Apps
What is PlayOn? Everything You Need to Know in 2021
PlayOn is a streaming video recorder that lets you download and store videos from various streaming services including Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Crackle, ESPN, HBO GO, HBO Now, YouTube, and much more. The recording feature of PlayOn acts as a DVR (Digital Video Recorder) for streaming videos, creating a video file (.mp4 format) which can be transferred to the supported media devices. Users can watch those videos anytime and anywhere without using internet connection. The added advantage of the recording feature is that the recorded videos don’t display any advertisements. Hence the users without their favorite TV shows without any interruptions.
Topics Discussed:
- Is PlayOn Legal to use?
- PlayOn Cloud vs PlayOn Desktop
- PlayOn Supported Devices
- PlayOn Channels
- How to use PlayOn?
- PlayOn Free Version vs Paid Version
- PlayOn Alternatives
- PlayOn Review
Is PlayOn Legal to use?
Nothing to worry. PlayOn is completely legal to use. Because the users don’t get free access to watch the licensed streaming content. You have to pay the subscription fee directly to the licensed provider to watch or record the video. It is very important to note that PlayOn is not a streaming device and it doesn’t stream any own contents. It just records the video from other websites through the DVR method and let the users watch it in offline mode.
PlayOn Cloud vs PlayOn Desktop
PlayOn has two main products: PlayOn Cloud and PlayOn Desktop. Let check out the features of each product:
PlayOn Cloud: PlayOn Cloud is an online service used for digital video streaming on Android & iOS devices. With PlayOn Cloud, you can record videos from the popular streaming services like Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO Go and much more. On PlayOn Cloud, you can add up to nearly 13 channels. Once you recorded the video, it will be stored in MP4 format and you can watch it offline mode. Each recording on PlayOn Cloud costs $0.40 and the recorded videos will disappear from PlayOn’s media server after 30 days.
PlayOn Desktop: It is a windows based software that acts as a streaming hub on your PC. It
PlayOn Supported Devices
Here are the platforms that are compatible with PlayOn
- Windows PC
- Android & iOS Mobiles
- Roku
- Amazon Fire TV Stick
- PlayStation
- Xbox
- Wii U
PlayOn Desktop can stream the media to your TV by using any of the following devices
- Gaming Consoles: PS3, PS4, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
- Streaming Devices: Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV Stick. Roku, WDTV
- Mobile Phones: Android Phone, Blackberry 10, iPhone, Windows Phone, Kindle Fire
- Media Players: Kodi
- Smart TVs: DLNA Smart TVs
PlayOn Channels
PlayOn Channels lets you watch different streaming sites without accessing their website or apps. While downloading the PlayOn for the first time, you will have a dozen channels to select from and you can add more channels later. The new channels can be downloaded from the PlayOn Plugin Channel Store.
How to use PlayOn?
PlayOn is very simple to install and use.
#1: Download and Install PlayOn using Windows PC.
#2: Launch and configure your Channel settings.
#3: Navigate to personal media library to access your personal media’s.
#4: Enable Mobile Access to access PlayOn on your mobile/tablet while you’re away from home.
PlayOn Free Version vs Paid Version
The PlayOn Desktop app is of two versions: Free and Paid. Check out the similarities and dissimilarities between the free Version and Paid Version:
| Free Version | Paid Version | |
| Recorded Videos Never Expire | ✖ | ✔ |
| Stream Videos to any Device | ✖ | ✔ |
| Mobile Control | ✖ | ✔ |
| Ad-Skip | ✖ | ✔ |
| Record New Episodes Automatically | ✖ | ✔ |
| Schedule Recording Hours | ✖ | ✔ |
| Stream Your Videos to TV | ✔ | ✔ |
| Media Library Organization | ✔ | ✔ |
| Streaming Channels Guide | ✔ | ✔ |
| Free Movies and TV Shows | ✔ | ✔ |
PlayOn Alternatives
While comparing with Roku Box, Chromecast and Amazon Fire TV Stick, the features in PlayOn are limited and the quality of the media streamed through the media is limited to 720p resolutions. For those users who want 1080p or 4K streaming capability, here are some alternatives:
Kodi Media Player: Kodi is a popular and open source media center that will turn your device into a media hub. It also lets you access the content over the Internet by using the various addons developed by the members of the Kodi open source community.
Read more about Kodi Media Player.
Plex: Plex is a powerful media server which allows you to organize and stream your media contents in the wide range of devices like mobile, TV, tablet, PC and more. Plex is available on platforms like Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS.
Read more about Plex.
Emby: Actually, there is not a great deal of difference between Plex and Emby. Emby works well on smartphones and Xbox. Emby offers you some standout features than Plex. Emby is available on platforms like Windows, Mac, and Linux.
PlayOn Review
Definitely, PlayOn will add some extra flexibility to your internet streaming. The advantage of PlayOn Desktop Paid version and PlayOn Cloud options will more flexibility to the record feature and it will let you access your favorite streaming content anytime.
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