In the years since TV streaming first truly took off, the industry has seen a number of significant changes. New streaming services have taken to the fore, and existing streaming libraries have grown exponentially.
The growth of streaming is so exponential, in fact, that you might find yourself feeling a bit lost trying to keep up with it all. Knowing the intricacies of TV streaming can help you to make the most of everything on offer. That’s why we’ve called upon our Reliant tech experts to help us put together this definitive guide to TV streaming. We’re going to cover every burning question, and make you the master of your own home entertainment empire!
What Is TV Streaming?
Many people often wonder where the term “Streaming” is derived from. What on earth does “Streaming” even mean? The term is actually a direct reference to the method through which streamed content reaches a TV. When you stream a piece of content, you’re essentially temporarily downloading it to your device for instant playback.
As you watch a streamed film or TV show, the entirety of the content is slowly being received by your device. As the beginning of each episode plays out, the rest of the episode, up until the very end, is slowly being transmitted to your device. This is what allows streaming to be so instantaneous. Your device is not tasked with downloading the entirety of the piece of content before playback. It only downloads each part of the content as and when it’s needed. Put simply, your device is receiving a consistent “stream” of content!
Streaming content is received by your TV by way of a consistent video signal being transmitted to the device. Your TV is quite literally receiving a constant “stream” of information!
Streaming is the perfect method for accessing online film and TV content. It puts no strain on your device and doesn’t consume a massive amount of bandwidth, because it’s not permanently downloading any piece of content. This means it’s convenient even for households with weak internet connections. Because streaming is so easy for film and TV content, it’s also perfect for use with smart TVs!
What Type Of TV Is Best For Streaming?
As we mentioned just previously, streaming is practically built for use with smart TVs. Smart TVs are able to connect directly to local internet and are fully compatible with some of the world’s leading streaming services. The convenience of a smart TV means you won’t need to hook up any external devices just to access online content. Simply connect the TV to your internet, and get streaming!
Do You Need A Smart TV For Streaming?
If you don’t have access to a smart TV, don’t panic! You can still easily access streaming content, through the use of an external device. Devices like game consoles, streaming sticks, and set-top boxes can connect to the internet and give you direct access to streaming content. Essentially turning a non-smart TV into a smart TV!
It’s possible to use external devices to access streaming content on your TV. For instance, streaming sticks, and game consoles can be used, thanks to their internet connectivity. Thus, you don’t technically need a smart TV for streaming!
If you have any internet-enabled device that can be connected directly to your TV, it can be used for TV streaming!
Does A Smart TV Mean Free Streaming?
Smart TVs make it effortless to access streaming content. But don’t be fooled. Owning a smart TV does not automatically entitle you to the entire world of streaming content. In order to access most streaming services, you will need to ensure you are subscribed to them. Services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ all require you to pay a monthly or annual subscription fee for full access.
There are a few streaming services that offer free access to content. These include platforms like YouTube Freeview Play, and British platforms like Channel 4 and ITV. To provide free content, these platforms may play ads before, during, and after specific content.
What Should You Look For In A Streaming Television?
We’ve only just scratched the surface of TV streaming, and yet you’ve no doubt tired of hearing us sing the praises of smart TVs. However, it truly can’t be understated just how perfect these TVs are for enjoying streamed content.
Owning a smart TV is not enough to access TV streaming! In order to access content, you’ll first need a full subscription to your streaming platform of choice! These subscriptions are paid for in monthly or annual instalments!
But when it comes to finding the perfect streaming television, “Smart TV” simply isn’t enough to base your decision on! Smart TVs can differ massively from model to model. Not sure which model is best for your streaming goals? Then you’ll want to spend some time considering the important factors down below.
TV Screen Size
Streaming truly opens up a whole new world of home entertainment options. From blockbuster hits to all-time classics, there’s always an immense film or TV show just waiting to be enjoyed. If you’re keen to make the most of film and TV content, then you’ll want a TV with a considerable enough screen size.
TVs can now be purchased with truly enormous screen proportions, so you can release the true potential of all of your favourite streaming titles. With a 98-inch TV, for instance, immersion becomes seamless. The biggest blockbusters become more explosive, and the award-winning classics become all the more breath-taking.
However, as great as a 98-inch TV might be, you’d need to make sure you had enough space for it! Cramming a massive TV into a tiny space is simply a waste! Not only will you have trouble fitting it through the door, but you also won’t have enough space to enjoy it. No matter how large your TV is, you want to make sure you can see the entire length of the screen without having to move your head. After all, why do most people go for the back rows at the cinema? Because having to bend your neck all over gets uncomfortable in no time!
