Now, the competition is hotter than ever.
It does, however, support a wide array of apps and services directly from your phone.
Amazon also has a remote app, but its not as fully featured as the Roku.
Setting Them Up
Setting up a streaming stick can be harder than it sounds.
Just entering your Wi-Fi password can be a pain.
Then you gotta get in to several online services so that get anything on your TV.
While it might sound simple, the three streaming sticks handle this problem in pretty different ways.
Chromecast
The Chromecast is probably the easiest to set up.
You download the Chromecast app on your phone, then use that to connect to the Chromecast itself.
This invisible feature is ahugehelp.
Once youre connected to the internet, youre done.
Theres no need to get in to Netflix or Hulu separately, like with other streaming sticks.
This is, predictably, a pain in the ass.
Especially if you have a long Wi-Fi password.
After that, youll be prompted to slide in your Amazon account information.
Once youre connected, Amazon hits you with a four-minute video introduction.
Fortunately it’s possible for you to fast forward through this, so its only a brief annoyance.
From there, youll need to get in to your various accounts.
Instead its one extra step on an already complicated setup process.
Winner: Chromecast
The Chromecast easily wins by a landslide here.
Heres how the various interface types compare.
Most of the time, you dontreallyinteract with the Chromecast.
Unfortunately, thats not always the case.
Since your apps are your remote control, that means that controlling your TV depends on your phone.
This is a lot harder than simply pressing pause on a remote.
In my experience, glitches were uncomfortably common.
I also found that the Chromecast was picky about what devices can keep casting even after theyre turned off.
If I start a Netflix movie from my phone and turn off the display, it will keep playing.
If I try the same thing on my laptop and wrap up the lid, the movie will stop.
These problems arent universal, of course.
you could also get a feed of custom video suggestions, and browse Rokus selection of additional channels.
The interface is pretty fast, with only some slight, occasional lag when opening an app.
Of course, you might also usethe Roku remote appon your phone.
Amazons interface is very similar to the Roku Sticks, just with a few missing features.
Youre presented with a menu of apps and channels you could use to watch content.
In addition to the apps, youll also see a Movies and TV section.
These are naturally populated with offerings from Amazons store.
If youre big into the Amazon content ecosystem, this will be great for you.
If youd rather rent or buy digital movies from somewhere else, its a whole lot of wasted space.
In my experience, the menu on the Fire TV Stick was especially slow.
The rest of the Fire TV app is pretty barebones, compared to the Roku.
Thats about it, however.
Theres no menu to quickly launch apps like Netflix, or any other useful features.
A simple, cheap remote might fix this, but Google doesnt offer one.
Finding Stuff to Watch
Finding something to watch is a pretty subjective experience.
Apparently some people even like tojust watch whatevers on?
(I know, its weird to me, too.)
Each streaming stick has its own unique approach that may appeal more to different types of people.
This week, the Chromecast app got a major update that puts content front and center.
Of course, this is only one way to find content.
This can be a double-edged sword.
you might eveninstall private channels.
If yourereallyinto the Amazon ecosystem, then the Fire TV Stick will be the best option for you.
The main interface has sections for movies and TV shows, but theyre entirely populated by Prime content.
The search box on the Fire TV Stick works in a similar way.
Frankly, this makes finding new content pretty awful, unless youre heavily invested in the Amazon world.
You cant search any other services through Amazons remote app, or through the main TV interface.
The Fire TVs focus onjustAmazons Prime content makes browsing for content from anyone else a pretty miserable affair.
Fortunately, dumb rivalries like this make it super easy to figure out which rig is the best.
This one is so simple, we dont need to do a breakdown.
Amazon refuses to supportthe Chromecastin its Prime Video app.
TheRoku Streaming Stickhas both of these services.
There are even dedicated Amazon and Google Playhardware buttonson its remote.
For virtually all of the other big nameslike Netflix, Hulu, Slingall three sticks have nearly identical support.
The Fire TV Stick was missing a few key players like Vudu or even an official YouTube app.
Better to side with the independent thats friendly with both teams.
The Chromecast still came close, though, and its a pretty competent equipment.
While browsing several apps on your phone can be a hassle, youre probably already doing that anyway.
The Fire TV Stick occupies a weird space thats only really useful for Amazon Prime fans.
The Roku Stick can play Amazon Prime videos just fine, but the Fire TV Stick does it better.
The problem is, the Fire TV Stick doeseverything elseworse.
