Jefferson Graham runs down your choices in streaming players from Roku, Amazon, Google and Apple on #TalkingTech.
Buying a streaming media player to watch online video services on your TV makes a lot of sense, especially if you want to watch 4K video and have a suitably fast Internet connection.
However, choosing among the big three — Roku, Apple TV and Amazon’s Fire players — can get complicated. (My short answer: Get an Apple TV if you have a Mac with a large stash of music and video files at home, get a Fire TV or Fire Stick if you already spend a lot of time talking to Amazon’s Alexa, otherwise, go with one of the $30-and-up Roku players.)
But there's some less than obvious things you should know when it comes to setting up your device. Here are three you may not think of when you’re in the middle of unboxing gadget gifts and plugging them in.
►Connect via Ethernet if at all possible. If you have your wireless router positioned close enough to the TV in question and both the router and the player have square Ethernet ports, go with a cable instead of WiFi.
That physical network connection should be immune to the drop-offs and cut-outs that still plague WiFi, many of which may be the result of interference outside your home. But if you have a stick-style media player that plugs directly into one of a TV’s HDMI ports, this won’t be an option.
►Don’t forget access to your own media files. The combination of an Apple TV and a Mac makes this easy: You can play music and videos from the computer through that little black box using Apple’s AirPlay streaming. But Amazon and Roku players need extra help to do that, and for most people Plex’s apps are the way to go.
To use them, you install the free Plex server app on whatever computers have your media files, then add Plex’s also-free app to your Fire or Roku player. (The company charges for its mobile apps and for a Plex Pass premium service.) This will also work for Apple TV owners who have a PC and don’t want to install iTunes on it.
A new livestreaming TV service called Philo launches today, and it's sure to get the attention of people sick of paying high cable bills for channels they don't watch. Time
►Put the player’s remote-control app on your smartphone or tablet. The least pleasant aspect of using any media player is having to type in a search by using buttons on its remote to select letters from a keyboard shown on your TV.
Many of these remotes now allow voice input, but that’s still a lousy way to enter a streaming media service’s password or search for names or titles that sound a lot like names or titles you’re not interested in. To avoid those risks, install the free apps that Amazon, Apple and Roku offer for phones or tablets, and you can type your search on the onscreen keyboard you already know too well.
The Apple TV Remote app is iOS-only (what a surprise…), but Amazon and Roku each offer both Android and iOS apps. Amazon even makes its Fire TV Remote app available on Google’s Play Store, not just its own Appstore--a rare break from the unhelpful squabbling between those two firms.
Columnist Kim Komando helps you navigate services, hardware and content if you're ready to ditch the TV bill. Kim Komando/Special for USA Today
More: You're buying a 4K TV. How much Internet bandwidth do you need?
More: Buy Roku vs. its 4K streaming rivals? How it compares to Apple TV, Fire TV
More: Cord-cutters who like TV shows, but want to skip sports can try $16 streaming service Philo
Rob Pegoraro is a tech writer based out of Washington, D.C. To submit a tech question, e-mail Rob at rob@robpegoraro.com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/robpegoraro.
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