TV streaming box - best ones?

[ZetaMale]

I have an Nvidia Shield that's suppose to be highly recommended but I'm not satisfied with it's performance. Too many lockups requiring a power reboot - then the TV has to be turned off and back on to get audio again. There's a pro version but I don't want to spend that kind of bucks for an unreliable device. So, what other options are out there that are top performers. No T95s please.

 

[dishdude]

I know it's Walmart, but you really can't beat this device for the price. I bought 2 of them for my mother in law when she moved from Spectrum to YouTubeTV and they've been great.

onn. Google TV 4K Pro Streaming Device (New, 2024), 4K UHD resolution, Dolby Vision & Dolby ATMOS, Hands-Free Voice Control, Smart Hub - Walmart.com

Buy onn. Google TV 4K Pro Streaming Device (New, 2024), 4K UHD resolution, Dolby Vision & Dolby ATMOS, Hands-Free Voice Control, Smart Hub at Walmart.com

www.walmart.com

 

[teachsac]

I've had them all. Just picked up a firestick 4k Max a few weeks ago when they were on sale for 29.99. I really like it.

 

[primestar31]

I've had them all. Just picked up a firestick 4k Max a few weeks ago when they were on sale for 29.99. I really like it.

I second this. I also have an Apple Tv 4k (but that's locked down, so no Android shifty-type apps)

 

[KAB]

I/ve had two Firesticks fail in three years or less. Overall, I think Roku Ultra is the best for most all apps. AppleTv has issues with Peacock and Disney+, and a bit slow to start up (compared tp the Roku), but I love its' 10 second skip, so I use it most of the time.

 

[Jimbo]

I am partial to the Roku Ultra as well.

 

[Bruce]

I am partial to the Roku Ultra as well.

Same.

The 2024 Model is the best one yet, never have issues, no lock ups, every app works as it should, extremely fast, etc, etc.

 

[b4pjoe]

AppleTv has issues with Peacock and Disney+

I don't have any issue with Peacock and Disney+ (or any apps really) or slow startup on my Apple TV. Do you have an older Apple TV?

 

[dfergie]

Replaced fire stick with Roku Ultra, much better...

 

[ncted]

AppleTv has issues with Peacock and Disney+

No issues here with either of those apps on any of my 4 AppleTV 4Ks. Hulu is another matter though. We watch all our Hulu content on Disney+ because it is so much better. Another thing to be aware of with AppleTVs is the way they handle audio which a lot of people don't like. It decodes everything and outputs PCM or Dolby Digital. There is no pass-through option (other than maybe Dobly Atmos?).

My alternative streaming box is an Roku Ultra, which just sits there idle ~99.99% of the time.

 

[arlo]

I upgraded to the latest Fire TV cube. For the 8 bucks I found out that my first one got me when returned. Shoulda' kept it.
The shield is an awesome streamer. Unless I guess it might be the 1g model with HDD. So, you tell me.

I'm not into Apple's or Roku's "pocket" with the cube. Not locked into using only a single "sideload" application.
I'd be very interested in trying out a pure Android streamer. Just hate having anyone's hands in my pocket....and the other one smoking a cigar-ette!
The voice assistant is quite nice. And can be turned off with a button. If you're one of the single, or para-noid type.
There's an HDMI in on it. Which is cool. But. My friend deep in the South cussed me a little bit for taking my hint that they were excellent streamers. She just don't respond to "Hey Lexxer, wut time zit?" very well.

 

[ncted]

No issues here with either of those apps on any of my 4 AppleTV 4Ks. Hulu is another matter though. We watch all our Hulu content on Disney+ because it is so much better. Another thing to be aware of with AppleTVs is the way they handle audio which a lot of people don't like. It decodes everything and outputs PCM or Dolby Digital. There is no pass-through option (other than maybe Dobly Atmos?).

My alternative streaming box is an Roku Ultra, which just sits there idle ~99.99% of the time.

Figured I should also add I used to have NVIDIA Shields. I sold them when they rolled out the new UI several years ago that had a lot more ads. Before that, I had Firestick 4Ks. I dumped them after the same kind of thing with a new UI including a lot more ads. Not sure what I'd do if Apple suddenly filled the screen with ads like the Android streamers all seem to do. I don't need to sideload anything, so that isn't really a concern for me. I did really prefer the Fire TV remote though.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Still running 2 2017 Shields, and they still blow away any other streaming box out there for me.

And I do test them all out.

The ONN boxes are great for $20 but the performance isnt as good as the shield.

Scott

 

[KAB]

No issues here with either of those apps on any of my 4 AppleTV 4Ks. Hulu is another matter though. We watch all our Hulu content on Disney+ because it is so much better. Another thing to be aware of with AppleTVs is the way they handle audio which a lot of people don't like. It decodes everything and outputs PCM or Dolby Digital. There is no pass-through option (other than maybe Dobly Atmos?).

My alternative streaming box is an Roku Ultra, which just sits there idle ~99.99% of the time.

No Dolby Vision or HDR on Peacock (widely known), No FF or RW on Disney.

 

[b4pjoe]

No Dolby Vision or HDR on Peacock (widely known), No FF or RW on Disney.

Ummmm…what? Peacock has HDR and Dolby Vision on my Apple TV and FF and RW both work on Disney+.

 

[KAB]

Ummmm…what? Peacock has HDR and Dolby Vision on my Apple TV and FF and RW both work on Disney+.

Peacock -No Getting Dolby Vision But Title Card Says DV?

I started watching "Cocaine Bear" on Peacock, but it was not playing in Dolby Vision on the internal app on either a new Sony 85Z9K (this years model) or on a Sony 75X900F, which is a few years old. I check two other Dolby Vision titles on Peacock and neither one plays in anything more than...

www.avsforum.com

#4 above.
Disney is a problem for Harmony remotes.

 

[ZetaMale]

I need a box that has DreamDroid available for it.

 

[ncted]

Peacock -No Getting Dolby Vision But Title Card Says DV?

I started watching "Cocaine Bear" on Peacock, but it was not playing in Dolby Vision on the internal app on either a new Sony 85Z9K (this years model) or on a Sony 75X900F, which is a few years old. I check two other Dolby Vision titles on Peacock and neither one plays in anything more than...

www.avsforum.com

#4 above.
Disney is a problem for Harmony remotes.

Seems to be a problem on Peacock on a number of platforms. The first post in that thread is about Sony Android TVs for instance. Also, it seems you can get HDR with ATV4K if you switch manually to the correct mode before watching. Not ideal, but a workaround. The Peacock app does kind of suck on all platforms, but stuff generally plays without interruption. My biggest complaint about it is it is terrible at remembering where I left off viewing a show.

The whole "not getting HDR" complaint exists for every streaming device/smart TV and app combination if you go searching through the forums.

I checked that FF/RW works in Disney with the aftermarket remotes I own (OneForAll and Function101). No issues, so sounds like an issue with the (discontinued?) Harmony remotes in particular.

I am not trying to make excuses for the ATV4K -- Just trying to look at things holistically. If you like something else better, that's great. We are all better for competition in this space. There are definitely things I liked better about the Shield and FTV4K.