Every site listed here has an app for iOS that allows airplay to your ATV, "just saying"
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Apple TV or Roku 3? ...
- Thread starter cmeisenzahl
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Every site listed here has an app for iOS that allows airplay to your ATV, "just saying"
One thing I like to add to this discussion.
I initially had a roku and ps3. Over the last month I have been starting to purchase digital copies for ultraviolet and itunes for my household.
Vudu which is the main provider I use for ultraviolet still does not support closed captioning for roku. Also even though Vudu supports closed captioning for PS3, i can tell you from personal experience, recent movies like Argo, Flight, etc that I have for both, does not have closed captioning either. Just 2 days ago a mother was complaining about the lack of closed captioning support for the Hobbit.
Itunes has close captioning so I went out and bought an Apple TV before Staples starts blocking the 25 off 75 off coupon on Apple Products.
If you have anybody in your household with a hearing impairment, get the Apple TV. I see the industry moving too slow on this in general but if Blurays have close captioning, so should all digital copies.
I initially had a roku and ps3. Over the last month I have been starting to purchase digital copies for ultraviolet and itunes for my household.
Vudu which is the main provider I use for ultraviolet still does not support closed captioning for roku. Also even though Vudu supports closed captioning for PS3, i can tell you from personal experience, recent movies like Argo, Flight, etc that I have for both, does not have closed captioning either. Just 2 days ago a mother was complaining about the lack of closed captioning support for the Hobbit.
Itunes has close captioning so I went out and bought an Apple TV before Staples starts blocking the 25 off 75 off coupon on Apple Products.
If you have anybody in your household with a hearing impairment, get the Apple TV. I see the industry moving too slow on this in general but if Blurays have close captioning, so should all digital copies.
I have both devices at home connected to my hd tv.
I can say go for apple tv,
1. yes, roku has lots of channel choices ,but you will not need to watch most of them as some them does not work, some has crap content, some of them requires subscription.
2. roku has usb port that you can connect your usb disk ,but it only plays mkv and mp4, you cannot watch avi, mpg and other flash files. Apple Tv already does mp4 and you can transcode your mkvs to mp4 in a few minutes and beam it to atv via airplay.
3. apple tv's content is premium and quality, podcasts work flawlessly so you do not waste time to find out quality media. Roku has a lot more content channels but most of them crap and you have to pick good ones from hundreds of channels.
4. roku works fast at first ,but in time ui gets slower like crap windows pcs so you will need to restart rokue while apple tv maintains the same speed you will never need to reset the device.
5. new roku ui is good but still not as good as apple tv. apple tv is stable, roku is not as much.
6. apple tv gives me better pic quality on videos, i seldomly have staggering on netflix via apple tv whereas it does stagger on roku. I have 5mbit cable connection.
roku looks quite independant and rich on the paper ,but it is not and you will only realize this after you play with it a few days.
Apple tv only needs a bit flexiblity like having dedicated apps, having a bit more quality choices, more country oriented channels like bbc iplayer, new live tv streams and so on..
I can say go for apple tv,
1. yes, roku has lots of channel choices ,but you will not need to watch most of them as some them does not work, some has crap content, some of them requires subscription.
2. roku has usb port that you can connect your usb disk ,but it only plays mkv and mp4, you cannot watch avi, mpg and other flash files. Apple Tv already does mp4 and you can transcode your mkvs to mp4 in a few minutes and beam it to atv via airplay.
3. apple tv's content is premium and quality, podcasts work flawlessly so you do not waste time to find out quality media. Roku has a lot more content channels but most of them crap and you have to pick good ones from hundreds of channels.
4. roku works fast at first ,but in time ui gets slower like crap windows pcs so you will need to restart rokue while apple tv maintains the same speed you will never need to reset the device.
5. new roku ui is good but still not as good as apple tv. apple tv is stable, roku is not as much.
6. apple tv gives me better pic quality on videos, i seldomly have staggering on netflix via apple tv whereas it does stagger on roku. I have 5mbit cable connection.
roku looks quite independant and rich on the paper ,but it is not and you will only realize this after you play with it a few days.
Apple tv only needs a bit flexiblity like having dedicated apps, having a bit more quality choices, more country oriented channels like bbc iplayer, new live tv streams and so on..
Anyone here using a western digital live box for streaming? Been looking for something that pulls from a network drive instead of running a program (itunes) on a computer. iTunes isn't bad but it sucks leaving a computer on.
The length some people will go to turn a negative into a positive...the Roku supports local USB play (a feature some people find important), Apple TV does not...advantage Roku.
