Playon
PlayOn is an app that allows you to manage all of your digital video streaming services from a single, simple dashboard.
- Organize all your videos, photos, and streaming services from one place
- Record any programming from your favorite streaming services
- Cast streaming services to any streaming device or smart TV
- Ability to set recording times automates the process
- Skipping commercials is a huge boon
- Cloud services charges you per video recorded
- Requires setting up a complex network for features that might be of limited value\
The way many of us watch television has changed. Streaming media like Netflix and Hulu offer an affordable solution to the traditionally expensive cable packages, and they also allow you to watch the TV you want on your schedule. That doesn't mean an all streaming entertainment ecosystem doesn't come with disadvantages as well. From having to sort through multiple streaming services to find the programming you're looking for to picking a device that gives you all the streaming services you have a subscription to, there are still some hurdles the digital streaming community has to face. PlayOn is a piece of third party software that takes measures to improve how you record and watch videos via your streaming services. The centerpiece of the PlayOn experience is its ability to record videos from any of your streaming services. All of the shows or movies you choose to record are saved in a high-quality MP4 format, so you can be assured knowing that you'll get crisp video free from stuttering. The control you have over recording is respectable. You can set a subscription to an entire show, so new episodes will be recorded whenever they enter streaming rotation, and the ability to set designated times for recording means that you can avoid slowdown during peak computer use. Set it to go overnight and rest easy knowing your bandwidth won't be affected during your waking hours. You can also skip right through the commercials to enjoy an uninterrupted experience from start to finish. Transferring these recorded files to other devices is also easy, so PlayOn is a great choice if you're worried about a program leaving a streaming choice before you have the chance to watch it. It's also great for setting up a playlist for a road trip, remote vacation, or daily commute, where consistent internet connections may be sorely lacking. Another strength of PlayOn is its versatile ability to work as a media server. Streaming devices like Rokus and Amazon Fire can be a great way to condense your streaming services into a single device, but many of these streaming devices are limited on what services they support. PlayOn can let you juice up your streaming device with added features. As a media server, it allows you to organize all of your photos, video, and media in one simple interface and project them directly through your streaming device or smart TV. But using the PlayOn app directly or a handy browser extension allows you to stream any browser based video service to your box as well, essentially circumventing restrictions on the apps available through your device. Both a desktop and cloud option of PlayOn are available. The former is a full service application that can run on your computer, while the latter allows you to record streaming videos on your phone or other mobile device.
Flexible and good video quality but huge CPU hog. This is a big problem.
Playon is not a good idea to buy if you are outside the US. Some major streaming services in Europe are not on the list.
Glad I only purchased a 3 month service. Playon access is limited and almost all current and many older programs are blocked and cannot be recorded. For those few that can be recorded Playon consistently fails. Frustrating to be 30 minutes into a recording and then "Fail to record." My list of "failed" recordings is huge my list of successful recordings is minuscule and all are standard vice HD. Playon is a good idea that just doesn't live up to its promise.