Google Chromecast Leapfrogs Apple TV as the Aging Media Player Loses Ground to Rivals

[Digital Skunk]

What do you mean, auto play? And smart TV's suck. Their interfaces suck. Big time. They also don't offer what the ATV does.

When the next show starts after a few seconds.

The next point is moot and irrelevant. Whether they suck or not is up to you, the end users. Personally I find them cute, but I'd never replace a dedicated streamer like Chromecast or a Roku or even the ATV. But for those that don't want to drop another $100 and have another remote it's a nice option.

Smart TVs do everything the ATV can do save for AirPlay.

If 90% of them suck, then it's not an advantage. Most of what's on Roku is GAR-BAGE.

This makes no sense. The only thing that's on Roku is the same thing that's on everything else.

You've used these things before I'm assuming?

 

[wgnoyes]

I still like mine!

 

[aperry]

Yes 2nd gen has the most possible features out of any tv box I believe because of hacks

Not really when you look closely. The jailbroken ATV2 indeed offers a lot more than a standard ATV2. However, there's not a very large number of apps that are useful on it because it's something of a niche hacking community (for a product that's not even sold anymore, and costs >$150 to buy on ebay/craigslist). Additionally, it only outputs up to 720p which somewhat puts it in a different category altogether.

With a Fire TV you get hundreds of installable apps from the Amazon app store, and thousands if you want to sideload (which is easier than jailbreaking). The Fire TV is also rootable, which effectively gives it the same hackability that the ATV2 has. So you have more apps, the same hackability, and full 1080p output. And of course at a lower price. ATV loses again.

 

[roadbloc]

This is to be expected. Apple haven't really committed to the TV.

 

[MrXiro]

My only comment is not all cord cutters are cheapskates or bargain hunters. My family barely watches TV. Paying for cable make no sense. That's not being cheap or looking for a bargain.

I said "mostly" not "all", here we go again where I need to spell it out again on this site.

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I've read where many people here are going to buy the Apple watch no matter what, an impulse buy that is a bit more than $25. And countless people buy the Apple product because they are so invested in the Apple Eco system. Even if there is a better choice.

$350+ is not an impulse buy for many many people. What they "say" isn't always what they do. I too know people who buy iPhones and don't have any apps or media loaded on it. Why? Cause they are trendy. But trendy people still tend to think about spending that amount of money. $25-$30 in the tech world is equivalent to a pack of gum in the real world.

I'm not saying it's the be all end all rule but $25 is much more palatable than $99.

 

[fivedots]

My parents bought a Chromecast and I was able to set it up with my Mac and test it out without a hitch. There isn't very much propriety usage of a Android or PC device that I see that is needed by being a mac user. Everything seems to run smoothly using Chrome Browser. When you install the Chromecast Software onto your Mac, a new button option appears on the browser bar that lets you "Cast" your screen or youtube videos onto your tv directly from computer. The reason I wasn't a huge fan of the unit is the simple fact that it's reliant of having a device (smartphone, computer, tablet available in order to make anything happen. This is where AppleTV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV win in my opinion. You just turn them on and start using them.

I purchased an Apple TV last week because I was tired of waiting for the next best thing from Apple in this category. I was simply looking for the best option to play videos that I've downloaded onto my computer and onto my tv screen without having a long HDMI cable going across the room. The Apple TV solves this issue for me and that's all I need. I don't have any subscriptions to HULU or Netflix, or HBO, etc. It's nice that these other apps are available but I don't find myself wanting to use them for the time being. Now if Apple can just open up their API and allow 3rd partiers to get in and also end the restriction of only play files from your iTunes library without using Beamer/Airplayer, all would be happy.

Thanks. I don't use Chrome, so that's the first hiccup. I also like the idea that I can easily output any sound or video from any of my Apple devices to the Apple TV without relying on the app to support it.

 

[Moyank24]

You can AirPlay from your Mac to AppleTV

But can you airplay a specific tab? Doesn't it just mirror your screen?

I like chromecast because I can cast a tab, and still use my computer while watching TV. Airplay pretty much makes it useless (unless I'm missing something).

 

[kong85]

If I'm not mistaken, these stats show new sales in 2014. If you combine all the sales since the ATV was launched vs Chromecast it would be a different story, i.e. there are many more people using ATV than Chromecast, ergo the stats are misleading.

 

[samcraig]

If I'm not mistaken, these stats show new sales in 2014. If you combine all the sales since the ATV was launched vs Chromecast it would be a different story, i.e. there are many more people using ATV than Chromecast, ergo the stats are misleading.

There's nothing misleading about the stats. Have you even looked at the charts? It shows a comparison year over year. So yes, in 2014, chromecast has oversold Apple TV. The chart isn't about total users. It's about sales progression and who is the leader in 2014.

