I keep getting asked why there's no Nvidia Shield in this video: this is about PLATFORMS not specific devices. This additionally is aimed at general consumers who are not in the market for the Shield. The Shield is an Android/Google TV device and much of what you saw with the Onn will apply there as well.
Yeah this never works out here in the real world, sadly. Personally I just make a new Google account (in case of Android TV/Google TV) and log into the set top box with that so that it doesn't affect my personal account
I set it up so the wife is logged into all the devices except the one in the media room, which is mine. I usually don't care what's on TV unless I'm in the media room and she doesn't come in here to watch TV, so it works for us.
I have two of the top end Roku boxes like the ones you showed. They're mainly pretty good. I also have an nVidia Shield Pro or whatever their top of the line thing is called. I have that as it works with waaaay more formats when I plug a hard drive in via USB compared to the Roku. I don't use the nVidia Shield Pro for any streaming services, I can't imagine it would perform any better in regards to video and audio than the Roku. So I don't use it for streaming, especially since the Shield UI is a li'l sucky.
The Roku media player is VERY limited (read as crap). Apple TV has FE File Explorer which can play a ton of formats, even old avi & mpeg files, which is pretty surprising. It can seemingly play most anything.
@@NinjaRunningWild That's interesting as even Macs can't do that unless you install non-Apple software. I think the Apple TV is lacking in connections from what I recall? No USB? Or USB doubles as something else? Can't remember. There was some other deal-breaker.
@@GameSack You're right about it not having USB, but you can put your USB drive on the network via your router & access it. That's how I’m using it. FE has its own format decoder. Probably not as thorough as say VLC, but I rarely find files it can't play, even, like I said, old crap I've downloaded decades ago from Kazaa. FE also has its own file system, so you can transfer files to it & play them directly. Your choice Joe, just informing you. Thanks for GameSack! 🕹️
@@GameSack I didn't. Most routers have built-in file-sharing. If there's a USB connection on your router you can (at least on NetGear) just plug a USB drive into it & it should be automatically shared locally to the network. Everything on your local network should be able to access it (EG - Roku, Steam Deck, my Sony TV, et al). It's way easier than it sounds. Get a few files for a test, throw them on a drive, plug it in & see for yourself. I guarantee you it's easier than editing video.
2:16 Minor correction Lon - Whatever is _selected_ shows the banner background. It’s just that the first option is selected by default. I have Apple TV, Roku Ultra (x2), & Fire Stick 4K. Apple is hands down the best. Crucially, NO ADS!! Roku started adding unremovable ads to the home screen & that's ruined it for me. Now my family is getting Apple TV for Xmas because forced ads are egregious.
@@luizsalazar87 Looked into this & it's a hacky inconsistent solution which just isn't necessary for Apple. Apple TV also runs rings around Roku Ultra speed wise, being basically an iPhone 13 without a screen. It also can technically multi-task, which Roku cannot due to limited RAM & OS restrictions.
@@NinjaRunningWild not sure what you find hacky or inconsistent about it. That's like saying using Cloudfare or Google DNS instead of your ISP DNS is hacky. Yes, due to Roku having no multi tasking all other platforms are snappier. I wouldn't recommend buying a Roku streaming device but if it's built into the TV it's a very usable platform.
I think it would have been interesting to look at the accessibility options for each box. The built-in screen readers for each device, the print enhancements for each device. I am blind, I use Apple TV because of the excellent built-in screen reader. A lot of those free channels that you talk about on some of the boxes are directly from pluto tv just with a different branding. 0:14
Great video. I have three of those boxes, but the one I use 99% of the time is the Apple TV. I use the Mac to cast feature at least twice a day to stream youtube videos I've downloaded.
We have Roku TVs with Firesticks plugged into them. We prefer Roku for its simplicity, but the Firestick integrates better with our Alexa driven smart home. My wife often uses the Firestick to monitor our back door Wyze camera to watch for deliveries and to check on our porch cat.
Very informative and well done video, Lon. I think personally I like the Apple TV the best because it's less in your face with ads. As users on the internet we are constantly bombarded with ads, so If I can pay a bit more for an Apple TV and have to see less ads, I will pick that option every single time.
