Questions about streaming TV
December 14, 2015 1:44 PM Subscribe
I’m not a luddite, but I’ve been left in the dust by TV technology. Help us start streaming, please.
We just got an HD flat screen last year, and we’re unenthusiastically using Time Warner cable. We have no streaming devices. What would you recommend as a starter? We’re attracted to Apple TV, except that I’m an Amazon Prime member and it would be nice to access that material. We currently have “standard” internet service, described as “up to 15Mbps.” On paper, that looks like it should be sufficient. Is it really?
I also have some workout dvds that I’d like to get back to using if they didn’t look as terrible as they do using our old regular dvd player. Is it true that a Blu Ray player will mitigate the non-HD quality to some extent? Should we consider a Blu Ray with streaming capabilities, or just get a Blu Ray player and a separate streaming device?
We just got an HD flat screen last year, and we’re unenthusiastically using Time Warner cable. We have no streaming devices. What would you recommend as a starter? We’re attracted to Apple TV, except that I’m an Amazon Prime member and it would be nice to access that material. We currently have “standard” internet service, described as “up to 15Mbps.” On paper, that looks like it should be sufficient. Is it really?
I also have some workout dvds that I’d like to get back to using if they didn’t look as terrible as they do using our old regular dvd player. Is it true that a Blu Ray player will mitigate the non-HD quality to some extent? Should we consider a Blu Ray with streaming capabilities, or just get a Blu Ray player and a separate streaming device?
Best answer: I'd recommend a Chromecast. It's only $30 and it's fantastic! Start with streaming content off of You Tube, see how you like it. Then do a subscription to Hulu. See how that works for you.
Get an HD antenna for your local channels, see how you like THAT!
That should be a very economical way to experiment with the technology.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 1:51 PM on December 14, 2015 [3 favorites]
Get an HD antenna for your local channels, see how you like THAT!
That should be a very economical way to experiment with the technology.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 1:51 PM on December 14, 2015 [3 favorites]
Do you have Apple computers/phones/tablets? That's the one major advantage of the Apple TV. We love being able to stream from our devices to the Apple TV. Often we play music through it (we have a decent surround sound system) but sometimes it's nice to use as a big monitor to show a video, website, etc. to friends who are over.
We have Amazon Prime and I don't feel like we're missing much. I'm also hopeful that Amazon and Apple will eventually play nice.
posted by radioamy at 1:54 PM on December 14, 2015
We have Amazon Prime and I don't feel like we're missing much. I'm also hopeful that Amazon and Apple will eventually play nice.
posted by radioamy at 1:54 PM on December 14, 2015
If you just bought your TV last year, it's possible that it already has built in options to stream from the most popular providers (Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, etc.) Check the menus to see if there is some kind of menu item called "Internet Video" or some such. Then you would put your Amazon or Netflix credentials in and you can watch your queue right on the TV.
We have that, plus a Chromecast, plus a $80 Blu-Ray player that also has streaming menus on it. The hardest part for us is remembering which device which service is logged in on.
posted by matildaben at 1:55 PM on December 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
We have that, plus a Chromecast, plus a $80 Blu-Ray player that also has streaming menus on it. The hardest part for us is remembering which device which service is logged in on.
posted by matildaben at 1:55 PM on December 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
Most modern BD players are also upscaling DVD players, meaning that the player will mitigate the SD issues somewhat. It's not going to make your DVDs look like HD content, but they will look better.
If you're wanting an all in one solution, Costco has a number of networked BD players that come with streaming support for a number of services around the $75-100. Make sure that all the services you want are available, though the major streaming services are usually included. If you want a dedicated streaming device, since you're a Prime member, I'd recommend the Amazon Fire Stick. It's a bit more than the Chromecast, but supports your Prime account out of the box - it comes preconfigured.
posted by NoxAeternum at 1:57 PM on December 14, 2015
If you're wanting an all in one solution, Costco has a number of networked BD players that come with streaming support for a number of services around the $75-100. Make sure that all the services you want are available, though the major streaming services are usually included. If you want a dedicated streaming device, since you're a Prime member, I'd recommend the Amazon Fire Stick. It's a bit more than the Chromecast, but supports your Prime account out of the box - it comes preconfigured.
posted by NoxAeternum at 1:57 PM on December 14, 2015
I'm not a user of Amazon video, but be aware that I'm pretty sure that Amazon doesn't play nicely with the chromecast because Amazone doesn't want the competition to it's fire tv stick. It looks like you can use Chrome to cast a tab viewing amazon video, but that's not nearly as nice as using an app to cast and having the chromecast actively doing the streaming.