 

[Digital Skunk]

But can you airplay a specific tab? Doesn't it just mirror your screen?

I like chromecast because I can cast a tab, and still use my computer while watching TV. Airplay pretty much makes it useless (unless I'm missing something).

You're not, but you can use AirPlay in extended desktop. Even use it as a third if you have a system connected to two already.

It's . . . . what's the word they like to over use to spread FUD about Android?

Laggy! Yeah, that's it. Extended desktop in AirPlay is so laggy that's neigh on impossible to use without getting frustrated.

Mirroring it is quite stable, but there's still a lag with the ATV even with an iPad.

Casting a tab meanwhile is almost instant when I use iOS or Android devices.

To be fair, the ATV is REALLY long in the tooth. What's it running an A5?

 

[DaveN]

Lets not be coy, not many "own" 10K+ episodes.. (actually closer to 15K) But, I've bought at least 2500-3000 of them on blue ray and DVD over the last 18 years (and ripped them). I also have bought 600 CD's in 25 years. I also actually OWN 800 movies bought over the last 18 years (but I've got many others too...).

I'm a very big media buyer and the studios are losing nothing from my extra-curricular activity ;-); I don't even distribute anything I have to anyone else.

My internal media servers are a thing of beauty, custom built of course. Not many sell 20T (+ 20T backup) of NAS for home use .

Well I wasn't about to be the pot that called the kettle black. Not all of my media were explicitly purchased. I'm the type who would like a large collection available for rental at low cost (really should an old movie still cost so much as it has long been paid off?) and download for viewing within a month for when I'm on the road. Like what Apple has but with more varied pricing for old shows and movies. There are only a few movies that I want to watch repeatedly. The rest need only be rented.

Back to my point. While you may not be sharing your collection with others, you probably did cull them from others who are sharing the files to any and all takers and the studios are losing money from that.

 

[Tech198]

I like playing leapfrog as the next person. but Apple only fell short in 2014 because Apple never kept it readily up to date...

Then again, it could be just because Chromecast is the "in-thing" currently.

 

[Uofmtiger]

I am curious, can you open an app like Rdio/Spotify/lightroom on the iPhone and cast it to a Chromecast?

 

[Renzatic]

I am curious, can you open an app like Rdio/Spotify/lightroom on the iPhone and cast it to a Chromecast?

I haven't used a Chromecast, so I'm not exactly an expert on this. But from what little I understand, I believe it only broadcasts Chrome tabs or Chrome based apps.

 

[Uofmtiger]

I haven't used a Chromecast, so I'm not exactly an expert on this. But from what little I understand, I believe it only broadcasts Chrome tabs or Chrome based apps.

Thanks! That was my understanding as well, but I wanted to be sure I wasn't missing something.

 

[gotluck]

Not really when you look closely. The jailbroken ATV2 indeed offers a lot more than a standard ATV2. However, there's not a very large number of apps that are useful on it because it's something of a niche hacking community (for a product that's not even sold anymore, and costs >$150 to buy on ebay/craigslist). Additionally, it only outputs up to 720p which somewhat puts it in a different category altogether.

With a Fire TV you get hundreds of installable apps from the Amazon app store, and thousands if you want to sideload (which is easier than jailbreaking). The Fire TV is also rootable, which effectively gives it the same hackability that the ATV2 has. So you have more apps, the same hackability, and full 1080p output. And of course at a lower price. ATV loses again.

But does the firetv have AirPlay screen mirroring? I hear mixed reports about one app that provides the functionality. That is the one thing I am missing and it looks like the only choices are Apple tv or raspberry pi with rplay

 

[aperry]

But does the firetv have AirPlay screen mirroring? I hear mixed reports about one app that provides the functionality. That is the one thing I am missing and it looks like the only choices are Apple tv or raspberry pi with rplay

It has "casting" which in some ways is superior to Airplay because it gives you the option to cast a browser tab or the your whole desktop, and it can do so across all popular OS's. You can cast a tab if you want to do other work while casting something, or you can cast your whole desktop if you want a total mirroring experience.

 

[millerlite]

Hardware
I just don't want to buy old hardware (A5 chip) at the same price it sold for two years ago.

Totally agree. I bought a 2nd gen Apple TV and it painfully needs an update. I'm willing to buy another Apple TV, even one just like it is, but not at $99. That's insane.

 

[nebo1ss]

Not for me. I'd prefer to spend ~$50 every couple of years to have the latest and greatest media experience (including apps, etc). I don't expect that I would buy a new TV more frequently than once every 5 years, and I don't expect any device's "smart" functionality to stay fresh and feature-rich for nearly that long. I'm not even sure a TV exists today that has the same feature set of the Fire TV Stick that I bought last week for $19.

