54 JANUARY2021|COMPUTER SHOPPER|ISSUE395
01
Mediastreamershavecomea
longwayfromtheharddisk-based
set-topboxesofafewyearsago.Theynow
comeintwomainforms:flashdrive-sized
donglesthatplugdirectlyintotheHDMI
portinthebackofyourTV,andlarger
microconsoles that sit under it. Whichever
model you choose,itwill streamcontent
fromthe internet rather than storing
media files locally.
02
Most streamers use their own
operating system, which you can
navigatewith abundled remotecontrol,
but Google’s Chromecast dongle requires
apaired smartphone,tablet or laptop
to streamcontent on the big screen. If
you’re looking to set up Netflix for
Choosinga... Mediastreamer
someone who doesn’t have asmartphone,
buy astandalone streamer such as aRoku
or Amazon Fire TVdevice.
03
Amedia streamer is only as good as
the services it supports, although a
device that offers more services won’t
necessarily offer more high-quality content
than amedia streamer with fewer channels.
Instead, look out formajorchannels such as
Netflix, Amazon Instant Video,BBC iPlayer,
SkyGoand Yo uTube.Ifany of these are
missing, the remaining channels aren’t likely
to be much cop.
04
Although nearly all streamers nowpull
content fromthe web,they’re still
capable of playing content stored locally
fromanetworked PC or NAS device.Not all
streamers are capable of playing all media file
formats, however.Ifyou have alot of MKV
or MOVfiles, check that your chosen
streamer supports thembefore you buy.
These are typically the file formats devices
struggle with the most.
05
Media streamers aren’t just forvideo,
either.Many support online music
services including Spotify,Rdio and TuneIn
Radio. Others essentially use the same
hardware as asmartphone and are capable
of running apps or playing games. Some of
the most powerful are compatible with
dedicated game controllers, but these are
typically sold as optional accessories rather
than bundled with the streamer.
VIDEO
AMAZONFireTVStick4K
★★★★★
£50•www.amzn.to/2Y6q8wh
ROKU StreamingStick+(2ndGen)
★★★★★
£50•www.roku.com
GOPRO Hero8Black
★★★★★
£279•gopro.com
APPLETV4K
★★★★★
£179•www.apple.com/uk
GOPRO Max
★★★★★
£457•www.amzn.to/2xbbAmb
From set-topbox todangling dongle
and now an ultra-compact stick,
Amazon’s 4K media streamer gets
sleeker with every generation. It’s also been updated with anew
remote, whichincludes amicrophone forAlexa voicecommands.
Noothermediastreamer
offers the same vast
range of integrated
services as the Streaming Stick+,and all that content is presented in
awonderfully user-friendly interface with universal voice support.
Instead of completelyrewriting
the Hero 7Black’s formula, the
Hero 8Black focusesmoreonsmaller improvements,
such as to its stabilisation and timelapse features. To GoPro’s credit,
this approach works: this is atruly brilliant action camera.
This big updateadds 4K content (including, forthe
first time,AmazonVideo support).The best part is
that if there’s a4Kversion of contentyou’ve
previously purchased in HD,Apple will upgrade it free of charge.
At last, a360° camera that is all
things to all users. The GoPro Max
manages to be both usable forbeginners and
sufficiently advanced formoreexperienced videographers, shooting
super-smooth footagewith plenty of extra features to try.
VIDEOOUTPUTSHDMI 2.0•NETWORKING802.11ac Wi-Fi•DIMENSIONS108x30x14mm•
STREAMINGFORMATSUPnP,AirPlay, DLNA,Plex•INTERNETSTREAMINGSERVICESAmazon
Video,Netflix, BBCiPlayer,ITV Hub, All4,My5•WARRANTYOneyearRTB•DETAILS
http://www.amazon.co.uk•PARTCODEFire TV Stick4K•FULLREVIEWMay2019
VIDEOOUTPUTSHDMI 2.0•NETWORKING802.11ac Wi-Fi•DIMENSIONS94x20x12mm•
STREAMINGFORMATSDLNA,Plex•INTERNETSTREAMINGSERVICESBBCiPlayer,Netflix,
Google Play Movies &TV, AmazonVideo,YouTu be,ITV Hub, All4,My5,NowTV,AppleTV•
WARRANTYOneyearRTB•DETAILSwww.roku.com•PARTCODE3810EU•FULLREVIEW
Aug2020
SENSOR^1 /2.3in CMOS•SENSORPIXELS12 megapixels•MAXIMUMRECORDINGRESOLUTION
4K (60fps)•AV CONNECTIONSNone•DIMENSIONS49x66x28mm•WEIGHT126g•
WARRANTYOneyearRTB•DETAILSwww.gopro.com•PARTCODECHDHX-801-RW•
FULLREVIEWMar 2020
VIDEOOUTPUTSHDMI 2.0a•NETWORKING802.11ac Wi-Fi, 10/100/1,000 Ethernet•
DIMENSIONS35x98x98mm•STREAMINGFORMATSAirPlay, others viaapps•
INTERNETSTREAMINGSERVICESiTunes,Apple Music, Netflix, AmazonInstant Video,
NowTV, BBCiPlayer,ITV Hub, All4•WARRANTYOneyear RTB•DETAILSwww.apple.com/uk•
PARTCODEAppleTV4K•FULLREVIEWJan2018
SENSOR2x^1 /2.3in CMOS•SENSORPIXELS2x 16 megapixels•MAXIMUMRECORDING
RESOLUTION5.6K (30fps)•AV CONNECTIONSNone•DIMENSIONS64x69x40mm•
WEIGHT163g•WARRANTYOneyearRTB•DETAILSwww.gopro.com•PARTCODE
CHDHZ-201-RW•FULLREVIEWFeb2020
Kcontent(includingforthe
DJIOsmoPocket
★★★★★
£329•store.dji.com
Acleverly made alternative toaction
cameras, the DJI Osmo Pocket isn’t
intended forextreme sports, but its
mechancial stabilisation ensures smooth, great-looking
footage forlife-loggingvideos.
SENSOR^1 /2.3in CMOS•SENSORPIXELS12 megapixels•MAXIMUMRECORDINGRESOLUTION
4K (6 0fps)•AV CONNECTIONSUSB Ty pe-C•DIMENSIONS122x37x38mm•WEIGHT116g•
WARRANTYOneyear RTB•DETAILSwww.dji.com•PARTCODECP.ZM.00000097.01•
FULLREVIEWApr2019
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