Best streaming device for TV? (1 Viewer)

[Baloney Sandwich]

Looking to get a streaming device for our TV, what is the best one out there? Are there big differences between them?

 

[NewlyRetired]

Do you want to stream local media or online media?

If it is mostly online media, check out Google Chromecast thread. There is a ton of good info in there.

http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=684542&hl=chromecast

 

[Hawks64]

FireTV stick is supposed to be great as are the Roku and Apple TV. I am a bit disappointed in Chromecast in comparison to the other devices but if you are ok with using a tablet or PC to stream to Chromecast it's a cheap alternative.

I have Chromecast and Apple TV and use ATV more than the Chromecast.

 

[glvsav37]

Have both Roku and AppleTV…use the ATV exclusively. Its great, easy set up. We are an all Apple household…computers, phones and iPads…so it integrates seamlessly with us.

 

[Bucks]

Disclaimers, I started the Chromecast thread. I have two. For the price paid I like them very much. My house is loaded with Android devices. I don't consider Apple products.

If you aren't a geek and/or don't live alone my answer is Roku 3. For the price it provides most everything that most people want in a very user friendly hardware box(wired connection or 2ghz or 5ghz,), nice user interface, and simple remote. All persons in my house immediately enjoyed using it unlike my Chromecasts and HTPC.

 

[NutterButter]

What's a good one for local media? Local is way more important to me than online.

 

[NewlyRetired]

What's a good one for local media? Local is way more important to me than online.

I have a WDTV Lve box which I got because 100% of what I stream is local media. While not perfect by any means, I think it is still the best local streaming product.

If you are going to stream online stuff, the other products mentioned above are much better.

Hopefully a product will come out soon that does both very well.

 

[ItsOnlytheRiver]

What's a good one for local media? Local is way more important to me than online.

Unfortunately there really aren't a lot of great options. You can use a Roku with the Plex app, but I've never tried it and heard mixed reviews. Otherwise there is the WD TV which seemed ok but it died rather quickly on me. Sony used to make a little box - I have a couple and they are alright, but I don't think they make them anymore. If you've got a console from this gen or last (PS3, Xbox 360) those will work, or if you have a smart TV or Blu Ray player.

For software to set up the media server, I use Serviio.

 

[NutterButter]

What's a good one for local media? Local is way more important to me than online.

I have a WDTV Lve box which I got because 100% of what I stream is local media. While not perfect by any means, I think it is still the best local streaming product.

If you are going to stream online stuff, the other products mentioned above are much better.

Hopefully a product will come out soon that does both very well.

I have 2 asus o'plays and they're both flawless in terms of playing anything i download (horrible streaming options) but it doesn't appear they've been in production for awhile. If there's nothing else that can provide the same ease of use, I might just buy a used one of them but I was hoping there would be something similar. The WDTV is the only other one that I've come across but the reviews are a little spotty.

 

[Bucks]

What's a good one for local media? Local is way more important to me than online.

Unfortunately there really aren't a lot of great options. You can use a Roku with the Plex app, but I've never tried it and heard mixed reviews. Otherwise there is the WD TV which seemed ok but it died rather quickly on me. Sony used to make a little box - I have a couple and they are alright, but I don't think they make them anymore. If you've got a console from this gen or last (PS3, Xbox 360) those will work, or if you have a smart TV or Blu Ray player.

For software to set up the media server, I use Serviio.

I stream local media on my Roku using the Plex Channel connection to my Plex Media Server. It works good for watching an entire show beginning to end with pausing. But skipping or jumping forward/backward is a problem. The Roku 3 works with DLNA as well so I fling local media to it from my Android devices using Allcast.

 

[NutterButter]

What's a good one for local media? Local is way more important to me than online.

Unfortunately there really aren't a lot of great options. You can use a Roku with the Plex app, but I've never tried it and heard mixed reviews. Otherwise there is the WD TV which seemed ok but it died rather quickly on me. Sony used to make a little box - I have a couple and they are alright, but I don't think they make them anymore. If you've got a console from this gen or last (PS3, Xbox 360) those will work, or if you have a smart TV or Blu Ray player.

For software to set up the media server, I use Serviio.

