Difference between Roku and Apple TV

Roku vs Apple TV

Companies offering digital media products seem to be increasing with each passing day. Two companies which seem to have found their footing in this niche seem to be Apple TV and Roku. Just how well do these companies’ products compare and do these offer value to you? The review that follows takes an in-depth look at the differences that come with these two and the best choice that a person can opt for.

One of the things to consider when looking at the two set-top boxes offered seems to be the prices and how well they compare. There seems to be a similarity in the prices of the two, as the Apple TV set-top box costs about $99. Roku has different set-top boxes and these come with different specifications and functionality.

When it comes to the ease of use, both Roku and Apple TV must be used with their individual remote controls, making it quite easy to make use of the set-top box. The two will also function when connected, as they come with a specific app that controls the functionality. This offers the end users a platform through which they can manage their content and ensure that they are well covered. It is also through the apps that the users can make use of to navigate and choose from the content available from the different content providers. Apple TV is supported by the iOS, whereas Roku is supported by the Android platform.

Content seems to be what drives all the viewers and determines what the users will watch. Apple has done well to have interesting content, mainly that which revolves around the US with items such as basketball, baseball, YouTube and hockey. Roku takes the cake on content, as it offers a wide variety of channels and also offers Amazon instant video and Wal-Mart’s Vidu service, among other great content providers. YouTube seems to be missing in Roku for some reason. As expected, Apple TV allows for the streaming of songs using iTunes. Just as one was used to stream content from iTunes so does it happen.

A direct connection seems to be the fastest and easiest way to watch content. It allows for a movie to stream directly into the unit without the content being stored in a device. This is quite a good way to watch content, provided the network hosting you can support the content to be buffered on its internal memory. Saving content in other devices as it is being streamed has, in most cases, shown to degenerate the overall quality with the content either being jumpy or even audio being out of sync.

Depending on the streams that either can receive, it seems as though Apple TV has the availability of more streams, as almost any content that can run on an Apple device using iOS apps ought to work using Apple TV. One absolutely unique thing about Roku is that, though it has some limitations of the content it can air, you can fix a micro SD card or even a USB card to ensure that there will be an external drive.

If you desire to bring in any of the stuff online to your home environment, then the Apple TV or Roku should be chosen. The choice of which to use seems as though it should be mainly determined by the device in use. In the case of people that use iPhones, then by default their choice ought to be Apple TV. Android users who need to stream content should on the other hand opt to make use of Roku.

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