![]() ![]() Currently there is no streaming media device (except Sony’s $699 FMP-X10, and that’s primarily a hard-drive video server) that can deliver Ultra HD 4K video. There is one issue that might convince you to purchase that new TV instead, and that’s 4K. Content With a few exceptions in video games, the content on streaming media sticks vs. ![]() The box version are always plugged into a wall and always on. Also, if you power your stick with one of your TV’s USB ports, it will need to completely boot up each time you turn the TV on, which could take a few minutes. In fact there are games the Fire TV stick can’t play but the Fire TV box can. ![]() This will make them slower when launching apps and searching content. In order to make the streaming media players small and less power hungry (and cheaper) they don’t have nearly the processing power and memory of a streaming media box. Speed and Power If you’re an impatient person, the speed factor might be a deal-breaker for you. The remote on the Nexus Player also supports voice search. The stick version of Fire TV also has a remote, but the voice search feature is omitted. Amazon’s Fire TV comes with a nice remote that includes a microphone for voice search. The remote that comes with the Roku Stick does not include a headphone jack. Let’s take Roku first, The Roku 3 comes with a small, but very good, Bluetooth remote with an included headphone jack (and some cheap purple earbuds). If you like a good remote, though, then you should opt for a streaming box over a streaming stick. You use your smart phone as the remote, and for some people, the convenience of that will be great. Remotes Here’s an area where the boxes rule. They’re also easy to take with you on trips or visits (you’ll only need to reconfigure the wireless connection). You can buy one stick and move it around to the various TVs in your house without much trouble. The size also makes them easily portable. If you rely only on antenna and streaming, you can have a TV with no attached boxes to worry about. With a streaming media box you need someplace to place the box. ![]() They’re about the size of a USB thumb drive, so they’re completely out of sight when plugged into an HDMI port on the back of the TV. Size The size of a streaming stick is one of its best features. This is useful if you have an older receiver or can’t use the receiver’s HDMI connection, but still want the best sound experience from your system (most audio return channel outputs on TVs downconvert the surround sound audio to stereo). Both the Roku 3 player and the Fire TV box include an optical audio output, which can be plugged directly into your AV receiver. If your Wi-Fi connection is strong, then you may be satisfied with that however, for more reliable streaming, especially for high-definition movies and games, a wired Ethernet connection to your router is better, and for that you need the box versions of Roku or Fire TV, not the stick. To connect to your broadband network for streaming, all three sticks use Wi-Fi. If your TV doesn’t have an available USB port, then a wall plug adaptor can also be used. Google ChromecastĬonnections All three of the streaming media sticks require one HDMI port to connect to a TV, plus a free USB port on the TV to connect for power. On price alone, it seems like the stick is the much better deal. The Roku stick is only $50, the Amazon Fire TV Stick is $39, and the Google Chromecast is only $35. A Roku 3 box costs $99, as does the Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV (Apple doesn’t have a stick version, yet). Price The first thing you’ll notice when comparing a streaming box to its streaming stick sibling is the cost. Roku 3 or Roku Stick? Fire TV or Fire TV Stick? If you’re stuck between a stick and box, here are some considerations before you buy: So if you want to add streaming audio and video to your home AV system, you now can choose between a small set-top-box (why do we still call them that when they don’t sit on top of TV sets anymore?) player, or a stick version that connects directly to the TV’s HDMI port. A streaming media player, like Roku 3, Amazon Fire TV, Nexus Player or Apple TV can provide nearly all (or sometimes more) of the streaming media services and games that a smart TV includes built in, and they’re only $99 or less. Not everyone wants to buy a new TV just to get access to all the latest smart TV streaming media features. ![]()
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