I have a laptop that I move from tv to tv as needed to stream live sports, but I like the idea of having the dedicated box for everything else b/c other than sports, everything I watch is downloaded. And those boxes are so cheap that I didn't want to mess with anything more elaborate that would required more money and more setup time.

 

[NewlyRetired]

What's a good one for local media? Local is way more important to me than online.

I have a WDTV Lve box which I got because 100% of what I stream is local media. While not perfect by any means, I think it is still the best local streaming product.

If you are going to stream online stuff, the other products mentioned above are much better.

Hopefully a product will come out soon that does both very well.

I have 2 asus o'plays and they're both flawless in terms of playing anything i download (horrible streaming options) but it doesn't appear they've been in production for awhile. If there's nothing else that can provide the same ease of use, I might just buy a used one of them but I was hoping there would be something similar. The WDTV is the only other one that I've come across but the reviews are a little spotty.

The reviews are very spotty. You have to proceed with care.

I have been very lucky in that the WD Live box has worked perfectly for me. I run Plex on my desktop and then connect to it via the WDTV Live using DLNA. It has played all my MKV, MP4 and AVI files with out issue.

However I certainly read plenty of people having issues so if you do buy one, make sure you test it quickly and if it does not work, return it.

 

[NutterButter]

What's a good one for local media? Local is way more important to me than online.

I have a WDTV Lve box which I got because 100% of what I stream is local media. While not perfect by any means, I think it is still the best local streaming product.

If you are going to stream online stuff, the other products mentioned above are much better.

Hopefully a product will come out soon that does both very well.

I have 2 asus o'plays and they're both flawless in terms of playing anything i download (horrible streaming options) but it doesn't appear they've been in production for awhile. If there's nothing else that can provide the same ease of use, I might just buy a used one of them but I was hoping there would be something similar. The WDTV is the only other one that I've come across but the reviews are a little spotty.

The reviews are very spotty. You have to proceed with care.

I have been very lucky in that the WD Live box has worked perfectly for me. I run Plex on my desktop and then connect to it via the WDTV Live using DLNA. It has played all my MKV, MP4 and AVI files with out issue.

However I certainly read plenty of people having issues so if you do buy one, make sure you test it quickly and if it does not work, return it.

Is plex required, or can you just browse your media server's directories, find a movie and click play?

 

[NewlyRetired]

What's a good one for local media? Local is way more important to me than online.

Unfortunately there really aren't a lot of great options. You can use a Roku with the Plex app, but I've never tried it and heard mixed reviews. Otherwise there is the WD TV which seemed ok but it died rather quickly on me. Sony used to make a little box - I have a couple and they are alright, but I don't think they make them anymore. If you've got a console from this gen or last (PS3, Xbox 360) those will work, or if you have a smart TV or Blu Ray player.

For software to set up the media server, I use Serviio.

I stream local media on my Roku using the Plex Channel connection to my Plex Media Server. It works good for watching an entire show beginning to end with pausing. But skipping or jumping forward/backward is a problem. The Roku 3 works with DLNA as well so I fling local media to it from my Android devices using Allcast.

The biggest issue with Roku and local streaming is that the Roku does not support all the video formats/containers so it forces the plex media server to transcode on the fly which is not ideal and results in issues like you have.

I have to figure eventually a product is going to come out that supports both local and online and do it well.

 

[NutterButter]

What's a good one for local media? Local is way more important to me than online.

Unfortunately there really aren't a lot of great options. You can use a Roku with the Plex app, but I've never tried it and heard mixed reviews. Otherwise there is the WD TV which seemed ok but it died rather quickly on me. Sony used to make a little box - I have a couple and they are alright, but I don't think they make them anymore. If you've got a console from this gen or last (PS3, Xbox 360) those will work, or if you have a smart TV or Blu Ray player.

For software to set up the media server, I use Serviio.

I stream local media on my Roku using the Plex Channel connection to my Plex Media Server. It works good for watching an entire show beginning to end with pausing. But skipping or jumping forward/backward is a problem. The Roku 3 works with DLNA as well so I fling local media to it from my Android devices using Allcast.