I've tried everything but Apple TV, and I love the Roku in general the best. The only thing that keeps me from having it as my primary is the lack of support for Channels DVR. If they could just get that app running on there, I'd be on board - but it is the best live TV and DVR app I've used.
Australian perspective here. AppleTV is easily the best here and our household has two - but we also have an Amazon 4K Firestick which in developer mode allows the best of both Amazon store and APK sideloading. Roku is non-existent here at least in my experience.
The Fire Stick is hard to beat for the price. It has a browser for streaming online tv, live webcams, and movie sites, and with a cheap dongle you can connect an external HD or thumb drive to play your own audio video files.
Nvidia shield pro is still a great streaming device. The new ONN pro is pretty good too. It just got a new update. ROKU ultra is awesome as well. I have all three of them.😊😊😊
I have had pretty much all these boxes for years, but standardized on the Apple TV latest gen. It’s decent, but the RUclips app voice search has been semi-broken for at least 2 years and they don’t seem interested in fixing it. Makes me want to hook up one of the other boxes…
With the Roku you can disable a lot the extra items found on the Roku home screen by going to the Home Screen settings. Even the seasonal sections can be disabled. The Roku I set up for my mom only has four side bar items.
🎉thanks I appreciate it if the comparison and then the perspective of a parent and restricting content for kids. Also going to check out your in-depth review of the Fire stick. I'm wanting to compare Amazon Luna on the Fire stick to Apple TV and it's gaming.
@@blueline308 No - Roku is Roku - its own platform. Fire TV is Android but not Google's version of the TV platform. Shield is running with Google's software.
@@blueline308 Roku is its own version of Linux. Android devices are, well, Android, which is a heavily altered version of Linux but with lower performance due to the Java programmed architecture & other inefficiencies they've added.
Im growing tired of my Fire TV Cube(software gets laggy) BUT I think the device control is pretty sweet (can turn my TV and soundbar on/off with the remote OR my voice). I also have a Fire TV recast that puts antenna channels in the live TV section so I don't pay for cable. Oh and it upscales non 4k content. You can also cloud game on it with Amazon Luna
With the Apple TV app on the Top Shelf you can change it so it just shows your Continue Watching list rather than the atv+ ‘advertising’. Settings > Apps > TV > Top Shelf
Having used a FEW Google set-top boxes, they were OK but NOT that great for smart home control OR actually controlling the devices the box was connected too! I have owned a Fire Cube Gen3 for over a year and what an improvement for me! With a simple voice commands I can turn my TV, soundbar, and LED backlighting on, works FLAWLESS with the Google TV app with total voice commands, and will switch my inputs for my DVD, music storage device, and my radio tuner. No other 'Box' can do this and work with all my smart home devices and can even view my cameras on my TV from several brands ALL via voice control! It all comes down to individual user needs and for me, Amazon works the best for my setup. Of course, others will have different needs.
I'd like to see a comparison of these players head to head streaming the same live sports program from the same service (like Hulu live or RUclips live) via wifi, both 1080p and 4k. Compared for buffering, overall delay, and pixelation.
The older Android TV interface is so much better than the new Google TV interface. Despite looking quite similar, it has more snappy response, and notably fewer ads.
Google TV offers an 'apps only' Mode in which there are basically no ads. Unfortunately, this wasn't mentioned in the video. Could have been helpful info for some people.
Great video, think about changing 1 for apple tv. My exprience: Roku = no twitch 👎 Fire tv = the freaking remote keeps dying or disconnecting. Chromecast = after some updates it freezes with some videos. Firetv = at one moment i had to use the browser for yt because google were at war with amazon for stupid reasosn,so no official youtube app 🤬 Now i am thinking of changing the firetv that i still have because it is connevt to a monitor in a arcade cabinet and the remote is a must(if it doesn't connect to the wifi)
I find Google TV or at least something based on Android to be vital so you can side load stuff like smarttube, projectivity etc.... You can do that on fire TV as well but that's not going to be an option forever since they're moving away from an Android base TV box to something proprietary.
@@NinjaRunningWild the FIrestick 4K Max has never once been "slow". It navigates and launches stuff as fast and smooth as I could possibly ask for. This old nonsense of "java is slow" is nonsense and always has been.