You have obviously never used a Smart TV. I have Samsung Smart TVs and not only are new Apps added on a regular basis but existing apps are always getting updates. The Plex app that runs on Samsung TV has been updated at least twice in the last year and they have also added new apps like Synology DS video which allows you to play videos from Your Nas directly. I have two Samsung smart TV's a 32 inch that is 18 months old and a 55 Inch that is six weeks old. Both have access to the same app store.

 

[LucasLand]

porn lovers

Not really when you look closely. The jailbroken ATV2 indeed offers a lot more than a standard ATV2. However, there's not a very large number of apps that are useful on it because it's something of a niche hacking community (for a product that's not even sold anymore, and costs >$150 to buy on ebay/craigslist). Additionally, it only outputs up to 720p which somewhat puts it in a different category altogether.

With a Fire TV you get hundreds of installable apps from the Amazon app store, and thousands if you want to sideload (which is easier than jailbreaking). The Fire TV is also rootable, which effectively gives it the same hackability that the ATV2 has. So you have more apps, the same hackability, and full 1080p output. And of course at a lower price. ATV loses again.

I think one of the big reasons why tv 2nd gen is popular with hackers is because they can add a whole bunch of porn on it. can the fire stick and other devices show porn?

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another device that doesn't get a mention is the Neo tv.

I have a friend who i always tell to buy apple products. and no matter how many years i've used apple and how much i say how great they are he never believes in apple products. only time he uses an apple product is when his work makes him use a macbook.

i had been praising the Apple TV and what does he do he goes and buys a neotv, which i never had heard of. he has had it for a few months now. no matter how many times i ask him about it he always changes the subject. i'm sure its garbage

http://www.netgear.com/landing/stream/tv/#neotv

 

[Uofmtiger]

It has "casting" which in some ways is superior to Airplay because it gives you the option to cast a browser tab or the your whole desktop, and it can do so across all popular OS's. You can cast a tab if you want to do other work while casting something, or you can cast your whole desktop if you want a total mirroring experience.

What if you want to cast to it from an iPhone app like Linda.com (video)? Can you do that?

What I am trying to find out is if there is anything that works like Airplay (video/photos/music) with the iPhone/iPad when used with an AppleTV?

 

[aperry]

You have obviously never used a Smart TV. I have Samsung Smart TVs and not only are new Apps added on a regular basis but existing apps are always getting updates. The Plex app that runs on Samsung TV has been updated at least twice in the last year and they have also added new apps like Synology DS video which allows you to play videos from Your Nas directly. I have two Samsung smart TV's a 32 inch that is 18 months old and a 55 Inch that is six weeks old. Both have access to the same app store.

I have never used a smart TV? I own a smart TV. Granted, it sucks and it's not a Samsung, but I could care less because I have cheaper and better options.

Admittedly, I believe Samsung is ahead of the curve in this area. However the Samsung is arguably still weak in many ways compared to the $19 Fire TV. And while I'm glad that your Samsung is still working okay (or, as you say, "accessing the same app store") after 18 months, I don't trust that it will continue to provide a satisfying interface and level of performance over 5 years. No media streaming device does. 5 years ago we had the ATV version 1 and the first generation Roku. They were cutting edge at the time, and I'd be miserable right now if I had to rely on those for media streaming.

 

[jakebrosy]

Budget vs Premium devices

I've owned both a Roku and an ATV. The prime difference is the additional opportunities provided by the ATV's integration with the iTunes Store.

The ability to rent (or purchase) and view new releases on ATV is -- for me -- a prime differentiator.

Both do a decent job of streaming. Both work well with Netflix, Hulu, etc. Both integrate well with the dozens of teaser channels that seem to show up every few days and crowd the screen. But only ATV offers the on-device integrated access to newly released content.

And Apple (wisely) appears to have no interest in building a device without secondary income opportunities; leaving budget-minded shoppers to continue pirating movies. I retired at 45 based (in large part) on my high-performing Apple stock and I applaud Apple's choice.

 

[Blakjack]

Really? How do you figure?

I love everything Apple and own a ATV. In my opinion, I think the UI is a horrible misfire. Overall, the user experience on the Fire is much nicer. If you dive into an app, like Netflix, the Fire really shines. The ATV Netflix app is horrendous.

I'm talking about the cromecast, not the fire tv

 

[Mr Staunton]

A t v

I have two Apple TV's, one is still in it's box waiting for me to bother setting it up, the other is connected to the TV and used so rarely that my Kinect device sits on top of it. Not very friendly, the only thing that I find useful is AirPlay for photo viewing. Shame Apple.