Chromecast or Firestick or ROKU
 

Which of these devices do you have and what do you like or dislike about them? Thanks

FireTV is the way to go...
 

I've had a bunch. The Chromecast dongle was good for sending videos from my computer to the screen but I used it for nothing else. I've had a couple of firesticks and they all worked well especially within Prime Video.

However, I've really fallen for a FireTV because it gives me a "better" firestick but I've also plugged in a Logitech Camera and it is a giant Echo Show and I can drop in on my daughter who has an Echo Show at her home. Nice to see her lifesize.

I think the Roku is the best streaming device, better than the Firestick and others. The Chromcast device is a different type of device for casting video from a smart phone or tablet to a television screen. It is a good device for that purpose.

I'm a big fan of the firestick. It has all the apps I want and is easy to use.

Since I haven't used the others I can't really compare, but I see no reason to change at this time.

ROKU seems to be the most user-friendly and problem-free for us. We started out with a Firestick and it was a chore most of the time when we went to use it. Can't go wrong with ROKU.

We've been happy with the ROKU. I know you can "break a Firestick" to get free premium content, but that's illegal and with our luck, we'll be the 1% that actually gets caught. So we're keeping it legit and sticking with the ROKU, and paying for any content that doesn't already come free with the ROKU service.

Our preference - roku
 

We have no over the air or traditional cable services in either of our homes. We prefer the roku devices because of the simplicity, user interface and number of streaming services available. That being said, most smart TVs don't require one of these devices. Hope that helps

Roku smart stick is a one remote device. Works very well.

ROKU. Work well, good interface, and we really like the features on the remote...voice command especially. ROKU also has a really nice home screen that is customizable, and they also have screen protectors to choose from. We use the aquarium scene, and it looks very real. ROKU can change the home screen according to the season or holiday depending on the home screen set up you use. This all sounds complicated, but it's not...very easy and user friendly.

Easy to use? Took ours back after 2 weeks. Most complicated user unfriendly system i have ever seen.

Roku and fire stick have remotes versus chromecast that on the entry level
Price do not. Easier to navigate and I think better feel on the Roku remote. Whichever you choose, be sure to customize your Home Screen and delete services you don’t have. Example HBO. It cleans up your screen. You can always add the apps back later if you need them. I’m

It can depend on what you want to do with it. I have one tv with Comcast but didn’t want to pay for another box for the other TVs in my house. Roku allows streaming of Comcast, just like I had a box. Fire stick doesn’t allow Comcast streaming.

FIRESTICK for me. A bunch of them. I watch a lot of Amazon Prime, plus voice activated Alexa does it for me.

4-K firestick hands down
 

can control tv, soundbar and firestick with one remote. Can sideload many applications and cut cable cost to wi-fi only.
Fast Eddie the villages firestick guy. If you need help contact me.

Which Device
 

We have both Fire Stick and Roku. We use the Fire Sticks and Fire TV's daily. I like the ability to install any streaming program on the fire devices. If you know how you can put non-amazon apps on the fire devices. They are reliable and easy to use once you become acclimated to the UI.

Roku does not allow the user to jailbreak their device so easily, We have Roku in the guest bedrooms in our home these tv's aren't used much. We purchased them when we cut the cord. We quit using them when we found that Fire Stick and Fire TV were so much easier to install the apps we use.

Zero experience with Chromecast as we don't use any google smart devices.

You Tube is a great source for analyzing each device to determine which one will provide you with what you want the device to do.

I've been using a Firestick for over 3 years (since we cut the cable cord)...

Very easy to use, can control the TV and soundbar. The newer 4K model is faster, with no discernible lag. And the voice command is great for looking up programs and movies...

Fire stick or Roku
 

I have been using the fire stick for years. I am now using the fire stick for my live TV. It costs me less than 20 dollars a month and I get everything including HBO, Showtime and all premium movie channels included. Sports are also included.

