Roku, or Apple TV?

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

I bought a Roku device, mostly to watch Netflix. I'm thinking maybe I should return it and get Apple TV instead because I have an iPad. Thoughts?

[LMITOUT]

Chromecast.

[fisherman-andy]

I bought a Roku device, mostly to watch Netflix. I'm thinking maybe I should return it and get Apple TV instead because I have an iPad. Thoughts?

If the only thing your streaming is Netflix I see no point. Most smart dvd players and or gameplay consoles can stream Netflix already for you.

However if your looking for the most streaming content available on any platform then the Roku 3 is your best player with the most available content. Currently I stream Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus, & Red Box instant all from my Roku 3.

Apple TV comes in 2nd, while ChromeCast is cheap its severely limited in content and restrictions. As it evolves it may become better.

With Roku or Apple TV you also gain games too and your not tied to an App or LCD screen device like an tablet or computer in order to navigate like ChromeCast. Roku and Apple TV have remotes and or controllers.

[delcecchi]

Chromecast is not that compatible with ipad. It has to go through chrome browser. AppleTV is probably a better fit for one imbedded in the Apple ecosystem since, as I understand it, it talks directly to iOS devices and iTunes and iCloud.

[CAMAN]

I just got a Sony Smart Blu Ray player, I can stream Amazon Prime, Netflix, Vudu, Hulu Plus, Crackle, YouTube, and 20-30 other various video streaming services as well as Pandora and Slacker along with a few others for music. So far I have only used Amazon, YouTube, Pandora, and Slacker, but it is quick and the picture and audio is almost perfect.

I can also use my Android phone to control it through a network, unsure if it is available for Apple products also, but I'd bet it is.

[sunniewally]

SO CANMAN, IS THE COST OF ALL THAT CHEAPER THEN CABLE OR SATELLITE?

[mtheis]

I still use my Roku box daily. Love it!

It streams netflix seamlessly. I am using mine with wireless connection.

[LMITOUT]

I've got one and never use it.

[Whoaru99]

I have one of the lower model of Roku (HD?). Works good overall. My biggest beef is that Roku doesn't have a YouTube application. Second biggest beef is that it doesn't play the ISO files I have backed up of all my DVD movies.

[CAMAN]

SO CANMAN, IS THE COST OF ALL THAT CHEAPER THEN CABLE OR SATELLITE?

I have yet to really delve into the cost aspect of it, but I will say, streaming on Amazon Prime is only a secondary reason I have the membership(I don't even recall them offering it when I signed up 3 years ago and I hadn't even used it until last week) so I can't fairly add the yearly cost (~$70) of that into my cost comparison. YouTube is completely free, as well as Crackle and many other services offered. Netflix, Hulu, and Roku are the only ones I know of that I must pay to use, and even if I signed up for all of them I can't imagine it being more than a cable or satellite monthly bill.

BTW.. I checked out Crackle when I got home tonight, like I said it is completely free. It contains mostly "B" movies and a wide variety of new and old TV shows. One that caught my eye was Jerry Seinfeld's latest series "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee" HILARIOUS!! And they have every episode.

[delcecchi]

A program called "handbrake" might be able to convert the dvds to a format that roku can play. Program is free.

[Jeremy airjer W]

The only advantage to getting the Apple TV is that it will allow you to watch anything on your ipad on your tv. Say for instance you have a movie on your iPad, you can send it to the Apple TV an it will play it on your television. Same thing with presentations. Build them on your iPad and use the Apple TV to show them on a larger screen.

I have the roku, and local channels. Dropped cable more than a year ago. I think we spend about $15 a month on subscriptions. Don't miss cable, or the bill one bit.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Can you really get 1080 on the Roku 2?

[Jeremy airjer W]

I have mine set to 1080. The picture is fantastic.

[Whoaru99]

Can you really get 1080 on the Roku 2?

Yes, it will play 1080p.

Of course, unless the material is natively 1080p, then it's just up scaling, which your TV does anyway if you feed it something less than its native resolution.

Most people don't sit close enough to their big screen to make good use of 1080p (unless it's a really big screen) but it's a great selling point and pretty standard these days anyway.

[tolle141]

Doesn't the latest Apple TV offer 1080p? Like somebody already said, you're in the Apple ecosystem and so using it is very easy. Just got a new Mac and I had it streaming itunes via airplay before I finished updating the computer.

That said, I haven't used Roku. I always just thought it was the Apple TV alternative for Apple haters.

[delcecchi]

You can use Roku without involving a computer, tablet, or phone. I don't know about apple-tv. Is it the same? Can I get Amazon Prime streaming on it also?

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Chromecast is not that compatible with ipad. It has to go through chrome browser. AppleTV is probably a better fit for one imbedded in the Apple ecosystem since, as I understand it, it talks directly to iOS devices and iTunes and iCloud.

I bought the Chromecast and it is a total waste of $35 for me. I thought I could broadcast from my iPad because i use the Chrome browser. Not the case... yet. I hope they make that possible.

[fishadb]

Just bought a Samsung 40 inch smart tv yesterday for $499, kind of neat to have a browser right on the tv. Haven't played with it too much but it will let you use you tube from your phone or iPad.

[LMITOUT]

I bought the Chromecast and it is a total waste of $35 for me. I thought I could broadcast from my iPad because i use the Chrome browser. Not the case... yet. I hope they make that possible.

You installed the Chromecast app, right?

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

The ap does nothing except install the device.

[LMITOUT]

You should be able to cast from YouTube and Netflix.

[Mistermojo]

I have Apple TV, which works great for netflix. It is much much much faster and easier to use than my blu-ray player or nintendo Wii. The picture quality is great. There are some other channels such as ESPN, Smithsonian, YouTube, Disney, Hulu, Vimeo, crunchyroll (japanese anime), as well as offerings from Apple such as the iTunes festival they just had last month in London - free concert footage from lots of big name bands. They also have the big 4 sports packages if you are a subscriber. Searching and performance is super fast.

The downside to appleTV is that if you don't have much music or movies you've bought through iTunes, the offering is pretty limited compared to Roku (no amazon, redbox instant, . I need to buy another device for a TV without HDMI and I'm seriously considering the new Roku2 that just launched.

I don't think you could go wrong with either, but for the same $, Roku seems to offer alot more, including the wireless headphones into the remote which I think is a nice idea.

[DTro]

Recently picked up a Roku 2XD. Why haven't I done this sooner? The thing works awesome. We cut the cable and hooked up a simple antenna for local broadcast and Roku for everything else.

I have to admit its mostly a Netflix device, but there is quite a bit of other programming as well.

[pushbutton]

Went with Roku, and am on something like month 4. Personally had a little channel flipping withdrawal at first, but ultimately paid 100 and some bucks a month for cartoons, and Jr. has hardly noticed. Always had Netflix and added Hulu, and now pay about 16 with plenty for him to sit and catatonically gomer on. Do miss some of the Apl, Sci, Dis, Hist, Nat Geo random trivia stuff, but it was time as I frequently ended up "watching" full house and nick mom because I was too lazy to change the channel. A lot of the free stuff completely sucks, but still enough to occupy my limited attention span for the foreseeable future. Never been much to keep up with the latest technology and still is kind of cool to watch the flix on the tv and not the computer