Best Tv Player
The offers an impressive feature set for its low price. It supports the latest video formats and Dolby Atmos for audio. Its redesigned Wi-Fi antenna supports faster 802.11ac and also improves reception compared with previous models. Its RF remote has dedicated power and volume controls for your TV, works through walls and cabinetry, and lets you search with voice. Roku’s iOS or Android app lets you watch shows and movies with headphones to avoid disturbing others. Finally, this HDMI stick is super easy to set up, has a convenient design, and gets all the power it needs from your TV’s USB service port.
The offers the same interface, speed, features, and content as the Streaming Stick+ in a standalone box. Although we think this design is less convenient than an HDMI stick that plugs directly into the TV, the new box design is much smaller and more discreet than previous models.
In terms of performance, the main difference is that the Premiere+ uses 802.11n Wi-Fi instead of the newer and better-performing 802.11ac that you get on the Streaming Stick+. The Premiere+ generally sells for a little less, but it’s available only through Walmart. The ’s clean, easy-to-use, customizable interface provides the best overall user experience of any media streamer. It supports all the major streaming services, and it displays 4K video with HDR, including Dolby Vision, which the Roku products don’t support.
If you have prior iTunes purchases, Apple will upgrade those to the 4K versions for free if available. For cord cutters, it supports all of the streaming TV services and can integrate an over-the-air tuner quite easily. However, the Apple TV is much more expensive than our main pick, and searching across multiple services with it is harder. If you want an Android TV streamer, the is far ahead of the pack. It’s much more responsive than competing Android TV boxes, and Nvidia has a superb track record of providing frequent updates. The Shield TV has excellent upscaling to make non-4K streaming content look better, it supports Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision, and it comes with Google Assistant built in and a nice backlit remote control. If you want to watch local media from USB drives or run a Plex server, we recommend the larger and slightly pricier, which has all the same features but adds more RAM and two USB ports to connect external drives and devices.
We think the Roku and Apple TV platforms are easier to use, but if you like Android TV, this is the box to get. I’ve reviewed TVs, Blu-ray players, and home theater equipment since 2008. In my past I spent time at Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity, running the Blu-ray and DVD Benchmark they created and updating it as features changed. With the help of Stacey Spears, we devised a testing system to determine which Blu-ray players were actually accurate and which were not, working to show that, even in digital, bits are not always bits.
I’m also ISF-trained for evaluating image quality and am up to date on all of the current and future HDR standards and what to look for when evaluating that content on media players. Who this is for. Almost all current TVs have support for the Netflix and Amazon Video streaming services built in, and many TV remotes include a dedicated Netflix button to make accessing that service even easier. If those streaming apps are all you watch, you probably don’t need a separate media streaming box. And also have a decent amount of built-in streaming options that may obviate the need for a separate streaming device.The main reason to get a dedicated streaming device is to gain access to streaming services and apps that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to access.
Typically, streaming boxes include more channels, a more responsive user interface, and better search features. Support for newer streaming services such as HBO Now and Movies Anywhere also comes to streaming boxes before it comes to TVs. With such a wide selection of streaming services, as well as access to live TV using services like Sling or PlayStation Vue (not a PlayStation exclusive), a streaming device can allow you to. Some companies, including Time Warner and soon Comcast, let you replace a monthly cable box rental with a streaming device. With cable box rentals costing $10 a month or more, a streaming device can pay for itself pretty quickly.A streaming box can also give you easy access to the content you already own and let you play it on any TV in your house. You can access and play media stored on your home network (either on a computer or on a device) without needing to hook a PC up to your display.
Best Tv Player For Windows 7
And Apple users have few other options besides the Apple TV if they hope to watch iTunes purchases on the big screen.Some streaming devices also offer exclusive features that typically aren’t built into many TVs, such as AirPlay or Google Cast, or the ability to play games. But typically these are more “nice to have” features than the major reason to get one. How we picked and tested. Photo: Kyle FitzgeraldThe single most important thing any streaming device must do is play back your content. If you get most of your content from a source that a particular streamer doesn’t support (such as iTunes on a Roku), that device will not work for you. A streamer with a wide selection of content sources will be a better choice than one that has a limited selection.A good search feature helps you find the content you want.