I don't follow, they are moving away from Android? That's going to make them a no go for me as well eventually if I ever have to upgrade. I'm a big user of TiviMate for a super cheap IPTV service for thousands of live TV channels and thousands of movies and TV shows on demand (VoD).
My wife got me a Roku for Christmas one year, never knew what it was. Love it! The next year my wife got me an Apple TV. Did NOT love it. I’ve been a diehard Roku guy ever since.
I was a diehard Roku user for 10 years. They were the only one of the affordable hardware devices that was “platform agnostic”. Because they didn’t have their own streaming service, they were happy to offer everyone’s apps. When Amazon and Google were fighting and pulling each other’s apps, Roku was there chugging along happily. The Apple TV was good, but I couldn’t deal with the price at the time. Fast forward and Roku offers its own streaming services and is now getting in on the fighting. They also started ramping up ads & data collection in a big way. The Apple TV has turned out to be my new go-to. While the price is higher up front, that’s the price you pay for a device that makes it money by selling you the device - not selling your data. I still use Roku devices because I own them, and I despise waste. But when it’s inevitably time to replace them they’ll get replaced with Apple TV boxes.
Absolutely there's nothing better than the Nvidia Shield even though it's still the same 2013 device. Would love to see what a 2025 Nvidia Shield would perform like. I have had everything out there and all of them are in the dumpster because the shield is freaking good
Curious to get your view on their video processing power. Does Netflix not Apple TV look better than it does on Amazon, Google or Roku because of the better chipset?
Nowadays the TVs come with all apps and do have Google TV as the basic platform. If we buy a new TV , will we still have a need for these external boxes?
A couple of years ago, I bought an Amazon Fire smart TV. After a few months, I came to loathe the Fire interface. Now I have an Apple TV, a Roku, and a Google ONN Wally World box all plugged in, use them all except for the built in Fire interface. So you are never stuck using the built-in apps on any TV, And you won't be stuck having to buy a whole new TV once the built-n apps stop being supported.
My opinion is that if you’re looking at buying a TV that has built-in streaming hardware, then buy a Roku TV. They make all of their money by putting ads in front of you, so they’re incentivized to keep your devices running smoothly as long as possible. I’ve got a Roku TV that’s 7 years old, was very inexpensive, and yet it still runs smoothly and doesn’t give me any problems streaming content.
What is the best device for sunshine / moonlight for pc games to play via controller on tv? You said the onn box wasnt good enough, but what is if i can do eithernet? Just looking for the cheapest device to get this setup.
Hey Lon, some of the cheap WIndows mini PCs you have been reviewing are within the price of an Apple TV. I've never understood why people like these TV Boxes so much when they are so much less capable than a computer. the UX is more intuitive than a computer but computers have full HDR/Dolby Atmos/etc support and you can block ads, they also have the same access to all the content that these boxes provide. Could you review one as a set top box?
They're a tiny fraction of the price of a computer. And no, a computer can't do all the things a streaming box can. They actually have a REMOTE and a usable interface from the couch.
I have an atv 4k 3rd gen, shield tv pro, and amazon cube. Atv loses because it forces only atmos. Typical Apple. Does not pass straight audio, because Apple and no lip sync options which in my experience only the atv actually needs. Like its integration though such as with my phone for FaceTime
Cheapest Roku is the Express, current retail price is $29.99, but are often on sale. But I've heard that it's not very good. Best inexpensive Roku is the Express 4K, which retails for $39.99, but, again, you can wait for a sale and get it for much less. Black Friday sales are coming. I have used the Express 4K, and find it to be very good quality for the money.
What about Boxee Box? Lol. Or, Windows 8.1/10 mini PC and/PC sticks/mac mini, lol. FrontRow, Xbox Metro, PS4, PS5, Tizen Os, WebOS, Android TV on SWITCH.
yes and if you have Roku TV, settings require you to keep it connected on internet for settings you set to even stay working. feels like ad/control extortion to keep connected. Recently they forced a TOS change and if you didn't agree to arbitration, TV was disabled
Apple TV - Premium, benefits for being in Apple ecosystem already, best experience IMO Google TV - best overall value, but not best experience Amazon Fire - Terrible UI and Ads, but benefits for being Prime member and being in Alexa ecosystem Roku - Simplistic, works, best for your parents, may not be best for you.
