But, of course, to the 99% of the world who have never even heard of concept of a HDTV… these boxes and dongles are totally acceptable.
I mean, I only have a Roku hooked up, but I can plug my laptop when I need to. I don’t have an old out-of-commission computer to hook up permanently. Even when I replace my desktop my might not re-purpose my old one, because it’s big, heavy and loud. Sure an HTPC would be just better, but there are downsides to anything not built for that purpose, and that costs $$$.
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I have my chromecast plugged into one of my TV HDMI slots. It cost $100*n less than a computer. It takes significantly less space, energy, maintenance. To stream netflix or youtube, you take a phone, open the app, and press play. Pause, go forward/back, change volume, a couple swipes at most. When I want to watch a movie from a file on my surface, I run videostream, and again have that level of control. I can run the app on my phone, and play movies off a computer in another room.
Does it prevent me from plugging in a computer when I want something more high powered? nope. But it is a cheap, efficient, effective, and easy solution for a large percentage of my uses, and therefore 100% worthwhile. What exactly is wrong with buying a product that fits your use case? If you need a space heater for a small area, you don’t go and install central heating just because it can heat more rooms. Also, as the de facto IT tech for three goddamn families (in four countries), I really appreciate simple, easy to use, well-designed devices that the neanderthals can’t break.
Which one is it?
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I don’t expect the masses to be able to figure out that you can or should connect a real computer to the TV when there is nobody telling them to do this. It would be better for them to do so, because it would allow them to escape the walled garden of corporately curated content.
However, I do expect people who know better to do so. I expect someone who knows they are in a walled garden to bust out.
No it would not be better for some of them to be outside the walled garden, because they would promptly walk into the sea and drown. The process of becoming aware on their own of the walled garden and the desire for something outside it, is the perfect process towards leaving it.
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I’m only criticizing those who are fully aware and have no desire to leave.
Sometimes eating the lotuses is just fine, Scott.
Meh. I’d only agree with you if htpc vs branded device were equivalent in cost, maintenance, size, and ease of use, which they aren’t. Why don’t you just carry around a 3g enabled desktop to use as a smartphone?
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Just a FYI, that was the Steam Link that links to my computer, not sure why there was some lag, probably was using wi-fi instead of the ethernet connection, I was just too lazy/drunk to check it (plus was doing great in Towerfall :-P)
Is Netflix a walled garden on apps and streaming devices?
I mean possibly. I’ve never done the tests myself for netflix, but I can say that on youtube, content changes based on whether you’re on a browser vs the app. May be true of netflix too, I suspect it isn’t but who knows.
I give zero fucks about this argument I appear to have started. 
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No, but the Netflix app on Windows does have a purpose. You get higher than 720p streams via the app as opposed to hard limited 720 in a browser you’d actually want to use
https://help.netflix.com/en/node/55763
I never realized Chrome/Firefox were limited to 720P. Probably because our Roku can stream 4K…
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Man, I was really hoping that “to become a…” would be followed by “llama herder” or something.
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LOL, he’s gonna get curb stomped in court.
Does he have an actual intent, other than publicity? 
Judging by how delusional people like that tend to be about the law, I’d say he genuinely thinks not only that he has a case, he thinks has a case he can win.
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