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Digital Media Device Buyer’s Guide

What Is A Digital Media Device?
Functions Of Digital Media Devices
Specs To Look Out For In A Digital Streaming Device
Digital Media Boxes Vs. Other Options

What Is A Digital Media Device?

A digital media device is a box that can be plugged into your television to bring a wide range of different media files to the big screen.

Up until now, most of us have been used to playing all of our downloaded videos, home movies, photographs and music collections on our computers. A digital media device will bridge the gap between the computer and the TV by letting you view your digital files on a high quality HD screen.

As more and more of us favor digital files, such as MP3s, downloaded movies and so on, over physical CDs and DVDs, digital media devices are playing a much bigger role in our lives by helping to keep everything connected through our home networks.

Different Digital Media Devices Do Different Things

Note that “digital media device” is a very broad category of gadget. Not all devices will be able to perform all of the functions listed in this buyer’s guide. It’s up to you to figure out your needs and choose a device that meets them.

Some of the broad categories of digital media device include:

Those that can stream from online content services such as Netflix or Hulu (like Apple TV or Roku),
Those that can let you stream music and videos from gadgets like tablet computers (like Apple TV or WD TV Live),
Those that let you easily play your downloaded media from your computer on your TV screen (like Netgear NeoTV or WD TV Live),
Those that can record TV to a hard drive to watch later (like TiVo),
Those that can share your TV content with laptops, smartphones and tablets (like Slingbox).

Is A Digital Media Device Really Necessary?

Although there are ways to view content on your TV without a digital media device, these devices usually make it easier. They help to add to the experience by…

Allowing you to transfer files over the home network,
Avoiding the need for connecting up to your TV using wires across the living room,
Letting you access online streaming services directly from your TV,
Giving you access to extras like internet radio or social networking sites, avoiding the need to login to your computer just to use services such as this,
Giving you the ability to share your content between a range of different devices (such as computers, smartphones, tablets and so on).

Without a digital media device, you might have to watch your Netflix movies on your computer screen instead of your TV, or spend time connecting a laptop using cables to your TV screen.

Using a digital media device not only saves time by making the connections easy, but it also presents all of your media in a format that’s easy to browse through.

Many digital media devices will even come with search functions that let you search through standard TV listings, online content and your own media in one location.

Keep reading to find out more detail about the main functions of digital media devices.