If you want to be in maximum comfort during those late-night bingeing sessions, then you’ll want a TV of suitable size for your space. For maximum viewing pleasure, you want to make sure there’s the right amount of space between your TV and the comfiest spot on the sofa. This space should equate to around 1.2 times the length of the TV’s screen.
TV Screen Resolution
You’d have a tough time finding a streaming service that didn’t offer access to content at HD resolutions! However, not all services provide content at 4K resolutions or higher. As such, you may want to take the time to carefully consider the total resolution of your dream streaming TV.
At the most basic level, we’d recommend grabbing a streaming TV with a 4K resolution. The reason for this is simply that larger TVs look much better at 4K resolutions. Most larger TVs come with 4K resolutions as standard!
Many of the world’s top streaming services can only output at 4K resolutions at the highest. As such, 8K TVs aren’t totally essential for fans of binge-watching the latest boxsets.
Perhaps less essential are 8K TVs. While 8K is a definitively greater resolution than 4K, there’s actually very little in the streaming world that will allow you to take advantage of this greater level of fidelity. Most streaming services offer 4K as the highest possible resolution for any type of display. If you’re looking for a TV that will mostly be used for streaming, then you can save a bit of money by opting for a 4K model.
Some services may require an upgraded subscription in order to access 4K content. So, you should make sure to consider the services you plan to use, and budget accordingly!
HDR Support
If you want streaming content to look its best, it’s also worth looking for compatibility with HDR video. HDR, otherwise known as “High Dynamic Range”, is an awesome video format specifically programmed to allow any TV display to access a wider array of colours and brightness levels. With these added visual flourishes, there is a much greater increase in contrast! And with greater contrast comes a much clearer and much sharper image. Every shape on screen becomes easily defined, and incredibly easy to make out!
Again, much like with 4K resolutions, not all streaming services can offer support for HDR content. Luckily, HDR-compatible smart TVs are a dime a dozen, so there’s no need to deprive yourself of this awesome extra feature!
Smart TV Functions
Part of what makes smart TVs so essential for streaming is the fact that they allow users to directly access streaming services through built-in apps. Platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Paramount+ are all operated through apps that are installed into the TV itself. With streaming platforms installed directly into the TV itself, there’s no need to hook up any external devices just to access online content.
However, smart TVs all operate very differently. Depending on which model you pick, it might feature a different operating system, a different set of controls, and even a number of unique features. Either way, it’s best to pick a smart TV that makes navigation as easy as possible. There’s nothing worse than getting lost in a maze of menus and buttons just trying to find the biggest hits on Netflix.
Want to seamlessly move from one streaming service to the next? Then you’ll want a smart TV with a powerful and efficient processor! This ensures that you can stream to your heart’s content, without a hitch!
Towards this end, we’d also recommend looking for a smart TV with a dependable processor. The processor of any good smart TV functions similarly to a brain. The processor is responsible for keeping everything on the TV in full working order. It manages all of your inputs and ensures that streaming apps all work at their most efficiently. The more powerful the processor is, the faster the TV will operate!
Smart TVs with stronger processors might cost slightly more, but they’re totally worth opting for. They’ll make your streaming experience feel so effortless!
Display Type
Luckily, when it comes to selecting the perfect display type, fans of streaming have much more to choose from! QLED TVs in particular are great for streaming. QLED TVs operate very differently from standard TVs as they don’t simply use pixels to create images. Instead, they make use of specially crafted quantum dots, capable of producing a massive spectrum of colours! With a greater number of on-screen colours, HDR images in particular look right at home!
OLED TVs are also great for streaming. OLED TVs are famous for their high levels of contrast. Each individual pixel on an OLED display can turn itself on and off independently. This means that the pixels can produce totally no light as needed. The total absence of light thus results in intense on-screen black values. With greater black values, there’s much greater contrast, making it easier to spot individual shapes even in the darkest of images.
Streaming content looks great on OLED, QLED, and LED TVs. QLED TVs offer a much wider colour palate, while OLED TVs offer enhanced contrast ratios! However, despite their differences, they’re both great for streaming!
OLED TVs also have incredibly wide viewing angles, so you can host weekly binge-watching sessions where everyone gets the front-row-seat experience!
LED TVs are also a great budget option for TV streaming. They may not boast some of the mind-blowing extra features you’d find on OLED and QLED models, but they still look amazing. LED TVs make use of unique backlight arrays to create their images. These backlights can pump out some seriously incredible brightness levels. This makes LED TVs great for those streaming fans who want to tune into their favourite content even during the daytime!