Many streaming devices search across a limited number of services or prioritize content from a source where they earn income. For instance, Amazon’s FireTV prioritizes search results from Amazon’s own service, even if it’s not your preferred streaming service. A streamer that looks across more services and provides both free and pay options helps you find your content at the lowest price.Your streamer should also allow you to customize the interface and prioritize the services you use the most. If you prefer to use Netflix or Amazon or Vudu, you should have the option to push those services to the front of the interface. An ideal streamer is ecosystem-agnostic and lets you—rather than the device manufacturer—make decisions.If you recently bought a 4K TV or plan to buy one in the next couple of years, it will likely be compatible with formats, so your streaming box should be, too. At this point the price difference between 4K and 1080p streamers is $10 or less, so there isn’t much reason to get a 1080p one.We tested the media streamers in a basic system with only a TV, and in a complete home theater system with a receiver.
All were tested over Wi-Fi, and Ethernet was also used if available in the dedicated home theater system. Both TVs we used support 4K HDR to take full advantage of the streamers, and one TV was compatible with Dolby Vision, as well.At this point the price difference between 4K and 1080p streamers is $10 or less, so there isn’t much reason to get a 1080p one.We accessed a wide variety of content from services including Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and Vudu, and compared each system’s integrated search features. Our pick: Roku Streaming Stick+.At the time of publishing, the price was $30.The offers the widest selection of content and the best search and content selection of all the media streamers we’ve tested. It supports 4K, including HDR10 and WCG (but not Dolby Vision), and it has an external antenna for better Wi-Fi reception. This is an HDMI stick that plugs directly into your TV’s HDMI input and can be powered by a TV’s USB port—so you don’t have to add another box to your gear rack and run another HDMI cable to the TV. The included USB cable includes a Wi-Fi antenna for better reception.
Photo: Kyle FitzgeraldRoku has a larger selection of content than anyone else, and it continues to grow. Finding something that Roku doesn’t support is the challenge, and when new services launch, Roku is typically among the first—if not the first—to offer support. Amazon, Google Play Movies and TV, HBO Go and Now, Hulu, Netflix, Pandora, Showtime, Sling TV, and Vudu are all available, along with more, and you can search across them all to find the content you’re looking for. As of, the built-in Roku Channel even offers a free 24/7 live stream of ABC News, along with additional news content from Cheddar and PeopleTV. Support for Spotify was added in November 2018 with the ability to send music to the Roku from any of your devices that have Spotify on them. The only major service missing is iTunes, but Apple doesn’t open that to anyone (and the service somewhat mitigates this).With support for 4K, including HDR10 and WCG, the Streaming Stick+ can play back today’s 4K content and is ready for you if you decide to upgrade your TV. Amazon, Netflix, Vudu, and others are currently streaming in 4K with HDR and WCG on supported titles, and more content is coming online all the time.
Even if you don’t need 4K today, the price difference between a 4K media streamer and a 1080p one is $10 or less, so it’s not worth the savings to be stuck with a unit that doesn’t support current and future standards. The Roku remote works over RF, supports voice search, and has TV power and volume controls on it. Photo: Kyle FitzgeraldRoku prioritizes search results to save you money and time. It first displays results from channels you have installed, sorted by price (lowest first). After this, you get results from channels you don’t have installed, which are also ordered by price.
Not only does this approach help you find content more easily, it also lets you choose content from the least expensive source. For example, if a movie or TV show is available for free from Netflix but for purchase from Amazon and Vudu, Roku’s search function shows Netflix first. For people who subscribe to multiple streaming services where content changes monthly, Roku’s search function makes finding what you want at the lowest price easier than with competing streamers. The remote has TV volume up and down keys, and Roku added a mute button in 2019 (as seen on this remote for the Roku Ultra). Photo: Chris HeinonenYou can also customize the look of the interface to place your favorite apps at the top. If you use Netflix, Amazon, and Sling TV the most, for example, you can place those three apps at the top of the home screen.
If you don’t use Netflix or Amazon at all, you can remove those apps entirely. This makes Roku superior to the Fire TV, which gives priority to Amazon content. If you buy almost all of your content from Amazon, this is fine, but other services’ content can be harder to find.If a movie or TV show is available for free from Netflix but for purchase from Amazon and Vudu, Roku’s search function shows Netflix first.The remote uses RF to communicate with the Roku Stick (which means it works through walls and furniture), but it adds an IR output for controlling power and volume on your TV or projector.
Roku updated the remote in 2019 to include a much desired mute button. During setup, the Streaming Stick+ will determine the model of TV (by ) and automatically program the buttons for you. This worked perfectly on all of the TVs we tested, and we didn’t have to look up codes.