Perhaps since you're in the Amazon ecosystem, the Amazon Fire TV stick would make more sense for you?
posted by nobeagle at 2:02 PM on December 14, 2015 [2 favorites]
Perhaps since you're in the Amazon ecosystem, the Amazon Fire TV stick would make more sense for you?
posted by nobeagle at 2:02 PM on December 14, 2015 [2 favorites]
Roku! Works with everything (Amazon, Netflix, etc) and is ridiculously easy to set up and use
posted by bahama mama at 2:05 PM on December 14, 2015 [17 favorites]
posted by bahama mama at 2:05 PM on December 14, 2015 [17 favorites]
So with the Chromecast you navigate what to play with a smart device, like a phone or tablet, whereas the Roku you use a traditional remote (although their app does allow a little smart phone nav). I'd decide which idea you like better. I always recommend Rokus to my non-tech relatives because they are so dead simple and just work.
Is it true that a Blu Ray player will mitigate the non-HD quality to some extent?
Any DVD player or blu-ray player with "Progressive-scan" dvd playback, ideally through HDMI, should get the job done. The videos should look decent.
posted by selfnoise at 2:08 PM on December 14, 2015
Is it true that a Blu Ray player will mitigate the non-HD quality to some extent?
Any DVD player or blu-ray player with "Progressive-scan" dvd playback, ideally through HDMI, should get the job done. The videos should look decent.
posted by selfnoise at 2:08 PM on December 14, 2015
Unless you have a significant quantity of iTunes media (TV shows or movies purchased through iTunes), the Apple TV is not your best bet, given your Amazon Prime subscription. I tend to suggest a Roku over a connected Blu-Ray player, as Roku's business model is strictly streaming, so new services/features will be rolled out more quickly there than on some random LG Blu-Ray player. As long as you've got 2 HDMI ports on the TV, I'd go with a non-smart Blu-Ray player and a Roku.
posted by Rock Steady at 2:12 PM on December 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Rock Steady at 2:12 PM on December 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
I got my mom a Roku for Mother's Day because she was bewildered by the Chromecast process. Now she streams Netflix, Hulu, Youtube, and Amazon with her basic Comcast internet subscription like a boss. It's amazing the difference having a little dedicated remote control can make!
posted by kimberussell at 2:15 PM on December 14, 2015
posted by kimberussell at 2:15 PM on December 14, 2015
I had a chromecast, but I found using my iPhone as a remote incredibly irritating (if I wanted to pause for a second, it took me 10 seconds to get into the app). Now I'm very happy with my roku.
posted by crazy with stars at 2:17 PM on December 14, 2015
posted by crazy with stars at 2:17 PM on December 14, 2015
I'd personally go with a Roku device (assume you already have your regular DVDs still setup). Very similar (if not superior) to AppleTV, also supports Amazon, and no futzing around with your phone -- just plug it in, switch inputs and use the included remote. Traditionally, I've found that software built into other devices (like TVs or BlueRay players) is junk, and the Roku is very solid and easy to use. YMMV.
posted by cgg at 2:22 PM on December 14, 2015
posted by cgg at 2:22 PM on December 14, 2015
We stream Amazon on a Panasonic Blu-Ray, Vizio smart TVs and even using a Nintendo Wii. They all work well and the only real difference is the input device. I'd go for a Blu-Ray player since it will replace your DVD player(?) and not add another device to your set-up. It is also going to offer a wider array of apps than one from a company that is also trying to serve content.
posted by soelo at 2:23 PM on December 14, 2015
posted by soelo at 2:23 PM on December 14, 2015
One of the nice parts of the Fire TV Stick is that it can either be run with the remote, or with an app on your smart device. The Roku does have an integrated headphone jack in the remote for late night viewing, though.
posted by NoxAeternum at 2:23 PM on December 14, 2015
posted by NoxAeternum at 2:23 PM on December 14, 2015
Best answer: What would you recommend as a starter? We’re attracted to Apple TV, except that I’m an Amazon Prime member and it would be nice to access that material.
