Probably cutting the TV cord soon--advice?

There are many that do quality UIs. SlingTV has a nice one. Roku may not have all the fancy animations and such other boxes do but it’s practical and has unparalleled support for channels.

I agree with this wholeheartedly. Especially being able to re-order your channels and inputs in whatever order you wish. Nearly every other integrated device I have doesn’t allow that.

I haven’t used Roku in a couple years, but back then all their UIs followed the “Roku look”, which was functional but pretty ugly. A few didn’t, and they were fine. I guess that’s improved since like 2015?

Yes and no. Newer version have changed, and the UI got a refresh even on my old devices if I recall correctly. But it’s still very similar: Channels listed in a grid, a global search, a settings menu, etc.

The Roku homescreen was always fantastic, aside from the giant ad on the right side. Just a customizable grid, the most space-efficient way to start apps.

Problem was the apps all looked the same. Grids of horizontally scrolling boxes.

The Netflix, Amazon Video, Plex, and PBS Kids Roku apps look nearly indistinguishable from their counterparts on my FireTV. I rarely use other apps so I can’t tell you about those.

Here is a video if you’re curious for Netflix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx9dsyVqF9k

I still like the Apple TV even though everyone gives it grief for the easily lost, slippery remote control. No ads, UI is customizeable, has the “what did she say” feature, apps are frequently updated and high quality (except for DirecTV, which is a hot mess right now), Airplay is great if you’re in the iOS/Mac ecosystem. Only missing major app is Amazon Video which has been promised by the end of the year. It’s just over-priced compared to the Roku, so it’s hard to recommend. (and lacks 4K/HDR, but rumors are that a 4K ATV will be introduced next week.)

Missing Amazon video is absolutely a dealbreaker for me. Otherwise I would consider it.

The remote would be a dealbreaker too, but my Harmony can control it over bluetooth. That remote is one of Apple’s worst products ever, up in the running with the original iMac puck mouse.

Is this true? The impression I’d got from the odd mention on tech sites was that the support after the first six months or so was not that great.

Maybe that’s in reference to games? I don’t think gaming on the ATV has taken off the way Apple thought it would.

Everybody thinks gaming will take off on their little streaming boxes. Roku, Nvidia, and Amazon thought the same thing. Everybody is wrong. People want to watch video on them.

I’m one of the biggest Apple fanboys on the forum, and I buy Roku boxes. They are just better than the ATV.

Although the one that can run some apps is nice, but not at that price.

Yep, it’s hard to recommend a $150 Apple TV over a lower priced Roku. It needs a substantial price cut, which won’t happen, because Apple.

Speaking of Roku, I stumbled across this the other day and thought it might be worth getting just to simplify things with other device controls.

I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Apple release a $50 “AppleTV Stick” next week.

Remember that this device exists to promote iTunes media. It is the only streamer box that will play iTunes media on your TV. Right now Apple is at a competitive disadvantage, because it costs $150 to play iTunes movies on your TV, while you can play Amazon, YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, etc, for $35.

I have one of these. They are overpriced for such a simple device, but I do like it.

I just use my Harmony remote and hub. And you don’t need it for a bedroom solution because the devices all turn on the TVs themselves with CEC.

That’s my favorite feature. For those that aren’t familiar with it, if you say “What did he say” or “What did she say” it moves the video back 20 seconds and turns the subtitles on for 20 seconds.

One more feature on both AppleTV and iOS in general (since the iOS 10 update) that I really love is that is it keeps track of which movies and TV shows are on which services, and which services I have subscriptions to. So for example, if I ask it to find “The Walking Dead” it notes that that show is available on iTunes, Netflix, and AMC, and since I have a Netflix subscription it offers to open it up directly using that service.

If you have multiple subscriptions services, it’s super handy if you hear about a Movie or TV show and want to see if one of your services has it available to view.

Definitely agree on the remote, it’s a typical Apple looks over functionality device. Since it’s perfectly symmetric, I can’t tell in the dark which end is up and end up with it upside down, hitting the wrong buttons.

I don’t know if the Harmony can substitute in though. Mine can’t, since one of the main ways of controlling the AppleTV is talking to it using the microphone built into the remote. It’s possible newer Harmonys have microphones, but my 8-10 year old one doesn’t.

Not only is it symmetrical and completely useless in the dark, but it has a touchpad so you’re constantly brushing up against it and changing settings. It’s so frustrating and hair-pullingly terrible.

No, you do lose the microphone functionality.