With a projector, it didn’t detect the model automatically, but once we told the Roku Stick who made the projector, it tried codes until it worked correctly, and we still didn’t need to reference a manual. If your TV uses it will automatically change to the Roku input, but if it doesn’t you’ll have to use the TV remote to do this.
Roku search shows the available streaming, rental, and purchase options and puts the cheapest result first. Photo: Chris HeinonenThe Roku Streaming Stick+ also has a private-listening feature that allows you to listen to shows and movies using headphones.
However, the remote lacks a headphone jack, so you have to use the Roku app for iOS or Android to play your content. In some cases this will be better, especially if your headphones don’t have a 3.5 mm jack, but some people will dislike having to use their smartphone for this. If you’re using Bluetooth headphones with your smartphone, you may have lag between the video and audio, but we didn’t with wired headphones.The tiny size of the Streaming Stick+ lets you easily plug it into a side HDMI port without it being seen, even on a wall-mounted TV. Because USB powers the stick, you can run it directly from the USB ports that almost all TVs and projectors have today. Although this means it will turn off when the TV does, it completely boots in about 10 to 15 seconds. In our testing we found that one TV and one projector were not able to provide it enough power, so we had to use the included USB power adapter for it to run reliably.The stick’s small size also makes it easy to pack and take with you, and Roku lets you log in to Wi-Fi through captive portals, such as in a hotel. If the size of the stick is too large for your TV’s HDMI inputs, Roku offers to fix the issue.The Roku Streaming Stick+ also supports screen streaming or mirroring, which currently includes just a limited selection of Android and Windows Phone models and no iOS support.
Best Tv Player App
However, if you have one of the supported devices, the mirroring works well if you want to show your tablet screen on your TV. This also means that if a streaming service you want isn’t offered on the Roku, you can stream it from your tablet instead.
The result isn’t as good as native streaming from the Roku device, but the arrangement might work in a pinch.If a certain channel that’s important to you is missing from the Roku, you may be able to find a workaround. Anyone can create a third-party channel for Roku.
Using a third-party channel entails the same risks as running any piece of software that isn’t authenticated, but you can find some reliable sources for these channels. For example, during earlier testing, I noticed the lack of a Twitch channel for Roku. This has since been remedied with an official channel, but at the time, I turned to a third-party app. Flaws but not dealbreakers. Roku lacks access to iTunes and Google Play Music.
If you use either of those services extensively, you should probably choose either an Apple TV or a Chromecast. However, mostly negates the iTunes issue if you’re willing to sign up for it.Part and parcel with the HDMI-stick design is that it’s HDMI-only.
Amazon Fire Tv Cube
So you’re out of luck if you own an older TV with only component video. If that’s you, the older, slower, and cheaper with composite video might be for you.Also, the stick design lacks an Ethernet port.
If you’d prefer to use a wired network connection, the has the same performance and interface as the Streaming Stick+, but it adds Ethernet and a microSD card reader. It also has a button to help you easily locate a missing remote. In 2018, Roku began packaging a pair of JBL headphones with the Ultra, because the remote supports the private-listening feature; but otherwise it remains the same device.
We don’t think these features are worth paying more for, so unless you need Ethernet, go with the Streaming Stick+.The user interface on some of the Roku apps isn’t as current as it could be. Most apps have now been updated to look current, with Spotify and HBO Now among those that were updated in the past year.
However, with some less popular apps, the interface still looks worse on Roku.The Roku interface is easy to use, but every channel lives in a sandbox that is isolated from every other channel. Apple is trying to move past this with its TV app, which lets you access different shows from different apps from a single location. Samsung TVs now let you browse shows from different apps without having to launch them, and LG lets you add your favorite shows to a quick-launch area, as well.
Roku is great at getting you easy access to all of those channels but doesn’t provide quick access to shows or movies inside those channels from a unified location.Search on the Roku is limited to searching for your favorite movies and TV shows, while Apple, Nvidia, and Amazon have expanded their streamers into full-featured personal assistants. Alexa on the Fire TV can do everything that you expect from it, which means showing sports scores and the weather, or controlling compatible smart-home devices beyond just showing you movies. The Apple TV can also work as your HomeKit hub if you’re working to expand home automation in the Apple ecosystem.The Roku Streaming Stick+ doesn’t do well with local media playback, and it doesn’t have a local USB port (the built-in USB port is for power only). You can use the USB port on the Roku Ultra for some media, but it doesn’t support a huge variety of file types. A much better option is to use on a computer or along with the Plex app on the Roku. This arrangement lets you play back far more content than the Roku can on its own.
