Best streaming box (Now a Blogish post)

[Super56K]

I don't use YouTube on any streaming box or "smart" TV. I'm curious, how many people actually do that? (Honest question.)

There's a ton of quality content that's longer form and a huge amount of educational content. I regularly watch the Grantland channel's videos and Vice News has a good channel. John Oliver uploads segments of his HBO show Last Week Tonight. Same with many others' shows like Conan O'Brien, Kimmel, and Fallon. There's live and archived content from the NBA D-League. My current educational content is an 84 part CCNA training series recently produced and uploaded to YouTube. It's endless if you start looking into your own interests.

I think some people see YouTube as only the internet age equivalent of MTV, but it's so much more than that once you move beyond the landing page. I'm surprised anymore at the amount of people who don't realize how vast and content rich YouTube is.

 

[dawheat]

I like my Roku 2 XS.

Whatever you get, make sure it has Amazon video. Some of them dont.

My Logitech Revue did not because it was an Android device.
My last two "smart" blu-ray players didnt.
I dont think the Wii U has it.

One thing I miss about the Logitech Revue is having HDMI pass-through so I could have one interface to control my STB as well as Netflix, Youtube, etc without having to switch inputs.

How do most people handle this with boxes like the Roku, Fire, or Apple TV? You just get used to switching inputs all the time?

 

[gorcorps]

One thing I miss about the Logitech Revue is having HDMI pass-through so I could have one interface to control my STB as well as Netflix, Youtube, etc without having to switch inputs.

How do most people handle this with boxes like the Roku, Fire, or Apple TV? You just get used to switching inputs all the time?

Yeah

A lot of us have harmony remotes that make switching devices easy (one button macro)

 

[Eug]

There's a ton of quality content that's longer form and a huge amount of educational content. I regularly watch the Grantland channel's videos and Vice News has a good channel. John Oliver uploads segments of his HBO show Last Week Tonight. Same with many others' shows like Conan O'Brien, Kimmel, and Fallon. There's live and archived content from the NBA D-League. My current educational content is an 84 part CCNA training series recently produced and uploaded to YouTube. It's endless if you start looking into your own interests.

I think some people see YouTube as only the internet age equivalent of MTV, but it's so much more than that once you move beyond the landing page. I'm surprised anymore at the amount of people who don't realize how vast and content rich YouTube is.

My main problem with YouTube is that there is far too much junk. It's hard to sift through unless you know exactly what you're looking for. Even stuff like Sesame Street is sometimes better served up via Netflix.

But that's beside the point. I was just curious because nobody I know considers YouTube support important on smart TVs and media streamers.

Anyhoo, it seems the consensus is that Roku won't decode DTS. That makes it a deal killer for me, at least in some spots. Two of my TVs don't have AV receivers. One I just use the TV speakers and the other I have a simple amplifier.

 

[Ravynmagi]

If you're not using the FireTV for XBMC, you're really limiting its capability. All those apps are all available on XBMC. Plus whole lot more you won't find on Roku or AppleTV. FireTV has Plex, XBMC, Amazon Prime Streaming, and Android gaming. If my budget was $100, I wouldn't look at anything other than FireTV.

I don't know much about XBMC other than it's a pain in the ass... I assume you need to install XBMC server on a PC and the Fire TV streams from the PC? If so, then it's no for me. Another thing I like about the Roku 3 is it's simplicity. No extra effort on my part. About as far I was willing to go was installing Plex sever on my PC, which was far easier than XBMC. So I can stream my local content to the Roku (Fire TV has Plex too).

 

[ponyo]

I don't know much about XBMC other than it's a pain in the ass... I assume you need to install XBMC server on a PC and the Fire TV streams from the PC? If so, then it's no for me. Another thing I like about the Roku 3 is it's simplicity. No extra effort on my part. About as far I was willing to go was installing Plex sever on my PC, which was far easier than XBMC. So I can stream my local content to the Roku (Fire TV has Plex too).

No server needed for XBMC. That's the major difference between XBMC and Plex. I'm not saying Roku is bad. People have different needs and Roku works for lot of people. For me, any device that can't run XBMC is a nonstarter unless it's cheap like the Chromecast.

OP wanted the best streaming box. And that's x86 box running Windows/Linux and XBMC. Nothing can compare to the power and flexibility x86 XBMC box. Is it more complicated to setup? Sure. But once you do, it's nearly bulletproof and easy to use.

 

[ponyo]

I like my Roku 2 XS.

Whatever you get, make sure it has Amazon video. Some of them dont.

My Logitech Revue did not because it was an Android device.
My last two "smart" blu-ray players didnt.
I dont think the Wii U has it.

Logitech Revue has Amazon Prime video streaming. I know because I also have the Revue and used it to stream Amazon Prime in the past.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Just watched a youtube video that said the Chromebox does not support DTS, only PCM. So that's out, looked promising too.

