Cable TV is a thing of the past. Nowadays downloading, streaming, and ripping your TV is the best way to watch, but not everyone wants a complicated home built media center. Here, we're going to find the best out-of-the-box, streaming set-top box so you can watch your shows on demand and ditch cable once and for all.
We'll be looking at five devices:
You've voted on your favorites before?and many of you voted for one of these five?but we decided to test all five for ourselves and see what they can do. Each device has its own niche and advantages, but they all aim to serve your movies and TV shows to you without the need for a cable subscription or library of discs. Here's a quick rundown of what each box supports:
Click here to see a bigger version of the chart.
We included our custom-built XBMC media center?not everyone's taste, but a geekier option we love?for a bit of extra comparison. Obviously, you can't boil down five devices into just a small chart, though. So, we played with each of these five devices over the course of a few weeks, and here are our thoughts on each one: what it does well, what it lacks, and who it's good for.
Apple TV: Easy to Use, Perfect for Apple Users
The $99 Apple TV is a tiny little device that fits anywhere in your living room. The remote is very basic, but extremely easy to use?something a lot of living room remotes lack these days. It feels very solid, and the buttons respond nicely, making the whole product pleasant to use. Setup is a snap: just plug it in, link it up with your iTunes library and Apple ID, and you're ready to go. Typing in your credentials is kind of annoying due to the lack of keyboard. I wish I could set up things like Netflix and Hulu in iTunes from my computer, but for now you'll have to trudge through the remote-driven setup.
The interface is great. It's fast, smooth, and incredibly simple. You have all your basic channels on the front page in a grid, letting you access your movies, TV shows, and music from iTunes, as well as streaming channels like Netflix, Hulu Plus, and sports sites like MLB.tv, NBA, and NHL. It even has a list of recent and popular movies along the top if you aren't sure what you want to watch, which is kind of fun. Anything else you want to play can be shot to the Apple TV through AirPlay. It won't support everything (HBO Go, for example, doesn't let you AirPlay) but it can be pretty handy.
Unfortunately, beyond that, its streaming abilities are limited. The Apple TV was really built around iTunes, which means you need to buy and download your content from the iTunes store. On one hand, iTunes' selection is amazing. You have tons of movies and TV shows at your fingertips, to rent or to buy. On the other hand, it can get expensive quickly. HD movies cost $15-20, while a full season of a TV show ranges from $40-50 on average. Watch more than a few movies or shows, and the iTunes store becomes much more expensive than $10 a month for Netflix or Hulu Plus. Sure, you "own" those movies, but they all have heavy DRM and are only watchable on Apple devices...so let's be honest, you don't really own them.
List of Apple TV Streaming Channels
The Good:
- Remarkably easy-to-use interface and remote
- A vast library of movies and TV shows available for download
- Inexpensive
The Bad:
- iTunes store can get costly, and everything has DRM
- Not very many streaming channels, lacks Amazon
Verdict:
The Apple TV definitely seems like the most polished of the bunch, and the easiest to use for most people. It's great for users who have a lot of other Apple products, and prefer buying and downloading content to subscribing and streaming content (and have the wallet to support that preference).
Google TV: A Little Clunky, But Highly Configurable
Google TV is, quite literally, the Android of streaming boxes. It's available on a number of different devices from different manufacturers, in different price ranges, and with different remotes. As such, we can't talk too much about the hardware here (though the VIZIO Co-Star, shown at the right, is a great looking model available for preorder now). The software, however, is very reminiscent of an Android tablet...because that's exactly what it is. You have a wall of icons representing your media, live TV, apps like Netflix and Amazon, and others. You can download Google TV-optimized Android apps from the Google Play store and put them on your home screen.
Unfortunately, its similarities to Android do it more harm than good. Some apps are clearly ports of tablet apps that don't work very well with a remote, and you'll need to control them with the clunky trackpad or control stick on your remote. Sometimes you'll only need to do this for certain actions, like seeing a movie's info, but in some cases?like with Amazon's absolutely horrendous streaming "app" (which is really just a shortcut to the Amazon Prime web site)?you'll need to use the mouse for everything, which is really not an enjoyable experience. It also has the quirks we've come to know on Android phones, like the occasional force quit or popup confirming a security certificate (which isn't a huge pain, but something regular users will find confusing). All in all, it feels like you're using a computer from your couch, not a set-top box.
All that said, Google TV does have a feature that is?in my opinion?the Holy Grail feature of set-top boxes: universal search. If you enter the TV & Movies app and search for a TV show, it'll show you a list of seasons and episodes. Select an episode and it'll show you which services it's available on (like Netflix, Amazon, and YouTube). You can then decide from there which service you want to use to watch it. It's a lot nicer than having to search each library separately for that show that's harder to find. Every device should implement this, and I really hope Google expands it to include other apps in the future.