Price
Obviously, the total cost of a given TV is one of the most important things to consider. While you don’t want to spend too much, you also definitely don’t want to spend too little. This is why it’s important to consider some of the features we identified up above. Depending on what features you need, the price may differ slightly!
If you want a TV packed with features, and with a massive screen size, then you’ll want to splash out a little more. If you only need a basic TV with the most essential of functions, then you can save a little more. There’s no point in spending loads on a TV filled with functions that you don’t even use!
Having an idea of the features you want will help you to come up with a suitable budget for your new TV. This in turn narrows down your options to make the choice a little less daunting!
How Do Smart TVs Recommend Streaming Content?
The best smart TVs are the ones that make streaming as easy and simple as possible. We mentioned just above that a great streaming TV should have easy controls and an incredibly simple user interface. As well as this, however, a good streaming TV should also learn from the kind of content you enjoy.
Many smart TVs are able to provide specially curated recommendations for users, depending on the type of content they prefer. They do this by identifying the content you favour and recommending content that aligns with your personal tastes. Let’s say you had a preference for stand-up specials. A good smart TV would be able to recognise this and then recommend other comedy specials on platforms you’re subscribed to.
Smart TVs are able to recommend particular streaming titles, based on your tastes, and your prior streaming habits. If you watch a lot of anime, your TV will be able to learn this, and recommend other shows you might enjoy!
If you want to make these recommendations more accurate, we’d recommend interacting with your smart TV and streaming services, so they can learn a little more about your tastes. Let’s say there was a film you adored on Netflix, by hitting the “Loved it” button, Netflix and your smart TV would learn that similar films will go down a real treat!
What Is Voice Search?
Many smart TVs are compatible with voice searching platforms like Google and Alexa. With these platforms, you can quickly and easily ask for any specific show or movie, on any specific service, and get taken right to it.
Voice search is perfect for fans of streaming. With just a few simple words, you can set your TV to the task of finding the perfect show or film for your tastes. Let’s say you wanted to watch a laugh-a-minute comedy. Just ask Alexa, Google, or any other of the many voice assistant platforms to find you the best comedy movies on any particular platform.
Smart TVs with voice search are particularly useful for much older users who may be more easily overwhelmed or confused by the many buttons and menus found on the average TV!
How Strong An Internet Connection Do You Need For Streaming?
As we mentioned at the start of this guide, streaming is a great entertainment option, even for those with slightly weaker internet connections. This is because you don’t need to download the entirety of a film or show just to be able to instantly enjoy it. Instead, your TV will receive a constant “Stream” of data as and when it’s needed for each show or film.
However, in order to stream consistently, without the need for buffering, it is recommended to make sure you have a dependable internet connection.
As a baseline, you should try to make sure that you have a 5 mbps internet speed for streaming in HD. Streaming with a weaker connection will either result in frequent and annoying buffering or significantly reduced image quality!
For full HD streaming, you’ll want to make sure you have a connection speed higher than 5mbps. For 4K streaming, it will need to be higher than 25mbps. These speeds ensure smooth streaming without buffering and fidelity loss!
If you want to stream at 4K then your connection will need to be a little bit stronger. We would recommend a connection speed of at least 25mbps. This once again prevents buffering and ensures the highest image quality.
What Is The Best Streaming Service?
There are so many different streaming services available across the market. So much so that it can often seem impossible to tell which are most worth subscribing to. While it’s tough to declare one specific service as the best of them all, we’ve collected below some of the very best, to take a look at what they can offer!
Netflix
Netflix is perhaps the name most closely associated with modern streaming. In fact, without Netflix, it’s likely that the world of streaming would look very different.
Netflix offers one of the largest and most well-known streaming libraries in the world. The platform is renowned for its sheer variety of content. The platform boasts hundreds and thousands of exclusive titles only accessible to subscribed users. Netflix content covers a massive number of genres and even includes a wealth of international titles. So you can enjoy the best entertainment from across the world!
Netflix offers users the ability to stream many titles at 4K resolutions. However, in order to access 4K, users must be sure to subscribe to the upgraded “Premium” subscription tier. This subscription tier is the most expensive but also offers users the opportunity to stream on a much larger number of devices.
Netflix is perhaps the best-known streaming service on the planet. This is thanks to the immense variety of content that can easily be accessed on the platform with a simple subscription!
