Chromecast (2015) vs Emby

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

But with tons of advanced configuration options available for those that want them.

Active and lively support forums where the developers and other users engage to quickly resolve any issues you may experience, which will be few and far between anyway.

Add the Premiere option for around $5.00 per month and you get a full featured DVR that will play and record Live OTA TV, IPTV, Cable or Satellite signal and a great EPG (Electronic Program Guide)