Cheap streaming media player

It is cheap, easy to setup and easy to use. Buy on Amazon: Google Chromecast. Roku R Streaming Stick: The Roku R Streaming Stick is a tad bit costly when compared to the Google Chromecast, but, Roku makes up for the high price with an included remote and Roku also boasts of the maximum number of channels among the streaming media players which stands at more than entertainment channels.

You can also browse the web and play videos, music and photos on your HDTV. With this simple-to-use device, you can view all of the movies, television shows, and media content you like. The refurbished Roku premiere plus device can be ideal for 4K television owners, with four times the resolution of p TVs.

Purchasing a refurbished Roku TV puts the power of entertainment right at your fingertips, with tons of both free and paid subscriptions. Roku has made it easier than ever to add your favorite channels to your lineup. The story is super user-friendly and there is a search bar for your convenience. To add a free channel, you will simply need to select "Add Channel" and the channel will be added.

If the channel you want to add is a subscription-based channel, you will need to purchase your subscription and then install the channel. Roku allows you to watch all of the popular streaming services, including the following:. All of the newer Roku devices, such as the Roku express, are geared toward p televisions. The following are some of the models Roku offers. One of the first things you will need to decide on is whether you will purchase the Roku refurbished versus new.

The refurbished Roku 3 gives you all of the benefits of a brand new unit, with the savings of a Roku 3 discount. The Roku device you choose will depend on your television. If it weren't for the Chromecast with Google TV, the Tivo Stream 4K would be a lot more interesting, but for now it lives in the new Chromecast's long shadow. Read our full TiVo Stream 4K review. Plus, the Flex lets you monitor and control other devices connected to your home network.

But, almost to make up for any gaps, Flex devices get early access to the latest streaming service, as NBC's Peacock is here well before its official nationwide July 15 debut. Still, because it's free, there's no harm in picking one up and waiting for other streaming services to arrive.

Read our full Xfinity Flex review. Figuring the right streaming device for your needs is pretty easy. While everyone should start with the Roku Streaming Stick 4K, your mileage may vary. If your budget is tight, the Google Chromecast can bring a lot of content to your TV without adding the clutter of a remote. If you own a lot of digital media that you want to watch on your TV, the Roku Ultra makes that process super easy, so you'll never need to think about what a media server is.

Lastly, folks who already treat Alexa like a member of the family should consider the 2nd Gen Fire TV Cube, which makes controlling your entertainment as easy as talking. That being said, it's quite expensive, and the Roku Streaming Stick 4K Plus remote also supports voice commands, you just have to click the microphone button, whereas the Fire TV Cube is hands-free.

Testing streaming players is usually a simple process that prioritizes content over performance. Any streaming player worth its salt can play video well, but only a good one possesses straightforward navigation, robust search features and a wide variety of content to suit all tastes. The first thing we evaluate is the setup, to see how quick and simple it is. From there, we take the user interface for a spin to see what content gets highlighted, what gets hidden, and how easy it is to navigate to our favorite channels.

We'll also watch a few different shows on a variety of channels to gauge the quality of the video and audio. After that, it's onto the extra features, like gaming, voice search and screen mirroring. These factors don't weigh quite as heavily toward the final score, but they're nice to have if they work well, and extremely distracting if they don't.

He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans. Included in this guide: 1. The best streaming devices are a necessary component to your entertainment center, especially if your smart TV doesn't have every app. Roku Streaming Stick 4K. Specifications Number of Apps: More than 26, Size: 3. Weight: 0. Chromecast with Google TV. Specifications Number of Apps: Over 6, Size: 6. Reasons to avoid - General Google searches poorly formatted.

Nvidia Shield TV Specifications Number of Channels: 5, Weight: 4. Reasons to avoid - AI upscaling doesn't add that much - Somewhat expensive. Specifications Number of Channels: More than 12, Size: 4. Weight: 1. Roku Streaming Stick 4K Plus.

Reasons to avoid - No Dolby Atmos - Not a big upgrade from previous model. Apple TV 4K Specifications Number of Apps: Thousands. Weight: Reasons to avoid - Expensive - Not noticeably better than first-gen. Roku Ultra Weight: 8.

Reasons to avoid - Expensive - Not much has changed since last year's model. Amazon Fire TV Cube. Specifications Number of Apps: Hundreds. Reasons to avoid - Home screen can't be edited, packs ads - Awkward Ethernet adapter. Xbox One S. Size: Reasons to avoid - Can't play games in 4K. Roku Express 4K Plus. Specifications Size: 3. Max Resolution: x Ports: None. Remote: Network Voice remote. Device Type: Box. TiVo Stream 4K. Reasons to avoid - Constrained live TV offering - Poor recommendations.

Xfinity Flex. Specifications Number of Apps:. Size: 5. Weight: 8 ounces. Reasons to avoid - Stiff buttons on remote - Limited apps.

Henry T. Topics Gift Guide. See all comments With the exception of the "G-Box Midnight MX2," which is outdated right now, what the author does not tell you is that he is not being too specific about these media form factor devices that are on the market right now.

That is either because the author is unfamiliar with this, or because he chooses not to be clear about it, or because he thinks that if it is not paid video watching it is not worth it.