Roku is one of the leading brands in streaming devices, and it offers products of all sizes, from full-featured streaming boxes like the Roku Ultra and Roku Express to smart TVs with Roku built inside.
#Casting 4k tv#
Most folks will do just fine with the smaller storage capacity - as a streaming box, the Apple TV won't be downloading a lot of video content directly onto the box itself - but this might be a bigger factor to consider if your household intends to download and play titles from Apple Arcade.Ĭasting isn't as straightforward as with Chromecast The Apple TV 4K comes in 32GB or 64GB variants with no expandable storage options. Apple has also begun offering its own media streaming service, Apple TV+, and an Apple TV is the easiest way to enjoy all of Apple's original content in the comfort of your living room. To start, Apple's tvOS is super easy to navigate and supports all of the most popular streaming services with output that supports 4K HDR and Dolby Vision. You don't need to be baked into the Apple ecosystem to get good use out of this streaming box - although it obviously helps.
#Casting 4k software#
While all of those can be fixed with software updates, the remote will forever be missing dedicated forward and backward buttons, but that functionality can be performed with the d-pad up top, at least.Īpple is known for making top-quality tech products suitable for practically anyone, and this philosophy extends to the Apple TV 4K. Some other apps miss specific Google TV integration, like being listed in the recommended list when searching for specific content to watch. As of this writing, Google's own Stadia platform doesn't officially work with this Chromecast - you'll need to keep the old Chromecast around for that - but can be sideloaded with pretty minimal effort. Of course, not everything is rosy, but that's how it goes when you're only paying $50 for this kind of product. It even supports 4K HDR quality playback, so you won't have to sacrifice quality, either! It also supports Google Cast, so you won't lose that functionality you love from your existing Chromecast, yet, you'll gain access to a massive amount of new features, all for just $50. The interface is similar to what's available on many other TV sticks and smart TVs these days, so there's little to no learning curve to get started.
#Casting 4k android#
If you've ever used a TV with Android TV - or one of the many variants over the years - you'll likely be immediately familiar with how things work.
Simply put, that means the apps now reside on your Chromecast with Google TV rather than just your phone.
#Casting 4k full#
Instead of just relying on your phone to do all the casting to the TV, Chromecast with Google TV provides a full Android TV interface with a custom Google TV skin. Chromecast with Google TV is absolutely nothing like the first few Chromecast models, which all start with the included remote. OK, it sounds a bit odd to be recommending another Chromecast as an alternative to a Chromecast, but hear me out.
However, Amazon offers solid support for all the popular streaming services and lets you control and access smart home products, so you can call up your Ring doorbell camera on the screen to see who's at the door before getting up.įire TV is great if you're already relying on Alexa as your voice-controlled AI assistant of choice, but the lack of support for Google Play services is a big drawback for me. Amazon also litters the screen with ads for its own Prime Video offerings.
I'm not a huge fan of the Fire TV interface, which forces you to side-scroll through lists of apps or shows rather than presenting things in a grid view. It's thin, all black, and lacks a remote finder feature or backlighting, which is bad news if you have a habit of losing remotes between couch cushions. You also get a remote control that includes a microphone that lets you search for and control your favorite media via Alexa, although beyond that, it's pretty basic. Just like a Chromecast, the Fire TV Stick 4K is a compact dongle that plugs into an HDMI port on the back of the TV and is hidden out of sight while in use. The Fire TV Stick 4K not only offers a great value, but it's also virtually future-proof with support for 4K, UHD, HDR 10+, and Dolby Vision. If you side with Amazon Alexa in the on-going battle of AI assistants, you're better off going with a Fire TV product for your home entertainment.
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