Plex also offers apps for iOS and Android that let you stream your local content to any device in the house. This setup requires you to leave a computer or NAS device powered on and running Plex, so it isn’t for everyone.Using the Roku Media app, you can play back files from a DLNA server over your network. The interface isn’t as nice as Plex’s, and the media format support isn’t as extensive. For viewing photos or playing music over the network, it should work fine, but it can’t handle as many kinds of video files.The Roku Stick+ also lacks, the streaming protocol that the Apple TV (see below) uses. This means you can’t mirror your iOS screen onto the Roku box as you can with an Apple TV, nor can you stream your iTunes library directly to your Roku. If you need either of those features, you should get the Apple TV instead.As is true with most streaming services,.
The company earns a significant portion of its income from advertising, and to that end it collects a large amount of user data to support that business. You have no way to opt out of much of the data collection, it isn’t totally clear what data is shared with third parties, and the policy asks you to agree to binding arbitration in the case of a dispute. Although it’s hard to avoid this kind of thing with any streaming service (and thus we don’t consider it a dealbreaker in Roku’s case), we do think it’s important that you be informed. Runner-up: Roku Premiere+.At the time of publishing, the price was $40.The is almost identical in function to the Streaming Stick+, but it exchanges the HDMI-stick design for a freestanding box design. The new body is much smaller than that of previous standalone Roku boxes, but it’s still less convenient than a stick, and this model has only 802.11n Wi-Fi instead of the more recent and superior 802.11ac. Otherwise, the Premiere+ still supports 4K and HDR, offers voice search and TV control with the remote, and delivers the same great user interface and content selection of our top pick for a little less money. The Premiere+ is less than half the size of most standalone media-streaming boxes.
Photo: Kyle FitzgeraldWe didn’t run into any issues with Wi-Fi performance in our testing of the Premiere+, but our 802.11ac access point is located only 10 feet away from our testing area, so we’ve never run into issues with it on any device. However, some reviews seem to indicate that some people have more issues with the Wi-Fi performance than they do with the Streaming Stick+. If your home Wi-Fi network isn’t as robust as it could be, you might want to go with the Streaming Stick+.The design of the Premiere+ is very compact, and it includes adhesive so that you can mount it behind a TV, but it still requires HDMI and power cables, so it doesn’t hide quite as well as the Roku Streaming Stick+ in most cases. HDMI is the only input option on the Premiere+.
Photo: Kyle FitzgeraldThe Premiere+ is currently available only at Walmart. Roku also offers the standard box, which is available everywhere and costs a little less. The only difference between the two models is the included remote control. The remote with the Premiere+ includes voice search, plus power and volume controls for your TV. The buttons that add TV control are worth the $10 price difference, as in many cases it lets the Roku remote replace your TV remote completely.
The voice search is also useful. If neither of these features matters to you at all because you use a universal remote control, the standard will offer the same performance. Upgrade pick: Apple TV 4K. The has an attractive user interface that is easy to navigate. The device supports 4K and HDR, including the Dolby Vision standard, and Apple gives people who bought 1080p content free upgrades to 4K versions through iTunes. It also works great for cord cutters, with apps that support networked TV tuners and online TV services.
The search function lags behind Roku and we sometimes run into video sync issues unless we leave the box set for HDR mode permanently. The unit is designed to free up storage space automatically when necessary by uploading things to the cloud, which is why we’re recommending the more affordable 32 GB version.At its inception, Apple’s tvOS was the best option only for heavy iTunes users. But with the addition of Amazon Video, 4K streaming with Dolby Vision support, and improved search, it has become a great media streamer for anyone. The interface takes full advantage of the resolution of 4K displays, with bright, sharp icons and text. You can customize the layout of apps, and your top five apps can give you access to content inside them without having to load them first (if the app supports it).
Apple’s version of some apps is sometimes easier to use than the same apps on Roku, and you can do far more gaming with the Apple TV than you can with Roku.All of the key channels you might expect to see are here, including HBO Go, HBO Now (its $15-a-month streaming service), Hulu Plus, Netflix, Amazon, and YouTube. It also has good sports coverage with MLB.TV, NBA, NHL, and WatchESPN channels. Fans of video game streams will note the absence of an official Twitch app.For cord cutters, the Apple TV lets you use a networked tuner (like the HDHomeRun) to watch TV in supported apps, and it supports the online TV services like Sling, Playstation Vue, YouTube TV, Hulu TV, and DirecTV Now. You can do this with the Shield TV or the Fire TV, but the experience isn’t as good as it is with the Apple TV.Apple’s single-sign-on feature lets you automatically sign into supported apps based on your cable or streaming TV service. For example, if you have PlayStation Vue, you can sign into your account, and the Apple TV can download all of the apps that support that service, and sign you into them automatically. It works very well for watching on-demand episodes of shows and saves you from having to log into multiple apps, but not every provider or app is supported yet. The TV app that should hold a queue of shows you want to watch does work, but it also fills it up with lots of extra content you might not want, with no way to focus on only your chosen programs.
