An introduction to Stan, Netflex and Presto by Muris Basic.
How has internet TV changed the dynamics of television? Where before, the TV companies controlled the access, broadcast and the life of a TV program, now the viewers are in control and services like Stan, Netflix and Presto are the latest additions to Australia’s internet pay TV market. But what are these services, and how do they work?
Internet television is the digital distribution of TV content via the internet (Broadband). A broadband connection is a high-speed internet connection such as home NBN, ADSL or Cable Internet, which are all considered fixed broadband connections at home and are required to watch internet TV. You can watch on your TV with Apple TV or Chromecast and on your computer, tablet or smartphone – there are many ways of connecting to Stan, Netflix and Presto. Each of these services recommends a home broadband speed of at least 3mbps for DVD quality streaming and 5 mbps for HD quality streaming.
You should also ensure your data allowance will cope. If you have less than a 10GB per month home data plan, you may not be ready for internet TV.
Unlike traditional television, the new wave of streaming television is all about choice, and will expand over time. The last frontiers will be sport and news – the twin pillars of the twentieth century model we grew up with.
Listed below are the deals that are offered at the time of writing.
- Platforms: PC/Mac, smart TV, tablet, mobile, Airplay via Apple TV, Chromecast
- Cost: $10/month (no contract)
- Trial period: 30 days try before you buy
- Streaming Quality: HD (High Definition)
- Screens: unlimited devices; 3 streams
- Total library titles: 1250 titles approx
- Total library hours: 7000 hours approx
- Broadband Data consumption: 1GB per hour (standard definition), 1.5GB per hour (high definition 720p), and 3GB per hour (high definition 1080p)
- Key suppliers: Sony Pictures, CBS Studios, MGM, Village Roadshow, NBC Universal, BBC Worldwide, ABC Commercial, SBS (including World Movies), Viacom, Turner
- Key content: exclusive rights to Better Call Saul, Dig, Transparent, Mozart in the Jungle, Community, The LEGO Movie, the James Bond library, Wolf of Wall Street, streaming rights to Fargo, Breaking Bad, The Bridge, The Killing
- Platforms: PC/Mac, tablet, mobile, Apple TV, Chromecast, Fetch TV
- Cost: there is three different plans, basic ($8.99), standard(1080p) ($11.99), premium (4k) ($14.99); no contract
- Trial period: 30 days free
- Quality: SD (basic), HD (standard), 4K (premium)
- Screens: unlimited devices; 1 stream (basic), 2 streams (standard), 4 streams (premium)
- Total library titles: 1120 titles approx. 220 are TV shows. (It’s worth noting that Australian Netflix has 7000 less titles then the American Netflix currently, over time the Australian catalogue will grow.)
- Total library hours: 5000 hours approx
- Broadband Data consumption: 1GB per hour (standard definition), 3GB per hour (high definition), and 7GB per hour (ultra-high-definition)
- Key suppliers: Netflix (USA), Disney, Beyond Distribution, Warner Bros, BBC Worldwide, 20th Century Fox, NBC Universal, Village Roadshow, ABC Commercial
- Key content: exclusive rights to House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Bloodline, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Grace and Frankie, plus streaming rights to the films Frozen and Maleficent
- Platforms: PC/Mac, smart TV, tablet, mobile, Chromecast
- Cost: TV $9.99/month, movies $9.99/month, both $14.99/month (no contract)
- Trial period: 30 days free (no contract)
- Quality: SD
- Screens: 4 devices; 2 streams
- Total library titles: 1200 titles approx., of which 100 approx. are TV
- Total library hours: 4500 hours approx
- Broadband Data consumption: About 1.3GB/hour (standard definition)
- Key suppliers: HBO, Foxtel Productions, Seven Network, 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, Disney, eOne, NBC Universal
- Key content: exclusive streaming rights to Modern Family, streaming rights to Sons of Anarchy, Homeland, The Americans, plus Foxtel “Originals” including Wentworth, Cloudstreet, Love My Way, Tangle, Devil’s Playground
