2017年3月8日星期三

Latest Samsung Galaxy S8 leak gives us a close look at home button changes

Samsung is planning to launch its Galaxy S8 handset on March 29th, but theverge site have already seen photos, videos, and even press images leak ahead of its debut. A fresh round of hands-on images have leaked today, and they give us a slightly better look at some big design changes Samsung is making to its 2017 flagship smartphone.
samsung -galaxy-s8-camera-leaks
Slash Leaks has provided some close up images of the new on-screen home button for the Galaxy S8, and a good idea of just how small the front bezels are. They look incredibly small, which has clearly been aided by removing the physical home button from the front of the display. At the back of what is reportedly the larger Galaxy S8 Plus, you can see a separate sensor next to the camera that appears to be the fingerprint reader.
gs8-s8plus-size-4
We’ve heard rumors of the fingerprint reader at the rear before, but this is the best look we’ve seen so far. Sam mobile speculates this could also work as a physical home button, but it seems unlikely that Samsung would want to force Galaxy S8 owners to reach for the rear of their device to navigate around Android. Given the vast amount of Galaxy S8 leaks, we might know the answers to the home button mystery and other aspects of the device before the phone even launches on March 29th.
samsung -galaxy-s8-leaks
To put things in perspective, the smaller S8 on the left allegedly has a 5.7-inch display, the same size as last year’s ill-fated Galaxy Note 7, which makes the relative size of the 6.2-inch S8+ even more impressive. It’s yet another detail about the S8 that we can check off our list of questions, along with what it looks like, whether it’ll have buttons, and where the fingerprint sensor is.
The Galaxy S8 is expected to be announced on March 29th. Hopefully Samsung will still have a surprise or two up its sleeve to actually unveil when the event finally rolls around.

Recommendation: Transfer and Play iTunes Movies on Samsung Galaxy S8

M4V Converter Plus is a powerful, easy-to-use utility for quick and accurate conversion. With it, you can unlock iTunes M4V videos by stripping DRM protection legally. It can allow you to convert any iTunes videos to plain MP4, MOV, AVI, FLV and other video or audio formats with amazing speed. In this way, you can transfer the converted iTunes movies to Samsung Galaxy S8 easily.
The main functions of M4V Converter Plus as below
  • Remove DRM from iTunes purchased movies, music videos and TV shows.
  • Convert iTunes rentals to unprotected MP4, MOV without limitations.
  • Perfectly keep AC3 Dolby 5.1 audio track while converting M4V movies.
  • While converting HD & SDHD videos, it outputs 100% original video quality.
  • 30X faster speed while converting iTunes purchases or rentals to MP4/MOV
  • Convert DRM M4V to MP4, MOV, AVI, FLV, 3GP, etc on Mac/Win.
  • Output presets for iPhone, iPad Air, Apple TV, Samsumg Galaxy, Android, etc.
Topics you may be interested

2017年3月6日星期一

2017 Best Samsung Tablets You can Buy

Samsung's refresh of the Galaxy Tab S line at MWC 2017 means it was also time for an update of this list.

Best Overall - Samsung Galaxy Tab S3

After well over a year of waiting, we now have a successor to the Tab S2 9.7 — the Galaxy Tab S3. It has a big and beautiful display of the same size, but the hardware has been upped considerably to a full metal and glass frame. The insides jump to the near-latest available with a Snapdragon 820, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of storage (plus SD card) and USB-C charging.
The Tab S3 has also added a brand new S Pen that brings all of the features of the now-defunct Galaxy Note 7 but with a larger form factor that's easy to use. The tablet is also designed to be used with a full-sized physical keyboard case that connects directly to the tablet without batteries or Bluetooth.
samsung-galaxy-tab-s3-mwc2017
Android tablets still have issues with software and app compatibility, but this is quite easily Samsung's best overall tablet yet.
Bottom line: The Tab S3 is great for those who need a tablet that can do it all.
One more thing: You really should consider the keyboard attachment for getting work done.