It’s a good idea, but poorly executed right now. The Apple TV selects a default option for the main play button on search results, in this case knowing we have a Hulu subscription. Photo: Chris HeinonenThe Apple TV 4K lets you use Siri to do voice searches, and the number of apps you can search across keeps increasing. You can search Netflix, Amazon, Hulu,. Siri’s search results prioritize one service over the others, and the results are not as clear as they could be in terms of what services are available and the difference in price.
Roku shows you more results in an organized list, and the Shield TV also has clearer results on where to stream content. The Apple TV search is fine, but others are better.At launch, there was a problem with HDR handling that caused all content to display in HDR, even if it wasn’t HDR, and films showed at the wrong frame rate. This made things look weird. But it was addressed in tvOS 11.2. With recent versions of tvOS, this fix has started causing HDMI sync errors for us and for some readers when also using an AV receiver. It doesn’t happen all the time, but we do occasionally see video drop-outs of 10-plus seconds that we didn’t see before.
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Apple also added support for Dolby Atmos, which lets you watch some streaming content with the additional height channels, but most content doesn’t support this feature yet. The Best Android TV Box: Nvidia Shield TV.
If you want an Android TV box, the updated is far ahead of the rest of the Android TV competition. It’s more responsive and gets Android TV updates faster, it supports Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision in more streaming services than the competition, and it offers an impressive upscaling solution to improve the quality of lower-resolution video. If you want to hook up USB drives for local media playback or play more-demanding Android TV games, the has more RAM and external USB ports, but otherwise it performs the same as the cheaper version.Nvidia has added AI-based scaling to the 2019 Shield TV, which does a great job converting lower-resolution sources to 4K. You can adjust the level of sharpening, and even do a split screen to compare sharpened to unsharpened images.
We typically preferred having it enabled at the medium or low setting, where it avoids creating noticeable sharpening artifacts. This scaling only works with sources that are 1080p or below and 30 frames per second or less (so it won’t work with 1080p/60 video), but for the lower-resolution sources that it will work with, it really helps to improve the quality.Nvidia has also added support for Dolby Vision to the new box, and more apps now support Dolby Atmos audio. You can get Dolby Vision and Atmos through Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Vudu, and Movies Anywhere, matching the best streaming systems out there. Services that don’t support Dolby Vision can still stream in HDR10.The updated Shield Remote is now backlit and can control the volume of your TV, and it has a very different shape than the previous remote. Shaped like a mini Toblerone bar, it sits fine in the hand and is easy to use even in dark rooms, thanks to the backlight, but it will always rest at an angle when you set it down. Aside from looking strange, it is an improvement over past versions, and it now uses standard AAA batteries instead of a coin cell.
The new, triangular-shaped Shield Remote is backlit and can control the volume of your TV, and the microphone can access the player’s built-in Google Assistant. Photo: Rozetter RagoThe Shield TV has Google Assistant built in, with a microphone in the remote. You can search for content and see results across multiple platforms, and you can also ask questions, play music, turn on your smart lights, and access all of the other features of Google Assistant.If you want to do more with your media streamer than just watch streamed content, the Shield TV is way ahead.
It can be a Plex server and a SmartThings hub, and it can play game emulators and stream using GeForce Now. If you want to do these things, it’s probably best to spring for the Pro model, which has extra RAM and USB ports (the SmartThings hub requires one of those ports). We’ve used the Shield to run a Plex server, record OTA TV programs using a, manage our smart home, and play retro games, and it has excelled at all of them. It’s beyond what most people might need in a media streamer, but this is the only box that can do many of these things.The Android TV interface has improved over time, offering quicker access to your favorite apps and your recently accessed content.
Some apps run better than others in Android TV, but the interface is improving. Roku and Apple TV are still a bit easier to use in our opinion, but if you want an Android TV streamer, the Shield TV is much better than the other Android TV solutions on the market today. The competition.
