More and more people are moving away from the ‘big screen’ to their smaller personal screens as a primary entertainment device. However, the big screen still has its place! Whether it be for nostalgic, overall experience or bonding reasons, we still like to huddle around the TV. The personal device should still be used to initiate and control the big screen though. Here’s the argument as to why you should use your mobile device as a primary entertainment source.
Screen time reporting
Both Apple and Google devices include methods to track, report on and limit screen time on supported devices. Personally, I’ve found this to be extremely useful in reporting my own and my families screen time trends over time. A screen is a screen – it doesn’t matter if it’s a large screen on wall or a small screen in your hand. If my son, spends 1 hour on his tablet and 2 hours in front of the TV, that’s three total hours of screen time, not one.
Consistent experience
AppleTV, Roku, Sling, cable boxes, etc. all have their own OS and user interfaces. They’re all a bit different and, in my opinion, none of them are as intuitive as the entertainment Apps designed for the mobile experience. Using your personal device to initiate, control and stream the content provides the same user experience every time.
Data input
How many times have you gone into an App on your Apple TV and been asked to ‘activate’ it? Usually, this process involves picking up your mobile device or going to a computer web browser. You often need to enter credentials and type in activation codes. This process is extremely frustrating and cumbersome, especially when it’s 8:59PM and your favorite show is starting at 9PM. By streaming the provider content from your personal device, you don’t need to worry about installing, setting up and re-activating the provider application on another device.
Lose the remote!
Remotes are under the couch, in the cushions, in some odd drawer or hidden in some obscure place. Your personal device is either in your hand or in your pocket. Forget finding the remote, changing batteries and pointing the remote in the proper direction. Stream from your personal device directly to the TV instead.