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Originally Posted by Catlady
Can anyone help me decide if I want a Fire Stick or a Roku? I currently have a Roku that's about five years old, and was the cheapest model when I bought it. It still works fine, but I want something now for a different TV. I don't really care about using Alexa; I'd prefer using the remote. Any opinions? Thanks.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Catlady
Thanks, ApK. Do you think there's much difference between the cheaper and more expensive Rokus?
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Connected to my main TV in the living room I've got the FireTV 2nd gen box (still the best FireTV IMO) and the Roku Ultra latest gen. Connected to my smaller TV in my study/office I've got the FireTV 3rd gen box and the AppleTV 3rd gen. All the above are connected via ethernet for optimum streaming performance.
AppleTV is the definite least used and hardest to navigate. It sux. Between the Roku and FireTV s, I prefer the Roku because it is easier to navigate, has a better remote, and has Amazon Prime Video on it. Both produce about the same quality of video and operate at about the same speed and neither give me any issues. So basically it comes down to easier to use, and faster to find what I want to watch. The Roku wins that contest IMO.
If you have HD TVs only, no 4K TVs or TVs with HDR, then you can pick any of the new Roku or Amazon models as they all will work. If you have a 4K TV, especially if you have HDR on same, then you need to get the appropriate newer box that supports those newer features. The latest FireTV and Roku Ultra support 4K, not sure about HDR, but I don't have a TV with those features so I cannot say how well they work with same.
One note: I bought the very first gen FireTV Stick. It sucked terribly and would not relinquish control of my TV back to my cable box. But that was their first attempt. However, I now avoid the stick versions of any brand because that one was so bad and so under powered. But the new ones are probably okay and greatly improved.
ETA: Oops I forgot to mention another plus for the Roku over the FireTV decision. The Roku remotes use IR but the Amazon use radio signal instead. The radio signal remotes are better in the sense that you do not have to point the remote right at the box nor have the box in plain sight. The radio signal remotes can even work through walls in some cases. However, the big advantage to me in having an IR remote is that it is easier to find cheap universal remotes to work your multiple boxes and TV. Universal remotes that work with IR are easy to find and cheap, but those that work with radio signal devices are usually more expensive. I like having a universal remote in my living room to control my TV, cable box, Roku, and FireTV. With my FireTV being radio signal only, I had to buy a pricey radio signal to IR converter to get it to work with my lesser expensive universal remote. Bottom line, if you want to have a universal remote that will work with multiple devices and most of those devices or IR only, then Roku is a better option than FireTV in that regard.