I can't remember if you mentioned it. But on fire TV now, upon bootup, it plays an AD with audio. So when I turn my audio receiver on, it's a loud blare of audio. Absolutely killed my fire usage. Even worse, you cannot install all the major streaming apps without running out of space, even on my 4k max. Bluetooth audio is extremely laggy with fire. Google TV is just so ungodly slow. Even the nvidia shield isnt quite what it was. With Roku you can turn a good majority of the suggestions off. And more importantly , just fricken works. Plus the Roku app with headphones, is fantastic. So you can just pair to your phone, done. Apple TV is the only Roku alternative id consider.
It actually doesn't matter that much, the Apple TV app is on most other streaming boxes. Apple Airplay is built into many high end smart TV's these days. But it is cool if you like having your iPhone photos available on the TV and the ability to easily listen with Airpods to the Apple TV is cool. If you like Live TV, the Fire TV and Google TV have integrated Live TV channel guides. This isn't available on the Apple TV.
I don't want to be a jerk and I've made multiple comments on this video now, however this video is disappointing and has multiple inaccuracies. I've already called out 2 obvious ones fundamental to 2 sections of the video regarding the Firestick.
I keep getting asked why there's no Nvidia Shield in this video: this is about PLATFORMS not specific devices. This additionally is aimed at general consumers who are not in the market for the Shield. The Shield is an Android/Google TV device and much of what you saw with the Onn will apply there as well.
Training family members to log into their own accounts... everyone good luck with that one!
Yeah this never works out here in the real world, sadly. Personally I just make a new Google account (in case of Android TV/Google TV) and log into the set top box with that so that it doesn't affect my personal account
I put a pin number on my Hulu and Disney+ Accounts lol, can't get in unless they know my pin.
I set it up so the wife is logged into all the devices except the one in the media room, which is mine. I usually don't care what's on TV unless I'm in the media room and she doesn't come in here to watch TV, so it works for us.
Google TV + Projectivy = No Ads only apps and you choose how things look
Great but how do you get projectivity to be the default launcher?
@@gearheadtechnology it prompts you once installed
@greekmanx it didn't prompt me, but I figured out you have to enable accessibility mode within the settings and then it took over.
@@gearheadtechnology I have installed in on a shield and Google chromecast tv and both prompted so I assumed it always did so my bad
@@gearheadtechnology search my channel I did a how to
Fantastic video and very detailed ! Thank you so much Lon
Great job putting this together for us. Thank you.
Thanks, I found this review to be very helpful. 😊
Especially the children's interface.
I have two of the top end Roku boxes like the ones you showed. They're mainly pretty good. I also have an nVidia Shield Pro or whatever their top of the line thing is called. I have that as it works with waaaay more formats when I plug a hard drive in via USB compared to the Roku. I don't use the nVidia Shield Pro for any streaming services, I can't imagine it would perform any better in regards to video and audio than the Roku. So I don't use it for streaming, especially since the Shield UI is a li'l sucky.
The Roku media player is VERY limited (read as crap). Apple TV has FE File Explorer which can play a ton of formats, even old avi & mpeg files, which is pretty surprising. It can seemingly play most anything.
@@NinjaRunningWild That's interesting as even Macs can't do that unless you install non-Apple software. I think the Apple TV is lacking in connections from what I recall? No USB? Or USB doubles as something else? Can't remember. There was some other deal-breaker.
@@GameSack You're right about it not having USB, but you can put your USB drive on the network via your router & access it. That's how I’m using it. FE has its own format decoder. Probably not as thorough as say VLC, but I rarely find files it can't play, even, like I said, old crap I've downloaded decades ago from Kazaa. FE also has its own file system, so you can transfer files to it & play them directly. Your choice Joe, just informing you. Thanks for GameSack! 🕹️
@@NinjaRunningWild Yeah I'm not really interested in setting up a network.
@@GameSack I didn't. Most routers have built-in file-sharing. If there's a USB connection on your router you can (at least on NetGear) just plug a USB drive into it & it should be automatically shared locally to the network.
