Optimize Your Streaming Experience

More and more of us are forgoing the expense of buying a TV and using traditional cable. Expensive channel packages can create a financial hole in your monthly budget. Instead, the rise in streaming services has caused a real shake-up in all aspects of the visual entertainment industry. With people sitting at home with their laptop showing them what movies they want and all the latest cultural touchstones coming from streaming services like Netflix, (see tiger King and Squid Game for reference), less and less people are watching their regularly scheduled programming.

But there are always ways to improve the experience. Big TV and film fans strive for full immersion. You don’t just want to watch Game of Thrones, you want to feel the cold beyond the wall. So, if you are someone who has replaced the big screen, and the small screen with the online screen, read on for details on how you can optimize your streaming experience.

Projector

Even with advancement after advancement in cameras, CGI and other cinematography elements, the actual method of distributing a blockbuster movie has stayed the same: the projector.

Once dismissed by school kids as only an approved reason not to study and watch a cheesy health class video, the projector is making a comeback in homes everywhere. When televisions are getting so big they may as well take up a wall, why not get a projector and cut out the middleman?

You don’t even necessarily need to take down that family portrait to make room for it. If you have a bed with a canopy, you can install a projector above your headboard. Then, drape a white sheet over the end of your canopy bed and watch your favorite shows. You can even put it all away when you are done.

People have gotten creative with the use of projectors. If you are living in a tiny apartment with barely any windows, you can project a rainforest hut window onto your wall and fall asleep to the sound of running water. Instead of buying a home with a fireplace that will add another zero to the price, project a cozy fire onto the wall. Lastly, your games, Twitch streams and karaoke sessions will all be ginormous on a projected screen rather than a tiny laptop.

WiFi

There is nothing worse than your WiFi giving up on you. Can you imagine getting through The Godfather, getting to that slow zoom in of Michael Corleone’s face as he makes his decision, the tension rising, when suddenly a buffer wheel appears? It would be enough to see your laptop sailing out the window.

Just as infuriating is plodding along through an episode of your favorite TV show and a little buffer wheel keeps popping up. If this happens, it may be because your streaming service is more than your WiFi can handle. If you want to optimize your streaming experience, you need great WiFi.

Slow WiFi can occur for a range of reasons. You could have too many devices on the system, or there could be a wall between you and your router. There may even be some interference caused by the network itself.

This is where you will need Setapp. Setapp offers a range of apps available to solve problems to have your computer running at its best, including clean-up programs, Bluetooth aids, and, crucially, a Wi-Fi manager. The Wi-Fi maintenance app will scan your network to weed out dead spots and find problems in your router, improving the strength and reliability of your Wi-Fi network. Find more apps solving more online problems on the Setapp website.

With your Wi-Fi staying reliable you might actually get to the end of that true crime doc. Spoiler alert: the creepy guy did it!

Surround Sound

Another way to optimize your streaming experience is by getting some high quality speakers. One of the main gripes of the “loss of the cinema” is that the audio quality at a theatre quality is much better. Of course this is only after you eliminate the noise of many people around you. Sure, you saw A Quiet Place and had to wait for the monster to appear to open your snack. Maybe you jumped when someone coughed instead of getting scared by the actual movie.

If you are watching from a laptop or mobile device, you probably won’t get the best audio quality. They aren’t designed with bulky superior speakers in mind, so you would be better off investing in some.

It is possible for you to get speakers that are all connected to your laptop via Bluetooth and place them around your room. This will create a truly immersive listening experience. Hear every held breath with a system of connected speakers that are no bigger than an office mug. You can even take at home audio to the next level by purchasing some standing speakers that will have your neighbors jealous.

Purchasing high quality speakers and other audio technology is a great way to optimize your streaming experience.

Nesting

The main advantage of streaming your movie at home instead of going to a theatre is that you no longer have to go out in public. Heck, you don’t need to take a shower and get into a respectable outfit, you can sit in your jammies. You don’t need to tolerate the guy at the end of the aisle that has snored all the way through the third act, and you will no longer be judged for bringing in your own food. You can watch your film with a full Sunday roast if you feel like it. The best part is, you can pause it for the much needed mid-film bathroom break!

With that being said, the main perk of a move theatre is total immersion. The darkness and lack of distractions is something that needs to be emulated at home for the ultimate movie experience.

Start by making sure you have some heavy or dark curtains. This will be a big step in ensuring darkness, even on the sunniest summer day. Invest in some felt stickers for the room. We all know how distracting that one device light in the corner can be. Cover it up and focus on your screen. Nesting is a great way to optimize your streaming experience.

As for the food, we all greatly miss the taste of authentic movie theater popcorn. Sure, you can make a Sunday roast, but nothing beats a big bucket of popcorn to munch on. Popcorn makers are “popping up” everywhere, and are an affordable way to keep that salty/sweet taste around.

Start Optimizing Your Streaming Experience

As busy professionals, we all need a way to wind down and relax. Binging a new show or catching up on some cult classic movies are a great way to do this. Optimizing your streaming experience can be seen as an act of self care! In order to make the most of your streaming experience at home, follow these tips.

You may want to invest in a projector, as well as look into your WiFi plan to make sure it is fast enough. Purchasing some high quality speakers, and making sure your preview room is dark can also contribute to the best at home streaming experience.