Fire TV stick. For sure.
We currently have “standard” internet service, described as “up to 15Mbps.” On paper, that looks like it should be sufficient. Is it really?
Yep, that's fine.
The reason i recommend the fire stick over the chromecast is that chromecast never freaking works right. It works something like 5/10 to 8/10 times depending on how strong your wifi signal is. I gave one to my partners parents as a gift and they're always calling me about it because the cast icon doesn't show up, or it gets "stuck" (wherein one device casted something to it, and now has a "hold" on it of sorts, but that device no longer sees that it played that and you just have to... wait). I got from 5/10 to 8/10 by swapping their router, but it's still not perfect and annoying. Several other friends have them and i've NEVER seen one work consistently.
I got my mom a firetv stick, and she only calls me when it freezes or she loses the remote. And yea, it does freeze once in a while, but overall it's been about 1000x more reliable.
Rokus are fine too, but the cheapest fire tv device, the stick, has the same features as the midrange and up rokus... And even the basic roku costs like, $50? The firetv stick has youtube and a few things that either don't exist on roku or are inferior there, as well.
What i've found is that out of all of them, the firetv is the most compatible with various services. You can google how to make it compatible with more things as well(display mirroring smartphones! airplay! various methods of streaming files you already have! all kinds of other stuff too)
I also have some workout dvds that I’d like to get back to using if they didn’t look as terrible as they do using our old regular dvd player.
Go to your local goodwill and find a DVD player that has HDMI(it'll say on the front) or blu ray player for like $5.99. That will do exactly what you want. Don't buy a new device just to also have this feature. My upscaling DVD player i got to play old stuff, with HDMI, was $4.99... and it's also a VHS player. It doesn't look super great, but it works. In the end DVDs are just fairly low resolution.
posted by emptythought at 2:24 PM on December 14, 2015 [2 favorites]
Fire TV stick. For sure.
We currently have “standard” internet service, described as “up to 15Mbps.” On paper, that looks like it should be sufficient. Is it really?
Yep, that's fine.
The reason i recommend the fire stick over the chromecast is that chromecast never freaking works right. It works something like 5/10 to 8/10 times depending on how strong your wifi signal is. I gave one to my partners parents as a gift and they're always calling me about it because the cast icon doesn't show up, or it gets "stuck" (wherein one device casted something to it, and now has a "hold" on it of sorts, but that device no longer sees that it played that and you just have to... wait). I got from 5/10 to 8/10 by swapping their router, but it's still not perfect and annoying. Several other friends have them and i've NEVER seen one work consistently.
I got my mom a firetv stick, and she only calls me when it freezes or she loses the remote. And yea, it does freeze once in a while, but overall it's been about 1000x more reliable.
Rokus are fine too, but the cheapest fire tv device, the stick, has the same features as the midrange and up rokus... And even the basic roku costs like, $50? The firetv stick has youtube and a few things that either don't exist on roku or are inferior there, as well.
What i've found is that out of all of them, the firetv is the most compatible with various services. You can google how to make it compatible with more things as well(display mirroring smartphones! airplay! various methods of streaming files you already have! all kinds of other stuff too)
I also have some workout dvds that I’d like to get back to using if they didn’t look as terrible as they do using our old regular dvd player.
Go to your local goodwill and find a DVD player that has HDMI(it'll say on the front) or blu ray player for like $5.99. That will do exactly what you want. Don't buy a new device just to also have this feature. My upscaling DVD player i got to play old stuff, with HDMI, was $4.99... and it's also a VHS player. It doesn't look super great, but it works. In the end DVDs are just fairly low resolution.
posted by emptythought at 2:24 PM on December 14, 2015 [2 favorites]
Devices we have that stream:
-Apple TV 3rd gen
-Amazon Fire Stick
-Sony Bluray DVD player
-Xbox 360
-PS4
Gotchas:
- Apple TV doesn't do Amazon streaming. I've read Amazon is making an app for the newest Apple TV (4th gen) removing that issue.
- Only the Apple TV supports Apple purchased content.
- Amazon Fire Stick doesn't have a YouTube app.
