The ultimate guide to streaming boxes across a variety of price points
WITH so many ways to stream your favourite shows and movies, we don’t blame you if you’re confused about your options. Let us sort them out for you.
“HOW do I watch that?”
We’ve all asked that question at some point when a friend or colleague has recommended a hot new TV series. With Australians increasingly turning to streaming TV, the answer hasn’t been as simple as: “Oh, it’s on Channel 9 on Thursday night.”
While many of us have internet-enabled “smart” TVs that allow us to directly stream Netflix or Stan without needing a separate set-top box, there are also just as many who don’t. Or have TVs that only access one service but not the other.
So we’ll compiled a rundown of the most popular devices on the market that can stream all those great TV shows and movies straight into your living room.
Apps: Netflix, Stan, Foxtel Now (through Airplay), Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, free-to-air catch-up apps, Classix, DocPlay, iView, SBS On Demand.
Interface: Apple users will be a big fan. The device gives your TV that familiar, easy-to-use environment of your other Apple devices like an iPad and has a feature which pulls all your favourite content into one, easy-to-navigate place. It has integrated Siri into the remote so you can search using voice (avoiding the annoying on-screen keyboard, or even typing on the app) and you can also give the device commands like “skip ahead five minutes”. The best part about Apple TV is if you turn it on, it turns your TV on and goes straight to its HDMI input.
Tech specs: If you have a capable TV, the 4K looks great, and it also supports Dolby Vision. It comes in two models, with either 32GB or 64GB storage, running on an A10X fusion chip processor.
Room for improvement: With so many smart TVs that have their own in-built apps, and their growing adoption, even Apple TV faces an uphill battle to stay relevant and worthwhile for consumers, particularly when you have to fork out $249 for the device with 32GB of storage.
Price: From $249.
Buy if: You’re a diehard Apple fan looking for a comprehensive streaming hub.
TELSTRA TV 2
Apps: Foxtel Now, Netflix, Stan, ABC iView, SBS On Demand, Hayu, free-to-air catch-up apps and YouTube.
Interface: The interface it provides is simple and easy to use, allowing customers to browse for shows across different apps but unless you’re a subscriber to all the big platforms like Netflix, Stan and Foxtel Play, you’ll have to cycle through content you don’t have access to which can get annoying. The remote is pretty comfortable and comes with direct access buttons for Foxtel Now, Netflix, Live TV and the in-built TV guide functions — but you should definitely download the Telstra TV app to use instead. You can also get an app for iOS and Android under the Telstra TV banner that acts as a remote once paired with your streaming box.
Tech specs: In terms of size, it’s about as big as these dedicated streaming devices get so you’ll need a decent amount of spare room next to your TV to sit the flat 16x16cm box. It has a live TV function but you’ll need a coaxial TV antenna cable. The box supports 4K UHD resolution and HVEC compression technology.
Room for improvement: The ecosystem of Telstra TV 2 is pretty good but it has been criticised a bit for sluggish or uneven performance which is something you might notice after extended use. While a solid option for Telstra customers, it probably wouldn’t be your first choice of streaming box unless you can get the telco to give you a good deal with your internet and mobile plan.
Price: It’s free with Telstra broadband bundles worth $99 or more, otherwise $192 outright.
Buy if: You’re with Telstra and can get them to throw it in for a good price.
Apps: Foxtel Now, Stan, ABC iView, YouTube, Spotify, free-to-air catch-up, games.
Interface: Fairly intuitive and toggles easily between on-demand streaming and live TV channels. You can also Chromecast to it.
Tech specs: The Foxtel Now box runs on an Android OS with 8GB storage and 2GB RAM, and offers Ultra HD resolution an S/PDIF digital audio output. It supports Wi-Fi and Ethernet connections and also includes a TV tuner if you want to run your free-to-air channels through it. Comes with a remote.
Room for improvement: No Netflix or Amazon Prime Video support. It also doesn’t have a watchlist function so you can’t corral content you intend to watch later.
Price: $99.
Buy if: You have a Foxtel Now subscription — the box is the easiest platform yet to stream Foxtel.
Apps: Netflix, Stan, YouTube, Hayu, SBS On Demand, ABC iView, Optus Sport, free-to-air catch-up and access to pay TV channels including Nickelodeon, ESPN, BBC First and CNN, pay-per-view UFC, plus ability to buy and rent movies, TV shows.
Interface: Clean user experience and minimalist remote makes navigation a breeze. It surfaces featured content and segments your purchased content under easy-to-access sub-menus.
Tech specs: The larger Fetch box has 4K resolution, four TV tuners, recording ability thanks to its 1TB storage (you can record up to six shows at the same time), HEVC streaming, Wi-Fi and Ethernet connections, and can act as an “anchor” in a home network with Fetch Minis.
Room for improvement: No support for Foxtel Now stops it from being a total streaming hub. Its search function is a little clunky.
Price: Bundle with your ISP or $399 outright.