Why the Galaxy Tab S3 is the best

samsung-galaxy-tab-s3
Samsung saw better sales and usage of its larger Galaxy Tab S2 9.7, and chose to put all of its efforts into a tablet of the same size when it refreshed the line. At the same time, it aimed to bring the Tab S line closer to its Galaxy phones in terms of hardware, design and features.
The Galaxy Tab S3, as a result, seems to be a bit more refined and well-considered than its predecessor. It's extremely thin and relatively light, while feeling more solid thanks to a solid glass back and rounded metal frame. The hardware isn't necessarily stunning or innovative, but that's less important than the functionality.
samsung-tab-s3_thumb
That functionality is seriously increased thanks to the new internal specs that are on par with a late-2016 high-end phone, as well as the launch of a full-featured keyboard accessory and a new S Pen that is included with the tablet.
This obviously positions the Galaxy Tab S3 as a bit more of a creative and productivity device, but it will satisfy all of the entertainment needs of its users as well. That balance means this will be a solid choice for a wide variety of potential buyers, so long as they're willing to pay the high price it will command.

BEST Smaller Screen - Galaxy Tab S2 8.0

When Samsung refreshed its Tab S line, it chose to go with a single large model rather than a dual strategy like the Tab S2 series. For this reason, the Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 is still a recommendation for those who have to have a smaller size and are willing to pay a little more than the new and small — but not very nice — offerings from Samsung.
Though the Tab S2 8.0 feels a bit dated in terms of its plastic back and Micro-USB port — particularly when compared to the new Tab S3 — it's still incredibly thin and light with a great screen. It's still a great choice for using in one hand whether you're browsing through apps or playing a few games.
Bottom line: If you like Samsung's hardware and software, but don't want one of the new cheap-feeling models, consider the last-generation Tab S2 8.0.
One more thing: Because it's getting old, don't count on too many more software updates.
samsung-galaxy-tab-s2-8-0

BEST For Less - Galaxy Tab A 10.1

We get it, Samsung's top-end tablets also come with top-end prices. If you don't want to shell out $500+ for a big Galaxy Tab S3, we wouldn't blame you for looking at the Galaxy Tab A series instead. If you want the Samsung software and design at a lower price, we recommend the Galaxy Tab A 10.1, which comes in at $299 retail.
So where does it make those savings? Well, a little bit of everywhere. The Galaxy Tab A 10.1 has a lower-resolution 1920x1200 display, a bit lower-end processor, less RAM at 2GB and less storage at 16GB. It also lacks a fingerprint sensor.
But in general, while it doesn't have the highest-end specs and features, it can still get the job done for someone who wants a big tablet for casual browsing and media reading. The 10.1-inch display will give you more than enough room to run multiple windows at once, though it won't be as portable as something like the Tab S2 8.0.
Bottom line: To get the best bang for your buck with a big screen, you'll want the Galaxy Tab A 10.1.
One more thing: Because of the 16GB internal storage, you'll want to invest a little in a microSD card to expand for media.
galaxy_tab-10-1
Conclusion: If you want a Samsung tablet that's fast, feature-packed and with a great screen that also offers productivity choices in terms of a keyboard and stylus, the Galaxy Tab S3 is absolutely the top choice.

Recommendation: To Play iTunes Movies on Samsung Galaxy Tab

iTunes movies / TV shows / music videos purchased or rented from iTunes Store are M4V format with Apple DRM protection, which prevent users playing on non-Apple devices like Samsung Galaxy Tab.
To watch your iTunes movies or TV Shows on Samsung Galaxy, at first you should remove DRM, and convert iTunes movies to unprotected MP4, MOV, FLV, AVI, etc supported by Samsung Galaxy Tab.
M4V Converter Plus is a powerful iTunes Movies Converter for Mac and Windows user. With it, you can solve all above problems with ease.  It can enables you to remove DRM from iTunes movies, TV Shows and music videos by convert them to common file types.
You can click the Caption link to download the trial version, install and open it. You will see the interface of this program. It is very simple and clean.
Just click Add Movies button to import iTunes videos to the program, and select a proper output format for Samsung Galaxy Tab. Finally, you can click Convert (Mac) / Profile (windows) to start the conversion.
  • Convert iTunes movie purchases, Rentals, TV shows and music videos.
  • Legally remove Apple DRM copyright protection from iTunes videos.
  • Easily transfer converted files to iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 7, iPad and Android devices.
  • With subtitles kept and all audio tracks preserved.
  • Support Trim Video and Custom parameters functions.
  • Work on Mac os sierra and iTunes 12.5 perfectly.
More Related Topics 

