on my laptop.
We have a FireTV box, FireTV stick, a Windows Media Center and now a Raspberry Pi with OSMC. If I can get it running well, the Raspi will replace the Windows box as the main server and everything will use a variant of the FireTV with Kodi to access the Raspi.
With Kodi I can access almost any app, reach my media library, watch live TV from my rooftop antenna and have full DVR abilities. Such an awesome time to be alive if you're a tech nerd like me. :D
I have owned them all, and honestly like the Fire TV stick best. I do love my trusty Roku, but it is now in the guest room as I like the simplicity of the Fire TV stick.
I have a Chromecast and a Roku, but I mostly use the Roku. I find it simpler to use and less likely to lock up than the Chromecast. Also the Roku has a less complicated interface for watching Amazon video and works with the version of Plex that I have on my server (newer versions of Android Chromecast/Plex app no longer work with it, and I can't update the server version). I also use a media PC with BeyondTV PVR for viewing OTA and satellite shows.
Windows HTPC running Kodi streaming media from my 12TB RAID5 Synology NAS (getting close to ordering another 6TB drive to expand). I guess I'm my own streaming service.
Nvidia Shield Android TV - Runs all the streaming apps and KODI, does 4K and PC Steam game streaming
Wow, a rare @lukeduff post appears!
I've used 'em all and Amazon Fire TV is hands down the best for me. It runs KODI flawlessly, along with Netflix and Amazon Prime. You can also stream games from your PC if you have an NVIDIA GTX 650 or higher with an app called Moonlight. You can even use Remote Desktop in Moonlight to stream your entire PC to your Fire TV.
Roku (for Youtube, Netflix and accessing the movies on the NAS), and the Vizio's native apps for Netflix & Amazon Video.
One more PSA:
The ChromeCast and Raspberry Pi can take CEC commands.
What this means to you can pause and play streaming video on your TV using the TV remote.
If your TV accepts the commands, (I had to go into menu options to turn the feature on)
I like the Android Yatse remote control for Kodi. The free version will be enough, but I paid for mine because it is that good and the developer deserved it.
Yatse imports my library so I can start a show from my phone (like the chromecast apps)
Fire TV Stick replaced my old Roku. Disappointed neither has a browser built in to allow streaming content from ABC/CBS/NBC websites, but not worth the effort to kludge something.