Apple TV vs Roku - What is the best streaming device to buy?

Our most popular question over the last few years has had to do with "smart devices" and normally goes something like this, "I need to get me one of those smart TVs...which one should I buy?" After we let our client know that you normally DON'T need a Smart TV (we'll get into that later) and some education, our conversation normally turns towards, "What is the best streaming device to buy?". Here's some tidbits on our two favorite streaming devices; the Roku and the Apple TV.

You'll see our video above that details our "Roku vs Apple TV" face-off. This details some of the benefits of choosing one vs. another. Below is a summary of each device and our thoughts. NOTE: There are MANY streaming devices on the market including Amazon Fire devices, Nvidia Shield, SuperBox, gaming systems and more. We are just focusing on the Roku and the Apple TV 4K streamers as we feel that they are best for most of our clients and to keep things simple. We also explain this below.

2021…it looks like we're coming around the corner here from the nightmare that was last year. If you saw our "Best TV of 2020" article from a year ago, you'll notice that it looks very similar to this list. This isn't a cop-out...we promise! There wasn't much product build and introduction with Covid so there wasn't a ton that changed. We’re listing below our own personal “Best of 2021” list for televisions, surround sound receivers, home speakers, WiFi products, universal remote controls and more.

Custom cabinet build for electronics, turntable and record collection

Salamander Designs audio video credenza

Pro-Ject S-Shape turntable sounds awesome and looks like art!

Martin Logan ESL-C center channel speaker on custom cut shelf

Big, bad speakers sound amazing...Martin Logan Motion 60XTi tower speaker pair

Today’s Project of the Day is one of the jobs that we love that consisted of good audio, custom cabinets, proper design and higher-end audio video components.

Marantz SR8015 AVR - This is an awesome heart of your new surround sound system

Covid led to many nightmares but one in particular had to do with supply chain and electronics. As an organization, we took a closer look at Marantz as they make quality components AND they did a great job actually spitting out receivers (where some other companies failed miserably. Yamaha…I’m looking at you). After playing with a bunch of them and installing many units, we’ve been very pleased with the performance and feature set. Marantz has always been known for high-end audio but we are a company that believes what we see and test…not what is advertised. After doing this, we are now proud Marantz dealers and have added them to our line-up! Hooray!

Marantz SR8015 AVR - This is an awesome heart of your new surround sound system

Happy 2023! It's a new year and you may be looking for a new AVR to power your surround sound system. Marantz would love to fill this need? Why Marantz? See our article at the link >>>Marantz Products

Marantz is introducing their new line of surround sound receivers and one of these may have your name on it! See below for some features and differentiating factors.

Introducing the URC MX790 universal remote!

We have carried URC remotes since our inception in 2006 and one of our team members has been programming them for even longer. One thing that URC does is completely overbuild their remotes so instead of bringing out a new one every year or so like most products, you typically see new products every 5-10 YEARS. This is one of those cases as URC's new MX-790 remote is replacing their old model (MX-780) that existed for over a decade. We put together a video at the link below that details this remote and why a universal remote is a good thing.

URC MX790 universal remote review