Common Misconceptions. Each Roku generation gets faster and an improved interface. I’ve tested Roku devices from the last five years. The older Roku devices are too slow and clunky to compete with new streaming devices and sticks on the market today. The current generation of Roku devices are the ONLY ones that I recommend:. Any streaming stick will work with any TV brand or style.
The only requirement of the TV is that it has an HDMI port. Smart TVs typically have clunky interfaces and are an add-on feature. That’s why I recommend a dedicated device.
Some Smart TVs are better than others though. For instance, most run a full version of Roku OS and are comparable to Roku Stick. You’ll need a streaming stick for each TV that you want to stream on. These device have minimal free content. You can’t “cut the cord” by just buying a streaming stick. A $50 device won’t magically have free content worth watching.
Streaming sticks are your platform for the streaming services that you’ll need to buy. Your streaming stick is your new cable box. Services like Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, HBO, and Showtime provide great content and cost around $15/month. You’ll need fast internet and a strong connection. The more devices that are streaming simultaneously, the better your connection speed needs to be.
Nov 9, 2018 - We compare the best media streaming devices for 4K HDR or HD TVs from. Premiere Plus (2018). (Connects to the most major. The Fire Stick 4K is the best of Amazon's Fire TV devices. If you own an iPhone or are a part of Apple's ecosystem, an Apple TV may be worth the extra cash. If you want to know how to install Kodi on LG smart TV, here is the guide you should read to get the solution of your queries.
I recommend at least 20/mbps for one flawless stream. “Cutting the cord” isn’t always more affordable than paying for cable. It sounds good in theory, but it gets expensive when you factor in an internet speed upgrade and being picky about the channels you want. To save money, you’ll need to make sacrifices with your channel requirements. If technology is intimidating to you, don’t cut the cord because it’s going to be a difficult transition. If you’re looking to stream live TV, that’s at least $30/month from services like,. (If you need help finding one, ).
Once you’re a member of a streaming service, you’ll be able to watch the service on as many devices as you want without paying more. Apple TV is my favorite streaming device and by far the best streaming device on the market , but it’s geared more toward Apple nerds (like me) and people who don’t have money constraints. Fire TV Stick and Roku Stick are the best streaming devices for most and will provide more value for your money. Interface (C):. While Roku 8.0 software was a substantial upgrade because were low-quality apps that apps didn’t match the experience of the other streaming devices, Roku software still has work to do. The apps are more consistent, but I still don’t like how the menus are set up, the interface looks dated, and there are design inconsistencies throughout. Unlike, Roku and Amazon devices have advertisements and there’s no getting around it because they make money by collecting your data to better target you with services.
It’s part of their business models. The difference between Roku and Fire TV is that the Roku ads stay out of the way, and you can easily distinguish ads from the content. You can follow movies and get updates when they become available. You can get your music, videos, and photos on your TV with Roku Play-On. This is similar to Apple’s AirPlay but is located inside the Roku app.
The Roku phone app is excellent. You can pick the streaming service you want to use, and it’ll pop up on your TV screen. “What’s On?” tries to curate movies and shows with algorithms. It’s a great idea, and it’s executed decently. Content (A):. There are no biases with Roku’s search for movies and shows.
Roku doesn’t create or sell content, so they can be completely objective. When doing a search for content, it’ll show you your free options first (from the services you subscribe to), rather than make you pay. Amazon Video, Google Play Video, Vudu, Hulu, Netflix, Showtime, HBO, Sling TV, DirecTV, PlayStation Vue, and Pandora. Roku claims to have 500,000 movies and shows. No streaming device comes close to that number. Roku has more 4K content than Fire TV Stick 4K. For 4K content, you get Netflix, Amazon Video, YouTube, Vudu, and others.
Roku has a special section to see all available 4K content. Speed & Specs (B-):. and came out in 2017. They are 50% more powerful and use a cleaner and faster version of Roku’s software compared to previous generations. You won’t notice a speed difference compared to Fire TV Stick 4K. The apps take about the same about of time to fully load. You can play 4K HDR content, but Roku only supports.
Smarts (C-):. The setup is clunky. The first time I connected to the internet, it failed, and then worked the second time. Also, you need to register for a Roku account and can’t get set up without one. You only setup once, so I wouldn’t worry about this, just keep it in mind. There are four preset app buttons (Netflix, DirecTV Now, Sling and Hulu) on the remote, so you’re stuck with useless buttons if you’re not using all four services. You can ask the remote to search for shows or movies, but there is no smart assistant to do advanced tasks or ask it questions.
Roku’s voice search works perfectly by holding the button and saying a movie title. Then, it brings up the movie and shows you which app you can watch it with. You have to hold the remote close to your mouth while pressing the button for it to hear you properly. You can control the volume and turn the TV on and off with the remote.