- The Sony Blueray DVD player has a terrible interface and is rarely used for streaming.
For the price, the Amazon Fire Stick and/or a Chromecast are hard to beat.
posted by LoveHam at 2:34 PM on December 14, 2015
-Apple TV 3rd gen
-Amazon Fire Stick
-Sony Bluray DVD player
-Xbox 360
-PS4
Gotchas:
- Apple TV doesn't do Amazon streaming. I've read Amazon is making an app for the newest Apple TV (4th gen) removing that issue.
- Only the Apple TV supports Apple purchased content.
- Amazon Fire Stick doesn't have a YouTube app.
- The Sony Blueray DVD player has a terrible interface and is rarely used for streaming.
For the price, the Amazon Fire Stick and/or a Chromecast are hard to beat.
posted by LoveHam at 2:34 PM on December 14, 2015
Right now I have a Fire TV stick, an older Roku 2, and an Apple TV (not the current generation, the one before that) connected to my television. This is more streaming than anyone actually needs but the good knew is they're all pretty good!
Given that the Fire stick is cheapest, and you've already got Prime, I would recommend a Fire stick. We happen to use the AppleTV more because we are more embedded in the iTunes ecosystem than the Amazon world. But if we want to watch Netflix or Hulu, we watch it on whatever the TV is currently tuned to; they all work very well (though the Roku is showing its age after being plugged in for the better part of five years).
Oh yeah, I also have an older blu-ray player that can stream some things, and an XBox, but we never use those for streaming.
posted by mskyle at 2:35 PM on December 14, 2015
Given that the Fire stick is cheapest, and you've already got Prime, I would recommend a Fire stick. We happen to use the AppleTV more because we are more embedded in the iTunes ecosystem than the Amazon world. But if we want to watch Netflix or Hulu, we watch it on whatever the TV is currently tuned to; they all work very well (though the Roku is showing its age after being plugged in for the better part of five years).
Oh yeah, I also have an older blu-ray player that can stream some things, and an XBox, but we never use those for streaming.
posted by mskyle at 2:35 PM on December 14, 2015
Best answer: Voice of (some) experience here. I've used a Sony Blu-Ray player, a Roku, an Apple TV, an LG Smart TV, and a Samsung Smart TV; I subscribe to Netflix and to Amazon Prime.
The short answer is that you can get by on almost anything - the grottiest interface on the LG or Samsung or Sony got the job done as far as displaying Netflix content. On the other hand, the interface does make a huge difference to ease of use, discoverability, and speed.
My suggestions:
* Do NOT rely on a Smart TV or a BluRay player unless you absolutely have to. Streaming is not their primary purpose, they have no sense of interface design, and it shows at every step.
* Amazon Prime has a lot (a LOT) of content, but they have no taste or sense of curation. It's just a jumble of stuff. I haven't been able to bring myself to use it for more than one show at a time, even though I've wanted to watch Transparent, for example. On the other hand, we stream Netflix all the time.
* Roku was pretty good for us. (Our device just got too old to use; not its fault.) And the new Apple TV is really nice. The speed difference compared to the BluRay streaming interface is startling!
So: If you're in the Apple ecosystem, get a new Apple TV (4th Gen). The Amazon app is supposed to be coming "within a few weeks". If you don't care for Apple, get a Roku - it streams everything. (It was Netflix's streaming device until they spun it off to its own company.) Or if you're heavily into Android, get a Chromecast device, I guess. Do not waste time on a Fire stick (my opinion).
For streaming services, Netflix has no equal yet, but there is also a TON of content available through channels (or apps on the Apple TV).
posted by RedOrGreen at 2:35 PM on December 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
The short answer is that you can get by on almost anything - the grottiest interface on the LG or Samsung or Sony got the job done as far as displaying Netflix content. On the other hand, the interface does make a huge difference to ease of use, discoverability, and speed.
My suggestions:
* Do NOT rely on a Smart TV or a BluRay player unless you absolutely have to. Streaming is not their primary purpose, they have no sense of interface design, and it shows at every step.
* Amazon Prime has a lot (a LOT) of content, but they have no taste or sense of curation. It's just a jumble of stuff. I haven't been able to bring myself to use it for more than one show at a time, even though I've wanted to watch Transparent, for example. On the other hand, we stream Netflix all the time.
