My Cluttered Video Environment

While preparing a post on what I see emerging in the video marketplace, it occurred to me that I’ve never really described my amazingly cluttered video environment and how that might be relevant.

I don’t know whether our video environment here at Chez Schuler is typical, exceedingly simple, absurdly complicated, cutting edge, behind the times, or all of the above in varying degrees. At one time or another we view each of the following: cable, cable on demand, Internet live streaming, Internet streaming on demand, DVD, videotape, video from device (camera, flash drive, etc.). The only time we view actual broadcast television is when we’re somewhere other than at home.

Several years back we put an addition on the house. Every room (other than the bathrooms) in the addition has both coax connections and wired network connections. We have a single wired network connection on the old side of the house plus wireless connectivity everywhere, both from our own wireless network and from the phone company’s wireless network.

We have three televisions, all LCD, all capable of high definition (two at 1080p, one at 720p). Two of the televisions have cable connections, the third does not. All three televisions have DVD players connected to them, one has a VCR connected to it, and one has a BluRay player. The BluRay player provides Internet connectivity and supports NetFlix, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu, and a few others. The other two televisions have Roku boxes connected to them which provide all of those channels plus many more.

One television has a Wii connected to it. Another has a Wii-U connected to it. Both provide Internet connectivity. Neither browser supports flash. The Wii-U supports Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, and YouTube.

In addition to our televisions we can also stream video on two personal computers, two notebook computers (more, actually: only two are presently commissioned), two tablets (one Android, one iPad), and two smartphones (both Android). When you include the game console of the Wii-U that means that at least in principle twelve people could watch different things at the same time here. More if they brought their own viewing devices.

We subscribe to cable, NetFlix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Acorn Television.

I also have a Plex Media Server installed on one of our personal computers. In theory it allows us to view anything that’s online from any site that has a Plex channel via our Rokus or BluRay player. In practice it’s not appropriate for anybody who’s not very tech-savvy, it’s extremely rough around the edges, and frustrating in a way that things that aren’t ready for primetime can be frustrating. But when it works it’s wonderful.

2 comments… add one
  • PD Shaw Link

    I am guessing you are mostly unusual in having so many subscription services without cutting cable.

    We basically operate out of a central entertainment center: a 1040 plasma t.v., hooked up to cable, bluray and VCR. A small t.v. in the master bedroom is only hooked up to cable, and an old t.v. in the kids’ room in the basement is only hooked up to a dvd player. No subscription services other than cable. The computer, laptops and kindle hd can access the internet through the wi-fi, but I don’t think we use these for much video. We also have a video store about three minutes from our house that we use sometimes weekly, sometimes not for months. For movies, its cable streaming on demand or own/rent dvds.

    Oh yeah, and no cell phone.

  • Andy Link

    We’re close to PD. One main TV with Dish network, a DVR and a blue-ray player. The blue-ray is primarily used for Amazon videos. 95% of regular TV watching is via shows recorded on the DVR – we watch very little live TV. We have a second TV with a Wii for the kids. We have the ability to hook the our ipad and laptops to the main TV but we never use it.

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