Everything on your local network should be able to access it (EG - Roku, Steam Deck, my Sony TV, et al). It's way easier than it sounds. Get a few files for a test, throw them on a drive, plug it in & see for yourself. I guarantee you it's easier than editing video.
2:16 Minor correction Lon - Whatever is _selected_ shows the banner background. It’s just that the first option is selected by default.
I have Apple TV, Roku Ultra (x2), & Fire Stick 4K. Apple is hands down the best. Crucially, NO ADS!! Roku started adding unremovable ads to the home screen & that's ruined it for me. Now my family is getting Apple TV for Xmas because forced ads are egregious.
are* egregious.
@NinjaRunningWild If you install AdGuard Home it will remove the banner ads in the Roku home screen
@@DarthVader1977 I noticed after, but didn't want to edit. I was reflowing that sentence. Anyways, fixed.
@@luizsalazar87 Looked into this & it's a hacky inconsistent solution which just isn't necessary for Apple. Apple TV also runs rings around Roku Ultra speed wise, being basically an iPhone 13 without a screen. It also can technically multi-task, which Roku cannot due to limited RAM & OS restrictions.
@@NinjaRunningWild not sure what you find hacky or inconsistent about it. That's like saying using Cloudfare or Google DNS instead of your ISP DNS is hacky.
Yes, due to Roku having no multi tasking all other platforms are snappier. I wouldn't recommend buying a Roku streaming device but if it's built into the TV it's a very usable platform.
Another proper comparison video. Thank you
I think it would have been interesting to look at the accessibility options for each box. The built-in screen readers for each device, the print enhancements for each device. I am blind, I use Apple TV because of the excellent built-in screen reader.
A lot of those free channels that you talk about on some of the boxes are directly from pluto tv just with a different branding.
0:14
Hard to move on from my Nvidia Shield due to the network storage feature. 8tb external drive connected to it and media gets ripped and dropped on it.
Great video. I have three of those boxes, but the one I use 99% of the time is the Apple TV. I use the Mac to cast feature at least twice a day to stream youtube videos I've downloaded.
We have Roku TVs with Firesticks plugged into them. We prefer Roku for its simplicity, but the Firestick integrates better with our Alexa driven smart home. My wife often uses the Firestick to monitor our back door Wyze camera to watch for deliveries and to check on our porch cat.
Very informative and well done video, Lon. I think personally I like the Apple TV the best because it's less in your face with ads. As users on the internet we are constantly bombarded with ads, so If I can pay a bit more for an Apple TV and have to see less ads, I will pick that option every single time.
Still rocking the 2015 Nvidia shield, with Wolf Launcher (so no ads)
@@Oldskool4Lifethe Onn box will run Wolf Launcher. It's the only way.
I've tried everything but Apple TV, and I love the Roku in general the best. The only thing that keeps me from having it as my primary is the lack of support for Channels DVR. If they could just get that app running on there, I'd be on board - but it is the best live TV and DVR app I've used.
I use Roku, but it no longer works with the Tablo DVR. Keep that in mind if you’re in the market for either.
Australian perspective here. AppleTV is easily the best here and our household has two - but we also have an Amazon 4K Firestick which in developer mode allows the best of both Amazon store and APK sideloading. Roku is non-existent here at least in my experience.
The Fire Stick is hard to beat for the price. It has a browser for streaming online tv, live webcams, and movie sites, and with a cheap dongle you can connect an external HD or thumb drive to play your own audio video files.
OMG...Plex streams Masters of Horror!? I know what I am watching tomorrow! (I noticed it when you were scrolling thru Plex)
Talk about ad blocking routers 😊
Nvidia shield pro is still a great streaming device. The new ONN pro is pretty good too. It just got a new update. ROKU ultra is awesome as well. I have all three of them.😊😊😊
Onn supports custom apps and launchers 👀
I have had pretty much all these boxes for years, but standardized on the Apple TV latest gen. It’s decent, but the RUclips app voice search has been semi-broken for at least 2 years and they don’t seem interested in fixing it. Makes me want to hook up one of the other boxes…
With the Roku you can disable a lot the extra items found on the Roku home screen by going to the Home Screen settings. Even the seasonal sections can be disabled. The Roku I set up for my mom only has four side bar items.
