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Apple TV vs Vizio CoStar vs Roku? — Brooklynian

Apple TV vs Vizio CoStar vs Roku?

psbklyn
psbklyn
edited November -1 in Prospect Heights

Okay, so I've all but decided to cut cable, but cannot decide which of these three to go with. I've got a Mohu leaf, which I'll set up once I've bought a converter box. I have an Apple Macbook Air. I don't feel a strong urge to have it "connected" to my TV, although I recognize there are obvious advantages to that. From what I've read online and gathered from more savvy (read: younger) coworkers, I should go with Apple TV or Roku.

Here are my specs: I don't watch tons of TV/cable shows. I'm a news junkie. I like interesting documentaries, usually on PBS. I am a Mad Men fan. I would like to get into House of Cards. I would like to have good access to sports, mostly major events. I do like movies, not so much blockbusters, though I wouldn't mind streaming random stuff (though probably not that often) off the internet. Thoughts or advice?

Comments

  • jay b
    jay b

    I went through all this a couple months ago and bought a digital antenna and the Roku box. The Roku was great for everything except live sports. It has a PBS channel and you can get most other shows you want through Netflix and the Hulu Plus channels. Live sports on cable programming are the only things that none of these devices can provide, though most major sporting events are on network TV which you'd get through the antenna.

    That being said, after downgrading from cable and internet for about $135 to just internet for $55, Optimum sent me a notice that I could get the triple play for $85 with the price locked in for 2 years. So now I have the Triple Play plus the Roku and am extremely happy with that setup.

  • psbklyn
    psbklyn

    Thanks very much, Jay B -- that sounds like a sensible way to go.

  • opossumqueen
    opossumqueen

    I've been trying to decide this lately and the newer Roku is the winner unless you want to be able to rent things from the itunes store, which you'd need an Apple TV for. If you have amazon prime, you can watch their digital content on the Roku but not Apple TV.

  • tateinbk
    tateinbk

    Does anyone know about the newer Chromcast vs. Roku?

  • hellonet
    hellonet

    For now go with Roku.

    Chromecast has a really short list of services. Services work very well.

    Sending from my browser to Chromecast is so slow I have gone back to using the RGB TV input & VGA cable - this is with an Ethernet connected Win7 laptop.

    Roku is worth the $8/mo and is only $15 more than the Cc plus the supplied remote is much more convenient than the interactive control from another device.

  • magicube
    magicube

    I cut cable recently and kept my Time Warner (Earthlink) Internet for $39.95/mo.

    I assume you're keeping your existing TV, but many if not most new TVs have Roku-type functionality built-in. E.g. we can watch Netflix and Hulu and Amazon Prime right from the (internet-connected) TV. Mine was a few hundred dollars from Panasonic.

    Another option is to get a used PS3 (the game console) and media server software for your Mac. With both the Mac and PS3 on the network, the PS3 will "see" the Mac as a media server and you can play anything off that through your TV. The PS3 also supports Netflix and probably other streaming services. There are surely other devices that do this stuff--I happen to have a PS3.

    Apple TV and Roku live broadcast options are very limited from what I understand. I have a leaf-style antenna as well and depending on where I put it, I get soccer in various languages as far as live sports go :)

  • tateinbk
    tateinbk

    I have the Leaf already and like it, I just want to be able to play Amazon Prime and Hulu on the TV. I actually have a ps3 already, but it's really annoying how there isn't a separate remote and everything has to be done with the annoyingly oversensitive game controller that never seemed to fully charge.

    What is this $8/mo for the Roku? I thought you just paid for the device and could then use it to stream? Buying a new smartphone is not in the budget. The $100 for the roku is the most we could spend.

  • opossumqueen
    opossumqueen

    I think the $8 /month for Roku hellonet mentioned is the Netflix subscription fee.

  • superclam
    superclam

    Correct, there's no charge to use the Roku, but to get some of the premium channels, like Netflix, HBO, etc., there is a charge.

    Amazon has some free stuff, and some stuff you can buy individually.

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