2017年2月28日星期二

Amazon’s web servers are down and it’s causing trouble across the internet

amazon-s3
Amazon’s web hosting services are among the most widely used out there, which means that when Amazon’s servers goes down, a lot of things go down with them. That appears to be happening today, with Amazon reporting “high error rates” in one region of its S3 web services, and a number of services going offline because of it.
amazon-s3-2
Trello, Quora, IFTTT, and Splitwise all appear to be offline, as are websites built with the site-creation service Wix; GroupMe seems to be unable to load assets (The Verge’s own image system, which relies on Amazon, is also down); and Alexa is struggling to stay online, too. Nest’s app was unable to connect to thermostats and other devices for a period of time as well.
Isitdownrightnow.com also appears to be down as a result of the outage.
Amazon has suffered brief outages before that have knocked offline services including Instagram, Vine, and IMDb. There don’t appear to be any truly huge names impacted by this outage so far, but as always, its effects are widespread due to just how many services — especially smaller ones — rely on Amazon.
There’s no estimate on when service will be restored, but Amazon says it is “actively working on remediating the issue.”

What are the best Alternatives to Amazon S3

Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Compute are the best alternatives to Amazon S3 which attempt to offer a growing stack of service offerings.
Google Cloud Platform is a cloud computing service by Google that offers hosting on the same supporting infrastructure that Google uses internally for end-user products like Google Search and YouTube. Cloud Platform provides developer products to build a range of programs from simple websites to complex applications.
googlecloud
Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing service created by Microsoft for building, deploying, and managing applications and services through a global network of Microsoft-managed data centers. It provides software as a service, platform as a service and infrastructure as a service and supports many different programming languages, tools and frameworks, including both Microsoft-specific and third-party software and systems.
microsoft-azure
More Interesting Topics

2017年2月27日星期一

The 89th Academy awards: 2017 Oscar Winners complete list

The 89th Academy Awards were certainly one for the books. After it was all said and done, front-runner "La La Land" won 6 out of its 14 total nominations going in, including best actress and best director.
But the big and strange moment of the night went to "Moonlight," which won best picture, after "La La Land" was mistakenly announced.
2017-oscars-89th-academy-awards

Here's the complete winners list:

Best picture

"Arrival"
"Fences"
"Hacksaw Ridge"
"Hell or High Water"
"Hidden Figures"
La La Land
"Lion"
"Manchester by the Sea"
"Moonlight" -- WINNER
moonlight-movie2016

Best lead actor

Casey Affleck — "Manchester by the Sea" -- WINNER
Andrew Garfield — "Hacksaw Ridge"
Ryan Gosling — "La La Land"
Viggo Mortensen — "Captain Fantastic"
Denzel Washington — "Fences"
manchester-by-the-sea

Best lead actress

Isabelle Huppert — "Elle"
Ruth Negga — "Loving"
Natalie Portman — "Jackie"
Emma Stone — "La La Land" -- WINNER
Meryl Streep — "Florence Foster Jenkins"
emma-stone-oscars

Best actor in a supporting role

Mahershala Ali – "Moonlight" - WINNER
Jeff Bridges - "Hell or High Water"
Lucas Hedges – "Manchester by the Sea"
Dev Patel - "Lion"
Michael Shannon - "Nocturnal Animals"
mahershala-ali-oscars-win-best-supporting-actor

Best makeup and hairstyling

"A Man Called Ove"
"Star Trek Beyond"
"Suicide Squad" - WINNER
suicide-squad


Best costume design

"Allied"
"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" -- WINNER
"Florence Foster Jenkins"
"Jackie"
"La La Land"
fantastic-beasts-and-where-to-find-them

Best documentary feature
"Fire at Sea"
"I Am Not Your Negro"
"Life Animated"
"13th"
"O.J.: Made in America" -- WINNER

Best sound editing

"Arrival" - WINNER
"Deepwater Horizon"
"Hacksaw Ridge"
"La La Land"
"Sully"
arrival


Best sound mixing

"Arrival"
"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story"
"Hacksaw Ridge" - WINNER
"La La Land"
"13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi"
hacksaw-ridge


Best actress in a supporting role

Viola Davis — "Fences" -- WINNER
Naomie Harris — "Moonlight"
Nicole Kidman — "Lion"
Octavia Spencer — "Hidden Figures"
Michelle Williams — "Manchester by the Sea"
viola-davis-2017-oscar

