Apple TV vs Google TV vs Roku vs Chromecast vs Amazon Fire

Streaming video, whether it’s from Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime, Watch ESPN or PBS Kids, is more popular than ever. And the selection of devices to get those shows and movies from the Internet onto your TV continues to expand. The popular streaming media player have Roku, Amazon, Google, Chromecast and Apple. Today, let’s see their pros and cons to help you pick the suitable for you.

What is a Streaming media player?

First off, if you’re new to the whole digital media player thing – a streaming media player (or digital media player/adaptor) is basically a set-top box that you can use to stream television shows and movies (some free with ads, some paid) to your television set or projector. They typically include an interface that is easier to use and more reliable than if you were to simply hookup your PC or laptop to your television set.

Actually, Apple TV, Google TV, Boxe, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire, WD TV, PlayOn and TVersity are all excellent streaming media pla yer. But Roku, Amazon, Google, Chromecast and Apple have more users. So here we give a review for the top 5 streaming media player and a compasiron.

Pros and Cons of Roku, Amazon, Google, Chromecast and Apple

Roku:

Pros	Cons
Built-in headphone jack for Roku 3 & 4 for private listening 2500+ channels including all the most popular ones Intuitive interface Easy setup Full Amazon and Netflix support – you can search, browse, and add movies to your queue (including your instant watching queue). Remote Finder for Roku 4 Roku 1 works great for older TVs (many inputs and outputs)	No access to iTunes content No internal storage Cannot stream content from computer (however there are many other streaming options so we doubt you’ll need this feature)

Price (MSRP)

• Roku 1 – $49.99
• Roku Streaming Stick – $49.99
• Roku 2 – $69.99
• Roku 3 – $99.99
• Roku 4 – $129.99

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Apple TV:

Pros	Cons
Fourth Generation has Siri, App Store and Third Party Controllers Fourth Generation remote has a charging connector (no batteries needed) Multiple connection ports (HDMI, ethernet, etc.) Has internal storage Solid, clean, easy to use and familiar (to Apple users) user interface Can be controlled via your Apple device (iPhone, iPad, etc.) Can be controlled on the TV via WiFi	iTunes has a limited selection of TV shows compared to Amazon VOD (only supported networks are ABC, Fox, Disney, PBS, and BBC) – hopefully offerings will expand in the near future – we’ll keep you posted. Doesn’t support as many apps (i.e. Pandora) as the competition

Price (MSRP)

• Third Generation – Starting at $69
• Fourth Generation – Starting at $149

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Chromecast:

Pros	Cons
Inexpensive Works on Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android Chrome browser mirroring is simple and effective Available in 3 different colors	Only supports a limited number of apps

Price (MSRP)

• $35

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Amazon Fire TV:

Pros	Cons
Various price points Fire TV and Fire TV Gaming Edition have 2 GB of memory and Amazon Fire TV Stick with and without Voice Remote have 1 GB of memory Portable Over 250,000 TV shows and movies	Voice search is additional cost to include – remote only works on Amazon content No web browser capabilities

Price (MSRP)

• Fire TV with 4K – $99.99
• Fire TV Stick – $39.99
• Fire TV Stick with Voice Remote – $49.99
• Fire TV Gaming Edition – $139.99

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Google TV:

Pros	Cons
A plethora of web apps including Netflix, YouTube, HBO Go and many others Picture in picture, which allows users to surf the web on the same screen that a television show is on With Google’s amazing search engine, users can search for shows they want to watch and determine what service they would like to use to watch the program Ability to watch shows directly from the network’s website	Not designed to incorporate local content like AppleTV does with Airplay A licensing issue with Hulu means no Hulu Plus, at least for now

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App selection should also be one of the biggest factors in choosing a streaming media player, because all the fancy features in the world don’t mean much if you can’t actually watch what you want.

What’s your favorite digital media player?

Our site’s mission is to help consumers make more informed purchase decisions. This post may contain affiliate links (marked with “Affiliate” when you hover over them) and we will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through these links.

Related Software:

BDMagic for Windwos/Mac – The best Blu-ray solution to rip and backup any commercial and region-locked Blu-ray to H.265, MP4, MOV for Roku, Amazon, Google, Chromecast and Apple. 
DVDAid for Windows/Mac – Capacity of ripping copy-protected and homemade DVD to Roku, Amazon, Google, Chromecast and Applewith suitable format. 
ByteCopy for Windows/Mac – It can rip Blu-ray/DVD to lossless MKV keeping multi-track subtile/audio and all chapter markers to Roku, Amazon, Google, Chromecast and Apple. 
Pavtube Video Converter Ultimate for Windows/Mac – Function of converting any 4K/SD/HD video in any format to Roku, Amazon, Google, Chromecast and Apple.