So you’ve decided to buy a streaming player. It’s actually a device that fewer and fewer people need these days, as most 4K TVs come with Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, and the other essentials preinstalled. But maybe those built-in apps are laggy and frustrating to use, or you don’t have all the ones you’d like.There are countless gadgets you can plug in and use as a Netflix or Amazon Prime Video machine, but today’s options can do a lot more than that. All of them have universal search for finding exactly the show or movie you’re looking for — no matter which service it’s on. They each offer voice controls to make your evening couch time more convenient.
And video quality is better than ever, with plenty of 4K HDR content to get the most out of any new TV you buy.Each product has its own unique features that the others lack. The Apple TV 4K has AirPlay and, if you’re an iPhone user, is already hooked into your personal media — movies, music, photos — out of the box. Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K brings with it the full powers of Alexa.But the chief function of these devices is to provide a wide selection of apps, an intuitive user experience, and great-looking video.
Thankfully, checking off all three of those boxes costs far less than $100 in 2018. In fact, you’ll only have to spend half. The best for most: Roku Premiere Plus / Roku Premiere. Photo by Chris Welch / The VergeRoku’s Premiere Plus is a tiny little box that delivers a huge value. It offers the most apps of any TV gadget, does both 4K and HDR, and remains the easiest system to use of the popular options.Compared against Amazon’s offerings, Roku’s app catalog is stronger; you get a proper YouTube app and also Walmart’s Vudu service, which is a huge source of 4K HDR movies. And Amazon can be heavy-handed with promoting its own original content on the Fire TV. Beyond advertising its free Roku Channel, Roku doesn’t have an agenda to push.
When you’re searching for stuff, all third-party apps are on a level playing field. Roku will always favor whatever service will let you watch content for free as part of a subscription you’re always paying for, which is the way it should be. The Premiere Plus is a fast performer in general use, and you’ll rarely encounter lag or any hiccups when navigating menus or browsing apps. Its Wi-Fi only supports 2.4GHz networks, so if your in-home setup relies on 5Ghz, the slightly more expensive Roku Streaming Stick Plus will be a better option. The Premiere Plus is sold exclusively at Walmart and includes a voice remote that you can use without pointing directly at the TV. If you’re not near a Walmart and don’t want to order online, other retailers offer the Roku Premiere, which is the exact same core product, but comes with a non-voice IR remote. The Roku lacks Dolby Vision, but HDR10 content still looks wonderful on the big screen.
The premium experience: Apple TV 4K. Photo: Amelia Holowaty Krales / The VergeThe Apple TV 4K is on a completely different pricing tier than Roku and Amazon. But if you’re willing to spend that much, in return you’ll get the most polished experience of any set-top box on the market.The Apple TV 4K does everything; it supports 4K, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and HDR10. It’s the if you want to take full advantage of all the features in a high-end TV. Apple’s iTunes store has an enormous vault of content that can showcase those features.
The menus feel more modern and stylish than those on the Roku, and Siri is a little better at voice search than Roku’s system, too. App selection is equally as strong. The one asterisk is that YouTube won’t stream in 4K on the Apple TV because Apple doesn’t support Google’s preferred video codec. Apple’s device is very powerful and lighting fast in day-to-day use. If you’ve gone in on the company’s HomeKit smart home ecosystem, the Apple TV acts as a hub and allows you to control those gadgets remotely when away from the house.But many people will find the Apple TV 4K’s price hard to swallow. It costs considerably more than the Roku, and the two are very similar when it comes to a streamer’s main purpose: getting you to the content you want fast.
Both devices deliver terrific video quality.Personally, there’s another reason I’d consider opting for the Apple TV 4K over its competitors: privacy. Apple is far less invasive about tracking your streaming habits. And it anonymizes the data it does collect. Roku, on the other hand, keeps track of a whole lot and knows what you’re watching. And it with that information. If that makes you feel uneasy, there’s something to be said for paying the extra money for Apple’s privacy.
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The VergeThe Roku Premiere and the Apple TV 4K are the best options for a wide range of people. But depending on other factors, you might find Amazon’s Fire TV Cube or Stick 4K more compelling; Alexa is a pretty handy living room assistant. If you’re a serious cord cutter and tinkerer, there’s always the beloved Nvidia Shield. And the tried and true Chromecast is still an okay, super affordable choice if you’ve resisted the move to 4K and still have no near-future plans to do so.
(The Chromecast Ultra doesn’t fare so well against Roku and Amazon.) But I think most folks will find themselves very happy with the Roku — especially for the price.