Best foreign language film

"Land of Mine" (Denmark)
"A Man Called Ove" (Sweden)
"The Salesman" (Iran) -- WINNER
"Tanna" (Australia)
"Toni Erdmann" (Germany)
oscar2017-the-salesman


Best animated short film

"Blind Vaysha"
"Borrowed Time"
"Pear Cider and Cigarettes"
"Pearl"
"Piper" -- WINNER


Best animated feature film

"Kubo and the Two Strings"
"Moana"
"My Life as a Zucchini"
"The Red Turtle"
"Zootopia" -- WINNER


Best production design

"Arrival"
"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them"
"Hail, Caesar!"
"La La Land" -- WINNER
"Passengers"


Best visual effects

"Deepwater Horizon"
"Doctor Strange"
"The Jungle Book" -- WINNER
"Kubo and the Two Strings"
"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story"


Best film editing

"Arrival"
"Hacksaw Ridge" -- WINNER
"La La Land"
"Moonlight"
"Hell or High Water"


Best live action short film

"Ennemis Intérieurs"
"La Femme et le TGV"
"Silent Nights"
"Sing" -- WINNER
"Timecode"
sing-2016


Best documentary short subject

"Extremis"
"4.1 Miles"
"Joe's Violin"
"Watani: My Homeland"
"The White Helmets" -- WINNERS


Best cinematography

"Arrival"
"La La Land" - WINNER
"Lion"
"Moonlight"
"Silence"

Best original score

"La La Land" -- WINNER
"Lion"
"Jackie"
"Moonlight"
"Passengers"


Best original song

"Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" — "La La Land"
"Can't Stop the Feeling" — "Trolls"
"City of Stars" — "La La Land" -- WINNER
"The Empty Chair" — "Jim: The James Foley Story"
"How Far I'll Go" — "Moana"


Best original screenplay

"Hell or High Water"
"La La Land"
"The Lobster"
"Manchester by the Sea" -- WINNER
"20th Century Women"

Best adapted screenplay

"Arrival"
"Fences"
"Hidden Figures"
"Lion"
"Moonlight" -- WINNER

Best directing

Damien Chazelle — "La La Land" -- WINNER
Mel Gibson — "Hacksaw Ridge"
Barry Jenkins — "Moonlight"
Kenneth Lonergan — "Manchester by the Sea"
Denis Villeneuve — "Arrival"

Recommendation: Play 2017 Oscar Winners anytime and anywhere

oscar-winners
 You can pre-order, purchase or rent all the Oscar Nominees and Winners from iTunes Store. After you purchase those movies, you can play them on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, etc.
If you want to watch the movies on common mobile devices, you can use  M4V Converter Plus, you can convert iTunes movies to unprotected MP4, MOV, AVI, FLV, etc.
  • Convert iTunes movie purchases, Rentals, TV shows and music videos.
  • Legally remove Apple DRM copyright protection from iTunes videos.
  • Easily transfer converted files to iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 7, iPad and Android devices.
  • With subtitles kept and all audio tracks preserved.
  • Support Trim Video and Custom parameters functions.
  • Work on Mac os sierra and iTunes 12.5 perfectly.

2017年2月22日星期三

LG G6 release date, specs, news, rumors and price explained

Everything you need to know about the LG G6

After the largely unimpressive launch of its predecessor, the LG G6 certainly has a lot to prove. Here’s what we know about the LG G6 release date, specs, features and price. Re-post from trustedreviews site.
The LG G6 release date is now just days away, and we've got a very good idea of what to expect from the upcoming flagship smartphone.
The LG G5 landed to a lukewarm reception, at least compared to its biggest rival, the Samsung Galaxy S7. Now LG is under a lot of pressure to tackle its biggest competitor, and the LG G6 is its best opportunity in the short-term.
lg-g5
We’re expecting the LG G6 to arrive on February 26, carrying Google's new Android 7.0 Nougat operating system on board. LG has already revealed a slew of details about the phone, including the device's display aspect ratio and the fact that it will feature an upgraded quad DAC for what LG describes as the "best smartphone sound".

LG G6 FAQ

When does the LG G6 come out? February 26 (confirmed)
What's new about the LG G6? SD820/821 chip, Android 7.0 (expected)
How much will the LG G6 cost? Best guess: £500+
Related: LG G5 review

LG G6 Release Date UK & US – When will the LG G6 come out?

