Streaming content over the internet has kind of changed everything. Thanks to affordable subscription services with big and fresh content catalogues, movie and music piracy is pretty much a thing of the past.
Why bother sourcing dodgy, poor quality rips of films and songs when you can get high quality HD and 4K videos and music for just a few dollars a month? Sport is also moving to the internet, from test cricket to rugby, football and more: the large events will be streamed on networked TVs, computers and tablets, smartphones, and media players. Next year, the Rugby World Cup will be streamed and we’re looking forward to the games already. In technical terms, delivering streaming media over the internet can be a challenge. Nobody’s going to watch a movie or a news programme if it stops regularly to queue up data (that’s the dreaded “buffering…” message), or other glitches. Ditto music and other audio. Apart from transmitting the often large data streams with high-quality and efficient encoding, providers try to keep the content as close to consumers as possible. Yes, the key point of the internet is that it removes the tyranny of distance and provides access to all sorts of information from every part of the globe. However, the smooth, continuous delivery of streaming content requires the material to be close to viewers and listeners. This is why over the past few years content delivery networks (CDNs) have sprung up. Uber has direct links to the CDNs in the region because we want our customers to have the best possible streaming experience. Our network is designed to handle streaming content, but there are a few things to think about at your end to keep things running smoothly especially ahead of the holidays.
- Check the network setup inside your premises. Old access points and network switches might not be able to keep up with high-definition streams over our speedy broadband, so you might have to upgrade the equipment.
- See if you can run an Ethernet network cable from the TV (or computer) to the router. WiFi is convenient, but a fixed network connection is usually faster and more stable.
- Don’t get capped – check that your data allowance is big enough, because those high-quality streams will use up a lot of traffic fast.
If you need help with any of the above, just call us (we’re here till 9pm weekdays), find us on Facebook, or send an email
New to streaming? Try some of these.
OK, so where do you find all the good stuff then? There’s a huge choice of sites and services, and it’s getting bigger. Here are some suggestions to explore, in no particular order of preference.
Music
Amplifier – http://www.amplifier.co.nz/
Apple Music – https://www.apple.com/nz/music/
Spotify – https://spotify.com
Amazon Prime –https://www.amazon.com/gp/dmusic/promotions/PrimeMusic
YouTube Music – https://music.youtube.com/
Deezer – https://www.deezer.com/en/
Video, sport and movies
Netflix – https://www.netflix.com
TVNZ OnDemand – https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows
Maori TV On Demand – http://www.maoritelevision.com/tv/on-demand
ThreeNow – https://www.threenow.co.nz/
Amazon Prime Video – https://www.primevideo.com/
NZ OnScreen – https://www.nzonscreen.com/
Fan Pass – https://fanpass.co.nz/
Google Movies – https://play.google.com/store/movies
YouTube Red (paid subscription for both video and music) –https://www.youtube.com/premium
Neon TV – https://www.neontv.co.nz/
Viewster – https://www.viewster.com/
Microsoft Movies – https://www.microsoft.com/en-NZ/store/movies-and-tv
There are many more, and the list is constantly changing.