Currently, Netflix does not offer any content at 8K. It’s unclear whether this will change any time soon. However, with Netflix often leading the charge when it comes to streaming innovations, there’s every chance that 8K resolutions may be on the horizon at the world’s biggest streamer!
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video is another highly popular streaming service. Part of its popularity comes from how easy the platform is to access. In order to access Amazon Prime Video, users can sign up for an Amazon Prime membership. This entitles them to free next-day delivery on a massive number of products, as well as unlimited access to Amazon Prime Video content.
Amazon Prime Video has a massive selection of original and exclusive content, as well as a number of streaming titles from other third parties. These are available at no extra price to Amazon Prime Video users.
As well as the wealth of original and licensed content available for no extra charge, there is also an even larger library of titles that users can access for an extra charge! These titles can either be purchased, for users to watch as often as they want, or simply rented for a limited time.
This makes Amazon Prime Video truly a great all-in-one platform, with something for everyone. Though it may not offer 8K streaming just yet, we’d go so far as to say that it’s an essential service for fans of streaming!
Paramount+
Paramount+ is still a relatively new name in the world of streaming platforms. However, during its short time, it has really swept users up. The platform offers unparalleled access to a massive library of Paramount content. Including classic films from across the decades, and brand new binge-worthy shows that have already taken the internet by storm.
Unfortunately, the UK version of Paramount+ only currently allows users to stream at 1080p. There is currently no support for 4K streaming, despite the fact that 4K is accessible in the United States! It’s unclear why 4K has yet to reach the platform in the UK, but we’d imagine the resolution is not far away!
Unfortunately, no content on the platform is accessible in 8K.
Disney+
You might initially wonder whether a streaming service dedicated to Disney is really worth shouting about. However, there’s a lot more content on the platform than you might expect! Thanks to Disney’s acquisition of properties like Marvel and Star Wars, and studios like 20th Century Studios, there’s plenty of content for all kinds of demographics on the platform.
For fans of the biggest franchises on earth, Disney+ is almost totally essential. New and exclusive Disney+ titles are always being released, including original stories, and new franchise landmarks!
Disney+ offers one of the most popular and celebrated libraries of streaming content. It even offers users the option to stream in 4K, and access HDR! This makes it great for enjoying all kinds of films and shows!
Disney+ is also very generous in comparison to other competing services. Users with 4K TVs can access specific 4K titles without needing to sign up for an upgraded membership! Disney+ also supports premium video formats such as HDR and even Dolby Vision!
YouTube
YouTube is the best-known platform for online video content, and also a great repository for awesome streaming. YouTube’s entire content library is user-generated, so there’s truly a wealth of content types to enjoy. YouTube is truly limitless, and there’s always something to watch on there.
The best thing about YouTube is perhaps the fact that it’s free to use. All you need to do is install the app to your smart TV, and get right to streaming! However, in order for the service to be free, there are occasional ads that play between videos.
YouTube is also great for making the most of an 8K TV. YouTube is fully compatible with 8K video, so you can make even the best TVs look amazing.
However, in order to enjoy 8K streaming, you’ll want to make sure your internet connection has a minimum speed of 50mbps.
BBC iPlayer
BBC iPlayer is another popular option throughout the UK. The platform is totally free to access and also offers 4K streaming. It’s great for enjoying all kinds of classic films and TV shows and can be used to instantly catch up with shows only moments after their original broadcast!
However, it’s important to note that you must have a full TV License in order to access BBC iPlayer. Without a full TV License, you put yourself at risk of being fined for accessing BBC iPlayer content!
Is Binge Watching Bad For You?
Binge-watching itself isn’t bad for you! However, you should be sure to take plenty of breaks during your binge-watching sessions. We’d recommend a break of around 10 minutes every hour to keep your eyes from straining.
Binge-watching only truly becomes “Bad for you” when it is taken to an extreme. If you’re spending countless hours in front of the TV swallowing down snacks, and avoiding exercise, then it could be said to be bad for you!
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is TV Streaming?
Streaming is the most popular and most convenient way to access all kinds of content from the web. Many streaming services allow you to stream directly to your TV, so you can enjoy the best films and shows in your own living room. Streaming does not require an incredibly fast internet speed. This is because it is consistently downloading your content at the same time as it plays.
What Is The Difference Between Streaming And Watching Regular TV?
When you stream content, you are able to access it whenever and wherever you want it. Regular TV, on the other hand, is broadcast in real-time. This means that in order to catch a show as it airs, you will need to make sure you are on time to catch it. Luckily, streaming means that you’ll never feel like you’ve missed out on a show!