LG has already confirmed that the LG G6 will be announced at MWC 2017 – Barcelona's annual technology trade show – on February 26, 2017.
Unfortunately, we still don't know when the phone will actually be available to buy. First off, here’s when previous LG flagship smartphones were announced and released in the UK:
LG G6 – February 26 (announced), TBC (released)
LG G5 – February 21 (announced), April 8 (released)
LG G4 – April 28 (announced), May 28 (released)
LG G3 – May 27 (announced), June 27 (released)
LG G2 – August 7 (announced), September 12 (released)
As you can see, LG's history makes guessing the actual release date is much more difficult; we’d say you’ll be waiting at least one month for the phone, based on previous launches.

LG G6 Screen & Design - 4K Display, Modular add-ons?


LG’s 2016 flagship, the LG G5, featured a 5.3-inch display, which is par for the course. Most phone makers have settled on screen sizes that measure between 5-inches and 5.5-inches from corner to corner, and LG is unlikely to stray from the status quo.
The LG G5 also used a 1440p QHD display, which is a higher resolution than many of its rivals handsets, like the OnePlus 3 and Apple’s iPhone 7, and matches Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S7.
The good news is that LG is planning a 5.7-inch QHD+ FullVision display (2,880 x 1,440 pixels) for the LG G6, which LG says "almost entirely fills the front of the smartphone".
lg-g6
We also know that the phone will use an 18:9 aspect ratio, which will allow for multi-tasking with two perfectly square windows side-by-side.
“The LG G6 with FullVision was inspired by the philosophy of experts in the movie industry who believe that an 18:9 ratio screen would be the best solution for viewing both old and new cinematic content in the digital age,” said Juno Cho, president of the LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “We’ve not only embraced that philosophy in our newest smartphone but taken it to a whole new level by incorporating the 18:9 format in many other ways. I think users will appreciate the many ways we’ve made the LG G6 more productive.”
lg-g6-2
The LG G5’s design proved very controversial, after some reports suggested that the aluminium unibody chassis felt like plastic. Well, while it turned out that the LG G5 was built out of metal, it also featured a plasticky paint layer, which resulted in major confusion. Fortunately, we're getting a full metal jacket this time around, as confirmed by LG itself.
Another controversial LG G5 design choice was the ‘LG Friends’ modular system, which allowed G5 owners to swap out different modules that provided the phone with additional functionality – these included an audio DAC and a camera enhancement. Unfortunately, the system landed to mixed critical reception, rather than being the major hit LG had hoped for.
lg_g5
As a result, the ‘Friends’ system may be binned, at least according to Korea’s ETNews, which says LG plans to scrap modular functionality going forward. Citing industry sources, the site wrote: “IT is heard that LG Electronics has decided not to modularise its next smartphone. Corresponding products such as boards and audio chips are currently being prepared accordingly.”
LG has also heavily teased that the LG G6 will be waterproof, so that's good news for accident-prone phone users.

LG G6 SPECS – HOW POWERFUL WILL IT BE?


There’s no denying that the LG G5 was a powerful bit of kit; it featured Qualcomm’s then-flagship Snapdragon 820 system-on-a-chip (SoC) and 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM – plus a hearty 32GB storage. But times have changed, and supply chains are already gearing up to build 2017’s next-generation hardware.
It was previously expected that the LG G6 would carry Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 835 chip, but a recent Forbes report cast doubt on that theory. Apparently, Samsung has bagged first dibs on the initial run of Snapdragon 835 chips, cutting LG out of the market. According to the report, this means LG will be forced to use the older and less powerful Snapdragon 821 chip. It's still a formidable processor, but the lower performance may put some hardcore fans off the phone.
There’s also a very good chance that the LG G6 will feature a USB Type C port, just like its predecessor, as well as retaining (or improving upon) the 32GB of storage and 4GB of RAM.

LG G6 CAMERA – DUAL-CAMERA CONFIGURATION?


The LG G5 was relatively unique when it first launched, thanks in part to a dual-camera configuration embedded on the back of the phone. One of the rear-facing cameras was a standard 16-megapixel shooter, while the other rear-facing camera was an 8-megapixel wide-angle affair. We were generally pleased with the LG G5’s photographic performance, so we’re hoping for a similar setup with the LG G6. Unfortunately, the rumour mill hasn’t turned out any camera details just yet.

