![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Input Request
Dec. 31st, 2013 08:41 pmI'd like your opinion, please...
BACKGROUND: We cancelled our cable TV two years ago. Since then we have been using a Windows Vista PC connected to our TV to stream content off the internet and watch downloaded files; we're using the HDTV as a great big monitor. We control the TV through a free Remote Desktop program called "Team Viewer". DOWN SIDES TO THIS ARRANGEMENT are that the computer is constantly running low on memory (which causes stuttering of the video) and unpredictable log-outs from the Team Viewer program (free version must have a time-out function or something). AND SO I have been looking at all sorts of alternatives such as Roku, AppleTV, Slingbox and the likes.
For Christmas, I asked Santa for (and received) what seemed like would be the most bestest and cost-efficient solution, a Google Chromecast.
Chromecast is an adorable little dongle that plugs directly in to your HDMI port on your TV and BOOM! You can stream (almost) anything from your Chrome browser! Controlable with ease from any tablet or smart phone, which is pretty cool. DOWN SIDES TO THIS ARRANGEMENT are that it works wonderfully with Netflix, Hulu, YouTube AND THAT'S ALL. Amazon Prime won't work. The Hola Unblocker won't work. The bazillions of other streaming websites don't work. And the one "File Server" program that they have for streaming files off your hard drive is a convoluted, complicated, messy joke.
SO HERE'S WHERE I WANT YOUR INPUT! Should I
(a) Stick with the Chromecast in hopes that, since it's a Google product, it'll *probably* get a whole lot better?
(b) Trade in the Chromecast for a Roku box (about $20 more than the Chromecast) because it has a couple thousand "channels" and several years head start on streaming from your hard drive, Amazon Prime support but NO YOUTUBE?
(c) Trade in the Chromecast and upgrade the memory in the Vista PC (about $50 more), go back to full PC functionality?
BACKGROUND: We cancelled our cable TV two years ago. Since then we have been using a Windows Vista PC connected to our TV to stream content off the internet and watch downloaded files; we're using the HDTV as a great big monitor. We control the TV through a free Remote Desktop program called "Team Viewer". DOWN SIDES TO THIS ARRANGEMENT are that the computer is constantly running low on memory (which causes stuttering of the video) and unpredictable log-outs from the Team Viewer program (free version must have a time-out function or something). AND SO I have been looking at all sorts of alternatives such as Roku, AppleTV, Slingbox and the likes.
For Christmas, I asked Santa for (and received) what seemed like would be the most bestest and cost-efficient solution, a Google Chromecast.
Chromecast is an adorable little dongle that plugs directly in to your HDMI port on your TV and BOOM! You can stream (almost) anything from your Chrome browser! Controlable with ease from any tablet or smart phone, which is pretty cool. DOWN SIDES TO THIS ARRANGEMENT are that it works wonderfully with Netflix, Hulu, YouTube AND THAT'S ALL. Amazon Prime won't work. The Hola Unblocker won't work. The bazillions of other streaming websites don't work. And the one "File Server" program that they have for streaming files off your hard drive is a convoluted, complicated, messy joke.
SO HERE'S WHERE I WANT YOUR INPUT! Should I
(a) Stick with the Chromecast in hopes that, since it's a Google product, it'll *probably* get a whole lot better?
(b) Trade in the Chromecast for a Roku box (about $20 more than the Chromecast) because it has a couple thousand "channels" and several years head start on streaming from your hard drive, Amazon Prime support but NO YOUTUBE?
(c) Trade in the Chromecast and upgrade the memory in the Vista PC (about $50 more), go back to full PC functionality?
