Internet Television: Smart TVs, Roku and Apple TV

Streaming programming right from the Internet to your TV is one of the hottest tech trends going right now. There's tons of content available from great devices that bring it all right to you. I'm John Rettinger and I'll give you the inside look on the top Internet TV devices right here on Tech Savvy. Let's face it your latest TV purchase is only as good as what you play on it. With all the great content available over the Internet you might even find it's time to cut the chord from your regular cable provider or even hop on the ladder and take down that ugly satellite dish. Your television can do much more at the Internet then just play YouTube videos or Vimeo but of course there's plenty of that too, assuming you don't spend enough time doing that at work. Internet television provides access to many of your favorite shows, countless movies, and sports broadcasts even from far outside your local TV market. Two of the biggest players in the game today are Apple TV and Roku. These devices connect the Internet to your television without a computer and bypass the cable box completely. Roku provides access to an impressively large movie vault through apps like Netflix. For television shows, programs like Hulu Plus will make sure you don't feel left out at the office water cooler. Live sports packages even get you connected to all the major sports from football to baseball, even some of your stranger sporting interests too. All in all you get access to a 150,000 movies and TV shows. The cheapest model gives you access to all this and starts around 50 bucks. Apple TV is currently the other major player in the game. It's a little more limited content wise than Roku but you still get the same access to the most popular applications like Netflix and of course all the great content that iTunes has to offer. Apple TV uses your iTunes accounts where you're able to watch streaming video rather than downloading first like you would with most iTunes programming on a regular computer and most of that content's available in gorgeous 1080p too. That's an awful lot of punch for a 99 dollar price tag. While Roku and Apple are industry leaders right now there are other options for Internet TV. Google TV is a real big up and coming player while some video game manufacturers are launching these capabilities directly into their consoles. Some TV manufacturers are making Smart TV's that can access the Internet and run apps directly. Internet TV can be a great investment but has some noticeable drawbacks. You need an always on high speed Internet connection or your favorite TV characters will be stammering through their minds. Most importantly, Internet TVs still lacks access to some of your favorite TV shows in the regular prime time viewing hour. Current episodes are not always available and for the same reason world news junkies can get a better fit by staying tethered to the cable box. Before you tear up your cable service contract know that many of these top programs on Internet TV require monthly subscription fees but if your favorite shows are online Internet TV might be the only thing you need to power your home entertainment system. Thanks for checking us out here on eHow Tech, we'll see you back here soon.