The Best of Both Phone, and Tablet
Apple TV vs. Roku LT: Which streaming box should you buy?
The Roku LT and the Apple TV are the two streaming-media boxes on the market we'd most recommend, and here CNET compares them head-to-head.
(Credit:
Sarah Tew/CNET)
Editors' note: This story was originally published November 8, 2011. It has been updated several times as the products have changed.
Within hours of Apple announcing new Apple TV hardware, the e-mails started arriving in my inbox: which is better, the new Apple TV or Roku?
It's an understandable question, but the reality is my opinion of the two products hasn't changed much with the new hardware. Yes, the new Apple TV is getting 1080p support and a redesigned user interface, but neither is a major upgrade.
The 1080p output resolution is much less important than bit rate when it comes to streaming video, and the reality is that iTunes and Netflix content already looked good on the Apple TV. Unless you've got a huge TV or are really picky about video quality, I'm expecting the differences between the old Apple TV and new Apple TV to be small. (It's possible the 1080p output will matter more when AirPlay mirroring comes to Mountain Lion, but that remains to be seen.)
With those caveats out of the way, let's take a look at the strengths and weaknesses of both boxes.
Roku LT (read the full review)
The Roku LT is all about diversity of content sources, even if the Channel Store can be a little overwhelming.
(Credit: Matthew Moskovciak/CNET)All of the content sources are great, but the Roku LT also gets many of the little things right that competing products don't. The user interface may be a little bland, but it's simple and easy to navigate, plus you can customize the layout of the channels. The same goes for the remote, which keeps only the essential buttons. (Roku's remote now includes direct-access buttons for Netflix, Pandora, and Crackle.) The separate Channel Store is also a great way to offer a ton of content from partners without cluttering the main home screen, which is a problem the Sony SMP-N200 runs into.
Roku also offers several pricier models, but we think the Roku LT is easily the best value. The core streaming functionality is what makes Roku great, so most buyers don't need to pay extra for a Bluetooth remote, microSD card slot, or USB port.
If your main goal is to stream video and music from a ton of high-quality content sources, there's no better value than the Roku LT.
Apple TV (read the full review)
If you're willing to pay for content, the browsing experience on the Apple TV is outstanding for movies and TV shows.
(Credit: Matthew Moskovciak/CNET)But that's missing the point by a long shot. If you're willing to pay for content, the browsing experience on the Apple TV is best-in-class for movies and TV shows, with large cover art, Rotten Tomatoes ratings, and straightforward navigation. (Vudu comes close to matching Apple, but it isn't on the Roku LT.) The latest software update also adds movie and TV show recommendations via the Genius menu, which worked reasonably well in our initial tests.
Another feature that's easy to overlook is content portability. Any movies or TV shows that you purchase (not rent) on the Apple TV are stored in the cloud, so if you buy a season of "The Office" on your Apple TV, you'll be able to download that content to an iPhone or iPad to watch, say, on a long flight. And you can redownload or stream purchased movies and TV shows as many times as you'd like. (Fox and NBC Universal movies aren't available for redownloading yet, but they're in negotiations.)
And then there's AirPlay, which lets you stream music, photos, and videos directly from an iOS device (iPod Touch, iPad, or iPhone) to your Apple TV. So while the Apple TV technically doesn't have Pandora support, it's a cinch to stream Pandora from an iOS device. (Although not all apps support video streaming, like HBO GO.)
In addition to AirPlay, the Apple TV also does a solid job of streaming music and videos from iTunes. That's a big plus for people who already organize their digital music in iTunes. And if you're willing to pay $25 a year for iTunes Match, you can access all your stored music without having to worry about storage at all.
You've probably noticed the pattern by now: if you're committed to Apple's media ecosystem and own other Apple products, the Apple TV looks better and better. Of course, you can buy two Roku LTs for the cost of one Apple TV, but we think Apple fans should still consider the Apple TV even with the price premium.
Which box should I buy?
Ultimately, our recommendations end up being similar to when we compared the Roku 2 XS and the Apple TV, except that at half the price, the Roku LT is even more attractive.
If you want the widest variety of content and the best value, go with Roku.
If you're already committed to the Apple platform--iTunes, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad--it's worth considering the Apple TV, although you'll be paying extra for its benefits while also missing out on some great content sources like Hulu Plus.