🎉thanks I appreciate it if the comparison and then the perspective of a parent and restricting content for kids. Also going to check out your in-depth review of the Fire stick. I'm wanting to compare Amazon Luna on the Fire stick to Apple TV and it's gaming.
You left out the GOAT...Shield !
Surprised at that...especially with the Apple TV included.
This was a look at each platform - shield falls under the Google/android tv category
@@LonSeidman So is everything but the Apple.
@@blueline308 No - Roku is Roku - its own platform. Fire TV is Android but not Google's version of the TV platform. Shield is running with Google's software.
@@blueline308 Roku is its own version of Linux. Android devices are, well, Android, which is a heavily altered version of Linux but with lower performance due to the Java programmed architecture & other inefficiencies they've added.
Im growing tired of my Fire TV Cube(software gets laggy) BUT I think the device control is pretty sweet (can turn my TV and soundbar on/off with the remote OR my voice). I also have a Fire TV recast that puts antenna channels in the live TV section so I don't pay for cable. Oh and it upscales non 4k content. You can also cloud game on it with Amazon Luna
I like Google TV’s setting for simplified home view. Limits some of the ads and recommendations, more clean.
With the Apple TV app on the Top Shelf you can change it so it just shows your Continue Watching list rather than the atv+ ‘advertising’.
Settings > Apps > TV > Top Shelf
Having used a FEW Google set-top boxes, they were OK but NOT that great for smart home control OR actually controlling the devices the box was connected too! I have owned a Fire Cube Gen3 for over a year and what an improvement for me! With a simple voice commands I can turn my TV, soundbar, and LED backlighting on, works FLAWLESS with the Google TV app with total voice commands, and will switch my inputs for my DVD, music storage device, and my radio tuner. No other 'Box' can do this and work with all my smart home devices and can even view my cameras on my TV from several brands ALL via voice control!
It all comes down to individual user needs and for me, Amazon works the best for my setup. Of course, others will have different needs.
I've long since abandoned these things for Mini PCs that do so much more for not much more.
I'd like to see a comparison of these players head to head streaming the same live sports program from the same service (like Hulu live or RUclips live) via wifi, both 1080p and 4k. Compared for buffering, overall delay, and pixelation.
The older Android TV interface is so much better than the new Google TV interface.
Despite looking quite similar, it has more snappy response, and notably fewer ads.
Lon, am I correct in assuming that the ad-supported free channels do not allow skipping or fast searching through the advertisements?
You are correct
Top Picks For You on the Roku home screen above the channel icons can be disabled in the settings.
What are the personal devices that are required on Apple TV? Could you please be specific with the types of devices and what they imply?
No devices are required.
Google TV offers an 'apps only' Mode in which there are basically no ads. Unfortunately, this wasn't mentioned in the video. Could have been helpful info for some people.
It gets rid of the recommendations - there are still ads after it’s enabled. I’ve covered this before.
I have never used Apple TV or Google TV but have used the other two. I am not a fan of the navigation or Fire TV but do like Roku.
Fire Stick lost major points in our house recently when my wife couldn’t mirror her workouts from
her iPhone. Roku saved the day there.
Lon you should do a review of the newest Tablo on Apple Tv. It’s so much better than channels and hdhomerun now a days
Great video, think about changing 1 for apple tv. My exprience:
Roku = no twitch 👎
Fire tv = the freaking remote keeps dying or disconnecting.
Chromecast = after some updates it freezes with some videos.
Firetv = at one moment i had to use the browser for yt because google were at war with amazon for stupid reasosn,so no official youtube app 🤬
Now i am thinking of changing the firetv that i still have because it is connevt to a monitor in a arcade cabinet and the remote is a must(if it doesn't connect to the wifi)
I find Google TV or at least something based on Android to be vital so you can side load stuff like smarttube, projectivity etc.... You can do that on fire TV as well but that's not going to be an option forever since they're moving away from an Android base TV box to something proprietary.
They're slow though being Java based.