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I just put a WD TV Live in my bed room...very happy with it so far...it's played every file format I've thrown at it so far via the USB port (main reason I got it) and it streams Netflix just fine...I don't have it setup to a network drive yet, so I can't speak to that...
Will it put the drive to sleep when not in use? Is there a setting in the preferences to put a sleep timer on an externally connected hard drive?
Will the Roku stream movies I have Handbraked? I have been wondering this for awhile and have not seen the answer
Thanks
Thanks
I do not have my iPhone jailbroken, but with Airfoil Speakers, I can send the audio signal from AppleTV2 to the iPhone. I bought Airfoil Touch Speakers a while back and they did update the app so that it could no longer accept a signal from iOS. However, in the settings menu, it gave me the option to roll back and now it works again. Not sure what happens if you buy it today, but it works without a problem at this point.Institute,
Thanks for the tips. I didn't realize I could use the Plex iOS app to Airplay to the ATV. It works great.
And with some fiddling, I was able to turn my iPhone and iPad into an Airplay receiver. I had to jailbreak them first, but once I did, the plist hack enables Airfoil Speakers Touch (any version) to work again as a receiver.
I have AppleTV2s (jailbroken) and prefer them to the Roku that I own. It is probably more about the interface than anything else, but I also like Airplay.
While you do need a computer on to accesss audio from iTunes, if you use iTunes Match, you can stream them from the web when your computer is off.
Yes, use either Plex or the USB interface.
Apple TV only supports HDMI while the Roku supports composite video and HDMI. If you have an older TV, the Roku is your only choice.
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As much of an Apple guy that I am, and would like to prop it up over the Roku, some of the things you say I really disagree with. And I've had a Roku 2XS for over a year now (see my words in bold):
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I agree to some extent. Roku has a lot more choices directly from the unit, when you take out airplay as an advantage. If you did not have macs or other ios devices, I think Roku's choices would outweigh the choices available on the Appletv (assuming you are not jailbreaking it).
If you own Airplay devices, you could get more choices than you have with Roku, if you don't mind two channel sound from sources that might provide 5.1 from Roku. As an example, I have a monitoring system at home that I can check on my iPhone. When I am at home, I can mirror that image up to my TV. Apps like Slingbox, Eyetv, etc... can be used via Airplay or Mirroring..pretty much everything but Amazon Video, but it worked with Mac Mirroring the last time I checked.
The question is whether you want to use Airplay. If you don't, the Roku is probably a better device if you don't care about iTunes or iTunes Match integration. Personally, I use these features, so I use it more than my Roku. I also like the interface better, so I am happy that Roku is changing or has changed theirs.
I had issues with the Plex app. I even deleted it from Roku, rebooted the Roku, and reinstalled the app. It still didn't work. Plex ran fine on my Mac mini. I have deleted Plex from my Mac and will try it again, but it has not been a pleasant experience. Even when it did work, it didn't support ALAC files in my music library on the Roku.
****I should mention that I have the Roku 2XS and not the Roku3.
One last note about Roku. Their customer service is top notch. I had an issue with the remote right out of the box. They sent me a new one the next day without a question and they did not even require me to send in the old one. I was pretty happy they took the hassle out of it.
If you own Airplay devices, you could get more choices than you have with Roku, if you don't mind two channel sound from sources that might provide 5.1 from Roku. As an example, I have a monitoring system at home that I can check on my iPhone. When I am at home, I can mirror that image up to my TV. Apps like Slingbox, Eyetv, etc... can be used via Airplay or Mirroring..pretty much everything but Amazon Video, but it worked with Mac Mirroring the last time I checked.
The question is whether you want to use Airplay. If you don't, the Roku is probably a better device if you don't care about iTunes or iTunes Match integration. Personally, I use these features, so I use it more than my Roku. I also like the interface better, so I am happy that Roku is changing or has changed theirs.
I had issues with the Plex app. I even deleted it from Roku, rebooted the Roku, and reinstalled the app. It still didn't work. Plex ran fine on my Mac mini. I have deleted Plex from my Mac and will try it again, but it has not been a pleasant experience. Even when it did work, it didn't support ALAC files in my music library on the Roku.
****I should mention that I have the Roku 2XS and not the Roku3.
One last note about Roku. Their customer service is top notch. I had an issue with the remote right out of the box. They sent me a new one the next day without a question and they did not even require me to send in the old one. I was pretty happy they took the hassle out of it.
This is another thread that I'm not sure why it exists - the Apple TV is for people entrenched in the iTunes Ecosystem for all of their video entertainment needs such as myself and those that want an AirPlay receiver. It does Netflix and Hulu Plus great, but it is an iTunes Box.
