Off-the-top streaming (OTT) took the world by storm in early 2019 and gained immense public traction around the covid outbreak in late 2020.
The invention of OTT services has changed how we conveniently and more effectively consume media. There are no more annoying commercials, specific airing times, or paying for cable services.
The OTT media industry is still at a growing stage despite it being worth over 122 billion dollars in 2023. The best of devices just made their way into the market; here is what your cable TV has been replaced by:
A leading TV in OLED technology, the Sony A95K comes in 55” and 65” options, and is one of Sony’s first QD-OLED screens with new and improved technology.
The Sony A95K OLED is known for its pure black color levels and its cognitive Xr processor that enhances photos in the same way your eyes focus to better the overall watching experience.
Surround sound audio, XR viewing technology, and google hands-free voice search for all your OTT needs, you can find up to 7000 different shows and movies to stream on the Sony A95K OLED.
Compatible with airplay and google cast, the sony wide-screen can easily be paired with your phone devices and used as a hub for smart home devices like temperature, lighting, cameras, and more.
TCL is the best value manufacturer in today’s market, making quality TVs for a fraction of the expensive designs of Sony, Samsung, and other competing brands.
The TCL 6 series is a mini LED-powered screen with a sleek minimal design that eliminates borders and enjoys a high-speed 120-Hz refresh rate.
Simple and easy to navigate, it comes with a small, straightforward remote with dedicated buttons for all your favorite OTT apps like Netflix, Hulu, ABC, and more.
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09/30/2023 06:58 pm GMT
TCL partnered with Ruko in late 2014 to create an all-in-one medium between streaming and traditional TV, and this device is the enhanced version of the original models.
Users love the mid-centered pedestal that makes the device easy to mount onto any gaming console and offers perfect stability compared to previous models.
A sat screen that’s known to be one of the brightest TVs on the market, theSamsung QN90B comes in 43-inch to 85-inch options. The Samsung QN90B QLED is best compared to the LG C2 in its quality and resolution.
Although it is packed with different smart streaming services but is known to be more sluggish than other Smart TVs on this list of OTT streaming devices.
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09/30/2023 11:18 pm GMT
Its 120Hz refresh rate and Samsung’s new gaming hub technology make it a perfect screen for gaming and cloud-connected services like Google Stadia, Amazon Luna, and more.
The sleekest and cleanest design on this OTT streaming smart TVs list is much more affordable than most OLED technology TVs.
The LG C2 is an improved version of the original LG C1 OLED but doesn’t differentiate itself much aside from the overall design and various size options.
A 4k tv that perfectly showcases its OTT offerings in a simplified home screen that promotes everything hot and trendy on different provider networks.
An android-powered OTT streaming box with 4K HDR10 supporting resolutions, the Xiaomi Mi Box S is one of the most common options for standard TV upgrades.
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09/30/2023 11:18 pm GMT
It connects via Wifi and features only one HDMI socket and USB port. The Xiaomi Mi Box S features a standard android 8.1 interface, a somewhat dated interface compared to other options on this list.
A slightly dated OTT streaming device, the Ruko Express is fast, reliable, and highly versatile with different options but hasn’t updated its interface since late 2016.
An excellent value-base option to turn your standard TV into a Smart Streaming TV, offering an layout identical to what you’d get when purchasing a Smart TV from Roku.
A premium-priced streaming device compared to other streaming boxes on this list, the Apple TV 4k is an HDR10 streamer with an additional Dolby Vision option and 32 GB of storage.
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09/30/2023 11:24 pm GMT
Other streaming devices feature each OT provider separately. Apple groups them all into the Apple Tv streaming bundle, allowing you to subscribe to them as separate channels instead of apps.
Overall the best option for value-based streaming with a wide array of channels and OTT providers. The Amazon Stick is best compared to Google Chromecast in its offerings that any other OTT device cannot beat.
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09/30/2023 11:28 pm GMT
The fire stick uses a similar approach to Apple when grouping OTT services, as the best layout and interface is through the Amazone Prime App.
At just a fraction price of Apple Tv, you can get all your favorite channels, such as HBO Max, Peacock, Netflix, and more, on a single stick for less than $30.
The best Android device on this list, the Google Chromecast offers an exceptionally customizable interface and 4k 60 FPS streaming resolution.
With all the OTT providers you love, such as Netflix, Hulu, Apple Tv, and more, Google’s Chromecast is one of the most straightforward streaming devices.
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09/30/2023 11:33 pm GMT
There are a few Chromecast versions in the market; however, the best remains the Chromecast 4k, which costs slightly more than Amazon’s Fire Stick.
OTT in 2023 the future of online streaming
Live streaming features
With the growth of the live streaming sector and the rise of many live streaming apps, major OTT platforms are working on integrating live streaming from platforms like Twitch and youtube as separate services.
Shared streaming
A customized experience is the key to increased users and is being quickly adopted by many music and OTT streaming services, like Spotify, Netflix, and more.
The concept of shared streaming allows more than one user to stream the same show or movie simultaneously and communicate via message as if they were watching in the same room.
Bundles and partnerships
The increased amount of OTT streaming services is growing rapidly, and for platforms to maintain high retention rates, they will need to integrate bundles and streaming packages.
These bundles already exist with some streaming services like Apple Tv and Google Chromecast, while separate OTT platforms are yet to adopt them.
Conclusion
The OTT market is still at an early developing stage and is moving faster than what the devices in today’s market offer.
Buying the latest technology at this point may cause further investments down the road, as product launches and updates are happening exceptionally fast.
David Adler is an entrepreneur and freelance blog post writer who enjoys writing about business, entrepreneurship, travel and the influencer marketing space.