* Roku was pretty good for us. (Our device just got too old to use; not its fault.) And the new Apple TV is really nice. The speed difference compared to the BluRay streaming interface is startling!
So: If you're in the Apple ecosystem, get a new Apple TV (4th Gen). The Amazon app is supposed to be coming "within a few weeks". If you don't care for Apple, get a Roku - it streams everything. (It was Netflix's streaming device until they spun it off to its own company.) Or if you're heavily into Android, get a Chromecast device, I guess. Do not waste time on a Fire stick (my opinion).
For streaming services, Netflix has no equal yet, but there is also a TON of content available through channels (or apps on the Apple TV).
posted by RedOrGreen at 2:35 PM on December 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
A happy Roku customer here. I also have Sling TV, which gives no-contract access to basic cable channels for $20/month and is streamable through the Roku.
posted by mudpuppie at 2:46 PM on December 14, 2015
posted by mudpuppie at 2:46 PM on December 14, 2015
Another happy Roku customer here. I watch Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Sling tv.
posted by dchrssyr at 2:48 PM on December 14, 2015
posted by dchrssyr at 2:48 PM on December 14, 2015
I almost always recommend a Roku. This is the case this time as well. It's the current best all-purpose player out there.
Others agree.
posted by General Malaise at 2:54 PM on December 14, 2015
Others agree.
posted by General Malaise at 2:54 PM on December 14, 2015
We have one of the new Chromecasts and it works well for us (I very rarely have the issues that emptythought mentions, but it might just be because the router is just on the other side of the wall from the TV). We've had a lot fewer issues than with the first generation one.
My parents really like their Roku, and it's a good choice if you have Amazon Prime (the Chromecast and Apple TV do not work with Amazon Prime).
posted by that girl at 3:11 PM on December 14, 2015
My parents really like their Roku, and it's a good choice if you have Amazon Prime (the Chromecast and Apple TV do not work with Amazon Prime).
posted by that girl at 3:11 PM on December 14, 2015
FWIW, I had exactly the issues emptythought mentions, with very fast internet. Maybe the router was too far away, but it's a very small house. I replaced it with the Fire stick and am much happier.
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 3:19 PM on December 14, 2015
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 3:19 PM on December 14, 2015
I have and use three streaming devices: Roku 2, Chromecast and generic Android stick from Hong Kong. (Five, if you also count the games PC hooked up to a TV, and the Sony PS3.)
The Roku has a nice interface, and you can use it as a standalone device. It also has good support for a wide variety of streaming sources (including Amazon Prime). The Roku (2, 3 and 4) have Ethernet, which you should absolutely use if it is an option.
The Chromecast has always worked reliably for me, but the care and feeding of 802.11 networks is part of my professional life. If your WiFi is spotty, expect problems with any wireless streaming solution.
The other thing about the Chromecast is that it does nothing useful on its own. You must use it with another device, like a smartphone or Android tablet or laptop. Pretty much the only thing I ever use it for now is "casting" a browser tab to share what I'm doing with others in the room. (As mentioned upthread, no support for Amazon Prime video.)
The generic Android stick works (with a tiny Bluetooth keyboard/trackpad combo) but it's a kludge. If your end goal is to watch a movie rather than futz around with tech, this is the wrong choice.
I know smart people who like Amazon's FireTV. I haven't used it myself, but know of no reason why you shouldn't.
Apple makes nice hardware, but it's a closed ecosystem. Life is great if you want to Apple Apple on Apple with your Apple, but don't even think about peeking over the garden wall.
posted by sourcequench at 3:34 PM on December 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
The Roku has a nice interface, and you can use it as a standalone device. It also has good support for a wide variety of streaming sources (including Amazon Prime). The Roku (2, 3 and 4) have Ethernet, which you should absolutely use if it is an option.
The Chromecast has always worked reliably for me, but the care and feeding of 802.11 networks is part of my professional life. If your WiFi is spotty, expect problems with any wireless streaming solution.
The other thing about the Chromecast is that it does nothing useful on its own. You must use it with another device, like a smartphone or Android tablet or laptop. Pretty much the only thing I ever use it for now is "casting" a browser tab to share what I'm doing with others in the room. (As mentioned upthread, no support for Amazon Prime video.)