Lastly, Google TV's streaming services are pretty good, since it has most of the Google Play store at its disposal. You can watch Netflix, Amazon (however crappily), and some sports channels, but a lot of content is missing?like Hulu and other TV channels. It does, however, have the movies and TV section of Google Play, which like iTunes lets you download and rent videos to your TV. Prices are comparable for movies, costing about $15-20 to buy, with a pretty good selection. Shows are cheaper at $20-$40 per season, but the selection leaves a lot to be desired. That said, other apps like the Chrome web browser, the occasional video game, or the awesome Plex media center make Google TV a bit more appealing.
List of Google TV Streaming Channels
The Good:
- Lots of choice in hardware devices
- Search Netflix, Amazon, and YouTube all at once
- Google Play store offers movies for download and rent
- Apps like Plex and Chome make Google TV highly configurable and powerful
The Bad:
- Many apps are not very good, requiring a trackpad to fully take advantage
- Not the most user-friendly, with the occasional lag, crash, or confusing popup
- Selection of streaming services and TV shows is lacking
Verdict:
Google TV has a lot of weaknesses, and I wouldn't recommend it for most people. Its universal search feature has the potential to be incredible, but its interface and app selection just isn't very good compared to its competitors. However, it has its advantages for a specific niche: f you're looking for a cheap and easy Plex box, or a good box for couch-focused web browsing, this could be a very good option due to its configurability.
Roku: Streams From Any Service You Can Imagine
The Roku is a clever little device, designed to be an easy-to-use, one-stop shop for any streaming service you want?and it does the job well. We tested the top-of-the-line XS model, which is still as tiny and inexpensive as they come, clocking in at only $99. Like the Apple TV, it sits out of the way, unnoticed, and is very easy to use, so even the least tech-savvy friend or family member can fire it up and watch their shows.
Setting it up is a cinch: just fire up the Roku, go through its initial setup wizard, and start adding channels from its easy-to-browse library. The Roku's remote is a bit big, clunky, and ugly, but it only has a few buttons, making it easy to use. Furthermore, the Roku does a great job of offloading the more complicated processes?like signing into Netflix, Hulu, and other services?to your computer. Instead of using the remote to log in, the Roku gives you a PIN number that you enter in a browser on your computer, linking it to your different accounts. This particular task may seem complicated to first-time users, but it really is a lot more convenient than doing it from the remote.
The Roku's selection of channels is as good as it gets: Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Vudu, Crackle, HBO Go, MLB.tv, NHL, NBA, Epix, and a lot more. It would be nice to see some better support from people like NBC, ABC, CNN, and other news channels, though?right now, the channels are either audio podcasts only or clips of popular shows, but rarely full episodes. The Roku also recently got the Plex app, which allows it to play items from a Plex media server?perfect for those few movies you've ripped or downloaded. It also contains a few of Plex's streaming channels, but not all of them are available at the time of this writing. Still, Plex is a very nice touch to a device that previously couldn't play those files at all.
The only real downside of the Roku is that it can be a little slow from time to time. The interface, while easy to use, isn't nearly as fluid as devices like the Apple TV. Plus, the remote (at least the one for the XS model) is really, truly awful. It feels more like a Wiimote than a TV remote, which is fine when you're playing games on the Roku, but it just seems big and clunky when you're using it for TV. Overall, though, the Roku is a killer device for streaming content, and its easy enough for nearly anyone to use.
List of Roku Streaming Channels
The Good:
- An incredible selection of streaming channels, including Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon
- A browser-based setup process, which is nicer than using the remote
- Easy to use for geeks and non-geeks alike
- Inexpensive, lots of hardware choices
- Plex app allows you to play networked content
The Bad:
- Interface is a little slow
- Remote is big and clunky, feels like a toy
Verdict:
If you're looking to stream from more than a few services, this is the box to get. It's got nearly everything, and you can keep your menu as minimal or as packed as you want. The other services like games are nice, too. If you want to play local files too, you can do so with Plex, but don't expect an insanely full-featured media center out of it. All in all, if streaming is your top priority, get a Roku.
Boxee Box: A Fully-Featured Media Center for the Patient and Tech-Savvy
The Boxee Box is the most expensive device on the list at $175, and it's easy to see why. Unlike most of the others, the Boxee Box seems to be geared more toward the tech-savvy user, providing a more feature-filled media center without the hassle of building it and installing the software yourself. You can add all of your networked files (of nearly any file type) to a library that grabs thumbnails and plot information for a beautiful browsing experience, as well as stream content from services like Netflix and Vudu. If you buy it with the live TV adapter, you can also integrate your live TV-watching experience, which is pretty nice. Boxee also has a lot of social integration, letting you get recommendations from your friends on Facebook and Twitter and see what other people are watching. It has a browser, which?while a pain to use?can play many Flash videos not supported by one of its channels. It also supports AirPlay, which is wonderful to see in a non-Apple device.
The hardware is nice, even though it's a bit bigger than other similar devices. The remote is also quite good, acting as a minimal, Apple TV-like remote on one side with a mini keyboard on the other. The keyboard makes a huge difference, but doesn't feel like it makes the remote overly complicated. If I had one complaint, it's that the keyboard is a little hard to type on?especially because it requires you to hold down Alt or Shift to get numbers or capital letters, unlike similar keyboards you'd find on phones. It's just a little off-putting at first. But overall, the remote is really great.