@@NinjaRunningWild the FIrestick 4K Max has never once been "slow". It navigates and launches stuff as fast and smooth as I could possibly ask for. This old nonsense of "java is slow" is nonsense and always has been.
I don't follow, they are moving away from Android? That's going to make them a no go for me as well eventually if I ever have to upgrade.
I'm a big user of TiviMate for a super cheap IPTV service for thousands of live TV channels and thousands of movies and TV shows on demand (VoD).
Batteries Not Included! Great movie.
Shield❤
My wife got me a Roku for Christmas one year, never knew what it was. Love it! The next year my wife got me an Apple TV. Did NOT love it. I’ve been a diehard Roku guy ever since.
I was a diehard Roku user for 10 years. They were the only one of the affordable hardware devices that was “platform agnostic”. Because they didn’t have their own streaming service, they were happy to offer everyone’s apps. When Amazon and Google were fighting and pulling each other’s apps, Roku was there chugging along happily. The Apple TV was good, but I couldn’t deal with the price at the time.
Fast forward and Roku offers its own streaming services and is now getting in on the fighting. They also started ramping up ads & data collection in a big way. The Apple TV has turned out to be my new go-to. While the price is higher up front, that’s the price you pay for a device that makes it money by selling you the device - not selling your data. I still use Roku devices because I own them, and I despise waste. But when it’s inevitably time to replace them they’ll get replaced with Apple TV boxes.
Nov 2024
can you please verify if the onn google tv box supports VPNS ...
Philo seems to buffer a lot on Apple TV. I wonder if Roku would work better.
I'll stick with Roku.
Absolutely there's nothing better than the Nvidia Shield even though it's still the same 2013 device. Would love to see what a 2025 Nvidia Shield would perform like. I have had everything out there and all of them are in the dumpster because the shield is freaking good
Curious to get your view on their video processing power. Does Netflix not Apple TV look better than it does on Amazon, Google or Roku because of the better chipset?
No, the chipset and faster speed aren't involved in the video quality.
Ugoos SK1 tvbox is the best. IMO.
Nowadays the TVs come with all apps and do have Google TV as the basic platform. If we buy a new TV , will we still have a need for these external boxes?
Good boxes always have better hardware for streaming than smart tvs. Plus boxes are portable. You can take them anywhere.
Eventually the TV will become dumber.. My 2016 LG OLED's smart apps are not doing too well these days.
A couple of years ago, I bought an Amazon Fire smart TV. After a few months, I came to loathe the Fire interface. Now I have an Apple TV, a Roku, and a Google ONN Wally World box all plugged in, use them all except for the built in Fire interface. So you are never stuck using the built-in apps on any TV, And you won't be stuck having to buy a whole new TV once the built-n apps stop being supported.
@@christinemurphy7683 This is the way👍
My opinion is that if you’re looking at buying a TV that has built-in streaming hardware, then buy a Roku TV. They make all of their money by putting ads in front of you, so they’re incentivized to keep your devices running smoothly as long as possible. I’ve got a Roku TV that’s 7 years old, was very inexpensive, and yet it still runs smoothly and doesn’t give me any problems streaming content.
What is the best device for sunshine / moonlight for pc games to play via controller on tv? You said the onn box wasnt good enough, but what is if i can do eithernet? Just looking for the cheapest device to get this setup.
Here you go 6:10
Can’t install Kodi on Roku, difficult to install Kodi on Apple TV, easy to install Kodi on fire tv. Don’t know about installing Kodi on onn
Its in the Play store so easier than Fire
Im using Google tv and Rokus and Tizen. Xbox for games
How the heck did you miss the shield?
This was about platforms, not specific devices. Shield is a Google/Android TV
Hey Lon, some of the cheap WIndows mini PCs you have been reviewing are within the price of an Apple TV. I've never understood why people like these TV Boxes so much when they are so much less capable than a computer. the UX is more intuitive than a computer but computers have full HDR/Dolby Atmos/etc support and you can block ads, they also have the same access to all the content that these boxes provide. Could you review one as a set top box?
They're a tiny fraction of the price of a computer. And no, a computer can't do all the things a streaming box can. They actually have a REMOTE and a usable interface from the couch.
They don't play well with HDR modes.
