What is the best alternative to Nvidia Shield TV PRO?

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score 8 · Answer 1

Roku 4

Top Con

If you don't want 4K content, Roku 3 might get you more bang for the buck

Since 4K content is still scarce it might be better to get Roku 3 instead. It's practically identical to Roku 4 except for voice search and 4K support that Roku 3 lacks. See More

Top Pro

Built-in voice search

Top Con

Voice search is somewhat basic

Top Pro

Good 4K support

Top Pro

Universal search

Roku's search will look through all available services and offer results in one place. You don't have to search through each app individually to find what you're looking for. It also remembers your previous searches. See More

Top Pro

Offers the best selection of content

Roku offers more than 1800 entertainment channels. See More

Top Pro

Simple, intuitive interface

Roku's interface is fairly straightforward. See More

Top Pro

Headphone jack in the remote

You can plug in any set of headphones in the Roku's remote at which point Roku will mute the TV and allow you to listen to your content without disturbing anyone around you. See More

Top Pro

Motion control capable remote

Top Pro

Companion mobile app

Roku comes with a companion iOS and Android apps. See More

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score 1 · Answer 2

Nexus Player

Top Pro

Straightforward UI

The UI is similar to the of XBox and Fire TV. The homescreen consists of four rows - things you've watched, apps you've installed, games you've installed and settings. See More

Top Con

No ethernet port

The Nexus player is WiFi only, making for an odd choice for a streaming box as much content could use the extra bandwidth an Ethernet port would offer in order to buffer faster when playing videos.. See More

Top Pro

Built-in voice search

You can use the remote to search for movies based on a range of criteria such as release date, actors, genre, etc. See More

Top Con

Voice search looks only through google's services

Voice search won't look through, for example, Hulu or Netflix. See More

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score 10 · Answer 3

Chromecast (2015)

Top Pro

Pretty cheap for what is on offer

Chromecast costs only $35 which makes the overhead to jump into the ecosystem pretty minimal on the consumer's part. See More

Top Con

Limited OS support

The device is designed for Windows, OSX, Android and iOS. Linux support is limited and Windows Phone support is nonexistant. See More

Top Pro

Can be powered using TVs USB port

If you have a USB port on your TV, you can use that to power the Chromecast. The Chromecast is powered through a standard micro USB port. See More

Top Con

Somewhat lengthy setup process

To set up Chromecast, attach it to your TV, download the Chromecast app on your host device, pair it, connect the Chromecast to your Wi-Fi, wait for the updates to download and from there you are ready to cast. See More

Top Pro

Does the processing on a different device

Unlike other set top boxes, the Chromecast just takes in a video stream in VP8 or H.264 format, and can stream that content either directly from the provider, or through a device that processes video to those formats. Because everything is done on a different device, you wont need to upgrade the Chromecast as often as other set top boxes, and anyone can play content from their phones, tablets, or computers. See More

Top Pro

Available SDK means any app can utilize chromecast

With the amount of apps available on the Play Store, seeing that an SDK is available for any of them to use means that a large swath of apps can and do use Chromecast making for a very large ecosystem for what is a pretty cheap streaming device. See More

Top Pro

Easily support multiple bands of Wi-Fi

Dual-band Wi-Fi support with 2.4GHz and 5GHz allows for easy connection to multiple different routers, this way no one is left out with a non compatible device as well as support for faster speeds which is helpful with HD content. See More

Top Pro

Color choices available for easy matching or preferences

The device has red, yellow and black options which allows for one to match some of their other devices in their living room as well as offers a choice to be more of an individual through a color option. See More

Top Pro

Simple to use once setup

Once the device is set up, using Chromecast is straightforward. Just click the the cast icon from within apps or programs to stream it to your TV. See More

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score 11 · Answer 4

Apple TV

Top Con

No built-in Chromecast

Unlike official Androidtv devices it has no Chromecast built-in. See More

Top Pro

Seamless Airplay support

The Apple TV works seamlessly with Airplay for streaming from Apple devices. See More

Top Con

Remote is very easy to lose

The remote is incredibly small and can easily fall between couch cushions. See More

Top Pro

Simple consistent UI

All apps need to conform to the Apple TV UI, meaning they all act similarly. See More

Top Con

Aged

Compared to newer internet TV options, the Apple TV is a lot less powerful, and has less capabilities, such as not supporting games or voice search. See More

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score 3 · Answer 5

Amazon Fire TV

Top Pro

Voice search

There is a dedicated voice search button on the remote so you can quickly bring up the voice search prompt from any app that works fast and accurately. See More

Top Con

Lots of Amazon advertisement

The Fire TV prefers Amazon services, and is tailored to purchasing shows and movies through Amazon. The voice search does not clearly expose if it's already available on a non amazon service. See More

Top Pro

Has support for tons of media service integrations

The Fire TV has support of the following of services: Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu Plus, ESPN, Pandora, Showtime, MLB, iHeart Radio, Vevo, Vimeo, Crackle, Bloomberg, Twitch, NBA, Amazon Music, Plex, YouTube, Tune In, Flixster, Quello, AOL on, WWE, HuffPost Live, Frequency, Red Bull TV, and Smithsonian Channel. See More

Top Con

Inconsistent UI between apps

Each app has a unique UI making it harder to jump between each app, and requires you to learn a slightly different UI for every app. See More

Top Pro

Has a simplified kids mode

There is a mode called "freetime" that lets you whitelist specific apps and set watch time limits for kids, or for a simplified interface with only certain apps. See More

Top Pro

Most powerful set top box

Even though it's only $99, it's far more powerful than its competitors, with a quad core processor and 2GB of ram, and that power really shows in the fluidity of the UI. See More

Top Pro

Bluetooth Remote

The Fire TV remote doesn't require line of sight, and has a microphone for voice search, thanks to bluetooth support. See More

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