The biggest issue with Roku and local streaming is that the Roku does not support all the video formats/containers so it forces the plex media server to transcode on the fly which is not ideal and results in issues like you have.

I have to figure eventually a product is going to come out that supports both local and online and do it well.

that's what i loved about the o'play is that there isn't a format that isn't natively supported.

 

[NewlyRetired]

What's a good one for local media? Local is way more important to me than online.

I have a WDTV Lve box which I got because 100% of what I stream is local media. While not perfect by any means, I think it is still the best local streaming product.

If you are going to stream online stuff, the other products mentioned above are much better.

Hopefully a product will come out soon that does both very well.

I have 2 asus o'plays and they're both flawless in terms of playing anything i download (horrible streaming options) but it doesn't appear they've been in production for awhile. If there's nothing else that can provide the same ease of use, I might just buy a used one of them but I was hoping there would be something similar. The WDTV is the only other one that I've come across but the reviews are a little spotty.

The reviews are very spotty. You have to proceed with care.

I have been very lucky in that the WD Live box has worked perfectly for me. I run Plex on my desktop and then connect to it via the WDTV Live using DLNA. It has played all my MKV, MP4 and AVI files with out issue.

However I certainly read plenty of people having issues so if you do buy one, make sure you test it quickly and if it does not work, return it.

Is plex required, or can you just browse your media server's directories, find a movie and click play?

Plex is not required. You can access your media directly through shared folders if you like.

I use Plex because I like the meta data and the way the files are displayed on WDTV Live. And Plex is free and so easy to use that I never bothered with the shared folders but I know plenty of people who use them with no issues.

I also use Plex to watch my media files via my Ipad from anywhere with a wireless connection (you don't need to be in your own network). It is a very nice media server, but there are many good one outs there if Plex is not to your liking.

 

[NewlyRetired]

What's a good one for local media? Local is way more important to me than online.

Unfortunately there really aren't a lot of great options. You can use a Roku with the Plex app, but I've never tried it and heard mixed reviews. Otherwise there is the WD TV which seemed ok but it died rather quickly on me. Sony used to make a little box - I have a couple and they are alright, but I don't think they make them anymore. If you've got a console from this gen or last (PS3, Xbox 360) those will work, or if you have a smart TV or Blu Ray player.

For software to set up the media server, I use Serviio.

I stream local media on my Roku using the Plex Channel connection to my Plex Media Server. It works good for watching an entire show beginning to end with pausing. But skipping or jumping forward/backward is a problem. The Roku 3 works with DLNA as well so I fling local media to it from my Android devices using Allcast.

The biggest issue with Roku and local streaming is that the Roku does not support all the video formats/containers so it forces the plex media server to transcode on the fly which is not ideal and results in issues like you have.

I have to figure eventually a product is going to come out that supports both local and online and do it well.

that's what i loved about the o'play is that there isn't a format that isn't natively supported.

That is suppose to be the selling feature of the WDTV Live too but people have reported some issues with the latest SW drop.

 

[NutterButter]

What's a good one for local media? Local is way more important to me than online.

I have a WDTV Lve box which I got because 100% of what I stream is local media. While not perfect by any means, I think it is still the best local streaming product.

If you are going to stream online stuff, the other products mentioned above are much better.

Hopefully a product will come out soon that does both very well.

I have 2 asus o'plays and they're both flawless in terms of playing anything i download (horrible streaming options) but it doesn't appear they've been in production for awhile. If there's nothing else that can provide the same ease of use, I might just buy a used one of them but I was hoping there would be something similar. The WDTV is the only other one that I've come across but the reviews are a little spotty.

The reviews are very spotty. You have to proceed with care.

I have been very lucky in that the WD Live box has worked perfectly for me. I run Plex on my desktop and then connect to it via the WDTV Live using DLNA. It has played all my MKV, MP4 and AVI files with out issue.

However I certainly read plenty of people having issues so if you do buy one, make sure you test it quickly and if it does not work, return it.

Is plex required, or can you just browse your media server's directories, find a movie and click play?

Plex is not required. You can access your media directly through shared folders if you like.

I use Plex because I like the meta data and the way the files are displayed on WDTV Live. And Plex is free and so easy to use that I never bothered with the shared folders but I know plenty of people who use them with no issues.