I have Roku in two homes. All models. Great product! You don't need a smart TV with them.

same here

Two of our tvs are newer smart tvs that connect directly to our wifi and don't require an intermediate connection device. This is the best of situations where we have You Tube tv(gets local channels), Netflix, Amazon and PBS premium. However, I have a Chromecast Gongel and a Firestick for my den tv where I mainly watch sports. I prefer the Gongel over the Firestick for my purposes but both work fine since my wifi router/modem is in the den. Occasionally, my wife watches movies or series on Netflix, Amazon or PBS in the den and says the Firestick works great. However, after reading comments about the Roku, it sounds like it is very good as well.

We have Fire Sticks. They work just fine with ALL of our old (not smart) TVs. We cut the cable in 2018. I managed to get 4 of the 5 fire sticks that we have on sale for $19.95. It was at Christmas time and they went on sale. I never tried the others, so I can only relate my experience. We had 1 stick that failed after over a year, and had to be replaced. There were big improvements in my new stick.

We have Comcast/Xfinity triple play and 3 TVs. Our big TV has Xfinity box, smaller TVs - 1 is a ROKU TV (TCL) other has $20 ROKU device. ROKU compatible with Xfinity so no extra monthly charge for 2 box rentals. Easy set up and use with ROKU not all features but enough for bedroom (sleep timer) and lanai also ROKU increasing content, some with commercials. Very satisfied with ROKU.

To the OP - you didn't say what kind of TV you have. Is it a 4K/HDR TV? If it is - and many recent models are - you'll want a streaming device that can give you the best viewing (and sounding) experiences.

I have quite a few devices (geek!).

I have a few Roku boxes, including the top-of-the-line 2020 Roku Ultra. The 2020 Roku Ultra (I call it that because there have been other/older "Ultra" models) delivers 4K/HDR, including DolbyVision HDR. It delivers true Dolby Atmos audio. It can decode/convert (aka "transcode") surround sound formats. Example: Most streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Hulu, etc., use "Dolby Digital Plus" audio. If you use an audio/video receiver (aka "AVR") that's older and doesn't decode Dolby Digital Plus, the 2020 Roku Ultra can provide older Dolby Digital surround, instead. Most Roku devices - boxes/sticks - can't decode surround sound. They just "pass it through" to the far end device. In other words, if you have a Roku device that's not the 2020 Ultra and you have an older AVR that can't decode Dolby Digital Plus, you'll get 2-channel stereo, instead. Sad trombone plays here. Go with the 2020 Roku Ultra - model 4800R - for the best audio/video options. Also of note is that the Roku remote control has an earphone jack, so you can hear through headphones instead of TV audio. Works well if you don't want to bother others' sleeping at night. They also have a free smartphone app that can do all the things the regular remote control can do, including listening through your cell phone via headphones instead of the TV.

Some people prefer Roku sticks. They're more portable, of course. But you trade off some features that may or may not be important to you.

From previous posts in this thread, I'm guessing a lot of people don't know about the latest Google Chromecast device. It's been totally reworked, and does have a remote control. $50. I don't have one yet, but it does get some pretty rave reviews (along with some annoyances) from tech types and users.

I also have an Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K. There's certainly nothing wrong with this, and what distinguishes this from a Roku is that with Amazon Fire devices, you can change some settings that will allow you to install apps outside of the normal Amazon ecosphere. Let's be honest here - while there's a ton of Google Store apps that can be useful to have, many people who go for the installation of outside apps do so in order that they can get "pirate" tv/movie services. These are services that allow you to watch premium content free. It's not legal, of course, but that hasn't deterred many. You can't install outside apps on Roku devices.

As rudimentary as the Roku interface is (the streaming channel choices you see on the main screen), I like it better than the Amazon Fire interface.

There's the Apple TV 4K, as well. I own this device, too. The Apple TV 4K is a powerful streaming box that comes with a lot of audio / video options that other devices don't have. It also comes with a price tag that's about twice what a 2020 Roku Ultra costs, or an Amazon Fire Stick (or box) 4K. So, you're paying for the technology, for sure. A lot of people hate the Apple TV 4K remote, as well.

