Podcast

007PCM How Streaming Media Will Change Your World

Streaming media delivers a lot more choice and flexibility when it comes to consuming content, but it’s also creating a ton of media hype and confusion.

So says Dan Rayburn, executive vice president of StreamingMedia.com and principal analyst at Frost & Sullivan, on this week’s PC Mike Podcast.

“The thing we’re seeing in the market is that consumers have more choice and more flexibility with how they want to watch their content,” Rayburn says. “That being said, it’s still a very fragmented market.”

Rayburn says the availability of so many devices (Google Chromecast vs. Roku, for example), each seemingly delivering different kinds of content and services like Netflix – not to mention varying levels of quality – can leave consumers’ heads spinning, and often not getting what they want.

Add in other factors, such as media hype over the notion that traditional cable service is going to soon disappear, and things aren’t any easier to figure out.

On this episode of the PC Mike podcast, however, Rayburn helps put things in perspective for the burgeoning streaming media industry, providing great insider insight from the business side of things and how consumers could be affected as well as guidance on what questions you should ask yourself when it comes to your own content needs. Specifically, Rayburn addresses:

  • What’s so great – and not-so-great – about the evolution of streaming media?
  • The difference between devices like Roku and services such as Hulu.
  • Can services like Netflix continue to deliver quality content people want – and not break its own bank?
  • How much bandwidth do you really need?
  • What actually might be slowing down your network?
  • What questions you should be asking yourself when considering “cutting the cord” to cable?
  • Why you should not buy 4K TV before 2016 or, maybe, even 2017

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Also From PC Mike Podcast 007:

Recap: President Obama Goes All In on Tech During SOTU

President Barack Obama gave his state of the union speech Tuesday and touched on many subjects that will no doubt be of interest to PC Mike Techcast readers and listeners. In fact, much of his speech centered around technology, innovation, and science and, of course, renewable energy. To kick off this week’s podcast, I touch on solar power and net neutrality, among other topics related to the speech.

Close Encounter of an Illegal Kind

Fans of the show will no doubt be aware of increased use of drones today, many for business-related purposes. But you have to hear this story to believe how one “entrepreneur” was using at least one drone to conduct illegal activity. Maybe they should put the investigator on the case who gave me a call when I was using my drone.

Microsoft Impresses with Windows 10 Reveal

Microsoft had a few glitches when it revealed Windows 10, but overall the announcement went well and even included a couple of surprises. I report the news you need to know about the event and give it a grade to follow up what I had to say about Windows nine, I mean 10, leading up to the event last week. PC World did a good job of summarizing details.

Review: Backing Up with iDrive

I offer some details about one of the best backup solutions you can find, presented by iDrive. Not only is it great — offering a whopping 1TB of cloud-based backup — but I give you details about a great deal designed especially for listeners of the PC Mike Podcast.

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Mike is a veteran journalist whose video "PC Mike" reports have been distributed weekly to all 215 NBC-TV stations since 1994, making him one of the most experienced tech reporters in the country. His tech stories and videos have appeared on MSNBC, CNBC, the Today Show, The New York Times, USA Today and in numerous national newspapers and magazines. In addition to the PC Mike tech blog, he also publishes the Roadtreking.com RV Travel Blog in which he travels North America in an RV reporting about interesting people and places.