Off-the-top streaming (OTT) took the world by storm in early 2019 and gained immense public traction around the covid outbreak in late 2020.
The invention of OTT services has changed how we conveniently and more effectively consume media. There are no more annoying commercials, specific airing times, or paying for cable services.
The OTT media industry is still at a growing stage despite it being worth over 122 billion dollars in 2023. The best of devices just made their way into the market; here is what your cable TV has been replaced by:
The best OTT devices in 2023
Smart TVs
Sony A95K OLED
A leading TV in OLED technology, the Sony A95K comes in 55” and 65” options, and is one of Sony’s first QD-OLED screens with new and improved technology.
The Sony A95K OLED is known for its pure black color levels and its cognitive Xr processor that enhances photos in the same way your eyes focus to better the overall watching experience.
Surround sound audio, XR viewing technology, and google hands-free voice search for all your OTT needs, you can find up to 7000 different shows and movies to stream on the Sony A95K OLED.
Compatible with airplay and google cast, the sony wide-screen can easily be paired with your phone devices and used as a hub for smart home devices like temperature, lighting, cameras, and more.
TCL 6 Series/R655 2022 QLED
TCL is the best value manufacturer in today’s market, making quality TVs for a fraction of the expensive designs of Sony, Samsung, and other competing brands.
The TCL 6 series is a mini LED-powered screen with a sleek minimal design that eliminates borders and enjoys a high-speed 120-Hz refresh rate.
Simple and easy to navigate, it comes with a small, straightforward remote with dedicated buttons for all your favorite OTT apps like Netflix, Hulu, ABC, and more.
TCL partnered with Ruko in late 2014 to create an all-in-one medium between streaming and traditional TV, and this device is the enhanced version of the original models.
Users love the mid-centered pedestal that makes the device easy to mount onto any gaming console and offers perfect stability compared to previous models.
Samsung QN90B QLED
A sat screen that’s known to be one of the brightest TVs on the market, the Samsung QN90B comes in 43-inch to 85-inch options. The Samsung QN90B QLED is best compared to the LG C2 in its quality and resolution.
Although it is packed with different smart streaming services but is known to be more sluggish than other Smart TVs on this list of OTT streaming devices.
Its 120Hz refresh rate and Samsung’s new gaming hub technology make it a perfect screen for gaming and cloud-connected services like Google Stadia, Amazon Luna, and more.
LG C2 OLED
The sleekest and cleanest design on this OTT streaming smart TVs list is much more affordable than most OLED technology TVs.
The LG C2 is an improved version of the original LG C1 OLED but doesn’t differentiate itself much aside from the overall design and various size options.
A 4k tv that perfectly showcases its OTT offerings in a simplified home screen that promotes everything hot and trendy on different provider networks.
Although not as bright as its Samsung competitor, the LG C2 has perfect black levels, fast performance, and a much more user-friendly interface.
All-in-one media devices
Xiaomi Mi Box S
An android-powered OTT streaming box with 4K HDR10 supporting resolutions, the Xiaomi Mi Box S is one of the most common options for standard TV upgrades.
It connects via Wifi and features only one HDMI socket and USB port. The Xiaomi Mi Box S features a standard android 8.1 interface, a somewhat dated interface compared to other options on this list.
Roku Express HD
A slightly dated OTT streaming device, the Ruko Express is fast, reliable, and highly versatile with different options but hasn’t updated its interface since late 2016.
An excellent value-base option to turn your standard TV into a Smart Streaming TV, offering an layout identical to what you’d get when purchasing a Smart TV from Roku.
Apple Tv 4k
A premium-priced streaming device compared to other streaming boxes on this list, the Apple TV 4k is an HDR10 streamer with an additional Dolby Vision option and 32 GB of storage.
Other streaming devices feature each OT provider separately. Apple groups them all into the Apple Tv streaming bundle, allowing you to subscribe to them as separate channels instead of apps.
Amazon Fire Stick
Overall the best option for value-based streaming with a wide array of channels and OTT providers. The Amazon Stick is best compared to Google Chromecast in its offerings that any other OTT device cannot beat.
The fire stick uses a similar approach to Apple when grouping OTT services, as the best layout and interface is through the Amazone Prime App.
At just a fraction price of Apple Tv, you can get all your favorite channels, such as HBO Max, Peacock, Netflix, and more, on a single stick for less than $30.
Google Chromecast
The best Android device on this list, the Google Chromecast offers an exceptionally customizable interface and 4k 60 FPS streaming resolution.
With all the OTT providers you love, such as Netflix, Hulu, Apple Tv, and more, Google’s Chromecast is one of the most straightforward streaming devices.
There are a few Chromecast versions in the market; however, the best remains the Chromecast 4k, which costs slightly more than Amazon’s Fire Stick.
OTT in 2023 the future of online streaming
Live streaming features
With the growth of the live streaming sector and the rise of many live streaming apps, major OTT platforms are working on integrating live streaming from platforms like Twitch and youtube as separate services.
Shared streaming
A customized experience is the key to increased users and is being quickly adopted by many music and OTT streaming services, like Spotify, Netflix, and more.
The concept of shared streaming allows more than one user to stream the same show or movie simultaneously and communicate via message as if they were watching in the same room.
Bundles and partnerships
The increased amount of OTT streaming services is growing rapidly, and for platforms to maintain high retention rates, they will need to integrate bundles and streaming packages.
These bundles already exist with some streaming services like Apple Tv and Google Chromecast, while separate OTT platforms are yet to adopt them.
Conclusion
The OTT market is still at an early developing stage and is moving faster than what the devices in today’s market offer.
Buying the latest technology at this point may cause further investments down the road, as product launches and updates are happening exceptionally fast.