Now a days, Amazon fire stick 4K and Roku are the most popular streaming devices in the market for watching movies, TV shows and music streaming.
This article compares the features of this two streaming devices.
After reading this article you can able to decide which device is best for home entertainment and which is on your budget.
One thing you need to know if you can protect your identity and security when streaming free movies or TV shows through these devices by using a VPN.
What are streaming devices?
Streaming devices are actually a device which connects to both the internet (via Wi-Fi or Ethernet) and your TV (via HDMI), streaming content from channels that are either free or require a monthly subscription.
You can browse through channels directly on your TV screen via a remote.
A streaming device allows an application to receive data and deliver it to the user as a converted audio or movie.
Streaming technology can be built in the smart TV or gaming device such as new versions of PlayStation and Xbox. If you don’t have a smart TV, don’t worry! Just plug in the streaming device to your TV and start watching your favourite TV shows, films, news, play games or listen to music and podcasts. Some of the best media streaming devices are Amazon fire TV stick 4K, Apple TV 4K and Roku Express etc.
Why will you use streaming devices?
You can access movies, TV shows, news, music and podcasts using a streaming device without having to download them in your hard drive and you can save a lot of storage space of your devices.
An exciting feature of streaming devices is real time access feature. You can listen or watch any media anytime without waiting for the file to be downloaded completely, depending on your internet speed.
Take your mobile entertainment system wherever you go, so if you’re stuck in a hotel room or out of your city then you will never miss your favourite TV shows again. So it saves different apps on your streaming device. There are thousands of content, from here you can choose your video and audio streaming preferences. There is an app for movies, TV shows, live TV, 24/7 sports, music etc. which can turn your streaming device into your personal mobile media.
There are so many different things that we can consider to compare Amazon fire stick and Roku stick.
1. Cost:
The first thing we can consider to comparing these two streaming devices is the cost of the devices. Before knowing about their features and technical specification, first take a look into their costs.
Amazon’s entry level fire TV stick costs $39.99 and the 4K model costs $49.99. The fire TV stick 4K was released by amazon in 2018 and it is an upgraded version of the previous model as well as it comes with an Alexa voice remote control.
The Roku Express model, which is the cheapest Roku model, costs $29.99. So it is more affordable than the fire TV. The top Roku model (Roku streaming stick) costs $59.99. Roku released its fourth generation in 2015 and it has several versions of streaming sticks, some of the models have the fire stick’s capabilities.
2. Size and weight:
The amazon fire stick weighs only 53.6 grams and the remote control weighs 43.4 grams which can fit into your pocket.
The Roku stick is a bit slimmer than the fire stick. So it only weighs 26 grams.
3. Storage:
Amazon fire stick has 8 GB storage capacity so it allows you to store data with 8 GB capacity. Cloud storage is free for all content purchased from amazon. You can connect external device to the amazon fire TV stick such as additional storage via an OTG cable.
But Roku stick has limited storage. It has only 256 MB storage and 512 MB memory. You can increase the storage with a micro SD card.
4. Setup:
Roku and fire stick TV both have a simple setup process. If you are a new user, first you need to create an account to get started. Once you have done then you just plug it into the HDTV and start connecting to the network to start streaming.
5. Interface:
Amazon platform is modern and feels more useful and polished. But critics say that it will force you to view amazon’s own content. You will only see one row of your own apps at the top of the screen and the rest of the home is taken up by content from amazon prime video. If you have installed too many apps, you will need to scroll all the way and you have to click on View all to see them. Even if you don’t subscribe to the amazon prime service, you will still see it on your home screen.
Roku’s interface is more convenient than fire stick. You can see all your channels in a scrollable list. You can even place your channels into groups for easier navigation, if you install third-party add-ons. But as Roku’s menus and visuals are dated, they badly need a refresh.
6. Streaming and Picture quality:
Amazon fire stick’s 4K Ultra HD streaming quality can accommodate 720p, 1080p, 2160p and reach up to 60 frames per second (fps). It provides excellent picture quality, splendid and vibrant colours and outstanding HDR 10, HDR 10+ and HLG quality for richer pixels. But this feature will only work with a compatible Ultra HD television.
If you have a 4K Ultra HD TV, stable and high-speed internet connection and the correct HDMI port on the TV then the Roku stick’s 4K Ultra HD quality streaming can produce excellent and crisp details and smooth videos. So you can achieve high quality viewing.
7. Gaming:
Games are available on both of the devices. But amazon fire TV stick devices are more suitable for true gamers. Roku games will also entertain you but only for half an hour but don’t offer longevity. You can find Minecraft, Badland and Star Wars in amazon’s devices.
8. Specifications:
The basic amazon fire TV stick has a 1.3 GHz processor and 8 GB internal memory. It support for Bluetooth 4.1. It plays videos in 720p or 1080p resolution at up to 60 frames per second (fps). You can find a 1.7 GHz processor, support for Bluetooth 5.0 and 2160p video resolution in the fire stick 4K model. Its internal storage stays at 8 GB.
In the other side three Roku products – the Express, Express+ and streaming stick only offer 1080p resolution.
9. Remote control:
The amazon fire stick’s remote control is designed with buttons for convenient press and play. Using your remote control you can set the device to mute or adjust the volume, return to the previous page, move forward to the next track or can activate voice command.
Roku stick’s remote control also provides you the same buttons as well as it will give you shortcut buttons where selected channels are assigned on each. This is convenient for you if you want to switch from one favourite channel to another.
Conclusion
I think this article is helpful for you.
So why are you waiting for?
Try anyone of these as your wish.