How to choose the right streaming device

The Christmas shopping season is upon us. Here’s a guide to buying the right streaming device for someone on your holiday gift list.

Apple, Google, Amazon and Roku all offer good options for streaming shows, but the right device depends on the person you’re buying. That said, you’ll want to find out which apps and technology the person you’re buying for is already using. Keep reading and you’ll see why.

Google

Google’s Chromecast is an inexpensive and easy to use. It’s also a pretty safe bet because it plays nice with so many devices and streaming services. It just requires that its owner have a computer with a Chrome web browser installed, a smartphone or a tablet.

Chromecast devices come in two flavors: the regular Chromecast and the Chromecast Ultra for streaming on 4K Ultra HD and HDR TVs. The regular Chromecast costs $35 and the Ultra runs $69. Both devices offer users the ability to stream from tons of popular streaming services.

Nvidia’s Shield device is another decent option for streaming, though it’s pricey. The $179 device will work well on 4K and HDR TVs. With Shield, users will also have the ability to voice search through Google Assistant, get weather info, flight statuses and a whole slew of other information. Shield will also dim the lights if asked nicely, assuming its owner’s home is ready to go with other Google connected devices.

Shield may also be the best option if the person you’re buying for is a gamer because one of its many features is the ability to screen share gameplay. For $20 more, there’s a version that includes a game controller too. Among other things, the controller lets users listen without bugging others thanks to a headphone jack.

Apple TV

A basic Apple TV device costs $149. There’s also a 4K and HDR TV-friendly version offered for $30 more. Both of these versions will let users have access to tons of streaming services and apps, just not Google Play.

While these devices don’t require owners to have iPhones in the household, the Apple TVs will be a bit more powerful with the Apple companion around. For example, users who have both an Apple TV and an iPhone will be able to type passwords into their phones rather than using a remote to navigate through an on-screen keyboard.

Siri, Apple’s voice assistant, also offers similar playback controls and voice-activated searching as Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant.

Amazon Fire TV devices

Amazon’s Fire TV devices are great for people who’ve bought into Amazon’s $99 (annual price) Prime shopper subscription. Aside from a pretty stacked lineup, including TV series, movies and Amazon original programming, Amazon’s TV stick also gives users access to the Alexa voice assistant. So information about weather, sports scores, stocks and more are easily accessible from Amazon Fire devices’ interfaces.

Amazon’s regular Fire TV stick costs $40 and will work well on standard and high-definition TV sets. But if the recipient has a 4K TV, the $70 Fire TV device will be a better investment. The more expensive Fire TV device also offers high-dynamic range, meaning better contrast, brighter whites, darker blacks — and better picture all around.

Amazon’s Fire TV devices aren’t great for households that are more dedicated to Apple or Google, though. You see, Fire devices do not offer apps for Google Play video or YouTube.

Roku

Roku has a massive library of channels — more than 5,000.

Roku’s Express device costs only $30 and works with most modern TVs. If the person you’re buying for has an older TV, checkout the Express Plus device ($40). There’s also a $50 Streaming Stick, which comes with a remote and voice search. Roku’s $70 Streaming Stick Plus will be a better buy for people with 4K and HDR TVs. Roku’s top-tier device, the Ultra, costs $100 and includes a remote that’ll beep to help you find it if the remote goes missing.

Roku’s Ultra also has a headphone jack so one person can watch TV without annoying anyone else. The cheaper Roku models also technically offer this function, but you have to get it through Roku’s smartphone app.

(Lead photo courtesy of Eko Priyanto Lo/ CC BY 2.0)