You probably transmit most, if not all, of its content. A good streaming device makes that process easier. If you bought a new TV recently, chances are it has a built-in streaming interface. Some of them are fine, but a standalone streaming device may offer a better experience. We’ve tested them all, from Roku, Apple, Google, Amazon, and even a cheap brand owned by Walmart, so you don’t have to, and we’ve separated each of our favorites based on what they do best.
To test streaming devices, I look at how easy or complicated the setup was, from the first plug-in to logging into all of our favorite streaming services, and then I watch TV! I stream a lot of content in general even when I’m not testing a new device, but for at least a week, I watch a few hours of movies, TV shows, and YouTube videos every day, install and remove apps, and play games. with any additional features within the device itself or on the remote control.
Be sure to check out all of our home theater guides, including the best Roku devices, best streaming services, best TVs, best sound bars, and best projectors.
Updated October 2024: We added the new Google TV Streamer (4K) and Roku Ultra.
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