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Roku Announces New Devices Including $70 'Streaming Stick Plus' With 4K HDR Support
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Just a couple of the things none of these do that my ATV 4K will.
Dolby Vision
AirPlay 2
iTunes content
HomeKit hub
Dolby Vision
AirPlay 2
iTunes content
HomeKit hub
None of which I use.
We only do Netflix and Amazon Prime, and the Roku fits the bill for us.How much time do you spend in the UI to care if it's 4K or not? I had a couple of ATVs but didn't like the interface at all, regardless of its resolution.
Then all the other points are moot. You do not care about DolbyVision, iTunes content and App Store apps (games, fitness, etc.), and do not like the interface. Even if the device was the same price you would not buy it, so the rest is irrelevant.
So is the fact that it's easy to fit and hold in your hand the correct way. Apple could learn a thing or two about this.
Yeah price is one of the main factors for me. I’m not locked into any ecosystem which makes it nice for choosing gear.
It is not a question of being locked into to an ecosystem. You do not like the interface. You do not care about other functionality (HomeKit home automation hub, games, fitness and/or DolbyVision), so given that you do not like the interface, you would not buy it even at the same price as a Roku (or whatever it is you prefer).
My new TCL 55" Roku 4k tv has Dolby Vision. Price just dropped to $450 at Costco. The Roku premier costs $99, so essentially this tv is $350. My HD antenna feeds into the tv and Roku Home screen along with my directvnow app. With my ATT discount this setup is costing me $10 a month. With Netflix 4k still under $25/mo.
AirPlay and HomeKit support are critical for me. I AirPlay music and video to my ATV and have an ecobee3, with more HK devices to be added in the future.
Nowhere did I say the interface would completely remove it from consideration at the same price as a Roku. I might consider it at the same price and that is a benefit of not being locked into an ecosystem.
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I would say Apple's real advantage here is that the Apple TV runs tvOS which looks vastly better than all the other Roku **** I have ever used
Who would have thunk that a 3.5mm headphone jack would actually be useful? #NotApple
Certainly not Apple. They only have the 3.5mm jack on MacBooks, Mac desktops and iPads. However, I like using my nice, over the ear Bluetooth headset with my AppleTV. Not sure I would rather have my tv remote need to be charged every day so I can use it as an audio extender. My PS4 controllers offer the option but I do not use it there either.
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I've had the Roku for a year and not had to change the batteries once yet, that's with using the headphones feature at least a couple of times a week.
Reminder you can use the Roku App on your smartphone to redirect the tv audio to your phone and use your phone speaker/headphones
IMO, none of the players in the market have a clear advantage. I have an Nvidia Shield TV, Amazon Fire, and Apple TV 4K, with none being a clear cut winner.
The Nvidia is my favorite interface, has native integration with my HDHomerun and can play content from Google Play, Amazon, and Vudu 4K but of course, no iTunes content. Built in Chromecast support is allow easily the best way to cast content from another device. However, Android TV has the worst support from third party devs (bunch of common network apps aren’t available) and the remote is a flaky POS.
The Fire TV has all the requisite app support and obviously is the best way to view Amazon content but not a big fan of the UI and no Google Play or iTunes content support. It’s also the laggiest interface.
The Apple TV’s interface works just fine, setup is a breeze if you use an iPhone and one of the supported TV Providers, and their remote app is the best. It also allows me to play content from Google and Amazon (though presently only via AirPlay and not in 4K) but still no Vudu 4K (less of an issue for me personally now). But as mentioned, 4K support outside of iTunes is less than the competition (nothing higher than HD for YouTube?!
I was never a fan of the Roku experience and these new offerings won’t lure me to their devices. And yes they’re cheaper but big picture, an extra $80 is relatively small compared to what we all spend on all of our other tech and content. I’ll take the native integration with Google or Apple of the other options for a bit of extra cash.
I returned the Apple TV last year because it was missing the TuneIn & Spotify apps, is it still missing most of the music streaming apps?
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Wow, that is impressive. A playstation controller lasts for fewer than 12 hours of play (usually under 6 hours) and will not even go more than a month reliably just sitting there. Figuring you watch at least one sitcom twice a week that gives you about 1 hour a week of streaming audio. That means the batteries have lasted over 52 hours of use. What brand batteries are you using, I would love to get more of them.