A Chromebox in Chrome OS mode doesn't support DTS, but if you make it run XBMC not only will it bitstream DTS, you can bitstream DTS-HD (or AC3 or TrueHD or whatever else your AV receiver can take).

The whole point of getting a Chromebox is to hack it to run a different OS like Openelec so you end up with a media client appliance.

I assume you need to install XBMC server on a PC and the Fire TV streams from the PC?

Nope. That is the magic of XBMC.

In my opinion XBMC is better than Plex because Plex uses the power of the server/NAS to transcode the content to work with whatever device is doing the playback. With XBMC the client device is decoding the original file without any changes, which means maximum quality. It also means needing more hardware in your XBMC box (and what I

There is nothing wrong with Plex + Roku. That is a great "easy" option. Considering OP's history of posting I would recommend it actually.

XBMC is when you are willing to spend what it takes (in time and money) to have THE best experience for local content playback possible.

 

[cronos]

If you look at my post history here, I've been a HUGE proponent of Plex, and after I got the FireTV and installed XBMC on it, I'd have to say that I like XBMC better now (and realized that my previous preference was really because I never had any proper HTPC-experience before, which XBMC on FireTV gets me).

While Plex is super simple plug and play (and still the preferred method for mobile devices for me), XBMC has this mountain of options for addons with basically everything you can think of. I even tried an old USB ATSC tuner on my Windows 7 desktop with WMC, feed it with an addon to XBMC, and suddenly I have my own DVR system of OTA channels. I ended my Uverse basic subscription shortly after (I needed it solely for DVRing local OTA channels, mostly recording prime time series so I don't have to watch them at broadcast time). That's a saving of ~$40/month.

Now I watch stuff from XBMC (on FireTV) almost exclusively. My family though still like Plex better so both are being used actively.

 

[Commodus]

To me, there's three choices:

1. Roku 3. Basically, the do-it-all box. Not necessarily the best at everything, but you probably won't be lacking content (at least, in the US).

2. Apple TV. While everyone claims that Apple locks you into its services, the ATV actually accommodates a lot of content beyond iTunes. It's also a big, big deal if you're in any way invested in Apple's hardware ecosystem. AirPlay is great for putting almost anything on screen.

3. Amazon Fire TV. Pretty powerful for what you're paying, and it even doubles as a basic game console. With that said, you really, really need to be in love with the Amazon ecosystem for this to make sense over the first two recommendations.

I would also note that the Xbox One is a decent media center if you're already in the market for a gaming console and/or a Blu-ray player. I use mine all the time for YouTube (you can pair mobile devices with it like you would a Chromecast). Much more expensive, of course, but it is an option.

 

[MrSquished]

with the Amazon Fire, at least when it was first reviewed, would be sly in steering you to the Amazon ecosystem. For example, if you searched for a show or movie from the main search, and it was available on Netflix (which you had installed) for free, it would only show you the Amazon result even if it cost money there. I read that on one of the main tech review sites whether TechCrunch, Ars or Engadget. Not sure if Amazon has changed that.

 

[bearxor]

The best streaming box, IMO, was the Boxee Box. Great interface and played everything you threw at it. It had issues, of course, but if your main goal was local video playback, it did it the best. Even compared to stuff out there now.

I'd go with the FireTV now (have two) just because of everything available for it. If Apple releases a new ATV with apps, I'll go with that.

I'm using Plex right now simply because I can't find an interface I like with XBMC. I would prefer to use XBMC but the vast majority of skins are designed by 22-year-old guys and are way too over the top. The simpler ones are often incomplete or buggy. I think I've been through just about all of them. It's getting to the point where I want to write my own skin.

 

[SAWYER]

Fire TV plus XBMC is awesome, just buy it and dont hesitate

 

[Kaido]

with the Amazon Fire, at least when it was first reviewed, would be sly in steering you to the Amazon ecosystem. For example, if you searched for a show or movie from the main search, and it was available on Netflix (which you had installed) for free, it would only show you the Amazon result even if it cost money there. I read that on one of the main tech review sites whether TechCrunch, Ars or Engadget. Not sure if Amazon has changed that.

iirc the voice search only works for Amazon content, is that true?

 

[poofyhairguy]

The best streaming box, IMO, was the Boxee Box. Great interface and played everything you threw at it. It had issues, of course, but if your main goal was local video playback, it did it the best. Even compared to stuff out there now.

I'd go with the FireTV now (have two) just because of everything available for it. If Apple releases a new ATV with apps, I'll go with that.

I'm using Plex right now simply because I can't find an interface I like with XBMC. I would prefer to use XBMC but the vast majority of skins are designed by 22-year-old guys and are way too over the top. The simpler ones are often incomplete or buggy. I think I've been through just about all of them. It's getting to the point where I want to write my own skin.

