How to watch new streaming video services on your lounge TVAustralians are truly spoiled for choice when it comes to online movies and TV shows, but how can you watch them all on the big screen in the lounge room If youre sick of flicking through the same old channels, 1. All you can watch subscription video services dont just give you more to watch, they also break the shackles to the couch so you can enjoy your favourite shows whenever and wherever you like. His masters VOD Theres something for everyone among the many new streaming options. Photo Darren Pateman. Watch Live Webcasts on nugs. Watch your favorite live music from nugs. Not surprisingly, streaming services like Netflix have benefitted from the decline in TV viewing. Forty percent of households now subscribe to a subscription video on. Australian streaming video pioneer Quickflix has forged the way but this year it faces stiff competition from local rivals Presto and Stan co owned by Fairfax Media. All three are bracing for the arrival of US video giant Netflix in March. Pay TV behemoth Foxtel has seen the writing on the wall and is backing its Presto service. Theres nothing like checking basketball scores and live sports and celebrating the win of your team. Learn how you can watch the games live for free online. All these new streaming video services run on a computer, on Apple gadgets and on some Android and Windows Phone devices. But when youd rather kick back on the couch. Its also cut the price of home subscriptions and launched Foxtel Go for catch up TV, along with online only Foxtel Play subscriptions offering access to blockbuster Foxtel exclusives such as Game of Thrones. Googles Chromecast dongle is a versatile option. With no lock in contracts, its easy to test out all of Australias new subscription video services to see which is the best fit for your home. BP_HBUSE303_Drew-Jonathan-Scott-living-room-couch-Buying-And-Selling_4x3.jpg.rend_.hgtvcom.1280.960-750x500.jpg' alt='Watch Three On A Couch Streaming' title='Watch Three On A Couch Streaming' />Youll want broadband speeds of at least 2 megabits per second, along with a generous monthly download limit. As a rule of thumb, allow about 1 gigabyte of download per hour of viewing. Be warned subscription video services dont offer every movie and TV show ever made. With a few exceptions, you wont find new release movie rentals or TV shows the day after they go to air. Think of Netflix and the others more like unlimited access to the weekly rentals shelf at your local video store. All these new streaming video services run on a computer, on Apple gadgets and on some Android and Windows Phone devices. But when youd rather kick back on the couch and enjoy a movie on the big screen, thats when things become more hit and miss. The new generation of smart TVs with built in internet access receive a lot of attention but thankfully you dont need to buy a new television just to watch internet video. As long as your television has an HDMI video input, you can watch via a wide range of internet video players. Chances are you already own one, even if you havent discovered the internet video features yet. If you do have a smart TV, its worth checking for internet video apps, but its pot luck depending on your make and model of television. A handful of Freeview. Plus compatible smart TVs offer catch up TV from the five main free to air broadcasters, but most smart TVs only support a few. Dig a little deeper and you might find the Quickflix or Foxtel PlayGo app, but you wont find Stan or Presto at this stage. Meanwhile, almost every smart TV in Australia supports Netflix from the US, and you can often get it working here with a little trickery to mask your location. It remains to be seen how long it will take the various TV makers to offer the Netflix app in Australia after the service arrives next month. If your television leaves you in the lurch, check whether your DVD or Blu ray player, digital set top box or video recorder supports internet access and video apps. This includes internet video players such as Fetch TV or Telstras T Box, which also offer some online pay TV channels. A games console might come to your rescue too, with internet video services built into Sonys Play. Watch Afterwards Online Gorillavid. Station 3 and 4, Microsofts Xbox 3. One, and Nintendos Wii and Wii U. Once again, they should all support Netflix but theres no telling if or when theyll get the app in Australia. If youve scoured your lounge room and come up empty handed, consider a streaming video player such as the 1. Apple TV device. The Netflix app should come to Australian Apple TVs quickly, and Quickflix hopes to be on there by the end of the year. Stan lets you send video to the Apple TV from a computer, i. Phone or i. Pad using Apples Air. Play streaming but Air. Play is blocked on Presto and Quickflix. Thats an overwhelming list of options so if you want to keep things simple, start with Googles 4. Chromecast. Its a tiny HDMI dongle that plugs into your television and connects to your home Wi Fi network. It lets you stream video to your television from a computer or Apple, Android or Windows Phone device. The Chromecast is a handy jack of all trades streaming device, supporting Quickflix, Presto and Stan, along with You. Tube and Australian online movie stores such as Google Play and Ezy. Flix. Netflix works in the US and should come to Australian Chromecasts quickly. For now, a Chromecast offers the only way to watch newcomer Presto on your television, and Stan only works with the Chromecast or Air. Play, streaming to the Apple TV. Quickflix, Netflix and Foxtel GoPlay have a significant head start, with apps for Smart TVs, Blu ray players, video recorders, games consoles and other lounge room devices. With so many subscription video contenders jostling for position, Australian television will never be the same. All it takes is a little know how and you can have a front row seat for the online entertainment revolution. Whats on the web QUICKFLIX9. Register up to six devices, watch on three simultaneously. Quickflix also offers pay per view, letting you pay extra to watch new movies and TV shows that arent yet in the subscription library. Youll find Quickflix apps for a wide range of entertainment devices. STAN1. 0 a month. Six devices, three simultaneously. You can watch Stan on your television via Google Chromecast or Apple TV devices. PRESTOFrom 9. 9. Four devices, two simultaneously. You can pay 9. 9. Presto Movies or Presto Entertainment, or 1. You can watch Presto on your television via a Google Chromecast. NETFLIXFrom 9. 9. Unlimited devices, two simultaneously. We might also see a four stream family plan offering Ultra HD resolution. Youll find apps for almost every device but only if theyre updated to support Netflix in Australia. FOXTEL PLAYFrom 2. Two devices, two simultaneously. You can subscribe to regular pay TV packages, with new episodes of shows such as Game of Thrones that you wont find elsewhere. Youll find Foxtel PlayGo apps for a wide range of entertainment devices.