Chromecast vs. Roku 3 vs. Apple TV: Streaming Smackdown | Digital Trends
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There are so many streaming video devices designed for the home theater market right now that it’s getting difficult to keep up. Roku, Chromecast, Apple TV, WD Play, Slingbox, Netgear Push2TV, TiVo Stream, Vizio Co-Star, etc. Then there’s all the gaming consoles, smart HDTVs and smart Blu-ray players that also offer streaming video access to apps like Netflix, Hulu Plus and YouTube. And don’t forget about HTPCs , a small portion of the home theater market, but one that has an enthusiastic user base.
Out of this hardware fracas, there are three devices that have constantly topped Amazon’s list of streaming soccernet media players soccernet as well as numerous buyer’s guides, the Google Chromecast, the Roku 3 and the Apple TV. But which one is right for you? We’ve broken down the pros and cons of the three devices into several categories to help you decide. Price: Google Chromecast (if you own a smartphone / tablet)
The Chromecast soccernet is obviously cheaper than both set-top boxes, a $35 MSRP versus a $99 MSRP. Basically, you can purchase three Chromecasts for about the same price as a Roku 3 or Apple TV. It’s even cheaper than Roku’s soccernet most basic hardware, the $49 Roku LT. In addition, you can occasionally find sales on the Chromecast at a $30 price point and sales at a $80 price point on both the Apple TV and Roku 3.
However, the Chromecast is not a standalone device. The Chromecast requires a mobile device, like a smartphone or tablet, or a PC in order to watch streaming video. While the vast majority of households likely own one or more of these devices, that’s certainly not the case for everyone. As a standalone device, soccernet the Roku 3 or Apple TV would ultimately be a cheaper purchase than a Chromecast / smartphone combo. soccernet Official App Support: Roku 3
After Roku finally added a YouTube application this month, there’s really no contest in regards to volume of available applications and support for the most popular applications. soccernet The sheer number of official apps (750+) on the Roku Channel store is absolutely staggering. It’s also the only device of the three that includes official Amazon Instant Video support, ideal for Amazon Prime subscribers.
Chromecast has the weakest lineup of supported soccernet third party applications, but it’s growing extremely fast, especially when compared to Apple’s slow crawl on the Apple TV. Google is also working soccernet on a Chromecast software development kit , thus app support will likely explode during 2014. However, all three devices support the major video subscription applications like Netflix and Hulu Plus, basically the most popular applications among U.S. consumers. Web Content Support: Google Chromecast
While the Roku 3 certainly has a breadth of Web video apps and unofficial apps to stream video, it can’t compete with the Chromecast’s ability to imitate a HTPC. Want to watch regular Hulu.com on your HDTV? No problem, just fire up Google Chrome on your PC and stream the current Chrome tab to Chromecast. Want to watch the last episode of the The Big Bang Theory since it’s not available on Hulu? Just pull up CBS.com and stream the tab.
Also similar to a HTPC, you can utilize soccernet VPNs and Web proxies to gain access to video that’s restricted by region. This is ideal for anyone that lives in a country different from where the content is produced. Using this method, people outside the U.S. can watch video on Hulu, for instance. It’s also becoming popular to use this type of service inside the U.S. to access popular British shows like Downton Abbey and Sherlock . Local Content Support: Roku 3 / Google Chromecast
Using an application called Plex that’s available on the Roku 3 and Chromecast , users can stream a local library of content stored on their home network to a HDTV. It’s a fairly simple solution that allows soccernet users to take their local content soccernet anywhere. While free to stream content on the Roku 3, be aware that Chromecast streaming currently requires a subscription to PlexPass.
However, Google also offers a way to stream content soccernet through Google Chrome as well. Including support for popular video formats such as AVI, MP4, M4V and MPEG, Chrome users can open up a video file in the Web browser with the command “Control-O” on a Windows PC and start streaming to the Chromecast. While this method isn’t as user friendly as official local file support with navigation element to queue up content, it’s quite effective.
