The future of TV is here: Online Streaming.

14 June 2016 > General, Cloud, Technology,

Suddenly it’s real: Internet-delivered TV is here. Live streaming TV has captured the attention of a wide audience, thanks to numerous TV networks such as HBO and CBS. TV series which were once strictly bound to the confines of certain TV provider subscriptions can now be accessed for a small monthly fee with no contract, no equipment rentals, and no crappy customer service.

The question is though, are you ready to kick SKY TV in favour of these alternatives?

If you are a big sports watcher, the answer is still probably no. But were you aware that you can subscribe to SKY TV’s FAN PASS – a subscription-based system which allows you to pick from a one day pass, a 7 day pass or a one month pass. This means if there’s a test match coming up you can subscribe solely for this, or if you’re into tennis subscribe for the week of the final matches, or the whole month! It’s totally up to you.

FAN PASS gives you the freedom to watch all the sport your heart desires on SKY Sport channels 1, 2, 3 and 4 – with no contract. It allows you to watch everything on the FAN PASS website, download the app to your phone or tablet, or watch on your TV via Chromecast.

If you’re finding that SKY costs too much money, or that they replay TV shows and movies just a little too often, it could be time to kick it to the curb and try something else like Netflix or Lightbox, which you can subscribe to for a small monthly fee. There are no contracts so you can get out any time you want if you decide it is no longer for you.

See, without SKY you don’t have to miss out on movies, in fact you’ll get even more of a choice. Simply subscribe to an online streaming provider like Netflix or Lightbox and you will have access to any of the movies or TV shows they store, and quite possibly the best part of these services is that you can watch whatever you want, when you want, and on any device you want!

If you are thinking “but without SKY how will I record the shows I can’t watch right now”? Never fear, MyFreeview is here! With a one-off purchase of a MyFreeview decoder, you can get all the functionalities of MySKY with just slightly fewer channels (well a lot fewer channels… but who can find anything to watch on all those channels anyway?). Depending on the decoder you choose, some have functionalities such as Blu-ray players, HDD players, PLUS web browsing abilities which basically turn your TV into a smartTV!

Of course it’s brilliant that you can simply watch a show or movie on your smartphone or tablet, but what if you want to watch it on your TV? Simple. Go to your nearest electronic store, pick up a Chromecast ($69) or Apple TV ($139-$399), go home, plug it in to your TV (assuming your TV has a HDMI port), install the app on your smartphone or tablet and you’ll be away laughing/casting. Simple as that. You’ll never have to move again (at least until your battery runs out or you get hungry).

There are differences in what Chromecast and Apple TV can do, so make sure you do a bit of research in to what will work best for you. After all the saying is true, “you get what you pay for”.

With recent advances in Internet speeds, technology and the availability of both, the way we live and work has changed drastically, even from just five years ago. The only thing left to say is, technology is so great and it’s only going to get better. Watch this space.

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