Getting The Right Streaming Media Player

So I just put out a big post about cutting the cord and ditching your cable TV subscription.  If you are serious about this then you are going to have to get a streaming media player of some sort.  To help you out I put together my nerdy techno geek opinion on all of the top players.

Streaming Players Available Right Now

We are at an interesting time for streaming media players.  There seems to be a new competitor every week.  When I bought my first streaming media player in 2009 (yes I am that guy) there was really only three options.

Here are the top categories for players that are available right now, but keep reading because I give you a peek after this over the streaming media players that will be here VERY soon.

Best All Around Player

Roku 3 – Think of Roku as the granddaddy of all streaming players. This company has been around since they released their first generation player back in 2008. While Technically the Apple TV came out a year earlier it only worked with the iTunes store and didn’t introduce apps for third parties till much later.

The Roku 3 is the most recent generation of this top of the heap media player. Roku has over 2,500 apps (they like to call them channels) and has started putting games that you can play directly from their motion sensitive remote.

Best for Apple Users

Apple TV – You cannot have a list of streaming media players without mentioning an apple product. For all you users of iTunes out there this really is the only option to access your iTunes content. While the original Apple TV was nothing more than a way to get you to purchase more stuff on iTunes Apple finally gave in and started making apps that work with other content providers. What has come out of it is a very strong media player.

Best For the Money

Roku 2 – Similar to the Roku 3 but not as fast and not as many bells and whistles. What it does do is all the apps that show content. With 2500+ apps at your disposal and only $49 for the certified refurbished version you are looking at the best deal in streaming media.

Most Promising First Generation Device

Amazon Fire TV – Amazon made a real push to get into streaming media with the Fire TV and this first generation really is a nice offering. If you are an avid Amazon user and a Prime subscriber then this box will do a good job for you. I got to try this one out at my father’s house and it works really well, but I would say it is one generation away from being ready to compete with the big boys.

Best for Gaming

Nvidia Shield – So you probably have not heard of this bad boy but from a hardware standpoint it is everything and more you could want in a streaming player. It has a quad core processor and is already more powerful than the soon to be released next generation of Apple TV. You can download and stream top line games like Fifa 2015 and other main line games. So the upside is you could put off buying an expensive gaming console like the Xbox or Playstation and get everything in one package.

The downside is that to get this kind of power you are going to have to pay for it. There is a slimmed down version with a 16 GB hard drive for $199 and a Pro version with a 500 GB hard drive for $299. Each one comes with a gaming controller. If you want a remote it will cost you $50 more.

The Hidden Stick Options

Roku Stick – This is basically the Roku 2 in the shape of a USB drive. I notice it loads a little slower than my Roku 2 (Yes I have three Roku products don’t judge me) but once you are done booting up it works great. It is also very affordable at $35 for the certified refurbished model. I have this device on my bedroom television and have had a great experience.

Fire TV Stick – It works just like the fire TV box. As I said above, this one is a good first offering , but we are still one generation away from competing with the beig boys.

Chromecast – This is the little wonder that got all the other companies jumping on the bandwagon. The popularity of the Chromecast is easy to see. It was the cheapest player on the market and it works with your android phone or tablet. When you move something from your tablet to the chromecast it stops using your tablet and picks up its own connection.

Overall this was a great idea for Google and an awesome way to get into the market, but the features just aren’t there to keep up with the newer models from its competitors.

The Next Generation of Streaming Media Players

It seems that almost every streaming player is going through an update in the next few months. So while my ratings are good for the next 30-60 days, what you need to know is what you could be purchase in the near future vs. the information on the current boxes.

Apple TV 2015 – As usual apple made a huge announcement with the release of a new Apple TV. I wish they would give their products numbers or something because there isn’t a good way to differentiate.

The good news is that this is a MAJOR upgrade over the old Apple TV. The processor is strong enough to play higher end games on, but don’t expect it to take over for Xbox or Playstation any time soon. Also, the games are going to be multiplayer which keeps it up with the Nvidia Shield. T

The remote is a big change with voice activation and motion sensors similar to what you get with a Wii remote.

Finally, they overhauled the interface to make it more in line with other Apple products and much more user friendly. If you are an Apple user then this device is going to perform really well and feel a lot more like your iPhone/iPad.

Roku 4 – Not to be outdone by its biggest rival, the Roku 4 sports a quad-core processor and many of the features you see with the Apple TV. There are two items that set the Roku 4 apart from the Apple TV. The first is that it supports 4K television. So this little guy will push out amazing video quality for a long time as we upgrade our television.

Second is that on the top of the box is a button. This button sends out a signal and cause the remote to beep so you can find it. This technology came out in the 90’s but for some reason everyone abandoned it. As the father of three small children who all thing they are tech geniuses I am happy to see this feature back.

Once again Roku comes as the neutral third party that wants to connect with all services. It still has the most content available and the Roku 4 looks like it is going to move up into the area of 3000 available sources for streaming content. That content and a price tag that is $20 lower is going to bring a lot of customers.

Amazon Fire TV 2015 – Amazon brings out a big upgrade to the Fire TV and they are also getting into gaming. Fire TV 2 (as I am calling it) will have up to 800 games available for download/streaming.

The Fire TV 2 will also have Alexa (the Amazon equivalent to Siri) and make it easy to get information from the box.

One thing I do not like about what Amazon is doing is that they are cutting out sales of the Apple TV and Chromecast from their site. That is the kind of crazy stuff Apple does and a reason I am not an Apple user.

Chromecast 2015 – I have looked at the specs on the new Chromecast and it really is a nice upgrade with better wifi connections. On the other hand it doesn’t do anything that is that different from the old Chromecast. They have updated the software to be a little more intuitive but nothing much new to see here. I see this as an introduction for most people as they step toward better devices in the future.

The good news is that the new Chromecast keeps its nice low price of $35

If you are looking to cut the cord I recommend waiting til the end of October 2015 because then you will have all these new options and a lot of the older streaming media players will go on a deep discount. I might even wait to see what Black Friday has in store for us with these media players. No mater which way you go, you are sure to save money over keeping cable.

If you have had good luck with a media player let me know why you like it by leaving a comment or hitting me up on twitter @SavingFreak.