Digital Media Players: Reviews

Updated March 2012

Internet streaming is a great way to cut back or cut out your monthly cable company bill. But what hardware do you need to get all of the entertainment the Internet has to offer on to your living room TV? ConsumerSearch provides the answers and reports on the best set-top digital media players based on expert and user feedback. Information on which services will work with which digital media players is part of the story as well.

FONT
PRINT

Compare All

Best digital media player

Roku 2 XS

*Est. $100 Compare Prices

For those interested in bringing streaming media from the Internet to their TV sets, experts say the Roku 2 XS provides a terrific blend of performance, usability and value. No digital media player offers as many online… expandpartners -- more than 400 channels of content (including games) and growing. New to this second-generation Roku player is the ability to play basic video games. Angry Birds is pre-loaded, and you can purchase additional games from a small library of titles for around $5 each. The included Bluetooth motion controller for games falls short of the one in the Nintendo Wii, but it works in a similar fashion. Picture quality is excellent, with support for 1080p resolution. The Roku 2 XS is the only device except for the Sony PlayStation 3 to support 1080p streaming and 5.1-channel surround sound from Netflix. collapse

See Our Full Review

Expert & User Review Sources:

CNET: CNET gives the Roku 2 XS its Editors' Choice award in this comprehensive review that includes other members of the Roku 2 digital media player family.

Zatz Not Funny!: Dave Zatz weighs in with a long report on the Roku 2 series, including the 2 XS. He says that for those who need Ethernet connectivity or like casual gaming, the Roku 2 XS is a good buy that delivers what it promises.

PCMag.com: Will Greenwald seems a bit ambivalent about the Roku 2.

Wired: In Wired's rating scheme, the Roku 2 XS rises to the status of "very good, but not quite great." Limited file support and lengthy setup times detract from a digital media player that delivers more than other options at its price.

Amazon.com: More than 1,000 owners review the Roku 2 XS digital media player at Amazon.com.

Roku.com: Owner reviews here are plentiful -- more than 18,000 weigh in, and 88 percent say they'd recommend a Roku 2 XS digital media player to a friend.

Where to buy:

See All Stores

Buy from Amazon for $107.98
eBay for $127.45	Amazon for $107.98	Target for $99.99

Budget digital media player

Roku LT

*Est. $50 Compare Prices

For those on a budget, the Roku LT presents one of the best ways -- and certainly one of the most economical ways -- to get streaming content from the Internet to your living room TV. The big thing you give up compared to… expandthe Roku 2 XS is resolution as only 720p is supported. However, reports say that when watching streaming video on most TVs, the majority of users won't see a big difference. You can also forget about playing Angry Birds as the Bluetooth link needed by the Roku motion controller is not supported. Also missing are an Ethernet port for hard-wiring to your computer network (the Roku LT is Wi-Fi only), a microSD slot for adding more memory and a USB port for playing your own files. But, just like the pricier Roku players, you have more than 400 channels of content to choose from and set up and use are easy. collapse

See Our Full Review

Expert & User Review Sources:

PCMag.com: PCMag.com gives the Roku LT its Editors' Choice award.

CNET: CNET also grants the Roku LT an Editors' Choice award.

Time magazine: The Roku LT and Roku 2 land in the seventh position in Time's list of the top 10 "gadgets" of 2011.

Amazon.com: More than 400 owners weighed in on the Roku LT. Comments are highly positive, earning the Roku LT a score of 4.4 out of 5.

Roku.com: More than 4,500 report on the Roku LT at the company's web site.

Where to buy:

See All Stores

Buy from Amazon for $79.76
eBay for $161.36	Target for $59.99

Best digital media player for iTunes users

Apple TV

*Est. $100 Compare Prices

While Apple TV can't compete with the Roku 2 XS in its breadth of content providers, it does bring something unusual to the table -- tight integration with iTunes and the iTunes store. That makes it almost a no-brainer… expandfor those already invested in iTunes video, music and more. You can stream locally stored, iTunes-compatible files from your computer or stream content directly from the web. The AirPlay feature lets you share video and other media from an iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. The content lineup also includes Netflix and YouTube. Picture quality is good, and resolution has been stepped up to 1080p. The ability to play back purchased content (via iCloud) has also been added. Setup and use is as easy as pie. collapse

See Our Full Review

Expert & User Review Sources:

CNET: Apple TV is called "an indispensable living-room companion for anyone who's already invested in the iTunes and Apple hardware ecosystems." However, for those not wedded to iTunes, Matthew Moskovciak notes that competing digital media players offer access to more content.

Gizmodo.com: Sam Biddle calls Apple TV the best streaming box available, beating out Roku and the rest of its competition.

PCMag.com: PCMag.com names Apple TV as an Editors' Choice award winner.

Wired: Wired says that Apple TV is "a given" for those who do thing the "Apple way." The addition of 1080p, the ability to play purchased titles (via iTunes' iCloud) and the ability to stream content via AirPlay are all positives that help add up to the sites' grade of 8 out of 10.

BigPictureBigSound.com: Apple TV scores The Biggie award here and a perfect 4-star rating.

TheVerge.com: Joshua Topolsky says that the latest refresh of the Apple TV does everything a little bit better than its predecessor.

About.com: About 50 owners team up to give Apple TV an overall rating of 3.9 stars (out of 5).

Where to buy:

See All Stores