Poll: Fire Stick or Roku?

Fire Stick or Roku?

  • Fire Stick

    Votes: 7 20.6%
  • Roku

    Votes: 27 79.4%

  • Total voters
    34
  • Poll closed .
Bought the new Roku Ultra ( with Dolby Vision and Atmos) for the outdoor theater and brought the Nvidia Shield inside for HBO MAX, I have to say it's upscaler is the best I have ever used, even my wife noticed how much nicer the picture looked ( watched the first 5 episodes of Lovecraft on the Roku HBO app, last night watched #6 on the Shield's HBO MAX app), been playing with it today to see how much better on certain apps, Star Trek Discovery looked 4K on it, 1080P movies on Vudu also looked a lot better, even live TV on YTTV looks more detailed.

4K content looks the same on the Roku and the Shield.
The new Roku ultra has a better upscale than the shield?
If that’s what you’re saying that is pretty lofty praise.
 
The new Roku ultra has a better upscale than the shield?
If that’s what you’re saying that is pretty lofty praise.

no the shield, sorry for not being clear, did not notice how nice it looks until hooked up to my 75” TCL 8 series.
 
Props to my trusty 2016 Roku Premiere+. I fired it up to watch the latest episode of Star Trek Discovery on CBS All Access, and it looks like they've updated the app, with thumbnails now when I scan forward or back, while still letting me toggle to Dolby Digital Plus audio. I know I can get Dolby Vision from my 4K FireTV stick, but my LG OLED upscales so well, I'd rather go with my only device that gives me 5.1 audio.

Well, they added that to the Firestick app too, but it goes SO FAST that FF/RW is effectively unusable. Between the weird narration I am getting on the AppleTV CBS app and the trickplay annoyance on the Firestick, I am considering hooking the Roku back up, just for that one service. :mad:
 
  • Sad
Reactions: TheKrell
We have three Firesticks and until recently one Roku. I found we were using the Firesticks almost exclusively, and when the few Roku only programs we liked were included on the new free Roku channel app for Firesticks, I gave the Roku to our granddaughter.
 
We have three Firesticks and until recently one Roku. I found we were using the Firesticks almost exclusively, and when the few Roku only programs we liked were included on the new free Roku channel app for Firesticks, I gave the Roku to our granddaughter.

I’ve gone in the opposite direction. I was using the FireTV almost exclusively because of the integration of Recast with it, and that apps for services that do 5.1 audio on all or some programs, all seem to do so on the FireTV.

But I’ve never been a big fan of their UI. Too much aiming at Amazon products/shows. Their ‘recents’ strip is nearly useless since it shows whatever you did recently and intermixes apps and shows in that strip. Just a mess. Apple does that so much better.

Roku doesn’t even pretend to do that at all except for ‘channels’ you subscribe to via Roku. But the search function on Roku is better than anyone else’s I’ve seen and similar to the FireTV, it also does 5.1 audio whenever the service I’m looking at offers it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: comfortably_numb
I'd switch to AppleTVs on all 4 TVs, but I cannot justify the cost, so we just have the one in the Living Room. The rest are Firestick 4Ks and the new Insignia FireTV in the workout room. I don't love the ads and messy UI, but for the cost, it is hard to beat.
 
I've been trying to make my new Google TV Chromecast my go-to streaming device, with its YouTube TV integration, but I just discovered in the HBO Max app, I only get Dolby Digital, not Dolby Digital+ audio like I get in the new FireTV app. Also, through a special deal, I've committed to a year of Peacock, and if I want 5.1 audio, I need to use my Roku (same goes for CBS All Access). So I'm still pretty much using a different device for each app I use. Prime is the only one that works the same on each device.
 
Audio isn’t a big deal to me so I can’t tell you what these things put out. I use a sound bar and that’s good enough for my ears.

Saying that, I’ve pretty well made the google Tv chrome cast my main device. I really like how it pulls (most) content from different sources together. Others have done similar things, but this is the first one on any of these devices that I’ve found useful.

There are still some issues. Profiles for one. Dolby Vision missing on some apps is another, but overall I’m dang impressed for what it does for the money.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dishdude
I just got my new Firestick 4K but if anyone is interested Amazon has knocked the Roku stick down to $29.00 for the Black Friday sale.
 
I just got my new Firestick 4K but if anyone is interested Amazon has knocked the Roku stick down to $29.00 for the Black Friday sale.
The best bargain is the new Ultra, only $69 at Best Buy and Amazon.
 
Got the Roku Streaming Stick+ today so now I should be able to do a reasonable comparison. As some others have mentioned, the different sound capabilities don't mean a hoot to me so it'll be all about app integration, ease of use, and PQ.
 
  • Like
Reactions: comfortably_numb
Got the Roku Streaming Stick+ today so now I should be able to do a reasonable comparison. As some others have mentioned, the different sound capabilities don't mean a hoot to me so it'll be all about app integration, ease of use, and PQ.

While both the Fire Stick and the Roku Streaming Stick+ will have great video quality depending on source material, neither have much in the way of app integration.

Other than a really great search, Roku doesn’t have any app integration at all. Amazon is not much better at that either IMO, though it has a ‘recent’ strip.
 
While both the Fire Stick and the Roku Streaming Stick+ will have great video quality depending on source material, neither have much in the way of app integration.

Other than a really great search, Roku doesn’t have any app integration at all. Amazon is not much better at that either IMO, though it has a ‘recent’ strip.
Please explain your definition of app integration.
 
Please explain your definition of app integration.

App integration would be something similar to Apple’s Up Next strip that allows for tracking show episodes from various sources. The new Chromecast device has this too and some other might also.

On FireTV there is a slight nod to that with their ‘recents’ strip but it mixes in apps you’ve recently run as well as some shows.

On Roku there is none of that at all. It is all individual apps, nearly the same for FireTV too.

EDIT: Also things like ‘channels’ you subscribe to on the various devices. Like the Roku Channel, Prime Channels and Apple Channels.
 
***

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Total: 1, Members: 0, Guests: 1)

Who Read This Thread (Total Members: 2)