Tech Talk
By Tak Sato
I love analogies to demystify technology but I can’t take credit for this one. Peter D., retired engineer and the oldest graduate of our free Discover Digital Literacy! program says, “Streaming is like receiving transmission” — brilliant.
Do you remember TV rabbit ears? “Barney Miller,” “60 Minutes” and other shows — with commercials every 13 minutes — came ‘over the air.’ Cable and satellite are other transmission methodologies. Streaming is the latest in the transmission evolution.
Internet Connection
Streaming on a computer requires either a wired or wireless internet connection. The latter means private Wi-Fi at your home or free public Wi-Fi at places such as libraries and coffee shops. Remember, when connected to public Wi-Fi, avoid online shopping, banking, or anything that criminals may intercept.
Once connected to the cloud, you can view both free (ad-supported) and paid (subscription) programming by simply launching your browser, such as Google’s Chrome, Mozilla’s Firefox, Apple’s Safari or Microsoft’s Edge, and visiting streaming service providers’ websites.
TV Streaming
Any device with the ‘smart’ prefix means it can connect itself to the internet. Each smart TV manufacturer has its own remote control. Don’t be intimidated by the different appearances; the principle is the same: in the ‘Settings’ or ‘Configuration’ menu, find something along the lines of ‘Network’ and follow the prompts to connect it to the internet.
Before starting a wireless connection, jot down your wireless network name and password. The network name is usually labeled as ‘Network Name’ or ‘SSID’ on the side of your Wi-Fi router.
If connecting via network cable, you should be able to plug a network cable from your Wi-Fi router and the smart TV’s network connection port (possibly labeled ‘ethernet’ port.)
After connecting to the internet, download the necessary ‘Apps’ (short for applications) onto the TV. Both free and paid streaming service providers have apps for content for smart TVs, smartphones and tablets. Apps are similar to TV channels.
Dumb TV
What if you have a TV that displays gorgeous images but is not smart? I affectionately call it a ‘dumb TV’ and there is no need to replace it if it has an available HDMI connection port.
If it does, or if an HDMI connection port can be made available by using an HDMI splitter device ($30 & up), you can get a streaming media player such as Roku, FireTV, AndroidTV, or AppleTV.
Media players convert a dumb TV into a smart TV. Many offer wired and wireless connectivity to your Wi-Fi router or residential gateway. Keep in mind that their ‘stick’ form cousin that usually is cheaper offers only wireless connectivity.
When smart TV shopping, don’t be swayed by the smartness of the set but instead, look at image quality. You can always add a streaming media player if the proprietary smartness is lacking, cumbersome or even become somewhat obsolete.
As long as you have an internet connection, you can instantly enjoy at least the ad-supported, free streaming services with your smart TV or with a streaming media player for a dumb TV, as long as you have an available HDMI connection port to plug in a streaming media player.
You can also kick the tires of paid streaming services. Many offer trial periods. Even if they don’t, there is no long-term commitment.
Tak Sato is the founder of the Cleveland-area nonprofit Center for Aging in the Digital World (empowerseniors.org).
| Device to
stream to |
Internet
Connection |
Streaming
Media Player |
Subscription to
streaming service |
| Smart TV | need | optional 1,2 | optional |
| Dumb TV | need | need
Requires HDMI port |
optional |
| Computer | need | optional | |
| Smartphone &
Tablet |
need | optional |
1 If Smart TV is old and built-in smartness is not supported
2 If built-in smartness is too cumbersome to operate
Examples of free streaming service providers supported by ads & with potentially limited functionality:
- YouTube (videos)
- Tubi (movies, TV shows)
- Pluto TV (movies, TV shows, videos)
- Spotify (music)
- Pandora (music)
- iHeartRadio (music from radio stations)
Examples of streaming services supported through public libraries (and universities for “Kanopy”):
- Hoopla (movies, music, audiobooks, eBooks)
- Kanopy (specializing in films)
Examples of streaming services with monthly subscriptions but without long-term commitments:
- Netflix (movies, original shows)
- SlingTV (live TV, a la carte add-on subscriptions to channels)
- YouTube TV (live TV including local channels in many Northeast Ohio zip codes)
- Hulu (TV shows, movies, live TV tier offering)
- Amazon Prime Video (movies, original shows, shows from traditional networks, a la carte subscription to channels)
- Spotify (music)
- Pandora (music)
- iHeartRadio (music from radio)
