Gadgetory

odds are good you still have cable TV cord cutting hasn't exactly taken over yet but eyes are also good that you're done watching Shahs of Sunset reruns just because there's nothing else on Netflix Hulu and a thousand other services are engineered to solve this exact problem to put huge libraries of anything you might want to watch just a click or two away if you want the most content and the best experience you really need a dedicated set-top box if you want access to the huge world of streaming content there are exactly four dedicated boxes you should even think about buying at the end of the day though the Roku 3 is the best choice it's the right set-top box for the most people the one with something for everyone the biggest thing Roku has going for it is content it offers more to watch than any of its competitors and it's not close Netflix and Hulu Amazon and YouTube Showtime and HBO GO anything and everything you can think of each comes as a channel which you select from a grade on the home screen the interface isn't beautiful but it's simple and usable and it's a window to a truly outrageous amount of content the Roku 3 also has a nifty Universal Search option which makes it really easy to find whatever you want to watch across all of those channels and there's even a headphone jack in the remote so you can watch without disturbing whoever's sitting or sleeping next to you and you can also replicate a lot of the chromecast features with the Roku streaming straight from the Netflix or Hulu app on your phone to your Roku 3 a couple of the other boxes have prettier or faster interfaces but you buy a set-top box because you have things to watch the Roku 3 has the most things to watch and all the features it needs to make watching easy it's the best set-top box out there right now but it wins only by the slimmest of margin if Apple ever decides the Apple TV is worth real time and effort if it fixes the interface for YouTube and adds content sources like Amazon it could really quickly claim the throne that's because it has a truly killer feature that no other device can replicate airplay airplay lets you play Netflix or Spotify on your TV sure but it also lets you send almost any photo video or audio from another Apple device to your television it'll even mirror your screen on your TV and do some cool dual screen tricks if you're playing games airplay is system-wide its built-in for anyone with an Apple device and it's a really incredible tool but the Apple TV hasn't gotten a real update in a while and it's showing its age apple's interface and remote are a little too simple and there's nowhere near the breadth content you'll find on the Roku 3 airplay is an unbeatable feature and it really wouldn't take much to get Apple TV over the top but it's not quite there yet the same is essentially true of Amazons fire TV the fire TV has lots of content Hulu and Netflix and watch ESPN and basically all of the basics except HBO GO it's also really fast and has this amazingly great voice search function just hold the button on the remote say movies directed by Christopher Nolan and you're off and there's all kinds of cool ancillary features like x-ray and IMDB on top of whatever you're watching even Amazon's games usually a mess on a set-top box or pretty fun but the fire TV is missing a few apps it's content library isn't huge especially if you're not and don't want to be an amazon prime subscriber and the handy Universal Search doesn't tie together services the way the Roku 3 that Amazon was late to the set-top box game and could absolutely fix all of these problems and it does have a solid base to build on Amazon could make real moves here and win in a big way but it's not quite done yet that brings me to chromecast the crazy cheap crazy simple model with chromecast there is no remote there's not even really a box you pick what you want to watch or hear on your phone or tablet or laptop and then click the button to start it playing on your TV it works but only in a few apps for now and it's nowhere near as simple or as pervasive as airplay and truthfully there's something nice about having a remote and about being able to sit on a couch next to someone and scroll through options together chromecast potential is big and it is cheap and easy a way to watch Netflix as you'll find anywhere but it still feels like kind of a hacker's toilet ok so those are the big four the Roku 3 is the best of the bunch but they all do the job your only real mistake would be buying anything else set-top box has changed fast and when Android TV comes out or when Apple or Amazon or Google takes its next big swing things might change again but for now you should be looking for the best mix of content features power and simplicity the Roku 3 offers the best mix of all for the little guy wins this side