The generic Android stick works (with a tiny Bluetooth keyboard/trackpad combo) but it's a kludge. If your end goal is to watch a movie rather than futz around with tech, this is the wrong choice.
I know smart people who like Amazon's FireTV. I haven't used it myself, but know of no reason why you shouldn't.
Apple makes nice hardware, but it's a closed ecosystem. Life is great if you want to Apple Apple on Apple with your Apple, but don't even think about peeking over the garden wall.
posted by sourcequench at 3:34 PM on December 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
I have a Fire Stick, a Roku, and an Xbox One, and I stream with all of them, frequently.
If you have or are interested in an Xbox One, it's great for streaming. It streams from all the services, and with Kinect you can do everything with voice, like say "Xbox on," and it turns on the xbox, tv, and sound bar. Getting to content is a little fiddly with voice, but it's possible to watch something without picking up a remote. Plus it plays blurays and games.
Between Fire Stick and Roku, I'd recommend the stick to a Prime member, but for me the wireless range on the stick was not as great as the Roku or the Fire TV box. I had the Stick in the bedroom and had to switch it out with the Roku because it wasn't getting a good enough signal, and it's not really that far from the router. The Roku has no trouble. I use the stick in the kitchen now, and it's great.
Another nice thing about the fireTV boxes is that if you use the prime photo storage to back up your photos (and why wouldn't you, it's free and unlimited), you can set your screensaver to display the pictures stored there.
posted by Huck500 at 3:41 PM on December 14, 2015
If you have or are interested in an Xbox One, it's great for streaming. It streams from all the services, and with Kinect you can do everything with voice, like say "Xbox on," and it turns on the xbox, tv, and sound bar. Getting to content is a little fiddly with voice, but it's possible to watch something without picking up a remote. Plus it plays blurays and games.
Between Fire Stick and Roku, I'd recommend the stick to a Prime member, but for me the wireless range on the stick was not as great as the Roku or the Fire TV box. I had the Stick in the bedroom and had to switch it out with the Roku because it wasn't getting a good enough signal, and it's not really that far from the router. The Roku has no trouble. I use the stick in the kitchen now, and it's great.
Another nice thing about the fireTV boxes is that if you use the prime photo storage to back up your photos (and why wouldn't you, it's free and unlimited), you can set your screensaver to display the pictures stored there.
posted by Huck500 at 3:41 PM on December 14, 2015
As a fan of Amazon services, I vote for the Fire TV. I have one and since all of my music is in the Amazon cloud, it can stream my music through the TV.
It also syncs with the Kindles in our house, so any videos or photographs my kids take using their Kindle ends up on the Fire TV which can be fun. You get a little glimpse into their inner world that kids rarely show adults.
posted by tacodave at 4:00 PM on December 14, 2015
It also syncs with the Kindles in our house, so any videos or photographs my kids take using their Kindle ends up on the Fire TV which can be fun. You get a little glimpse into their inner world that kids rarely show adults.
posted by tacodave at 4:00 PM on December 14, 2015
I would personally recommend the Roku as I've found it to be the easiest to use of all of the options discussed here, but really you'll be just fine with anything.
posted by Aizkolari at 4:32 PM on December 14, 2015
posted by Aizkolari at 4:32 PM on December 14, 2015
Amazon Fire Stick. Amazon Fire Stick. Amazon Fire Stick. Amazon Fire Stick. Amazon Fire Stick.
Amazon Fire Stick. Amazon Fire Stick.
Also: Amazon Fire Stick.
In summary: Amazon Fire Stick.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 4:34 PM on December 14, 2015
Amazon Fire Stick. Amazon Fire Stick.
Also: Amazon Fire Stick.
In summary: Amazon Fire Stick.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 4:34 PM on December 14, 2015
We're still using and loving the Roku 2 we bought after I'd asked this question back in 2011, and it's still going strong - so anecdotally, at least, they have a pretty good lifespan. We primarily stream Netflix and Amazon Prime, though the Crackle and PBS channels are also in regular rotation. The thing just works, and I like to proselytize about it every chance I get.
