Streaming video players have come a long way in just 10 years. In 2009, almost no one had a Roku, and Amazon? Prime Video had just launched in 2006, so at the time, it was just a wink on the radar. But 10 years later, Amazon and Roku are two of the biggest names in streaming video players thanks to Amazon Fire TV and the ever-growing family of Roku gamers. That said, these days, you can find about half a dozen Roku players on the market, including the Roku Ultra, Roku Premiere, and Roku Express, as well as Amazon's three biggest streaming sticks: Amazon's 4K Stick, Fire Fire and Cube from Amazon. (Note: Fire TV Cube, Roku Ultra, and Roku Premiere are only available in the US, so keep that in mind.) If you don't know all the players and their abilities, you can take a lot of them. But that's why we're here to help you narrow down the differences between material and emphasize the strengths of the platforms. . Consider this your guide to streaming 101 stuff.
- Expect great deals on Roku and Amazon Fire TV products on Amazon Prime Day 2019 on July 15 and 16.
What are the main differences?
When you think of Amazon Fire TV, you should think of Amazon Video Streaming Service and Alexa Voice Assistant because these are its defining features. Of course, Roku can also access Amazon Video, but the streaming service sits on top of Amazon's streaming hardware. It's great if you're an Amazon Prime subscriber...and maybe less great if you don't want to buy Amazon's subscription service. That said, no matter how you slice it, having Alexa in a streaming video player is pretty cool. It works almost exactly like a smart speaker, except you can also ask Alexa to offer you videos. Add to that the ability to manage your calendar and track your shopping lists. It's easy to understand why Alexa is a godsend for Fire TV.
Pictured: Amazon Fire TV Cube (Image credit: Amazon) The last key difference between the two lies in support for the new HDR formats: Roku only supports HDR10, while Amazon Fire TV devices support HDR10, Dolby Vision and HDR10 +. These formats are important because they offer a better HDR experience for TVs that support HDR10+ and Dolby Vision; Of course, it all depends on the quality of your TV. Roku's main selling point is that it's platform-agnostic (meaning, Roku doesn't care which streaming service you use and makes almost all of them available in its stuff). Now he has his own streaming service, called ad The Roku channel available immediately. It's ideal for cord-cutters and people who want extra options when looking for something to watch. Neither of these options is particularly interesting for gaming; for that you'll need either an Nvidia Shield or an Apple TV, both of which can access Kodi by sideloading.
What is the easiest to use?
Now, of course, ease of use is quite subjective; some things that come easily won't be easy to do, but that caveat aside, we think Roku is the easier of the two platforms. shapes. It takes you directly to the start menu, where you can see all the apps you've downloaded, and the app store is immediately visible. The interface is simpler and a bit dated at the moment, it's probably the one your parents could pick up and use. This isn't to say that the Amazon Fire TV interface is particularly difficult to use (it's not), but it does put more emphasis on Amazon Prime content. However, if you know where to look, you can find apps for Netflix, PlayStation Vue, Sling TV, and everything else, and having content up front means it's a little quicker to get you up and running. directly to an element to view. It should be noted here that, unlike the Chromecast and Chromecast Ultra, each member of the Amazon Fire TV and Roku family of devices comes with a remote. This traditional control system makes them a bit easier for non-beginners to understand and use. The built-in microphone adds a convenience factor when searching for content to watch. We'll discuss more in the next section, but keep in mind that they're easier to use than other streaming solutions.
Which has more content?
If we don't count every video on every streaming service on each of these two platforms, it's impossible to know which has more content to watch. That being said, knowing the streaming services available on each platform and their content can give us a rough estimate. Both platforms have access to all the major Netflix services, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Sling TV, HBO Go/Now, and YouTube, but only Roku also has access to The Roku Channel, a free ad-supported streaming service. , previously mentioned. It should also be emphasized that Roku has more channels than any other platform. However, what looks like a 'channel' is usually just a custom app filled with videos you can find on YouTube. However, if you just want a full playlist of old western movies, Roku has them and Amazon doesn't. Of course, it's a bit easier to find content on Roku than it is on Amazon Fire TV: Roku research looks at a slew of streaming services and lists them by price, with the cheapest options and those you've subscribed to. it's an excellent system that could save you money in the long run. (It's worth noting that Amazon also has a full search feature, but it places more emphasis on Amazon Video results.)