Designed for cord cutters, AirTV distributes broadcast TV over your home network and over the internet to remote locations. TiVo ditches the DVR and rethinks how streaming devices should work. The results aren't bad. Amazon's cheapest streamer suffers from a limited remote and TBD software.
Roku's budget streaming player would be great if it's remote didn't cut corners. Jared Newman covers personal technology from his remote Cincinnati outpost. He also publishes two newsletters, Advisorator for tech advice and Cord Cutter Weekly for help with ditching cable or satellite TV. Music Streaming Media. What to look for in a media streaming device Still trying to decide between all these options? Our latest media streamer reviews Note: When you purchase something after clicking links in our articles, we may earn a small commission.
Read our affiliate link policy for more details. At a Glance. Apple TV 4K Pros Superior speed, polish, and remote control No interface-cluttering ads or aggressive data collection Siri and the TV app help make sense of streaming.
Cons No hands-free voice control Hybrid touchpad directional pad can feel awkward It's still pretty expensive for a streaming player. Roku Streaming Stick Pros No separate remote necessary for TV volume and power Zippy interface with some much-improved apps Simple to setup and use.
We absolutely expect Shield to remain a viable option in the years to come. That said, Google TV and Android TV are in enough first- and third-party products at this point that any such concern probably is moot.
Each of these picks pretty much does the same thing in the same way. And you might find that you need to buy new hardware sooner to keep getting software updates. Why you should buy this: Roku has a fairly simple user interface, all the apps you need, and a lot of free movies and shows.
Just know that Roku is very much in the advertising business, and advertising means data tracking. Roku is the grandfather of streaming, back before it really became a thing.
Where Roku has really started to stand out the past couple of years is with its inclusion of free shows and movies on its own distribution source, the aptly named The Roku Channel. The series and movies are all supported by advertising. Roku scooped up a bunch when it acquired the library of Quibi, the short-form streaming service that essentially was a failure-to-launch.
It also has dipped its toes into the realm of more standard original content with its own series, and presumably more is on the way. Read our full Roku Streaming Stick 4K review. Start with Amazon Prime Video , of course, which has all the movies and series you could possibly want, as well as more than its share of great original content.
Then you add in things like IMDb. When it comes to Android-based hardware, you typically get what you pay for. Cheap Android sticks are a dime a dozen and should mostly be ignored, as support can be iffy. Chromecast with Google TV is the first Google hardware with the next-generation operating system.
It does a better, more sophisticated job of surfacing things you want to watch and apps you want to use. Even better, the Max supports Wi-Fi 6 and nearly all the latest playback standards, including Dolby Vision. The downside to the Max is its Fire TV platform and the fact that ads are featured prominently throughout. We just don't appreciate the TV becoming a giant rotating billboard for content or ads when in screensaver mode.
But this is a good choice for the Amazon lover on your list. Read our Nvidia Shield TV review. Get CNET's comprehensive coverage of home entertainment tech delivered to your inbox. CNET editors pick the products and services we write about. When you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Eli Blumenthal , Sarah Lord. Roku Express 4K Plus Best streamer overall. Jump to details. Chromecast with Google TV Second-best streamer overall.
Nvidia Shield TV Best for gamers. This story is part of Holiday Gift Guide , our list of ideas, by topic, by recipient and by price, to help you discover the perfect gift. Best streamer overall.
Spring for the 4K version, or just buy a Roku. By now, you may have realized that we're big Roku fans. The platform may not have the prettiest onscreen menus, but it's dead simple and gives you access to almost all of the content you could possibly stream. Feature-wise, the Roku Ultra is almost identical to the Roku stick, but it boasts some extra memory and a faster processor that makes it better at streaming live TV.
One key feature is the headphone jack in the controller. You can plug in the included earbuds and watch TV late at night without disturbing your roommates.
It's just a standard soundbar, but it has Roku built right in. Below we've linked to the standard Roku soundbar and the cheaper Walmart version, which has some strange. Onn branding. It's just a bit weaker than the standard model but should still sound much better than your TV. There are better options on this list, but it works. It also has Google Assistant, and you can cast from your phone.
The included remote controls both your volume and power. When we tested it, it was still running Android TV. That's currently being phased out for the newer Google TV, and the interface here isn't as sleek and nice to use as the interface on the newest Chromecast. This streaming device is HD, but not 4K.
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