What are the best devices to stream Netflix to a TV?

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8

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19

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Oct 5, 2021

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Updated

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8 Options Considered

Best devices to stream Netflix to a TV	Price	License	Based On
-- Chromecast (2015)	-	-	-
-- FireTV Stick	-	-	-
-- Roku 4	-	-	-
-- JustStream	12.99$	-	-
-- NVIDIA SHIELD Console	-	-	-

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score 5 · Answer 1

Chromecast (2015)

Top Pro

Simple

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

Top Con

Not supported by Windows Phones

Chromecast doesn't officially support Windows Phone and there is no known application to Chromecast Netflix from a Windows Phone. See More

Top Pro

Cheap

Chromecast costs only $35. See More

Top Con

No on-board browsing or pausing functionality.

All operations are driven from your phone. To start a show you have to: Stop what you're doing on your phone (if you're doing something) Load the app Browse for the content you'd like to watch on your 5" phone screen Hit "play" Wait for the Chromecast to load the app Watch your show. Then, if you want to pause your show you have to: Stop what you're doing on your phone again. Load the app. Hit "pause" See More

Top Pro

Can stream many other media

Chromecast can be used to stream Plex, your browser tab, your Android screen, Google Music, Spotify, your photos, and a lot more. 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

Integrates with Android's notification system

When the Chromecast is streaming and an Android phone (at least the ones made by Google such as the Pixel or Nexus 6P/5X) is connected to the same network a notification pops up on the phone allowing the user to take actions (like play, pause, next song, mute, etc..) and provides instant access to the app that's being used. This functionality is available even if the Android device was not the device that initiated the streaming to the Chromecast. See More

Top Pro

Dual-band Wi-Fi support

2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi support. See More

Top Pro

Can be charged using TVs USB port

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

Top Pro

Color choices available

The device has red, yellow and black options. 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

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score 4 · Answer 2

FireTV Stick

Top Pro

Cheap

Top Con

No way to stream local files without a Plex server

Top Pro

Unifies a lot of content through apps

Netflix, Amazon Video, some cable platforms. See More

Top Pro

Reliable

See All

score 3 · Answer 3

Roku 4

Top Pro

Companion mobile app

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

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

Simple, intuitive interface

Roku's interface is fairly straightforward. See More

Top Con

Voice search is somewhat basic

Top Pro

Headphone jack in wireless remote

Users can plug in their headphones to the bluetooth wireless remote which allows for quit listening late at night or in noisy rooms. There are also volume controls on the side of the remote that control the volume level of the headphones. See More

Top Pro

Built-in voice search

Top Pro

Good 4K support

See All

score 1 · Answer 4

JustStream

Top Pro

Complete Subtitle Support

You can expect JustStream to run any common subtitle file. Better yet, you can add external subtitles to your videos and stream like that. See More

Top Pro

Chromecast Mac Streaming and Mirroring

Top Pro

Mirror MacBook on Apple TV

Many people prefer to use Apple hardware with the company’s own software. This is also the case when they mirror MacBook on Apple TV. See More

Top Pro

Supports Mirror for Samsung TV

Cables are a thing of the past. Thanks to JustStream, you can mirror Mac to Samsung Smart TV wirelessly and easily. See More

Top Pro

Supports Mirror Mac to Roku Smart TV

Top Pro

Create Streaming Playlists

Collect multiple files into a playlist and keep them running back-to-back without having to switch them manually. Forego all interruptions! See More

Top Pro

Supports Screen mirroring Mac to Sony TV

Top Pro

Additional External Audio

If a video file has its audio stored in a separate file, don’t fret. JustStream can open them both, and you can even adjust the audio delay. See More

See All

score 1 · Answer 5

NVIDIA SHIELD Console

Top Pro

Kodi is installable from the Play Store

Kodi media center is now available on the Play Store for Android TV devices which is very convenient since the old method of installing the app was to sideload, which can be difficult for new users. See More

Top Con

Can only have 2 USB hard drives

There are only two USB ports built into the device, which limits how many hard drives one can hook up, but the kicker is, even when using a USB hub the device will still only read two USB hard drives at a time, no matter how many are plugged into the USB hub. See More

Top Pro

50 curated games at launch

There will be 50 curated games at launch of the device including the likes of Borderlands and Crysis. See More

Top Con

Only capapable of low end gaming

Even the demos of the games shown at the unveiling shows that any type of console quality game is going to be too taxing for the system, all running at only 30fps. Adding to that, the majority of console ports for the system are years old which shows that it is pretty obvious how limiting the system will be. See More

Top Pro

NVIDIA Tegra X1

The NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet has an NVIDIA Tegra X1 processor, which is reported as having twice the performance of an XBox 360. See More

See All

score 2 · Answer 6

PlayStation

Top Pro

Netflix is available

Top Pro

Games

The latest generation of games on a dedicated console See More

Top Pro

Bluetooth controller

Navigate with an instantly responsive Bluetooth controller instead of a slow Infrared remote that can only register one button at a time. See More

See All

score 1 · Answer 7

Apple TV

Top Pro

Simple Consistent UI

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

Top Con

Cost

4th gen cheapest version is 129$, this tends to be a bit more than the simple chromecast dongle. See More

Top Pro

Seamless Airplay Support

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

Top Pro

Makes your TV intelligent

You can install apps, games, watch the weather, netflix and much more See More

Top Pro

Even better if you have other apple devices

iphone and ipad can airplay / cast straight to your tv. See More

Top Pro

With airparrot you can turn your apple tv into a receiver

All your legal and not so legal movies can be streamed straight to your apple tv, from your PC at HD quality See More

See All

Answer 8

Android TV

License:Apache 2.0, GPL 2.0(Linux Kernel)

Based On:Android Open Source Project (AOSP)

Default Desktop Environment:Leanback Launcher

Init-System:Android init

See All Specs

8 Options Considered

My Recommendation for Chromecast (2015)

My Recommendation for Chromecast (2015)

Simple

Not supported by Windows Phones

Cheap

No on-board browsing or pausing functionality.

Can stream many other media

Somewhat lengthy setup process

Integrates with Android's notification system

Dual-band Wi-Fi support

Can be charged using TVs USB port

Color choices available

Does the processing on a different device

My Recommendation for FireTV Stick

My Recommendation for FireTV Stick

Cheap

No way to stream local files without a Plex server

Unifies a lot of content through apps

Reliable

My Recommendation for Roku 4

My Recommendation for Roku 4

Companion mobile app

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

Simple, intuitive interface

Voice search is somewhat basic

Headphone jack in wireless remote

Built-in voice search

Good 4K support

My Recommendation for JustStream

My Recommendation for JustStream

Complete Subtitle Support

Chromecast Mac Streaming and Mirroring

Mirror MacBook on Apple TV

Supports Mirror for Samsung TV

Supports Mirror Mac to Roku Smart TV

Create Streaming Playlists

Supports Screen mirroring Mac to Sony TV

Additional External Audio

My Recommendation for NVIDIA SHIELD Console

My Recommendation for NVIDIA SHIELD Console

Kodi is installable from the Play Store

Can only have 2 USB hard drives

50 curated games at launch

Only capapable of low end gaming

NVIDIA Tegra X1

My Recommendation for PlayStation

My Recommendation for PlayStation

Netflix is available

Games

Bluetooth controller

My Recommendation for Apple TV

My Recommendation for Apple TV

Simple Consistent UI

Cost

Seamless Airplay Support

Makes your TV intelligent

Even better if you have other apple devices

With airparrot you can turn your apple tv into a receiver

My Recommendation for Android TV

My Recommendation for Android TV

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