I also use Plex to watch my media files via my Ipad from anywhere with a wireless connection (you don't need to be in your own network). It is a very nice media server, but there are many good one outs there if Plex is not to your liking.

yeah, i've heard good things about plex. i've been using the shared folders for years now and I'm kind of a creature of habit.

 

[Baloney Sandwich]

Have both Roku and AppleTVuse the ATV exclusively. Its great, easy set up. We are an all Apple householdcomputers, phones and iPadsso it integrates seamlessly with us.

Just spoke to my niece about what we will use it for and she was pushing us in this direction as well

 

[Papa Georgio]

I use WDTV and have had great luck with it. I run Serviio and I can also just stream to my DTV receiver which isn't nearly as good but will do in a bind on my many TV's in side rooms.

 

[bushdocda]

Got the Amazon firestick on cheap and it's pretty great although I don't ask it to do much, just watch old episodes of GI Joe.

 

[Prince Myshkin]

We have a roku, chrome cast and firestick. I would recommend the firestick for cost and ease of use.

 

[SlaX]

What's a good one for local media? Local is way more important to me than online.

Unfortunately there really aren't a lot of great options. You can use a Roku with the Plex app, but I've never tried it and heard mixed reviews. Otherwise there is the WD TV which seemed ok but it died rather quickly on me. Sony used to make a little box - I have a couple and they are alright, but I don't think they make them anymore. If you've got a console from this gen or last (PS3, Xbox 360) those will work, or if you have a smart TV or Blu Ray player.

For software to set up the media server, I use Serviio.

I love the PLEX app. It works wonderful for local streaming. And there's so much more that it can do as well (note: Plex does cost a little bit if you plan on doing anything other than local streaming). It's likely the most used app on my Roku aside from the Spotify app.

 

[Wooderson]

Fire Stick

ATV

Chromecast

That's the order I would rank mine.

 

[Osaurus]

GBox2

Roku

ATV

Use GBox2 the most and ATV3 the least.

 

[Baloney Sandwich]

For those that have more than one and different kinds, why?

 

[cstu]

GBox2

Roku

ATV

Use GBox2 the most and ATV3 the least.

There are newer Android TV boxes out like the CX-S806 and the X8H Plus.

 

[Wooderson]

For those that have more than one and different kinds, why?

Just kinda happens had the ATV for a long time. Then got great deals on the other two. It's also nice to have one on each TV.

The other bennifit is sone have channels others don't. The fire stick is great for amazon prime. The ATV is still nice for playing my iTunes content and viewing iPhoto.

 

[Osaurus]

GBox2

Roku

ATV

Use GBox2 the most and ATV3 the least.

There are newer Android TV boxes out like the CX-S806 and the X8H Plus.

Yup...big fan

 

[Prince Myshkin]

For those that have more than one and different kinds, why?

Started with a Roku...wife and daughter fought over it...chrome cast comes out about that time and is way cheaper so I get it for somebody's birthday...chromecast craps out...firestick comes out and was super cheap for prime members so i got that one to replace the chromecast.

 

[cstu]

GBox2

Roku

ATV

Use GBox2 the most and ATV3 the least.

There are newer Android TV boxes out like the CX-S806 and the X8H Plus.

Yup...big fan

Don't have one yet, just messing around with XBMC (now called Kodi) on my tablet. I'm leaning toward the S806 since it's virtually the same box as the X8H and not sure it's worth twice the price.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Another vote for WDTV. Great for local streaming, Netflix, MLB.tv, Pandora and youtube.

 

[Mister CIA]

For Internet Streaming

1. Roku 3. Simple and reliable. A ton of channels to select from; granted, most of them are junk, but it makes for some interesting browsing. Lots of free tech media. I also like the ear bud jack on the remote.
2. Amazon Fire - Very slick interface. If your only doing Prime, Netflix and Hulu, this might be the device for you. I've not used the stick device.
3. Apple TV - not an Apple person, no comment.
4. Chromecast - Junk

Can't really comment on the local streaming because I don't use it, but the Roku 3 has a USB port and you can stream from it.

Got to believe these devices will ride off into the sunset soon as all of these features will eventually be built into the TV.

