Playon is having a sale right now on the lifetime subscription and Roku LT. They run this deal regularly, but I believe it's typically around $20 more than this. I bought the lifetime and Roku about 9 months ago, and I think I paid around $79.99 + shipping. It's fantastic if you're trying to cut out cable.
A year ago, I used it during the free trial. It worked OK; since PlayOn essentially uses your PC as the "tuner" and DVR (DVR function is PlayLater), and streams it to whatever device (Roku was what I tried it on). The quality of the video depended on the processor speed of my PC more so than the bandwidth. I was hoping to run it on an older single-core PC with lots of memory that I leave on, but it didn't work (it was like trying to watch a Flash vid on a PIII 500mhz lol).
Things may have changed, but I cannot recommend PlayOn unless you have a dedicated PC to use with little-to-no running processes running while using it.
jaytoocheap
New Member
posted: Dec. 23, 2012 @ 8:31p
Lifetime licenses are 39.99 right now. I would recommend trying the free version for 2 weeks before making a decision. Also, if you can set up a wired versus a wireless connection I think you will enjoy it more.
A year ago, I used it during the free trial. It worked OK; since PlayOn essentially uses your PC as the "tuner" and DVR (DVR function is PlayLater), and streams it to whatever device (Roku was what I tried it on). The quality of the video depended on the processor speed of my PC more so than the bandwidth. I was hoping to run it on an older single-core PC with lots of memory that I leave on, but it didn't work (it was like trying to watch a Flash vid on a PIII 500mhz lol).
Things may have changed, but I cannot recommend PlayOn unless you have a dedicated PC to use with little-to-no running processes running while using it.
Things are much better. This is an ok deal - I jumped on it a few months back because I was looking to get another Roku and I'd upgrade to the lifetime license - The two drawbacks are that the LT I think doesn't have 1080P, and Playon will come out with an updated software at some point and name it something different and make you pay for a new license if you want to upgrade to that.
I run Playon on our only desktop, its an AMD quad core (whatever basic crap that sells at OfficeMax). The video runs very smooth, and isn't a bandwidth hog. I use Playon mostly for Hulu - works great! I also love the iPhone App which is included with the license.
steelycat
Senior Member
posted: Dec. 23, 2012 @ 10:07p
Can someone fill me in on what exactly this service provides? Does it include the membership fees to Netflix and hulu or just give you access to be able to pay for and use them?
Also, can anyone speak to video quality? Is this consistent high def or all over the board? Thanks in advance.
NRG
Senior Member
posted: Dec. 24, 2012 @ 5:21a
I use to use playon when it was free. Now I use plex media server which is free and provides more content. I stream all my media on ps3, Roku, lg smart tv, iPhone, iPad, android tablet from a quad core server. Cost of the software is zero forever.
KayK
Harlem Shake
posted: Dec. 24, 2012 @ 6:47a
NRG said: I use to use playon when it was free. Now I use plex media server which is free and provides more content. I stream all my media on ps3, Roku, lg smart tv, iPhone, iPad, android tablet from a quad core server. Cost of the software is zero forever.A Similar one to Plex is Serviio. Lots of "channels" can be found on the forums.. and like Plex, it works with all devices.
jesoon
Senior Member - 1K
posted: Dec. 24, 2012 @ 10:54a
Hey guys I did a bit of research on Plex and Serviio and found that they can essentially replace PlayOn. It seems you can stream and watch HD channels as well. Can you guys comment on how good it is (breaking up, disconnection issues, etc). Also what kind of a computer do you need to use as a server? Is a simple quad core enough?
KayK
Harlem Shake
posted: Dec. 24, 2012 @ 11:17a
jesoon said: Hey guys I did a bit of research on Plex and Serviio and found that they can essentially replace PlayOn. It seems you can stream and watch HD channels as well. Can you guys comment on how good it is (breaking up, disconnection issues, etc). Also what kind of a computer do you need to use as a server? Is a simple quad core enough?Works fine on my Dual Core 2.7 GHZ 3GB Ram desktop. Make sure you have enough bandwidth for the stream and a good wireless/wired connection between desktop, router and TV. 1080p streams sometimes stutter, but that's probably because of my processor speed. Transcoding videos on the fly will take good processing power + good RAM.. so keep that in mind. Movies/Music that are already on the PC work fine through DLNA.. and transcoding those are no problem even in 1080p.
mergezer
Nerdy Member
posted: Dec. 26, 2012 @ 5:24p
jesoon said: Hey guys I did a bit of research on Plex and Serviio and found that they can essentially replace PlayOn. It seems you can stream and watch HD channels as well. Can you guys comment on how good it is (breaking up, disconnection issues, etc). Also what kind of a computer do you need to use as a server? Is a simple quad core enough?
I am using Plex to DLNA to my Blu-Ray player. My movies and mp3's stream fine. Unfortunately, not all the Plex channels work for me. I would say Plex has very good content for a free setup, but I want to try PlayOn to see if more channels would work with it.
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