If you'd like something cheaper from the Roku family, there's also the Roku Stick, which you can get for under $50. I don't have direct experience with that one so perhaps someone else can weigh in - if I were in the market for a new streaming device I think I'd look at it long and hard.
posted by DingoMutt at 4:59 PM on December 14, 2015
If you'd like something cheaper from the Roku family, there's also the Roku Stick, which you can get for under $50. I don't have direct experience with that one so perhaps someone else can weigh in - if I were in the market for a new streaming device I think I'd look at it long and hard.
posted by DingoMutt at 4:59 PM on December 14, 2015
* Amazon Prime has a lot (a LOT) of content, but they have no taste or sense of curation. It's just a jumble of stuff. I haven't been able to bring myself to use it for more than one show at a time, even though I've wanted to watch Transparent, for example. On the other hand, we stream Netflix all the time.
I find this is true of Netflix to a degree too. They just don't seem to care about helping you find stuff. Just throw more at you, at all the time. I'd subscribe to a "Person with Taste" blog that lead me to things of value.
posted by DigDoug at 5:04 PM on December 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
I find this is true of Netflix to a degree too. They just don't seem to care about helping you find stuff. Just throw more at you, at all the time. I'd subscribe to a "Person with Taste" blog that lead me to things of value.
posted by DigDoug at 5:04 PM on December 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
I prefer the Roku, but I haven't used all the different devices, and I'm pretty sure my preferences aren't universal. Whatever you do, though, I think you're better off getting a dedicated streaming device rather than using the streaming features built into a player or a TV. I have never not had problems with those.
Mostly I came to say: DO IT. We were a little nervous about cutting the cord, but we have never regretted it for a second. We had Netflix already, but we added a Hulu subscription* when we cancelled our cable, and nobody has missed cable yet. A guy came to the door yesterday trying to sell us Comcast, and he got to hear about how much we love not having cable.
Another thing I'd recommend is to get an antenna. I was faffing around about this forever, reading up on antenna technologies and how to set it up to get the best results and was just paralyzed by indecision until one day, I was in Big Lots and impulse bought a simple indoor antenna for $10, came home, hooked it up, and in about five minutes, I picked up tons of over the air channels. Depending on the reception in your area, the over the air channels you can get for free can be competitive with basic cable. (Actually, I'm pretty sure I get more channels over the air than basic cable, but I think we get especially good reception here.) We get all the major networks, about a thousand different iterations of PBS, and then all these special interest channels like true crime, classic TV, movies, music video channels, and stuff like that. So it's definitely worth it, and if you ever do that terrible thing my husband does where he turns on the TV for background noise, it serves that purpose nicely.
* Most Hulu content has ads, but they have a huge selection of ad-free Criterion Collection movies, if you're into that sort of thing.
posted by ernielundquist at 5:25 PM on December 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
Mostly I came to say: DO IT. We were a little nervous about cutting the cord, but we have never regretted it for a second. We had Netflix already, but we added a Hulu subscription* when we cancelled our cable, and nobody has missed cable yet. A guy came to the door yesterday trying to sell us Comcast, and he got to hear about how much we love not having cable.
Another thing I'd recommend is to get an antenna. I was faffing around about this forever, reading up on antenna technologies and how to set it up to get the best results and was just paralyzed by indecision until one day, I was in Big Lots and impulse bought a simple indoor antenna for $10, came home, hooked it up, and in about five minutes, I picked up tons of over the air channels. Depending on the reception in your area, the over the air channels you can get for free can be competitive with basic cable. (Actually, I'm pretty sure I get more channels over the air than basic cable, but I think we get especially good reception here.) We get all the major networks, about a thousand different iterations of PBS, and then all these special interest channels like true crime, classic TV, movies, music video channels, and stuff like that. So it's definitely worth it, and if you ever do that terrible thing my husband does where he turns on the TV for background noise, it serves that purpose nicely.
* Most Hulu content has ads, but they have a huge selection of ad-free Criterion Collection movies, if you're into that sort of thing.
posted by ernielundquist at 5:25 PM on December 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
How about a TiVo Roamio OTA?
You can stream Netflix / Hulu / Amazon off the device as well as record local TV broadcasts to the DVR. Tivo's service is a one-time fee or a monthly subscription. Their new OnePass feature does a great job of seamlessly merging network broadcasts with episodes off the various streaming services.
