Streaming Media Player

A digital media player (also known as a streaming device or streaming box) is a type of consumer electronics device designed for the storage, playback, or viewing of digital media content. They are typically designed to be integrated into a home cinema configuration, and attached to a television or AV receiver or both.

The term is most synonymous with devices designed primarily for the consumption of content from streaming media services such as internet video, including subscription-based over-the-top content services. These devices usually have a compact form factor (either as a compact set-top box, or a dongle designed to plug into an HDMI port), and contain a 10-foot user interface with support for a remote control and, in some cases, voice commands, as control schemes. Some services may support remote control on digital media players using their respective mobile apps, while Google's Chromecast ecosystem is designed around integration with the mobile apps of content services.

A digital media player's operating system may provide a search engine for locating content available across multiple services and installed apps. Many digital media players offer internal access to digital distribution platforms, where users can download or purchase content such as films, television episodes, and apps. In addition to internet sources, digital media players may support the playback of content from other sources, such as external media (including USB drives or memory cards), or streamed from a computer or media server. Some digital media players may also support video games, though their complexity (which can range from casual games to ports of larger games) depends on operating system and hardware support, and besides those marketed as microconsoles, are not usually promoted as the device's main function.

Digital media players do not usually include a tuner for receiving terrestrial television, nor disc drives for Blu-rays or DVD. Some devices, such as standalone Blu-ray players, may include similar functions to digital media players (often in a reduced form), as well as recent generations of video game consoles, while smart TVs integrate similar functions into the television itself. Some TV makers have, in turn, licensed operating system platforms from digital media players as middleware for their smart TVs—such as Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku—which typically provide a similar user experience to their standalone counterparts, but with TV-specific features and settings reflected in their user interface.

Overview

In the 2010s, with the popularity of portable media players and digital cameras, as well as fast Internet download speeds and relatively cheap mass storage, many people came into possession of large collections of digital media files that cannot be played on a conventional analog HiFi without connecting a computer to an amplifier or television. The means to play these files on a network-connected digital media player that is permanently connected to a television is seen as a convenience. The rapid growth in the availability of online content has made it easier for consumers to use these devices and obtain content. YouTube, for instance, is a common plug-in available on most networked devices. Netflix has also struck deals with many consumer-electronics makers to make their interface available in the device's menus, for their streaming subscribers. This symbiotic relationship between Netflix and consumer electronics makers has helped propel Netflix to become the largest subscription video service in the U.S. using up to 20% of U.S. bandwidth at peak times.

Media players are often designed for compactness and affordability, and tend to have small or non-existent hardware displays other than simple LED lights to indicate whether the device is powered on. Interface navigation on the television is usually done with an infrared remote control, while more advanced digital media players come with high-performance remote controls that allow control of the interface using integrated touch sensors. Some remotes also include accelerometers for air mouse features, which allow basic motion gaming. Most digital media player devices are unable to play physical audio or video media directly, and instead require a user to convert these media into playable digital files using a separate computer and software. They are also usually incapable of recording audio or video. In the 2010s, it is also common to find digital media player functionality integrated into other consumer-electronics appliances, such as DVD players, set-top boxes, smart TVs, or even video game consoles.

Terminology

Digital media players are also commonly referred to as a ''digital media extender'', ''digital media streamer'', ''digital media hub'', ''digital media adapter'', or ''digital media receiver'' (which should not be confused with ''AV receiver'').

Digital media player manufacturers use a variety of names to describe their devices. Some more commonly used alternative names include:

* Connected DVD
* Connected media player
* Digital audio receiver
* Digital media adapter
* Digital media connect
* Digital media extender
* Digital media hub
* Digital media player
* Digital media streamer
* Digital media receiver
* Digital media renderer
* Digital video receiver
* Digital video streamer
* HD Media Player
* HDD media player
* Media Extender
* Media Regulator
* Net connected media player
* Network connected media player
* Network media player
* Networked Digital Video Disc
* Networked entertainment gateway
* OTT player
* Over-the-Top player
* Smart Television media player
* Smart Television player
* Streaming media box
* Streaming media player
* Streaming video player
* Wireless Media Adapter
* YouTube Player Support

History

By November 2000, an audio-only digital media player was demonstrated by a company called SimpleDevices, which was awarded two patents covering this invention in 2006. Developed under the SimpleFi name by Motorola in late 2001, the design was based on a Cirrus Arm-7 processor and the wireless HomeRF networking standard which pre-dated 802.11b in the residential markets. Other early market entrants in 2001 included the Turtle Beach AudioTron, Rio Receiver and SliMP3 digital media players. An early version of a video-capable digital media player was presented by F.C. Jeng et al. in the International Conf. on Consumer Electronics in 2002. It included a network interface card, a media processor for audio and video decoding, an analog video encoder (for video playback to a TV), an audio digital to analog converter for audio playback, and an IR (infrared receiver) for remote-control interface.

