Fire TV Stick vs. Chromecast vs. Roku Streaming Stick

Google FTW

 

I have a Roku box that I use daily. I also have a Chromecast which I may use once a month when I want to stream something from my computer that doesn't have a Roku channel.

 

I have a chromecast and a roku, and much prefer the roku, mostly because it is entirely standalone. Nothing major, but I have had a few problems with the chromecast - it basically "loses touch" with the initiating device (in my case an iphone) and I cannot stop, pause of FF/RWD the show I am watching.

 

Never had that issue on android, suckaaaaa.

Chromecast all day, with that said I haven't used a Roku or Firestick so I don't have much room to judge. Chromecast generally does everything I need it to and essentially paid for itself (3 months of Netflix), plus it works through my Xbox One. Wins across the board.

 

I said Chromecast, because I can basically stream anything from my browser or my phone screen (great for heads up type games, Charades in my case). Showing pics, videos, anything is there. The other devices as far as I know, are locked into the apps installed on them.

 

Roku is working on this. Casting from Android and Windows 8 is in beta and I would assume other devices are on the way.

 

They have a roku app for Showbox or is that a private channel?

 

I did a lot of research on content streamers during the holidays - Roku3 is the answer.

Chromecast is the most inexpensive solution that might satisfy certain categories of usage (media streamer, mobility, android ecosystem, just for specific subscription services ie. Netflix). As posters have said, Chromecast requires another device to operate which is a big boner deflator; they should include a remote but I suppose that would up the costs. FireTV has made a lot of progress in the last half year but still trails the other two.

PS, XBox, smart TVs, and other media streamers have redundancies with the above three, so it's a good idea to first know how you will use your devices as you might find the functions already available in other devices you will have or have already.

Otherwise, I would just get Roku3, especially if a difference of <$50 is not a concern.

 

That's your opinion. I actually prefer the lack of a controller being necessary (I have a billion remotes in my home). Chromecasting stuff from my phone or computer is quite intuitive. To each his own of course.

 

Yeah, definitely. YouTube, for one, is much easier to use with a Chromecast—search is more intuitive with a touch screen keyboard than a remote. Because of this, I find myself watching YouTube videos a lot more frequently than I ever did before. I like going to various video subreddits and adding clips to the queue, then sitting back and watching for a good half hour or so.

But if you're using an iOS device, you're missing out on a lot of cool Chromecast stuff (like screen mirroring and local playback), so I can see how a traditional interface with an app store would be preferable.

As for the original topic, I have a Chromecast, Roku, Fire TV Stick, and a Nexus Player. I never use the Fire TV, it's just a crappy Roku. The Roku is still a good option for the bedroom, since I like to fall asleep with the TV on and I don't want my phone getting knocked out of bed overnight, which rules out the Chromecast. The Nexus Player is still in its early stages, so there aren't as many apps for it. But it has Chromecast built in, so for the most part, it's like a Roku and a Chromecast combined. Also, the Ballcast app works very well for watching Rockets games on the Chromecast or Nexus Player.

So as of right now, it's:

1. Chromecast
2. Roku
3. Nexus Player
4. Fire TV Stick

...in my opinion. But as the Android TV ecosystem matures, I can easily see the Nexus Player moving up to number 1 on my list.

 

Yeah, plus if you have a remote how are you going to have Chromecast battles where people keep shooting things onto the screen without asking?

 

By another device you mean using the phone as a remote? Is that considered a negative? That's actually one of the best things I like about it. I have using a remote to try to navigate Netflix/Hulu/etc. Using your phone is so much easier.

 

I have a Chromecast and FireTV stick and FireTV is much better in my opinion.
You can install apps on it, navigate, search, etc...

 

Roku also have a phone app. I don't use it much though. My remote is usually much closer.

YouTube is definitely much better on the Chromecast.

I'm not sure what the FireTV is better at yet.

 

Mack already mentioned what I was going to reply - Roku has apps for mobile device control (haven't used them so I honestly can't comment on how well they work). More so, Chromecast doesn't have that remote control option so sometimes you get caught in a phone call or multitasking. Its inability to be a standalone device is constricting imo.

 

I have an Apple TV in my livingroom, Chromecast In the bedroom, and a Roku 3 and Xbox One in my cave. They all work and do what their suppose to do. My Apple TV gets the most use from me though.

 

Yeah I have both and use the FireTv Stick a lot more.

 

The FireTV stick is much more handy at launch than the Chromecast was. Especially the Plex integration and obviously the Amazon Instant video.

The Screencasting also is working better than the original Chromecast.

It does occasionally crash, but comes right back up in 5 seconds.