Fitness equipment screens are definitely getting better, though there are still issues. I still tell clients that often, if they already have a tv or media screen in the gym room, they might be spending money they don't need to.
And it's funny, having been around for the entire connected fitness craze, it's definitely had some serious hiccups. Updates, man. And trust me, if you go to Reddit, you'll still see people losing the ability to even use their equipment due to bad updates.
But that's not the case with the better products.
First of all, there are three different types of screens, broadly. First, is the simple screen, LED or LCD, just feedback. That's the one that you used back in the '90s and '80s. Then you've got your media screen, which is the ones that you normally see in most of the gyms, that allow you to access media and the internet. Then you have content screens, technically the same as a media screen, but they exist primarily to deliver instructional content from that manufacturer or other manufacturers.
But that's not the case with the better products.
First of all, there are three different types of screens, broadly. First, is the simple screen, LED or LCD, just feedback. That's the one that you used back in the '90s and '80s. Then you've got your media screen, which is the ones that you normally see in most of the gyms, that allow you to access media and the internet. Then you have content screens, technically the same as a media screen, but they exist primarily to deliver instructional content from that manufacturer or other manufacturers.
The main difference, as these last two categories get closer, is the need for a subscription.
But recently, a lot of the fitness equipment manufacturers realize that competing with Apple and Google is a losing game. So a really nice feature is screen mirroring. Which of course, you've seen in other devices for years. These new fitness screens, instead of having to update constantly and build their own apps and do klutziness like that, they are merely mirroring the content that is on your phone or tablet. And residential or commercially, this makes a lot of sense and is a lot easier. Most of us have a ton of information and content on our phones.
However, there are still pitfalls. A lot of the major streaming companies don't like mirroring content because they worry about piracy. So they make you jump through lots of hoops to be able to mirror content. So be aware that while in most cases this is easy, you may be trying to watch your favorite show on your new 22 inch true unite screen, and your streaming service may not let you.
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