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If you are new to online music, online
radio and online video, this information will teach you the basics of
each one. The internet is everywhere now so gaining access to music,
radio and video over the internet has never been easier. Read on, the information found
here will steer you in the right
direction and minimize the learning curve for you.
Online Music
There are several different ways to play
music online. You can play your own music from your computer, or MP3s
that you have purchased and saved on your computer using a multitude of
music players. One easy way to play your music locally or when you are
away from your computer, is Google Music. If you don't have a
free Google account, open one now. There are many great products and
services to keep you organize and Google Music is just one of them. You
sign into your Google account and go to your Google Music section. Here
you will upload your music and categorize by artist, genre or album just
as you would anywhere else.
The great thing about Google music, is
that no matter where you go, you can log into your account and access
all of your personal tunes! If you have a Droid smartphone, you can
download the free Google music app and all of your music
automatically synchronizes from your Google account to your phone!
Tunes on the go!
Free Online Radio Stations
Online radio stations have become very popular with faster and faster
internet connection speeds becoming more common. You can stream live
radio broadcasts over the internet anytime you are in front of a
computer just as you would a regular radio. It is best if you sign up for a free account, this way you can
save favorite stations etc. The 2 leaders in the online radio space are,
www.slacker.com and
www.itunes.com
. With either of them you can search
by a specific artist or genre. Or you can type in an artist and it will
not only play that particular artist , but also similar artists. This is
a great way to find other artists you may have never heard of that you
may like.When you
search for an artist for example, you will be directed to play that
artist "station" (as in radio station). You can save the station or
block the station if you really don't like it, and it will never play it
again. After a while you end up with a very personalized collection of
online radio stations and the best part is. If you have an internet
connection you simple log into your account, and all of your online
radio stations are right there. And if you have a smartphone, you can
download the free online radio app turning your cell phone into a
streaming online radio!
Online Movies and Video
Streaming full movies over the internet
has come a long way as of 2011. Super high speed internet and faster
computers make it possible do stream an entire full length movie over
the web, streaming as its called. There are a multitude of sites and
services streaming movies and video, but here are the most popular with websites by
the same name.
Hulu:
Hulu is our all time favorite and
quickly taking the lead in streaming media and the best part...its FREE!
Watch new, full length movies, currently airing TV series and more. You
can search for a movie by the typical methods, title, genre etc. Connect
your computer directly to your TV and you have a series multimedia
center with endless movies! Depending on what type of connections you
have on your computer and your TV, all you need is the proper cable to
bridge the two. Your local BestBuy store can help you with that.
TV series are usually posted on Hulu the
day after the episode is aired so never miss your favorite show again.
Roll back and watch previous episodes as well. Save your shows to your
personal Favorites for easy access.
No account is necessary to gain full
access to movies and TV series but if you sign up for a free Hulu
account, it minimizes the commercials throughout the movie. The
commercials and ads that will appear 3 or 4 times only throughout the
movie or show, are very short compared to the full barrage of
brainwashing ads that you get on regular TV. Short and sweet on the ads and
commercials, just the way we like it. Hulu also offers Hulu PLUS which
gives you some extra bells and whistles in your account.
Netflix:
In the past, Netflix movies were mailed
to you on DVD in the mail. You watch the movie and return the disc for a fresh
one when you are finished. A short lived business model with the advent of high speed internet
and companies like Hulu streaming them for free. With Netflix you pay a
monthly subscription fee to watch movies or TV episodes. Netflix was
quickly forced to expand from just mailing DVDs in the mail, to
streaming over the web like Hulu. As of 2011 you have a healthy
competition between the two but Hulu for free is still hard to beat so
Netflix may have a struggle here in our view.
Youtube:
We all know about Youtube by now. Do a
search for just about anything you can imagine and you will find
thousands of videos for your viewing pleasure. Youtube does not offer
full movies, or TV episodes these are more like short clips (up to 5
minutes for example). Youtube as of this writing was purchased by Google
so if you have a Google or Gmail account, you have access to your
YouTube account.
NFL Rewind:
If you are a sports fan and never want to
miss a game, check out NFL Rewind. For about $39 a year, never miss a
single game again. Watch every regular season game in super high quality
HD. Connect your computer to your large screen TV as mentioned about,
and it is game time! They advertise that it is LIVE, but in actuality,
you have to wait until the next day before the games are posted online
to be able to view. Still a small price to pay to NEVER miss a single
game again!.
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