62 DECEMBER 2019|COMPUTER SHOPPER|ISSUE 382
VIDEO
AMAZONFireTVStick4K
★★★★★
£50•www.amzn.to/2Y6q8wh
NVIDIA ShieldTV(2017)
★★★★★
£189•www.johnlewis.com
GOPRO Hero7Black
★★★★★
£319•www.amzn.to/32hWxC9
APPLETV4K
★★★★★
£179•www.apple.com/uk
SAMSUNGGear360(2017)
★★★★★
£155•www.amzn.to/2wesOMX
From set -topbox to dangling dongle
and now an ultra-compact stick,
Amazon’s 4K media streamer gets
sleeker withevery generation. It’s also been updated withanew
remote, which includesamicrophoneforAlexa voice commands.
Agood media streamer/
Android games console hybrid madeeven betterby a
more comfortable controller,awider rangeof
streaming sources and smart home integration.
The Yi 4K+ is cheaper,but
no other action camera
comes closeto the video
quality of the Hero7Black. That’s largely downto its new electronic
image stabilisation, which keepsfootage looking unbeatably smooth.
This big updateadds 4K content (including,forthe
first time,Amazon Video support). The best part is
that if there’sa4Kv ersion of content you’ve
previously purchased in HD,Apple will upgrade it freeof charge.
Samsung’s updated 360º camera
improves on the original inevery way: it’s
more portable,supports live video stream,
and is no longer limitedto Samsung Galaxy phones. Best
of all, it’s cheaper than the previous model was at launch.
VIDEOOUTPUTSHDMI2.0•NETWORKING802.11acWi-Fi•DIMENSI ONS108x30x14mm•
STREAMINGFORMATSUPnP,AirPlay, DLNA,Plex•INTERNETSTREAMINGSERVICESAmazon
Video,Netflix,BBCiPlayer,ITVHub,All 4,My5•WARRANTYOneyearRTB•DETAILS
http://www.amazon.co.uk•PARTCO DEFireTVStick4K•FULLREVIEWMay2019
VIDEOOUTPUTSHDMI1.4•NETWORKING802.11acWi-Fi,10 /100/1,0 00Etherne t,Bluetooth4.1
- DIMENSI ONS159x98x26mm•STREAMINGFORMATSPlex,Kodi•INTERNETSTREAMING
SERVICESNetflix,AmazonIn stantVideo,GooglePlayMoviesan dTV, Google PlayMusic ,YouTube,
BBCiPlayer•WARRANTYTwoyearsrepairandreplace•DETAILSwww.nvidia.co.uk•PART
CODE945-12897-2505-000•FULLREVIEWMay2017
SENSOR^1 /2.3inCMOS•SENSOR PIXELS12megapixels•MAXIMUMRECORDINGRESOLUTION4K
(60fps)•AV CONNECT IONSMicr oHDMI•DIMENSI ONS45x62x32mm•WEIGHT116g•
WARRANTYOneyearRTB•DETAILSwww.gopro.com•PARTCO DECHDHX-701-RW•
FULLREVIEWFeb2019
VIDEOOUTPUTSHDMI2.0a•NETWORKING802.11acWi-Fi,10 /100/1,0 00Ethernet•
DIMENSI ONS35x98x98mm•STREAMINGFORMATSAirPlay, othersviaapps•
INTERNETSTREAMINGSERVICESiTunes ,AppleMusic ,Netflix,AmazonIn stantVideo,
NowTV, BBCiPlayer,ITVHub,All4•WARRANTYOneyearRTB•DETAILSwww.apple.co m/uk•
PARTCO DEAppleTV4K•FULLREVIEWJan2018
SENSORRESOLUTIONDual8.4me gapixels•SENSOR SIZENotdisclosed•VIEWFINDERNone•
LCDSCREEN0.5in72x32PMOLED•DIMENSI ONS100x46 x45mm•WEIGHT130g•
WARRANTYOneyearRTB•DETAILSwww.samsung.com/uk•PARTCO DESM-R210NZW ABTU•
FULLREVIEWOct2017
it’s
am,
t
h.
4K content (including,forthe
01
Media streamers have come a
long wayfrom the hard disk-based
set-topboxes of afew years ago.Theynow
come in two mainforms: flash drive-sized
dongles that plug directly intothe HDMI
port in the backof your TV,and larger
microconsoles that sit under it. Whichever
model you choose,itw ill stream content
from the internet rather than storing
media files locally.
02
Most streamers use their own
operating system, which you can
navigat ewith abundled remotecontrol,
but Google’s Chromecast dongle requires
apaired smartphone,tablet or laptop
to stream content on the big screen. If
you’re lookingto set up Netflixfor
Choosinga... Mediastreamer
someone who doesn’t haveasmartphone,
buy astandalone streamer such asaRoku
or Amazon Fire TV device.
03
Amedia streamer is only as good as
the services it supports, although a
device thatoffers more services won’t
necessarilyoffer more high-quality content
than amedia streamer withfewer channels.
Instead, look outformajor channels such as
Netflix, Amazon Instant Video,BBC iPlayer,
SkyGoa nd YouTube .Ifa ny of these are
missing, the remaining channels aren’t likely
to be much cop.
04
Although nearly all streamers now pull
content from the web,they’re still
capableof playing content stored locally
from anetworked PC or NAS device.Not all
streamers are capableof playing all media file
formats, however.Ify ou havealot of MKV
or MO Vfiles, check that your chosen
streamer supports them before you buy.
These are typically the fileformats devices
struggle with the most.
05
Media streamers aren’t justforvideo,
either.Many support online music
services including Spotify,Rdio andTuneIn
Radio.Others essentially use the same
hardware asasmartphone and are capable
of running apps or playing games. Someof
the most powerful are compatible with
dedicated game controllers, but these are
typically sold as optional accessories rather
than bundled with the streamer.
DJI OsmoPocket
★★★★★
£329•www.amzn.to/2vl53Ba
Acleverly made alternativeto action
cameras, the DJI OsmoPocket isn’t
intendedforextreme sports, but its
mechancial stabilisation ensures smooth, great-looking
footage forlife-logging videos.
SENSOR^1 /2.3inCMOS•SENSOR PIXELS12megapixels•MAXIMUMRECORDINGRESOLUTION
4K(60fps)•AV CONNECT IONSUSBType-C•DIMENSI ONS122x37x38mm•WEIGHT116g•
WARRANTYOneyearRTB•DETAILSwww.dji.com•PARTCO DECP.ZM.00000097.01•
FULL REVIEWApr2019