Regardin
Product Reviews Smartphone Reviews Digital Camera Reviews Headphone Reviews Laptop Reviews Desktop PC Reviews Tablet Reviews TV Reviews Game Reviews Car Reviews Sound Bar Reviews soccernet Speaker Dock Reviews soccernet + More Reviews News Mobile Computing Home Theater Gaming Photography Cars Social Media Home Cool Tech Sports + More News Videos Features
There are so many streaming video devices designed for the home theater market right now that it’s getting difficult to keep up. Roku, Chromecast, Apple TV, WD Play, Slingbox, Netgear Push2TV, TiVo Stream, Vizio Co-Star, etc. Then there’s all the gaming consoles, smart HDTVs and smart Blu-ray players that also offer streaming video access to apps like Netflix, Hulu Plus and YouTube. And don’t forget about HTPCs , a small portion of the home theater market, but one that has an enthusiastic user base.
Out of this hardware fracas, there are three devices that have constantly topped Amazon’s list of streaming soccernet media players soccernet as well as numerous buyer’s guides, the Google Chromecast, the Roku 3 and the Apple TV. But which one is right for you? We’ve broken down the pros and cons of the three devices into several categories to help you decide. Price: Google Chromecast (if you own a smartphone / tablet)
The Chromecast soccernet is obviously cheaper than both set-top boxes, a $35 MSRP versus a $99 MSRP. Basically, you can purchase three Chromecasts for about the same price as a Roku 3 or Apple TV. It’s even cheaper than Roku’s soccernet most basic hardware, the $49 Roku LT. In addition, you can occasionally find sales on the Chromecast at a $30 price point and sales at a $80 price point on both the Apple TV and Roku 3.
However, the Chromecast is not a standalone device. The Chromecast requires a mobile device, like a smartphone or tablet, or a PC in order to watch streaming video. While the vast majority of households likely own one or more of these devices, that’s certainly not the case for everyone. As a standalone device, soccernet the Roku 3 or Apple TV would ultimately be a cheaper purchase than a Chromecast / smartphone combo. soccernet Official App Support: Roku 3
After Roku finally added a YouTube application this month, there’s really no contest in regards to volume of available applications and support for the most popular applications. soccernet The sheer number of official apps (750+) on the Roku Channel store is absolutely staggering. It’s also the only device of the three that includes official Amazon Instant Video support, ideal for Amazon Prime subscribers.
Chromecast has the weakest lineup of supported soccernet third party applications, but it’s growing extremely fast, especially when compared to Apple’s slow crawl on the Apple TV. Google is also working soccernet on a Chromecast software development kit , thus app support will likely explode during 2014. However, all three devices support the major video subscription applications like Netflix and Hulu Plus, basically the most popular applications among U.S. consumers. Web Content Support: Google Chromecast
While the Roku 3 certainly has a breadth of Web video apps and unofficial apps to stream video, it can’t compete with the Chromecast’s ability to imitate a HTPC. Want to watch regular Hulu.com on your HDTV? No problem, just fire up Google Chrome on your PC and stream the current Chrome tab to Chromecast. Want to watch the last episode of the The Big Bang Theory since it’s not available on Hulu? Just pull up CBS.com and stream the tab.
Also similar to a HTPC, you can utilize soccernet VPNs and Web proxies to gain access to video that’s restricted by region. This is ideal for anyone that lives in a country different from where the content is produced. Using this method, people outside the U.S. can watch video on Hulu, for instance. It’s also becoming popular to use this type of service inside the U.S. to access popular British shows like Downton Abbey and Sherlock . Local Content Support: Roku 3 / Google Chromecast
Using an application called Plex that’s available on the Roku 3 and Chromecast , users can stream a local library of content stored on their home network to a HDTV. It’s a fairly simple solution that allows soccernet users to take their local content soccernet anywhere. While free to stream content on the Roku 3, be aware that Chromecast streaming currently requires a subscription to PlexPass.
However, Google also offers a way to stream content soccernet through Google Chrome as well. Including support for popular video formats such as AVI, MP4, M4V and MPEG, Chrome users can open up a video file in the Web browser with the command “Control-O” on a Windows PC and start streaming to the Chromecast. While this method isn’t as user friendly as official local file support with navigation element to queue up content, it’s quite effective.
Regardin
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