With, you can play your show’s sound through the Roku phone app, then listen using headphones. It can be useful if you have roommates and are trying to keep the noise down. This feature is technically available with Fire TV Stick, but you have to jump through hoops to connect Bluetooth headphones through the settings menu. It’s seamless on Roku.
This means iPhone and iPad users will be able to mirror their iPhone’s screen on the TV via Roku. Google and Alexa integrations are, but there are a few issues:. The setup can be difficult. There’s a lag between the command and the action. The commands are wordy and are often misheard. For instance, “Hey Google, turn up the volume on Roku,” turns up the volume. At this point, unless you can’t find the remote, why wouldn’t you just tap the volume rocker?
Interface (D):. Half of Fire TV’s home screen is advertising Amazon’s content whether you want to see it or not. integrates Amazon Video, HBO, Showtime and Starz into one platform, similar to Apple’s TV app. To use Amazon Channels, you pay for HBO, Showtime, and Starz through Amazon on a monthly basis rather than your cable provider. Amazon Channels is a good idea, but it’s a useless distraction to most because you’re likely paying for HBO and Showtime through other means. There’s no way to get rid of it from the interface. At the bottom of the screen is a “sponsored” section that’s static.
You’ll see car, razor, travel, computer, and cat food advertisements. Why are you cluttering up my home screen with this garbage?. Under your row of hand-picked apps, there are your “most used” apps. In most cases, this results in duplicate apps from the first row and it looks bad. The “most used” is not editable or removable. Amazon’s trying to pull out individual content from other apps and curate it, but it turns into a mess.
Content (C):. This device favors Amazon’s content in a big way. There are advertisements for it everywhere. It feels like you’re being sold something every time you turn on the TV. I paid money for this device; I just want to relax!. Fire TV Stick 4K is the best way to watch all of.
It’s perfectly optimized and there are cool exclusive features while watching. For instance, you can see all the actors when pausing a show. For HD content, there’s Hulu, Netflix, Showtime, HBO, Sling TV, DirecTV, PlayStation Vue, and others available. is the best live TV streaming service, but there isn’t an app and won’t be. There’s no YouTube app either, but you can go to the built-in internet browser as a workaround. There’s a lack of 4K HDR content.
There’s no iTunes, Google Play Video or Vudu. You’re stuck with just Amazon (which lacks HDR content relative to iTunes and Vudu) and Netflix. Speed & Specs (B-):. Fire TV Stick 4K is Amazon’s third generation stick. It has 1.5 GB of RAM with a quad-core 1.7 GHz processor and runs. The has 1GB of RAM with a 1.3GHz processor and Fire OS 5 is still being sold for $40. Every action on the second generation felt like it was in slow motion relative to Roku or Apple TV.
Fire TV Stick 4K apps open two times faster than the second generation Fire TV Stick. It’s astronomically snappier with everything that you do. Fire TV Stick 4K apps open as fast as it does on Roku.
There’s support, although there isn’t content that takes advantage of this yet. Amazon supports. I can’t tell the difference between the two standards, but people smarter than I say Dolby Vision is better. Smarts (B-):. Fire TV Stick 4K knows who you are if you buy it with YOUR Amazon account, which makes installation easier.
Also, if it’s your second Amazon device and your WiFi settings stay saved, you don’t have to worry about WiFi setup. You can hold down a button on the remote to ask Alexa a question. It performs any question or smart home task (i.e. Turning off the lights, etc.), just like a typical Echo device. With the, you couldn’t control the volume or turn off the TV with the remote. Now, an is included with a dedicated volume and power button.
This remote is a huge upgrade from the previous generation, but it’s still made with cheap materials. If you want to go hands-free, you can set up Fire TV Stick 4K to. You can ask your Echo to play, pause, or open an app, without touching the remote. For certain apps, you can ask it to play a show directly and it’ll open it in the correct app.
For instance, “Alexa, play Bosch on my Fire TV” and Bosch automatically plays in the Amazon Prime Video app, but there are issues:. It doesn’t work consistently because the requests get wordy. Alexa doesn’t always understand which service you want to use and doesn’t know non-mainstream shows well. In the future, I want Amazon’s AI to predict which service I want to use, based on my previous usage, without specifying. Alexa works better with Amazon’s own content. You can say “Alexa, play Transparent.” and the content starts without pressing any buttons.
The shows open 95% of the time, but it doesn’t always play the 4K version. Why are there two versions of the same movie? It should be one movie and the definition should auto adjust depending on the type of TV display you have. There’s no way to mirror your iOS devices natively. There are a couple of ways to do it with 3rd party apps, but I wasn’t pleased with the performance. Android users won’t have an issue, however.