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Roku vs AppleTV smackdown

Posted on March 22, 2011 by Ron Piovesan

I don’t have cable. But I watch a lot of TV.

For my birthday I got a Roku and after tooling around with it for a couple of weeks, I cut the cable cord, much to the wife’s chagrin. Then, last Christmas, I found under the tree an AppleTV (although it is small enough it could have gone in the stocking.)

AppleTV and Roku essentially inhabit the same space. Both are around (or under) $100, both are solely media streaming devices and, unlike the mythical GoogleTV or the enigmatic Boxee, neither offer web access.

So with no methodology and no experience in product reviews, here is my official, unauthorized, David-vs-Goliath head-to-head streaming media device smackdown. In one corner, Apple, the single greatest human accomplishment in the history of the universe; the company that proves Intelligent Design is real. And in the other corner, Roku, which means “six” in Japanese.

Design

OK, this isn’t really fair because this is where Apple has always excelled. When I first got my Roku, I thought it was a pretty slick device. Black plastic, pleasing angles and the size of a turkey club sandwich (hold the mayo). Then I unwrapped the AppleTV and…. My God you’re beautiful! So small, so sleek…

I looked at my Roku, what is that hideous oversized slab of a streaming device currently attached to my TV?

Point: Apple

UX

I won’t even go there. Apple’s is amazing… Roku’s has always sucked.

Point: Apple

Content

So this is where it gets interesting. The gateway drug for both of these is Netflix and Pandora, which are both awesome services and the reasons why the sun still shines in my world. But what’s there beyond that?

With Roku, yes there is MLB if you like baseball (I don’t) and HuluPlus if you’re able to figure out why you would want it (I can’t). Where Roku really shines is access to all the weirdo webTV shows on Koldcast, Blip.TV, Revision3 and so on. You have to really like web-only TV and fortunately, I do. The wife doesn’t so I end up watching a lot of it by myself. You can also watch Al Jazeera streaming live on Roku in the event you need more proof as to how f-ed up the world is.

With Apple TV, your channel flipping will lead you to YouTube or to all the various audio and video podcasts on iTunes. That may sound lame, but it really isn’t. There is a ton of great stuff there and most of it is pretty bite-sized. So in 3-5 minute increments you can flip from news to comedy to movie trailers… unless you land on the “This American Life” podcast, in which case you’re stuck on the couch listening to your TV for an hour.

Winner of this round? I’m going to give it to Roku. I love all the cheese that webTV has to offer. My big complaint is again the UX… it is hard to find content and then to remember which channel it is on if you want to go back to it.

Reliability
So here’s the knock-out blow… this goes to Roku. Yes, it is close, but Roku wins it. I found a better picture and fewer artifacts when streaming from Roku. Also, surprisingly, AppleTV hung up and crashed more than the Roku did. Not by a long shot, mind you, but enough to notice.

Final Verdict

If you like design, UX and more mainstream content, you’ll love AppleTV.

But this is my smackdown and I’m giving the prize to Roku. They’ve got the edge in reliability and I love the goofy webTV access… but that is just me.

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Related

Posted in Gadgets, Video/Music/Media | Tags: Apple, apple tv, boxee, google tv, internet tv, Netflix, pandora, roku | 6 Comments
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6 thoughts on “Roku vs AppleTV smackdown”

  1. tivoboy says:
    March 23, 2011 at 5:34 am

    Doesn’t the apple tv have MLB now?

    Reply
  2. Ben Drawbaugh says:
    March 26, 2011 at 8:37 am

    Um, you completely skipped over the most compelling reason to buy an Apple TV: the iTunes ecosystem. Not only do you have true seamless syncing between you other iOS devices, but you also have simple access to all your iLife apps. Photos, playlists, movies and tv shows, it all just works between your other Apple devices.

    Reply
  3. Gina Smith says:
    April 5, 2011 at 8:23 am

    Since electronics are getting so easy to use your itunes playlist will be easy to listen to on just about anything and the Roku HD Player is no different.!!I have 3 in my house so everybody gets to watch and listen to whatever they like. Its really that easy to use

    Reply
  4. melanie says:
    May 2, 2011 at 5:59 pm

    Which Roku version do you have?
    HD, XD, XDS?

    Reply
  5. Greg Lavin says:
    May 25, 2011 at 11:36 am

    “The wife”?

    Not surprised you do a lot of viewing alone!

    Reply
  6. false1 says:
    June 23, 2011 at 11:04 am

    You forgot price. ATV starts and ends at $99, Roku starts at $59. I got that version and am very happy with it. Also Roku works with standard def TVs, which means I can deploy them throughout the house.

    Reply

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Jeremy Toeman is a seasoned Product leader with over 20 years experience in the convergence of digital media, mobile entertainment, social entertainment, smart TV and consumer technology. Prior ventures and projects include CNET, Viggle/Dijit/Nextguide, Sling Media, VUDU, Clicker, DivX, Rovi, Mediabolic, Boxee, and many other consumer technology companies. This blog represents his personal opinion and outlook on things.

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