A big plus: one single remote controls it all.
posted by JoeZydeco at 6:20 PM on December 14, 2015
You can stream Netflix / Hulu / Amazon off the device as well as record local TV broadcasts to the DVR. Tivo's service is a one-time fee or a monthly subscription. Their new OnePass feature does a great job of seamlessly merging network broadcasts with episodes off the various streaming services.
A big plus: one single remote controls it all.
posted by JoeZydeco at 6:20 PM on December 14, 2015
I have Roku and AppleTV. I use the former usually because the latter doesn't support Amazon video. But I like the Apple UI better.
posted by persona au gratin at 12:10 AM on December 15, 2015
posted by persona au gratin at 12:10 AM on December 15, 2015
I have time now for a real answer. Home video streaming devices are kind of an obsession with me. I've owned, in no particular order, Apple TV, the Amazon Fire Stick, Roku, TVisto, WD TV Live, a full-on HTPC, a Chromecast, a Raspberry Pi, etc.
The Fire Stick is where it's at, particularly for beginners. Apple TV is lovely. But it's not cheap and it's primary focus isn't helping you watch what you want, it's elegantly serving you things to buy from Apple. Chromecast can help you do all kinds of stuff, but the learning barrier is annoying because it's not technically actually doing anything. It's just allowing you to bump stuff from your phone/tablet/PC to your TV. This means you have to use and contend with myriad apps from myriad places. Also, as was pointed out above... it's finicky. The WD TV products are for people who like to download stuff. They're amazing for that, but their interfaces and apps are lacking. And they're not cheap, either. The Amazon Fire Stick and Rokus actually are mostly comparable in usability/reliability/options, but the lower price for Fire Stick makes it a clear winner for me.
Basically, with Fire Stick, you can watch Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, HBO Go, MLB.tv and a bunch of other things (with subscriptions where applicable) and it's got a simple attractive remote that both my retired mom and my six year-old kid find easy and intuitive.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:53 AM on December 15, 2015
The Fire Stick is where it's at, particularly for beginners. Apple TV is lovely. But it's not cheap and it's primary focus isn't helping you watch what you want, it's elegantly serving you things to buy from Apple. Chromecast can help you do all kinds of stuff, but the learning barrier is annoying because it's not technically actually doing anything. It's just allowing you to bump stuff from your phone/tablet/PC to your TV. This means you have to use and contend with myriad apps from myriad places. Also, as was pointed out above... it's finicky. The WD TV products are for people who like to download stuff. They're amazing for that, but their interfaces and apps are lacking. And they're not cheap, either. The Amazon Fire Stick and Rokus actually are mostly comparable in usability/reliability/options, but the lower price for Fire Stick makes it a clear winner for me.
Basically, with Fire Stick, you can watch Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, HBO Go, MLB.tv and a bunch of other things (with subscriptions where applicable) and it's got a simple attractive remote that both my retired mom and my six year-old kid find easy and intuitive.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:53 AM on December 15, 2015
I dig my roommate's Roku enough that I'll most likely buy my own when he leaves. We regularly use it for Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, plus there are various apps you can use to watch (for example) real-time political debates or payperview wrestling or whatever else.
posted by showbiz_liz at 10:09 AM on December 15, 2015
posted by showbiz_liz at 10:09 AM on December 15, 2015
I forgot to add another nice feature of Amazon Fire TV: the voice search works amazingly well. It has never once misheard me.
posted by tacodave at 2:46 PM on December 15, 2015
posted by tacodave at 2:46 PM on December 15, 2015
Response by poster: Thank you all for the suggestions and explanations. For now, since I really wanted to be able to use my workout dvds, I got a Blu-Ray player (Sony BDPS5500) from eBay for about $45. It happens to be wifi capable, and so far it's working well for us as an entry device for streaming. Elegant it's not, but I think that it's capabilities and lacks will help us narrow down what device we ultimately want. And in the meantime, we have a way to play dvds.
posted by Kriesa at 1:43 PM on January 14, 2016
posted by Kriesa at 1:43 PM on January 14, 2016
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We also have the slowest tier of internet, and that seems to do just fine. Can't speak to the DVDs - all of the standard DVDs I've played using this look... fine? I dunno, I'm not very fussy about image quality.
posted by restless_nomad at 1:49 PM on December 14, 2015 [1 favorite]