The Roku is for the consumer that doesn't like or want to use iTunes. That is how I see it - there may be other factors at play, but it really comes down to an iTunes vs. Everybody Else decision.
i pretty much agree with this thought. I just bought my second AppleTV and now bought a Roku3 for our office. I really like and use Airplay. When AppleTV gets the Time Warner app then i see no advantage for me to have the Roku. Mostly a lot of channels and nothing to watch....wish the AppleTV would also improve its search like on the Roku. That is simply awesome.
For me it's pretty simple. Roku has Amazon Prime. That was the only deciding factor.
I agree and disagree with you.
This thread exists to educate and help people make informed purchases.
I have a Roku and an AppleTv. I won't recommend one over the other without asking the potential buyers usage habits.
I don't have an ATV, but I've had a Roku for a couple of years. Roku is a lot like cable/sat/telco TV in one respect: You'll probably never watch 95 percent of what's available, either because it's crappy or it doesn't interest you. Fortunately with Roku, you're not forced to pay for that 95 percent.
In my case, that 5 percent is stuff that really interests me, such as AmateurLogic because I'm a ham. In fact, if my wife didn't enjoy her handful of cable shows, I would have dropped cable long ago because Roku's 5 percent and my DVDs are more than enough to cover my video entertainment needs.
That's not speculation, either. She's been out of town since mid-May while our granddaughter has specialized medical care, and during that time, the only cable I've watched is the new season of Mad Men. I also use it to watch the local news and a few PBS shows, but I could get those over the air if I didn't have cable. Hopefully by the time my cable contract expires next August, all of the cable shows my wife likes will be available on Amazon Prime.
YMMV with Roku and ATV, but the more I use Roku, the less value I see in continuing to pay for cable.
In my case, that 5 percent is stuff that really interests me, such as AmateurLogic because I'm a ham. In fact, if my wife didn't enjoy her handful of cable shows, I would have dropped cable long ago because Roku's 5 percent and my DVDs are more than enough to cover my video entertainment needs.
That's not speculation, either. She's been out of town since mid-May while our granddaughter has specialized medical care, and during that time, the only cable I've watched is the new season of Mad Men. I also use it to watch the local news and a few PBS shows, but I could get those over the air if I didn't have cable. Hopefully by the time my cable contract expires next August, all of the cable shows my wife likes will be available on Amazon Prime.
YMMV with Roku and ATV, but the more I use Roku, the less value I see in continuing to pay for cable.
I very much agree that the choice between them is totally dependent on one's needs and preferences. I have an ATV2, and a Roku 3. I'm REALLY glad to have BOTH, but if I had to pick one, given my specific needs, it would be Roku. (Despite my iphones, ipads, and macs)
Here are advantages for each that have not been mentioned:
AppleTV Pluses:
- Its YouTube app is very, very good. Roku doesn't have one.
- Its HBO-GO is supported by Comcast. Roku's HBO-GO is not. (nonetheless total content options are vastly better on Roku)
Roku Pluses:
- Separate buttons for (1) SKIP forward/back and (2) FF/REW.
This allows you to go forward or back in 10 sec jumps (which you can hit repeatedly and VERY quickly), in addition to FF or REW. Very frequently I need to go back and listen to some dialog a second time, and this ability is an absolute pleasure in these situations, while Apple's skip back is unusable to me. It's personal, of course, but for me, this one feature makes an enormous and overriding difference.
- Best video discovery experience while looking at a TV screen. It's the Vudu app on Roku, which lets you browse their huge catalog filtered by decade and genre and SORTED by Tomatometer. Great for a couple or group looking for something new to watch. Even if you end up watching it on Amazon.
Here are advantages for each that have not been mentioned:
AppleTV Pluses:
- Its YouTube app is very, very good. Roku doesn't have one.
- Its HBO-GO is supported by Comcast. Roku's HBO-GO is not. (nonetheless total content options are vastly better on Roku)
Roku Pluses:
- Separate buttons for (1) SKIP forward/back and (2) FF/REW.
This allows you to go forward or back in 10 sec jumps (which you can hit repeatedly and VERY quickly), in addition to FF or REW. Very frequently I need to go back and listen to some dialog a second time, and this ability is an absolute pleasure in these situations, while Apple's skip back is unusable to me. It's personal, of course, but for me, this one feature makes an enormous and overriding difference.
- Best video discovery experience while looking at a TV screen. It's the Vudu app on Roku, which lets you browse their huge catalog filtered by decade and genre and SORTED by Tomatometer. Great for a couple or group looking for something new to watch. Even if you end up watching it on Amazon.
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