[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by davephan

I’ve found that the Chromecast 4K streaming device is the most trouble free compared to the Roku Utra 4K. The Roku heats up quite a bit and needs to be occasionally powered down and powered up to reset it. The reset only needs to be done occasionally, like once a week or so. The non 4K Roku streaming boxes are more reliable than the 4K version, but not as reliable as the Chromecast. The Chromecast has no remote control, since your tablet or cellphone is your remote control. If you’re still living in the dark ages, and have a flip (dumb) cellphone, the Chromecast won’t work for you.

Depending on what you stream, one is better than the other. It’s probably a good idea to own more than one streaming device, since they aren’t that expensive. Get the 4K version of the device, even if you don’t currently have a 4K TV now. That will future proof your streaming device in the future when you get the 4K TV.

I plug both the Chromecast and Roku Ultra into a WiFi controlled power outlet. That way, I can power cycled both devices with the “Smart Life” app with my iPhone.

You’ll need to register your credit card when you set up the Roku account, in case you make future purchases with the Roku that’s pay content. I don’t care for the idea of having to register my credit card with the Roku account, but I’ve never been charged anything by Roku on the credit card. The Chromecast doesn’t require you to register a credit card to your Google account.

The 4K TV looks a lot better than the HD TV when you are watching 4K content. The 4K TV up converts the HD content, so that the HD content will look better on the 4K TV than it does on the HD TV, but not as good as if it was 4K content. When you’re replacing TV’s I recommend to not bother with the HD TVs and get a Samsung 4K TV. Samsung is the best brand.

We have an Amazon account, but almost never stream with Amazon. We stream with Netflix and YouTube TV. If you have a T-Mobile Magenta Plus plan, then Netflix is free. T-Mobile is half the price compared to Verizon.

We haven’t tried the Amazon stick yet or the Apple streaming device, although we thought about buying the Apple streaming device.

The YouTube TV service is a lot more expensive than it was a couple years ago, but is a pretty good solution if you are a snowbird, travel around, and it’s very handy to watch TV on a iPad or iPhone around the house.

To clarify, you do not need to register a credit card to get a Roku account and use the streaming device. If you buy or rent a movie from Roku, you need to pay with a credit card, debit card, or gift card, but you can always delete the card from the account.