I thought about you when Gotham incorporated some of that Boxee subtitle and audio auto-configuration.

I personally use two XBMC skins- Aeon Nox if the system is powerful, Bello if it is not. Both have been rock solid for me for the most part.

 

[MrSquished]

iirc the voice search only works for Amazon content, is that true?

That's the review said. I would go read the reviews of the websites I mentioned .

 

[Trader05]

I have a WDTV Live box (not the newest without Netflix). The interface isn't the greatest, but it plays ALL my media streaming from my NAS unit (both wired) without a hiccup. I had an old Netgear NAS which worked fine and now I have a Synology 213, I just setup a network share and let the WDTV box do all the processing. I ripped all my blurays and DVDs to MKV without compression, dolby + DTS tracks and have no issues.

The early WDTV boxes were complete junk, the newer ones are definitely improved.

 

[bearxor]

I thought about you when Gotham incorporated some of that Boxee subtitle and audio auto-configuration.

I personally use two XBMC skins- Aeon Nox if the system is powerful, Bello if it is not. Both have been rock solid for me for the most part.

I have tried Aeon Nox and just didn't like it.

I have not, however, tried Bello. Not sure if I like the XMB interface, but it's always worth firing up on the XBMC box.

 

[cronos]

I have tried Aeon Nox and just didn't like it.

I have not, however, tried Bello. Not sure if I like the XMB interface, but it's always worth firing up on the XBMC box.

I've been using Aeon Nox. I probably tried only 3-4 at most though, and found Aeon Nox and happy with it.

The other thing I like about XBMC compared to Plex is the profiles. Plex has this feature but kept it for subscribers only for almost a year now. It's very handy for families with kids.

 

[boomhower]

I'm really leaning towards XMBC right now and am giving it a run on my Mac. Having some initial issues but just getting started with it. It seems to be the best option at the moment. Went to install amazon/hulu with blue cop and it isn't working, don't think I have the right download as I'm not getting a zip, just an XML file. Like I said, still playing. Now to also search for a NAS...

Still my biggest concern is surround sound with all the online services.

 

[arod]

I haven't tried xbmc recently but after going plex I don't think I will be going to anything else anytime soon. I have put roku's at every tv in my house and paid for plex. What plex does better than anything else is streamline media consumption.

I always found myself tweaking xbmc and others just as much as I would watch the content and what plex has done is allow me to enjoy the content more and not care about tweaking every little thing because something isn't perfect. Also really like the sync option and how easy it is to take things "offline" with the plex apps on tablets.

The only thing I miss is dvr integration (have live tv covered through the addons) and do wish the apps did look a bit better than they do.

All this said I am very excited to see what android tv will bring this fall. That looks like the real answer to this question as it has a really nice and slick looking ui (esp for plex) and should have the hack ability to do things like xbmc so that device would cover both use cases. As long as they put one out for a reasonable price I will probably be replacing all my roku's this fall with something android tv based and assuming there are no issues with audio support (which is an issue still).

 

[shortylickens]

Logitech Revue has Amazon Prime video streaming. I know because I also have the Revue and used it to stream Amazon Prime in the past.

yeah, thru the website which sucks.

Unless theres an update I dont know about.
My unit died a long time ago and it was such a pain in the butt I didnt get it fixed.

 

[shortylickens]

One thing I miss about the Logitech Revue is having HDMI pass-through so I could have one interface to control my STB as well as Netflix, Youtube, etc without having to switch inputs.

How do most people handle this with boxes like the Roku, Fire, or Apple TV? You just get used to switching inputs all the time?

I finally got a proper reciever that has all the inputs and outputs I needed.

http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-SR313...dp/B0077V8930/

(check the back photo)


I eventually got a Harmony controller and now I can do everything with just one or two clicks.

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Harmo.../dp/B004OVECU0

Its a great combo, and I highly recommend.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I'm really leaning towards XMBC right now and am giving it a run on my Mac. Having some initial issues but just getting started with it. It seems to be the best option at the moment. Went to install amazon/hulu with blue cop and it isn't working, don't think I have the right download as I'm not getting a zip, just an XML file. Like I said, still playing.

The repo file should be a zip file. You install that zip in XBMC and then you can download plugins from that repo.

Bluecop's repo rocks but I also use Superepo:

http://superrepo.org/get-started/add-the-super-repo-directory-as-source/

For some of the streaming plugins you can get surround on the HD streams. I recommend either Icefilms or Navi-X plugins to start with.

For any local files you play it should bitstream the audio perfectly to your AV receiver.

Now to also search for a NAS...

Consider building one. I think the best media server you can buy is an Unraid server.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I eventually got a Harmony controller and now I can do everything with just one or two clicks.

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Harmo.../dp/B004OVECU0

Its a great combo, and I highly recommend.

YESSSSSSS!!!! I glad to hear feedback on your Harmony Shorty.