Tivo has a Google-type streaming stick now, too. You can get these fairly cheaply - $50 or even less on sale. Seems like they have some bugs to work out on this, but it is Tivo's brand name here, so that's probably a sure thing.

One of the power kings of - if not THE power king of - streaming devices is the Nvidia Shield TV Pro. (Make sure it's the "Pro" version). It's about $200, so in the Apple TV 4K price range, but it's a very powerful/fast streaming system.

In the end, I'd go with the 2020 Roku Ultra to give yourself some future-proofing for now. It's $100 - but has recently sold for $80.

But you won't go wrong with any of these devices. Just don't get a device that offers less features than your TV can provide. If you have a 4K/HDR TV, don't buy a device that only provides 1080p (lesser quality) video, for example.

Apple Box
 

We have used Firestick years ago. It worked fine. However, we switched to the Apple TV box that connects to our one TV that’s not a smart-TV. Apple doesn’t require a monthly subscription, yet you have access to all the needed apps, Netflex, Hulu, AmazonPrime, YouTube, etc.

Firestick is easy to “ jailbreak” which then opens an enormous amount of apps to the user, all of which are legal and free.

None. Apple TV, especially if you have Apple devices such as iPhone or iPad.

Roku. Have had for years so very comfortable and mobile.

Firestick is O.K., but it is really tied to Amazon and what they offer.

Roku Ultra works better for me (these go on sale a couple of times a year with big discounts. I got two for $50 each). Plus, Roku is constantly offering new free content. We are watching more and more free stuff on Roku (with commercials) all the time. Hands down, I would choose Roku.

No it is not legal. Bypassing fees imposed for service by manipulating a device is against the law. It's also a pretty low-rent classless thing to do. If you can't afford to pay for a service, then don't get the service. The actors, producers, the network that provides the shows, the gafs, the stage hands, the caterer, the babysitter of the staff's kids, they all rely on revenue stream from the premium fees that those premium channels charge their customers.

Which one did you return?

Big fan of Roku as it is the most independent of the options to stream. Thousands of channels are available and easy to add including Prime and Apple.

If you are buying a TV then you may want to consider one with Roku preinstalled. It means one less remote to deal with.
Roku

We have an Apple TV device and like it better than our Roku. You can easily mirror the screen of your device onto the TV. We use this when Zooming with the kids. Also can play iTunes music easy enough through it.

Roku
 

We cut the cord about a year ago and decided on Roku. I think the choice is a personal one. One may not be right for everyone. It depends on what your TV likes and dislikes are. For us, we don’t watch any news, so Roku works for us. There are no news stations on it. We get the channels we like most, so it suits us well.

This has been very informative for me, a new Villages owner about to by a new television and streamer of some type.
Sort of reads like the posts on my Village is better than your Village, but very helpful to me. I am going to like the Talk of the Villages.

We started using Roku six years ago when we cut the cord. That Roku device was killed in a lightning strike so we bought a new one a couple years ago. They've improved much in features and ease of use. We only pay for Netflix, locast.org for news, the Amazon prime membership once a year, and PBS Passport membership. It's easy to subscribe to Roku pay channels like Acorn and Smithsonian, for example, and just as easy to unsubscribe when you are done with them.

Like OBB, I also believe in paying for what we view, and not view so-called "free" content.

We have 2 Roku units and they serve us very well. I find them very user-friendly. Be sure to get the remote with the volume control.

How so? I was able to (legally) download the ATT TV, Netflix, Hulu, etc, etc, etc, Apps with no problem...

Yes, it comes with Amazon, but I also have that on my Apple TV (up North)...

Ok, one more country heard from. I had Roku up north and it was fine. Here I cut cord, have Comcast for Wifi & Chromecast for all else. I use my smartphone like a controller, have all the apps I want (Netflix, Prime, PBS, Hulu) loaded on my phone and cast from it. No prob. $25 a month, plus the cost of subscribing to the apps.

How did you all get started with any of these things? Seems so confusing

I think you misread the comment - Firesticks can side-load APPS that Amazon doesn't publish, and that is perfectly legal.