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PlayOn Mobile

Posted Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011 at 2:35 pm by Antonio Wells 2 Comments

User Rating3.06/5

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PlayOn Mobile. Hulu, Netflix Instant Queue*, Comedy Central, MLB.tv*, CNN, CBS, ESPN, ESPN3, TV.com, SpikeTV, The Ultimate Fighter, Amazon VOD, TBS, BET, Adult Swim, Oprah Winfrey Network, Nick, PBS, PBS Kids, MTV, Vevo, and many more. Now you can watch the online content from all of these channels on your Android Phone.

Named by CNET as one of the 10 Must-Have Apps for iPhone, PlayOn is now available for your Android phone. This app requires that you have PlayOn Media Server running on your PC and that you are running Android OS 2.2 or later and Flash. You can get a free 14-day trial of the media server application at http://www.playon.tv?rsrc=android

Price: Free App, Service Fee $39.99/year, One Time Fee $79.99

AndroidTapp.com Android App Review:

Pros & Cons:

Pros

• Watch Internet video content while mobile on WiFi or 3G
• Watch NetFlix, Hulu Plus, CNN, CBS, ESPN and more

Cons

• Slightly technical setup, plus PC or media server must always be on to access content
• Cannot scrub through to fast-forward or rewind video

Features:

PlayOn Mobile is an innovative solution set to stream online video content on Android and iOS devices plus other gaming consoles such as PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii. You can stream on home network WiFi or over 3G cellular networks* with good video quality. The best part about this solution is that you don’t have to buy new equipment to connect your devices, however, at a minimum you’ll need a wireless router, PC and Android phone. PlayOn takes care of most of the techno work and jargon so basically all a newbie would have to do is install the desktop app on their PC (remember to leave it on) plus install the Android app… sorry Mac fans not yet compatible.

*Bummer I personally couldn’t get the “Mobile Access” feature to work. I even opened the port on my router but it still did not take so I could not assess the quality over 3G. The workaround is awesome as it gives you early access to NetFlix and Hulu plus more for mobile as of current they do not fully support or block Android and Google TV. They have a Beta feature to allow you to stream your own stored home movies in the same fashion and requires VLC Media Player to be installed.

Watch Mobile

How to Setup PlayOn for Android:

In order to use PlayOn on your Android 2.2, 2.3, or 3.0 devices, you will need to have both PlayOn installed and running on your PC and the Adobe Flash Player and PlayOn Mobile app, which is available as a free download from the Android market. You may choose to use the web app instead by browsing to “m.playon.tv” in the default Android web browser.

Setting up PlayOn on your PC

• Launch PlayOn from the Start Menu. Open PlayOn settings by double-clicking on the PlayOn icon in your task tray.
• Next, in order to enable the use of PlayOn with your Android phone or device, click on the “Mobile Access” tab and check “Enable Mobile Access”.
• Some PlayOn channels such as Netflix, Pandora, Hulu and more may require your credentials in order to view that content. To enter your credentials, select the “Channels” tab and add your information there.
• Start the PlayOn Media Server by clicking on the “Start” button under the General Settings tab if you have not already done so.

Setting up your Android device

• Download the PlayOn Mobile app from the Android Market.
• While PlayOn is running on your PC, open the app on your device. Make sure that you are connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your PC.
• Next, you must “pair” your device with your PC. On the first screen of the app, you should see your copy of PlayOn listed — it will have the same name as your PC. Select your PC and a menu of PlayOn channels should appear. Now that your device is “paired” with your PlayOn PC, you should now be able to watch PlayOn anywhere, either over Wi-Fi or 3G.

Ease of Use & Usefulness:

To get the use and feature set out of PlayOn Mobile app you may have to call over your “Computer Buddy” if that person not already you. However it is somewhat simple to setup and get started on already setup wireless network. As mentioned it gives access to a host of video content websites formatted for direct mobile viewing aside from the hassle of viewing full web version.

Interface:

Watching on mobile is much better than browsing through as it tends to be a little on the slow side.

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