Are ‘Second Screen’ Devices Becoming Top Dog in the Living Room?

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These days, more and more people getting their news, entertainment and game fixes off their mobile devices. This has given rise to the term ‘Second Screen’, with the smaller mobile device becoming a companion to the ‘first screen’ or home TV set. Not only do smartphones allow TV shows and movies to be taken out of the living room and enjoyed on the go, they also offer a way for people to get extra content about the shows that they are watching. Want to look up a map of Middle Earth while watching Fellowship of the Ring? No problem! Want to get the recipe for the soufflé featured on your favorite cooking show? Easy. You can even search local stores for the best prices on ingredients. Streaming Media magazine first reported on this phenomenon in 2011, and it has grown ever since.

Now it looks like the second screen may be overtaking the first screen in popularity. A recent article on TechCrunch noted that 50% of online entertainment giant Hulu’s viewers are using their mobile devices exclusively. This number is a sharp rise from previous years, and it does not take into account those who watch on desktop computers. The interesting thing is much of this mobile viewing is taking place in the living room with the TV turned off or completely absent.

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With mobile devices getting less expensive and cable TV costs going up, it looks like more and more people will “cut the cord” and enjoy their content on the go. What does this mean for us? At TheaterSeatStore.com, we also recognize this trend and now offer removable tray tables and specialized tablet holders on many of our home theater seat models. This allows the mobile user to enjoy all of the comfort and convenience of home theater seating while offering easy access to their mobile device of choice. Whether they prefer to watch the small screen, or search for more information while watching their favorite movie on a 105” 4K TV and Dolby surround sound system.

5 Reasons to Cut Cable for Internet TV – Part 1 of 3

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You have just finished building the perfect home theater. The home theater recliners are in place, the ideal projector / screen combo is installed and all of your components are wired up. One question remains before you sit back and pick up the remote: Should you stick with cable TV or “cut the cord” and opt for only Internet TV? Below we present 5 good arguments for cutting the cord, and next week we will present 5 more arguments for sticking with your current cable plan.

5. Most TV shows available on Cable TV are also available online – Often, streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime offer new TV episodes a week or less after they originally air.

4. Cable TV prices keep going up – After the six month promotional period, cable TV prices can increase to 2 or 3 times their original monthly price. A $49.99 promotional bundle of TV, phone and Internet can quickly grow to $200 a month or more. In contrast much of Internet TV is free or costs a small monthly fee.

3. Internet TV can be streamed from a variety of devices – Whether you choose to watch your favorite movie or TV show on your tablet, laptop, TV or other device, Internet TV can accommodate you. Also, many game consoles, set-top boxes and even Smart Televisions can access popular streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon.

2. Both cable and internet TV is available in HD – Switching to internet-only TV does not mean that you have to suffer through non-HD quality programming. Both cable TV and Internet TV channels offer full HD resolution.

1. Internet TV is the wave of the future – Large companies like Apple, Intel and Google are investing large amounts of money to refine and improve Internet TV. As more and more enhancements are made, the better and more accessible Internet-only TV becomes.