Buy if: You’re looking for as near a complete viewing experience as you can get on the market with its combined pay TV channels, streaming apps, free movies and personal video recorder. Plus, the EPL would be very attractive to some viewers.
Apps: Netflix, Stan, YouTube, Hayu, SBS On Demand, Optus Sport, ABC iView, free-to-air catch-up and access to pay TV channels including Nickelodeon, ESPN, BBC First and CNN, plus ability to buy and rent movies, TV shows.
Interface: The Fetch devices want to be an all-encompassing hub with its live TV, on-demand apps and buy/rent store — even though it has all that going on, its interface is fluid and easy to use, though its search function is a little slow. Can be controlled either through a supplied remote or its connected app.
Tech specs: The Mini can be used as a stand-alone box or in conjunction with the Fetch Mighty in a multi-room network. The small set-top box connects to your home network either through Wi-Fi or Ethernet cable. It also has a free-to-air tuner and runs on 2GB RAM. If it’s on the same network as its bigger cousin, it can stream content recorded on the Mighty.
Room for improvement: The Mini has no storage capacity to record live TV. It also lacks Amazon and Foxtel Now apps.
Price: Bundled with your ISP or $169 outright plus monthly subscription fees.
Buy if: You’re looking for a Foxtel-lite package with streaming integration or you’re a big fan of the English Premiere League.
CHROMECAST ULTRA
Apps: Netflix, ABC iView, SBS On Demand, Freeview, Stan, Foxtel Now, Spotify, Google web browser.
Interface: As with previous Chromecast models, it doesn’t have a menu and relies purely on users casting from their phones.
Tech specs: A minimalist streaming device, the Chromecast Ultra is an upgrade on the standard version with its support for 4K streaming, four times the resolution of full HD. There’s an Ethernet connection as well as Wi-Fi and plugs directly into your TV. It connects to your Google Home network.
Room for improvement: No Dolby Vision support.
Price: $99, while a non-4K standard Chromecast costs $59.
Buy if: You have a slick 4K TV and an internet connection fast enough to support the super high resolution streams.
AMAZON FIRESTICK TV
Apps: Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Spotify, YouTube.
Interface: Fairly user-intuitive and easily sorted. Amazon content is also available through the home screen, cutting down the step of having to enter the app itself, like you do with Netflix content.
Tech specs: The dongle-style device plugs straight into your TV’s HDMI input, while also needing an external power connection. It connects to your home network through Wi-Fi and comes equipped with a small remote (but otherwise can be controlled through a smartphone app). It operates on a quad-core processor and has 8GB storage.
Room for improvement: Amazon has only released the basic version of its streaming family in Australia so the Firestick TV doesn’t support Ultra HD or integration with its smart assistant Alexa.
Price: $69.
Buy if: You’re an Amazon subscriber and you’re looking for a basic streaming device.
Apps: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Stan, SBS On Demand and Foxtel Go.
Interface: The user interface can be confusing and isn’t as smooth as some of the other products on the market.
Tech specs: As you’d expect from a gaming console, the Xbox One has top-notch tech specs including 8GB RAM, 8GB flash memory, 8 Core AMD custom CPU, Blu-ray/DVD disc drive with 4K resolution and 500GB of storage. It supports high dynamic range (HDR) rendering, which means deeper blacks and brighter whites, even on a 1080p TV.
Room for improvement: The interface is the main problem when it comes to its streaming function — toggling between apps is clumsy. Apps are also updated slower than on other devices.
Price: $649.
B uy if: At that price point, you would need to be a mad gamer to justify the Xbox One. The streaming capabilities are just a bonus.
Apps: Netflix, Stan, Amazon Prime Video, Foxtel Now, YouTube, Spotify plus rent and buy on-demand.
Interface: Takes a little longer to navigate to the streaming apps because of its secondary priority on PS4 but easy to use once you get there. Toggling between apps can be cumbersome.
Tech specs: With 500GB/1TB storage, the PS4 is powered by a single-chip customer processor, the “Jaguar” central processing unit and a Radeon graphics card. It runs on 8GB memory and supports either a Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection. It has two USB inputs and one AUX port, plus, a DVD/Blu-ray drive, probably the only thing in your house that can still play discs.
Room for improvement: The game controller is clunky to use as a remote for streaming — you’d have to use the smartphone app or buy a separate universal media remote for $29.
Price: From $399.
Buy if: You wouldn’t buy the PS4 if all you’re after is a streaming device. But if you’re primarily looking for a gaming console, this has all the main streaming apps, especially if the PS4 lives in a second room like the rumpus.
Picture reveals Aussie cost of living truth
We’re cash strapped and pinching the pennies – apparently. But one image reveals Australians are still keen to spend serious cash on some purchases.
Australia’s biggest ever TV to go on sale
Just when you thought TVs couldn't get any bigger, a tech giant has claimed it will soon sell the largest TV Australia has ever seen.
Wild ’mind blowing’ TV coming to Australia
It was the revolutionary TV written off as a gimmick, but one of the world’s biggest tech firms has confirmed it’s coming to Australia – but it’ll cost you.