Welcome to the Lab

Hi, and welcome to our Over-the-Top lab! I’m Sara, and I’ll be here every week to discuss all things related to streaming video — from comparisons of the latest devices to explanations of the underlying technology.

Consider this a visual sort of “Translation-Please,” for services and devices that stream video over IP.

I became a cord-cutter a little over a year ago, out of necessity. I moved to a rural neighborhood and found out that I couldn’t move our Comcast service to the new house. Armed with a Sony PS-3, a Netflix streaming disc, and an extremely slow DSL connection, I started my adventure and quickly found a new hobby – trying every streaming player I could get my hands on.

There are so many devices and services on the market today that it’s nearly impossible to keep them all straight, especially without having them all set up side by side.

Thats where I come in. I’ve joined forces with Leslie to run an OTT Video Lab, with all the major streaming devices. (I’ll rattle them off to you in a later post. Promise.)

Our intent is to observe how well each works (or not!) and how they stack up against one another. Also to see what would and wouldn’t compel consumers to cut the cord, and/or to go to the “connected” input of smartTVs, tablets, smartphones, and on and on.

We especially want to hear what you — yes you, you, reading this right now — are most interested in. Please drop me a line (OTTlab@saradirkse.com) if there’s a device you’d like to see us review, a burning question you want answered, or if you’d like to schedule any tests for the lab. And thanks for reading!