GADGET
GIZMO SPECIAL TURN YOUR IDIOT BOX INTO A SMART TV
Instead of buying an expensive smart TV, you can convert your
existing set into a web-enabled entertainment centre by just spending a few
thousand rupees. Here's how... PORTABLE MEDIA PLAYERS I f you're want something
on a budget, consider a portable media player.
These thumb-sized devices resemble USB storage sticks, and are
capable of streaming content pictures, music and videos wirelessly from a
PC, smartphone or tablet to your TV screen.
CHROMECAST
You can use Chromecast to stream all your movies, videos and apps
from your Android phone, tablet, iPhone, iPad, Mac or Windows laptop to your
TV. The device also has a rich ecosystem of apps all of which can be found on
chromecast.comapps. These include favourites like YouTube, TED Talks, Spuul,
Plex, NPR One and Eros Now.
You can also install the Google Cast extension in your Chrome
browser to display your current tab on the TV , while mobile apps like EZCast,
LocalCast and RealPlayer Cloud let you stream personal content from your
smartphone and tablet.
Your mobile device when paired with Chromecast becomes your
personalized remote control and you can use it to search and browse, play,
pause, rewind, control the volume and even make playlists.
Chromecast is designed to get automatic updates, and new apps are
constantly being developed for the device. Set-up is simple, and you can be up
and running it at home in less than 20
minutes.http:www.google.co.inchromecast|`2,999 TEEWE 2 T he Teewe 2 comes with
apps for Android, iOS and Windows Phone that let you play YouTube videos
wirelessly on the large screen. It also has a Chrome browser plugin that
streams videos directly from the internet. Access a web page full of videos and
the plugin automatically strips the accompanying text to display only the clips
in a drop down for ready access.
Additionally, you can use the plugin to cast an active browser tab
on to your TV screen. The biggest USP of the device, however, is its desktop
software available for Windows, Mac and Linux that acts as an aggregator of
all the multimedia you have your laptop. After installing it, you will need to
add the folders where you have stored your photos, music and movies using its
“Add Folders to Teewe +“ option.
Your content is then sorted under categories like Movies, TV
Shows, Music, Videos and Images, making this software a great media-management
tool. Wherever possible, the Teewe software automatically provides you with
information about your content just like a TV guide. For example, click on a
movie title, and it displays a cover image, a synopsis of the movie, its run
time, genre, critic's rating, certification, cast and director.teewe.in |
`2,399
BOX-TYPE MEDIA PLAYERS
W hile portable media players are a cheaper way to Wi-Fi-enable
your television, these do not come with any internal storage or expandable
memory slot to store data. A set-top box media player takes care of this
shortcoming. These come with USB ports for flash drives and external hard
disks, support for a wide range of audiovideo formats like DVD (VOB files),
high-definition MT2S videos, Windows Media files, and high-quality audio
standards like OGG and FLAC.
AMKETTE EVOTV
T he Amkette evoTV series is an Android-based box, which comes
with a dedicated web browser for surfing the web, as well as access to Google's
Play Store so you can install apps and games. It supports myriad file formats,
and also the DLNA standard that lets you connect to compatible devices.
Besides, you can use its remote control like an “air mouse“. Simply wave it in
front of the player to move the pointer on the screen.
A USB keyboard can be connected to these players to make typing
easier. However, none of the evoTVs come with a keyboard.
The evoTV runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), a dated
version, which may prevent you from installing a few apps that have been
developed for newer versions of the OS.evotv.amkette.com | From `6,000 to
`10,500
Plug the device into the free HDMI port on your television.
Portable media sticks include a micro USB port which need to be
connected to a free USB port on your TV with the included cable. For boxtype
systems, you will have to power them via an external power source.
Switch to that HDMI source (using the TV remote) and follow the
set up instructions to connect to the Wi-Fi network in your home.
Install the corresponding app and software on your mobile device
and PClaptop. Connect these to the same wireless network.
Run the app and follow the instructions to link your mobile device
and PC to the portable media player.Once the process is complete, you will be
able to `throw' Full HD videos from your phone, tablet and laptop onto your
television screen.It should be noted that these media players run on Wi-Fi, and
you will need a good internet connection for the smooth streaming of online
videos. Techtonic recommends a minimum speed of 5Mbps with unlimited data.
Also, these set-ups work best if the Wi-Fi router is in close proximity to your
television set for better wireless signal fidelity.
IREVO SMART PC
Like, the evoTV media players, the iRevo Smart PC also runs on
Android.
It is based on a newer version of Android (4.4, aka KitKat) and
uses iRevo WebTop, a custom home screen to help you browse through apps.You can
register up to four users on this device, each with a separate login. The
wireless keyboard-mouse combo that's included in the package makes it easy to
enter text and select options, giving it a PC-like experience.
You can install a whole bunch of apps and even work on documents,
spreadsheets and presentations; access and reply to e-mails; trawl through your
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram accounts, and play games like Clash of Clans,
Angry Birds and Plants vs Zombies.
The iRevo Smart PC also supports DLNA so you can search for and
play multimedia content shared on compatible devices and computers on the same
network.in.irevomm.com |`6,499 (8GB), `7,999 (16GB)
WD TV LIVE
This media player is extremely portable, uses a proprietary user
interface and is ideal for playing personal content and to access pre-loaded
web services like YouTube for videos, Flickr for photos and TuneIn for radio.
Since it supports DLNA, you can also stream content stored on USB and network
storage devices, and any computer on your network.
Besides, it plays virtually any file format, including FLV , MKV ,
AVI, MPEG-4, MP4 and MOV .
This box can connect you to your multimedia stash wirelessly. But
one downside is you have to navigate its user interface and enter text with its
remote control.http:www.wdc.comwdtv|`8,750
|
Savio D'Souza & Ashutosh Desai
|
TOI8AUG15
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