Let's face, only one can control your home LOCALLY....
I have an atv 4k 3rd gen, shield tv pro, and amazon cube. Atv loses because it forces only atmos. Typical Apple. Does not pass straight audio, because Apple and no lip sync options which in my experience only the atv actually needs. Like its integration though such as with my phone for FaceTime
Lon, a Roku Ultra is $99, not $25.
Did I say the Ultra was $25?
@@LonSeidman Yes, ("you could buy one of these $25 Rokus") but maybe you were referring to the entire Roku platform where there are $25 options.
I was referring to the line, not the ultra. The ultra is just the Roku I happen to have for the demo.
Cheapest Roku is the Express, current retail price is $29.99, but are often on sale. But I've heard that it's not very good. Best inexpensive Roku is the Express 4K, which retails for $39.99, but, again, you can wait for a sale and get it for much less. Black Friday sales are coming. I have used the Express 4K, and find it to be very good quality for the money.
Sometimes, videos get into RUclips kids that are not appropriate
What about Boxee Box? Lol. Or, Windows 8.1/10 mini PC and/PC sticks/mac mini, lol. FrontRow, Xbox Metro, PS4, PS5, Tizen Os, WebOS, Android TV on SWITCH.
The apple remote is horrible. Still bad.
Try a Function 101 Apple remote. Easy to set up and functions just like a regular remote. They’ll probably have a Black Friday sale.
❤❤❤
That top row of suggestions on Roku can be turned off in settings.
Yes, as well as the side home screen options. You cannot however turn off the left corner ads which is ridiculous & insufferable.
yes and if you have Roku TV, settings require you to keep it connected on internet for settings you set to even stay working. feels like ad/control extortion to keep connected. Recently they forced a TOS change and if you didn't agree to arbitration, TV was disabled
How about Xbox game pass. For gaming on all the platforms… I use it on my fire stick 4k max….
also what about an Xbox Series S or X as streaming device
Talked about that at the end.
Apple TV - Premium, benefits for being in Apple ecosystem already, best experience IMO
Google TV - best overall value, but not best experience
Amazon Fire - Terrible UI and Ads, but benefits for being Prime member and being in Alexa ecosystem
Roku - Simplistic, works, best for your parents, may not be best for you.
I can't remember if you mentioned it. But on fire TV now, upon bootup, it plays an AD with audio. So when I turn my audio receiver on, it's a loud blare of audio. Absolutely killed my fire usage. Even worse, you cannot install all the major streaming apps without running out of space, even on my 4k max. Bluetooth audio is extremely laggy with fire.
Google TV is just so ungodly slow. Even the nvidia shield isnt quite what it was.
With Roku you can turn a good majority of the suggestions off. And more importantly , just fricken works. Plus the Roku app with headphones, is fantastic. So you can just pair to your phone, done.
Apple TV is the only Roku alternative id consider.
If your in the Apple ecosystem its the Apple TV all the way …
It actually doesn't matter that much, the Apple TV app is on most other streaming boxes. Apple Airplay is built into many high end smart TV's these days. But it is cool if you like having your iPhone photos available on the TV and the ability to easily listen with Airpods to the Apple TV is cool. If you like Live TV, the Fire TV and Google TV have integrated Live TV channel guides. This isn't available on the Apple TV.
Mi Box ?
TLDW?
All of those boxes are pure junk. NVIDIA SHIELD with KODI is far better than anything else out there.
Shield was last updated 5 years ago
@@estusflask982 Yep. I just bought another one because it's still better than these newer boxes.
@@estusflask982 Totally agreed. We need version 3!
And isn't it sad a box that is 5 years old still out performs all other newer boxes?!
AppleTV all day
Google TV 🐐
Google TV it's the best by far.
No.
Apple TV…. The RUclips app does not support HDR on the Google system for some reason
I don't want to be a jerk and I've made multiple comments on this video now, however this video is disappointing and has multiple inaccuracies.
I've already called out 2 obvious ones fundamental to 2 sections of the video regarding the Firestick.
What's inaccurate? I don't see your comments, just this one.
onn 4k for the win lol
Sheild shits on all of these.
u can jail break the apple or ruku so those are a no .