 

[NewlyRetired]

What's a good one for local media? Local is way more important to me than online.

I have a WDTV Lve box which I got because 100% of what I stream is local media. While not perfect by any means, I think it is still the best local streaming product.If you are going to stream online stuff, the other products mentioned above are much better.

Hopefully a product will come out soon that does both very well.

I have 2 asus o'plays and they're both flawless in terms of playing anything i download (horrible streaming options) but it doesn't appear they've been in production for awhile. If there's nothing else that can provide the same ease of use, I might just buy a used one of them but I was hoping there would be something similar. The WDTV is the only other one that I've come across but the reviews are a little spotty.

I've got an Asus o-play air for local streaming. Remote and interface are a bit wonky but once it's going it works well with almost every video format I can find. Or the ps3 handles some of the more common stuff, but not mkvs.

This is good to know in case my WDTV craps out some day.

How do you access your local media? Via a Plex app or via plex DLNA or via another method?

 

[NutterButter]

What's a good one for local media? Local is way more important to me than online.

I have a WDTV Lve box which I got because 100% of what I stream is local media. While not perfect by any means, I think it is still the best local streaming product.If you are going to stream online stuff, the other products mentioned above are much better.

Hopefully a product will come out soon that does both very well.

I have 2 asus o'plays and they're both flawless in terms of playing anything i download (horrible streaming options) but it doesn't appear they've been in production for awhile. If there's nothing else that can provide the same ease of use, I might just buy a used one of them but I was hoping there would be something similar. The WDTV is the only other one that I've come across but the reviews are a little spotty.

I've got an Asus o-play air for local streaming. Remote and interface are a bit wonky but once it's going it works well with almost every video format I can find. Or the ps3 handles some of the more common stuff, but not mkvs.

Ha, yeah, everything about it is pretty much garbage other than the fact it plays everything flawlessly. Mkvs are obviously a must have.

 

[cstu]

For Internet Streaming

1. Roku 3. Simple and reliable. A ton of channels to select from; granted, most of them are junk, but it makes for some interesting browsing. Lots of free tech media. I also like the ear bud jack on the remote.
2. Amazon Fire - Very slick interface. If your only doing Prime, Netflix and Hulu, this might be the device for you. I've not used the stick device.
3. Apple TV - not an Apple person, no comment.
4. Chromecast - Junk

Can't really comment on the local streaming because I don't use it, but the Roku 3 has a USB port and you can stream from it.

Got to believe these devices will ride off into the sunset soon as all of these features will eventually be built into the TV.

The features are already there in many TV's, just poorly implemented and without enough processing power.

 

[cstu]

I have been very lucky in that the WD Live box has worked perfectly for me. I run Plex on my desktop and then connect to it via the WDTV Live using DLNA. It has played all my MKV, MP4 and AVI files with out issue.

I'm old fashioned and still transfer files onto a USB stick. Started doing it when my wifi signal was weak and still do it out of habit. A hassle but no problems playing the files that way.

 

[Wooderson]

For Internet Streaming

1. Roku 3. Simple and reliable. A ton of channels to select from; granted, most of them are junk, but it makes for some interesting browsing. Lots of free tech media. I also like the ear bud jack on the remote.
2. Amazon Fire - Very slick interface. If your only doing Prime, Netflix and Hulu, this might be the device for you. I've not used the stick device.
3. Apple TV - not an Apple person, no comment.
4. Chromecast - Junk

Can't really comment on the local streaming because I don't use it, but the Roku 3 has a USB port and you can stream from it.

Got to believe these devices will ride off into the sunset soon as all of these features will eventually be built into the TV.

The features are already there in many TV's, just poorly implemented and without enough processing power.

Correct. IMO the idea of a Smart TV is dumb. I would rather keep the two things separate. As technology changes it's nice to pay $15 "the price I paid for the fire stick" and not have the Smart apps on my TV be obsolete.

 

[gmbacm]

If looking at a new tv, better to get a smart tv, or just go with one of these devices?

 

[3C's]

If looking at a new tv, better to get a smart tv, or just go with one of these devices?

