Apple TV vs Roku vs (Other)

GWC Community GWC Hive Mind
#1

So you don’t want to spend the bug $$$$ to get a Xbox 360/One or a PS 3/4, you don’t want to hook up a PC to your TV, you think Blu-ray players will be outdated in months but you want to stream you some good video through Netflix Instant Watch, Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus, NHL Game Center, etc. What tops your list, a Roku or Apple TV? And why?

If you choose “Other” please state what you would choose and why. This isn’t a mine-is-better-than-yours poll. This is a poll to help others make their choice.

~Shooter Out

#2

Heya gang. I voted Apple TV based on a couple years of being a devotee. My only reason for going Apple was the ease in which it integrated into our current Mac-based environment. We’re a Mac / iPhone family, and it was pretty easy to set up and stream from our computer, as well as to get on Netflix etc. My $0.02 :slight_smile:

#3

We’ve been using 3 Roku units throughout the house. Haven’t tried Apple TV so can’t really compare.

We cut the Cable TV cord over 3 years ago and are quite Happy.

AMAZON Prime $70 per year
NETFLIX $9 a month $108 per year
HULU+ $7 a month $84 a year

So around $250 a year for entertainment.

An odd thing is that our 3 year old daughter only knows streaming. Thanksgiving Day my wife wanted to sit with her and watch the Macy’s parade on broadcast TV. Our daughter enjoyed the parts with the floats and balloons but was confused with the commercials … /shrug

Only other Roku streaming cost is my NHL Gamecenter Live Season pass. I need to watch the carnage :slight_smile:

//youtu.be/jHMVbuxugJ0

OB

#4

If you have a Mac at home, AppleTV, if not, Roku.

#5

Any idea of how much they are charging this year?

#6

$150 one time or $19 a month for 8 months. Enjoyable watching hockey any night of the week. Only draw back is that it does blackout games that are broadcast locally and any games that are nationally covered. So if you follow a hot television prone team ( Penguins, Bruins, Blackhawks, Kings etc. ) more often you’d need to tune into NHL-US or NBC for coverage. Still worth the quatloos imho :slight_smile:

OB

I haven’t tried the NFL Package yet. I saw tweets pricing that out at $250 for a season, but that seems high for basically one intense day of games followed by 6 days of waiting for next Sunday. Of course, if I played fantasy football, I might feel the need, the need for feeds :slight_smile:

#7

I’ve always had Macs and always used Roku. Apple TV always seemed too pricey at the time, so I’d go with Roku.

#8

Anyone with a dust gathering Nintendo Wii can try out streaming for free. Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus Wii “channels” are free to download in the Wii Store. All three had recent updates over the summer. Netflix is on its third update and super stable now, the other two less so. The interface is as good as the mobile versions and noticeably faster than the Roku equivalent. Trial subscriptions are available for all three services. Because this is the Wii, any video is SD. But. It’s common for people to discover they have a pre-existing performance bottleneck in their would-be HD streaming entertainment center, most often from low bandwidth DSL or lower tier cable options, that requires upgrading before hassle free HD streaming is possible. For example, you will need to use a lan cable instead of the Wii’s aged internal Wi-Fi which just isn’t up to the demands of streaming even SD.

#9

Good observation! I originally chose a Roku over Wii because the price point of the Wii was $30 higher than a Roku. One thing to keep in mind is that a Wii is NOT HD compatible, but as you pointed out if you have one around it does give you a free initial streaming access. I love how you pointed out the internet connection speed limitation. I had to upgrade my connection to a low-end business speed with Time Warner because all 5 of us in the household were sometimes streaming Netflix/Hulu/Amazon and playing video games and downloading files for school, etc… Haven’t had an issue in a year, though.

Thanks for the response!

~Shooter Out

#10

I gave my girlfriend my Wii so she could watch Netflix (Hey, I wasn’t using it) and if it wasn’t for the need to use that stupid wand controller, it’d be the single best interface I’ve tried.

#11

So I got my hands on an Apple TV and hooked it up tonight. Other than being able to watch movies and TV Shows that I purchased on iTunes I much prefer the Roku. Roku has more channels, is able to hook up to older 480i TVs (at least the Roku models I have) in addition to HDMI enabled TVs, and is cheaper. But it you run all of your digital movies and TV Shows from iTunes, it might be worth it.

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#12

Been thinking about cutting the cord. Still some things are slightly fuzzy. Would definitely go Roku, no doubt about that. I a hampered by not being able to look at the Hulu Plus lineup to make a determination of where my ‘holes’ would be. Given my and my family’s viewing habits the monthly cable bill makes less and less sense. I am kind of shocked they aren’t lowering it to simply remain competitive.

Will advise.

#13

Ugh. I just figured out Roku doesn’t support Netflix profiles…yet. Supposedly the profile capability is coming in the 2014 timeframe from Netflix.

#14

No other device in the house that is Netflix enabled? Xbox? Wii? Blu Ray? (I’m sure you have thot of this, simply throwing it out there if you forgot one of those devices on your shelf is also Netflix enabled)

#15

All of the other Netflix devices in the house have profiles. One of the 2 Rokus in the house is in Shootette’s room. Since she can’t sign into her profile thru the Roku she is still watching on my profile. I’d like my Netflix recommendations to show up as mine based on shows like Doctor Who, Continuum, Revolution, Arrow, Star Trek and Arrested Development. I do not want Netflix recommendations based on Antz, Rock-A-Doodle and One Tree Hill.

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#16

Ah. Pity.
Baltar.