Boxee's interface, while beautiful, can be a little confusing at times, though. Rarely do you spend time on a "home screen", instead bringing up a dock of options when you press the home button. From there you can view your movies, TV shows, watch later list, or apps. The apps menu is also a little confusing, requiring you to add and remove apps from your favorites using a hard-to-find menu item. After awhile you get the hang of it, and you can curate a pretty sweet list of favorites, but overall each menu just has so many options that it's hard to know which one you really want to use at a given time. Part of that is because it tries to integrate with services like Vudu to recommend you recent and popular movies, but it ends up being cumbersome?unlike the Apple TV's great implementation of the same feature using the iTunes store.
Lastly, Boxee's selection of streaming apps is huge, but the quantity is more impressive than the quality. Hulu and Amazon are both missing from its list, along with a lot of other heavy hitters that devices like the Roku have available. If your main goal is to stream content from internet networks like Revision3, TWiT, TED, and others of that nature, the Boxee will suit you fine. Otherwise, it may seem like it's missing some of the more important stuff. However, it does make good use of what it has with its "universal search" feature, similar to what I love about Google TV: if you search for a TV show, it'll show you the different places you can stream it. The universal search feature doesn't support Netflix like Google TV's does, but it's still pretty handy to have, especially when you have so many streaming channels available to you.
Unofficial List of Boxee Streaming Channels
The Good:
- A beautiful interface for all your local content, and some integrated streaming content
- An easy-to-use remote with a full, somewhat quirky keyboard
- Lots of configuration options
The Bad:
- Navigation is non-traditional and a tad confusing, particularly due to the large number of different menus
- Streaming selection, while large, leaves out some more important services, and integration with the rest of the system seems limited to Vudu
Verdict:
The Boxee Box is a good device for those that want a highly configurable, full-featured media center but don't want to deal with the hassle of building one and installing something like XBMC. If you're willing to put in the time setting it up (and you aren't sharing it with someone less tech-savvy), it can be a pretty powerful media center, but it definitely isn't for everyone.
WD TV Live: A Hassle-Free Media Center That Has a Bit of Everything
The WD TV Live isn't as popular as the other devices on this list, but it's actually a pretty good device, especially for users that have a lot of ripped or downloaded movies already (and it supports quite a few formats). WD TV Live comes in two flavors: a small, cheap, Wi-Fi-enabled box designed for streaming, and a more expensive, Ethernet-enabled box with a 1TB drive for all your local movies. The small box can play files off a USB drive, and the big box can still stream, but they're clearly aimed at two different types of users.
The interface is very pretty and shockingly easy to use. Plug in your USB drive and go to "Files" to start playing them. Have some files stored on the network? Just go to Movies or TV shows and add it as a source. Head to Services for streaming channels like Netflix, Hulu Plus, Vudu movies, MLB, and a few others. The remote is a traditional remote that feels a little cheap, but works as well as you'd expect. The interface is also somewhat configurable, letting you view your movies and shows in a few different list formats.
The WD TV is kind of a "jack of all trades, master of none". It does a good job of playing your own files while being easy to use, streaming from a few different services (but not a lot of them), and being configurable only where it counts. Tech-savvy media center users may find it a little basic, but it's the perfect box for someone who wants more than Apple TV can offer, but without the work that goes into Google TV, Boxee, or a homebrew XBMC box.
List of WD TV Live Streaming Channels
The Good:
- Plays files on your network or USB drive, larger model has a 1TB drive for your ripped and downloaded movies
- Extremely easy to use without sacrificing too much in power or configurability
The Bad:
- Remote feels a little cheap and rubbery, has more buttons than it needs
- Streaming channel selection is just okay: Netflix, Hulu, and MLB are present, but Amazon and other news/sports channels are absent
Verdict:
The WD TV Live's biggest strength is probably its ability to easily play local files, particularly for those that don't want to set up something like the Boxee Box. Its streaming library is okay, but not awesome. It's a good box for people with lots of ripped or downloaded movies that want to supplement them with a little streaming?someone who sits between the needs of a Roku and the Boxee Box.
Ultimately, your final decision will completely depend on your needs, what services you subscribe to, and how much of a hassle you're willing to deal with. I'm still married to my home-built XBMC box, but I'd have to say the Roku was easily my favorite of the pre-built options. It's insanely cheap, has tons of streaming services, and with the addition of Plex, can even do some basic playing of network files. The Boxee Box was also pretty nice if you're willing to sit and configure it, while the Apple TV and WD TV Live provided great plug-and-play solutions. The Google TV is a bit more of a wild card for those that have specific needs, but provides a lot of configurability and niche apps that the others don't have (or, alternatively, makes a great feature-filled Plex box). Check out the home pages for each device to see more about what they offer and where you can buy your own.
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