Was already answered above but I'll rehash. I just bought a new "dumb" TV. No reason to pay a ton more for "smart" apps on a TV that you can get in a $30 plugin that can easily be replaced when the next big thing comes along.

 

[Otis]

If looking at a new tv, better to get a smart tv, or just go with one of these devices?

I believe these devices are a better way to spend the money. I've had a couple of the latest Samsung Smart 3D TVs and can count on one hand the amount of times I've used any of those features. For the upsell price on the "smart" stuff, instead just get a basic panel with a good display, and buy a few of the cheap streaming devices, each of which ends up being like 30 bucks a pop or less (I'd get a Chromecast and a Fire stick to start).

 

[Otis]

If looking at a new tv, better to get a smart tv, or just go with one of these devices?

Was already answered above but I'll rehash. I just bought a new "dumb" TV. No reason to pay a ton more for "smart" apps on a TV that you can get in a $30 plugin that can easily be replaced when the next big thing comes along.

 

[Hawks64]

If looking at a new tv, better to get a smart tv, or just go with one of these devices?

One of these devices IMO.

 

[Osaurus]

If looking at a new tv, better to get a smart tv, or just go with one of these devices?

I believe these devices are a better way to spend the money. I've had a couple of the latest Samsung Smart 3D TVs and can count on one hand the amount of times I've used any of those features. For the upsell price on the "smart" stuff, instead just get a basic panel with a good display, and buy a few of the cheap streaming devices, each of which ends up being like 30 bucks a pop or less (I'd get a Chromecast and a Fire stick to start).

So true. Never use this stuff on my Samsung. It came with it, but using my GBox2 for everything local and streaming makes the apps on the TV seem stupid.

 

[DaVinci]

I've got Roku 3s on all my TVs and use Plex to stream local media. We're happy with it. Occasionally I run across a file that has trouble playing through Plex on the default settings and have to switch to direct transcode. This eats up processing power on the PC hosting the Plex server. I used to host files on the Mrs' computer, but she complained about it slowing it down. I set up a dedicated Plex PC connected to our main TV. That has worked great, and also allows me to switch over to the PC to watch live sports streams.

Plex is great for organizing your media and adding metadata. It can be finicky about file names for movies and TV shows though. I also have Playon, which in addition to playing local media also has tons of developer- and user-made channels for internet streams. Before I hooked a PC up to my TV, this was how I streamed live sports.

If you do go Roku, get the Roku 3 rather than the LT or the stick. The processor in the 3 is much better than the others.

 

[Dentist]

What's a good one for local media? Local is way more important to me than online.

I'm a huge fan of my Western Digital WDTV Live

http://amzn.com/B005KOZNBW

 

[Cliff Clavin]

If looking at a new tv, better to get a smart tv, or just go with one of these devices?

Agreed with what others have said. I saved about $250 on my last TV (50" Plasma) because it wasn't a smart TV. I have a 360/PS3/WDTV/laptop that can give me far better features than a smart tv could.

 

[Mr. Ected]

Have both Roku and AppleTV…use the ATV exclusively. Its great, easy set up. We are an all Apple household…computers, phones and iPads…so it integrates seamlessly with us.

Same with me, have two Apple TV (v2, v3). Agree with glsvav, I just import a movie/music into my iTunes and it's right there on the Apple TV. It's accessible by both, all over the house.

Have an app called "Airfoil" (description, website) on the computer that allows easy background mirroring of sound from the computer to the ATV. Can send sound from browsers, Spotify, etc without sending the other sounds on the computer. I use it for Spotify, and live listening to radio via browsers.

Use it all the time, love how it pulls pics from a list an uses them for a screensaver for the TV while streaming audio. This can be mesmerizing. I have nearly a 1000 pics from the last 10 years or so of my kids, and you just sit there and stare as the pics flip by talking about "Oh, remember when..." Great background for a party.

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

What's a good one for local media? Local is way more important to me than online.

I'm a huge fan of my Western Digital WDTV Live

http://amzn.com/B005KOZNBW

WDTV Live>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>everything else

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Only beef with WDTV is that after watching a bunch of YouTube videos it sometimes need a hard reboot. Some kind of memory issue I believe as Netflix is just horrendously slow afterwards.