A concept of a digital media player was also introduced by Intel in 2002 at the Intel Developer Forum as part of their Extended Wireless PC Initiative. Intel's digital media player was based on an Xscale PXA210 processor and supported 802.11b wireless networking. Intel was among the first to use the Linux embedded operating system and UPnP technology for its digital media player. Networked audio and DVD players were among the first consumer devices to integrate digital media player functionality. Examples include the Philips Streamium-range of products that allowed for remote streaming of audio, the GoVideo D2730 Networked DVD player, which integrated DVD playback with the capability to stream Rhapsody audio from a PC, and the Buffalo LinkTheater which combined a DVD player with a digital media player. More recently, the Xbox 360 gaming console from Microsoft was among the first gaming devices that integrated a digital media player. With the Xbox 360, Microsoft also introduced the concept of a Windows Media Center Extender, which allows users to access the Media Center capabilities of a PC remotely, through a home network. More recently, Linksys, D-Link, and HP introduced the latest generation of digital media players that support 720p and 1080p high-resolution video playback and may integrate both Windows Extender and traditional digital media player functionality.

Typical features

A digital media player can connect to the home network using either a wireless ( IEEE 802.11a, b, g, and n) or wired Ethernet connection. Digital media players includes a user interface that allows users to navigate through their digital media library, search for, and play back media files. Some digital media players only handle music; some handle music and pictures; some handle music, pictures, and video; while others go further to allow internet browsing or controlling Live TV from a PC with a TV tuner.

Some other capabilities which are accomplished by digital media players include:
* Play, catalog, and store local hard disk, flash drive, or memory card music CDs and view CD album art, view digital photos, and watch DVD and Blu-ray or other videos.
* Stream movies, music, photos (media) over the wired or wireless network using technologies like DLNA
* View digital pictures (one by one or as picture slideshows)
* Stream online video to a TV from services such as Netflix and YouTube.
*Play video games.
*Browse the Web, check email and access social networking services through downloadable Internet applications.
*Video conference by connecting a webcam and microphone.

In the 2010s, there were stand-alone digital media players on the market from AC Ryan, Asus, Apple (e.g., Apple TV), NetGear (e.g., NTV and NeoTV models), Dune, iOmega, Logitech, Pivos Group, Micca, Sybas (Popcorn Hour), Amkette EvoTV, D-Link, EZfetch, Fire TV, Android TV, Pinnacle, Xtreamer, and Roku, just to name a few. The models change frequently, so it is advisable to visit their websites for current model names.

Processors

These devices come with low power consumption processors or SoC (System on Chip) and are most commonly either based on MIPS or ARM architecture processors combined with integrated DSP GPU in a SoC (or MPSoC) package. They also include RAM-memory and some type of built-in type of non-volatile computer memory (Flash memory).

Internal hard-drive capabilities

''HD media player'' or ''HDD media player'' (''HDMP'') is a consumer product that combines digital media player with a hard drive (HD) enclosure with all the hardware and software for playing audio, video and photos to a television. All these can play computer-based media files on a television without the need for a separate computer or network connection, and some can even be used as a conventional external hard drive. These types of digital media players are sometimes sold as empty shells to allow the user to fit their own choice of hard drive (some can manage unlimited hard disk capacity and other only a certain capacity, i.e. 1TB, 2TB, 3TB, or 4TB), and the same model is sometimes sold with or without an internal hard drive already fitted.

Formats, resolutions and file systems

Digital media players can usually play H.264 (SD and HD), MPEG-4 Part 2 (SD and HD), MPEG-1, MPEG-2 .mpg, MPEG-2 . TS, VOB and ISO images video, with PCM, MP3 and AC3 audio tracks. They can also display images (such as JPEG and PNG) and play music files (such as FLAC, MP3 and Ogg).

Operating system

While most media players have traditionally been running proprietary