LG G6 Battery Life – How long will the LG G6 last?

The LG G5 has a 2,800mAh cell, which isn’t exactly massive – but did it hurt battery life? In our LG G5 review, Mobiles Editor Max Parker wrote: “The battery life on the LG G5 is good. Not good, but it managed to easily last the day with about 10% remaining when I plugged it in before bed.”
lg-g5-hands-on
With Android 7.0 Nougat’s battery life improvements and the potentially less power-hungry Snapdragon 821/835 rumoured to feature, we’d expect to see better (or at least equally impressive) battery life from the LG G6. That said, if the LG G6 makes the leap to a 4K display without increasing the size of the cell, we could also see battery life slip. Unfortunately, we won’t know until the phone launches.
There’s also a chance that the LG G6 may feature wireless charging. In October 2016, LG announced a the Quick Wireless Charging Pad, a new 15W pad that can power up phones using the Wireless Power Consortium’s Qi charging standard. What’s interesting is that the LG G5 doesn’t support Qi charging (or any other standard, for that matter), which suggests that the LG G6 may finally add the feature.
According to LG, the new pad can charge a completely empty smartphone battery to 50% capacity in less than 30 minutes. Speaking at the announcement, Sung Huh, LG’s Electronic Components chief, said: “We proved that we had the world’s best wireless charging technology. As a wireless charging module is directly related to the convenience and safety of the users, we will meet the expectations of our customers with advanced performance and perfect product quality.”
Considering Samsung, LG’s biggest Korean rival, already offers wireless charging on the Galaxy S7, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the LG G6 following suit.

LG G6 Price


There’s been a dearth of pricing leaks so far, which means it’s impossible to pin down the LG G6 price right now. But we can take a gander at phones-gone-by; here’s the pricing for previous LG flagships:
LG G5 – £529
LG G4 – £450
LG G3 – £500
LG G2 – £400
As you can see, the retail prices of LG’s flagship smartphones vary wildly. But bearing post-referendum currency woes in mind, we’re expecting increases rather than decreases. Expect anything north of £500 for the LG G6.

Conclusion

We're still months off from the LG G6's expected release date, so it's hard to say whether you should wait. If you're a fan of LG smartphones, or you're dead-set on Android, it's at least worth hanging around to see what the company shows off. We're expecting the Samsung Galaxy S8 to launch two months after the LG G6, so you should be able to make a relatively informed decision very soon.
That said, there are plenty of other great phones already available to buy right now. Google's new Pixel and Pixel XL handsets will give you an early taste of what Android 7.0 Nougat has to offer, and Apple's iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are also worth considering – if you're not stuck on Android, that is.
And we won't rule out older phones like the Galaxy S7, OnePlus 3, and HTC 10 either; all three are formidable handsets that you should easily be able to squeeze two years of usage out of.

Recommendation: Play iTunes Movies On Android Phone like LG G6

When we talking about playing iTunes movies on Android smartphone like LG G6, the question that most iTunes users face is how to remove DRM protection from iTunes videos and convert them to LG G6 supported without losing quality. If you are one of them, you are at the right place.  M4V Converter Plus will help you to play iTunes movies on LG G6 quickly and easily.
  • M4V Converter Plus ( for Win or  for Mac ) allows you to legally remove iTunes  DRM protection.
  • Convert iTunes DRM M4V to the format, like MP4, AVI, MOV, FLV, WMV, VOB, etc.
  • The powerful iTunes to LG G6 converter can extract audio from iTunes videos and save as MP3, AAC, FLAC, WMA,etc.
  • You can customize videos by trimming, cropping, change artwork and enable tracks before converting.
  • Convert iTunes DRM movies to iPhone/iPod/iPad, Galaxy Series, PS3/4, Smart TV friendly formats.
  • Clean, Fast and Easy-to-use.
Related Topics:

2017年2月20日星期一

The Best Streaming Stick: Roku, Chromecast, or Amazon Fire

A few companies are looking to declutter your media center by selling you an all-inclusive media streaming device with a tiny footprint that plugs right into your screen. The two most notable devices are the Google Chromecast and the Roku Stick, but a few new competitors have joined the fray. Here’s a comparison of the most notable compact streaming devices on the market.
google_chromecast_vs_roku_streaming_stick
Roku has the experience coming into the fight; the company has been in the streaming business since 2008, starting with set-top boxes and introducing the first Stick in 2012. Google followed suit with the Chromecast in 2013. Recently entering the fray is Amazon, the internet bookseller turned one-stop shop for pretty much everything. Their hardware initiatives have been uneven (Kindle: great, Phone: not so much), but with a push for streaming video it only made sense for them to try and carve out a chunk of the TV market.
The truth is nobody really cares who makes the things that put content on their televisions, as long as the content gets there in the highest quality with as little effort as possible. Ultimately, what matters are the apps and services that come with the hardware, as well as how easy those apps and services are to use. Comparing the three really comes down to how you use your television, and what apps deliver the content you want.
roku-interface
Roku Interface

Cast iTunes movies to Chromecast With M4V Converter Plus

Stream iTunes Protected Movies or TV Shows to Roku for Mac

Best Solution for Streaming iTunes movies to Amazon Fire TV

Under the hood
Roku has iterated on their basic content delivery model for a while, but it’s always themed the same way. Every app or service is assigned a space on the UI as a “channel,” and once you use the remote to enter a channel you’re inside their content area. The Roku Stick comes with a minimal remote that’s basically just arrow keys and a few service shortcuts, but you can use the Roku app for iOS and Android so your phone or tablet can be used to surf channels instead. The Roku Stick is by far the simplest choice on this list, for better or for worse. Your home screen can quickly fill up with channels if you consume a lot of media, and filtering and sorting can be annoying. Not every app follows the same design guidelines, so the experience from service to service can be uneven.

Services like Netflix allow you to go to a website and punch in a short code to authorize the device to your account, while others force you to navigate an on-screen keyboard to log in and start watching. Once you’ve logged in, the Roku Stick remembers your account details so you shouldn’t have to repeat the process.

Google’s Chromecast works a little differently. The dongle doesn’t store any account information because it doesn’t directly connect to streaming services initially. Instead, when you connect a Chromecast you set it up through a laptop, smartphone, or tablet. That device then hooks up the service and the TV.
chromecast_stick
That means you need to have whatever streaming app — Netflix, Hulu, Google Play, and so on - installed on that particular device. Once your media is playing, just tap the Chromecast button in the app to switch the stream to your television. Whatever device you used to start the stream now becomes the remote, which you can use for pausing, volume control, and whatever else. The Chromecast function works exactly the same in every app, so if you’ve done it once you’re already an expert.
The Amazon Fire Stick tends more towards the Roku side of the fence with its dedicated remote, although it offers a few innovative features. The latest model works with an optional remote that listens to voice commands (much like the Echo unit does). Although it supports pretty much all of the same streaming apps that Roku does, the Fire Stick naturally puts Amazon Instant Video front and center. The hardware also is significantly beefier than its competitors, with 1GB of memory and 8GB of storage. A separate Bluetooth-enabled remote rounds out the package.
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What’s on the screen?


Roku is by far the winner in terms of sheer volume of content. The service supports thousands of channels, from the big names like Netflix and Hulu down to niche services like The Monster Channel. The system’s search functionality is also extremely well-tuned, letting you hunt down your desired content no matter where it might live.
Chromecast started out with a fairly limited array of apps that it would play nice with, but that number has increased considerably. The real selling point here is the ability to “mirror” content from your devices directly on your TV screen. Even software that doesn’t have dedicated Chromecast streaming can be pushed to the device — games, websites, and so on. This can be pretty cool.
Amazon’s offerings are slightly less diverse than Roku’s, but the service still boasts all of the big players in the streaming space. However, the device is tuned to prioritize Amazon Instant Video, which can be a good thing or a bad thing. Like the Chromecast, the Fire Stick can also be used to mirror device screens, but only phones and tablets.
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At the end of the day, it’s between Roku and Amazon. Although the Chromecast is the least expensive option on the table, it’s significantly less user-friendly and requires another piece of hardware. If you really need to stream your desktop to your TV, it’s the only option, but aside from that we don’t recommend it.
Which one is right for you? It depends on how tech savvy you are. The Roku is a great unit for less tech savvy users — families of a wide age range, for example. The remote is durable, the user interface is time-tested, and the content is robust and easy to search. The Amazon Fire Stick is more cutting-edge and has better performance, but it’s more cluttered and has less content overall.

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In this way, you can cast the converted iTunes movies to Roku, Chromecast or Amazon Fire.

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