Any available 4k model should work, but if you’re seriously looking to fully migrate, go for the latest one.
No problems with FireTV's at all tried Expensive AppleTV but did not meet the Viewing needs in our household Channels DVR is just a media server with a DVR. So why would it require more expensive hardware than Plex Emby HDhomerun DVR etc .. maybe it is the player you are using?
I suggest the latest AppleTV device. I am a fan of wired connections but if you don't have that capability then save 20 bucks and get the wifi one. I am an Android guy that started out with Firesticks and a Shield. The firesticks were all past their return window so they are all in the trash now. The shield is sitting on my shelf because I have heartburn about throwing that away since it is expensive. Not only is the Android TV interface loaded with ads and bloatware, it is cumbersome to navigate. And that is the Shield! The firesticks running Amazon's bastardized version of Android were worse! My wife CONSTANTLY complained about how she couldn't watch TV without asking me for help. I switched to AppleTV and it was like a breath of fresh air, no ads, no bloatware, a UI that actually made sense, OTA channels that actually played without pixelating (shield hardware bug that will never be fixed). My wife was still pissed however. I caught it from her for not switching to AppleTV sooner. "This is so much better and it just works, why were you so stubborn in switching to this? Everything just makes sense with this thing now"
My 2 cents and just my opinion, everyone's got one.
Errr ok. I will take that correction, in that case. Mea culpa.
I’ve owned just about every client, and haven’t found the fire stick experience that poor, but I’ll absolutely take your word here.
I recently bought a new Apple TV device. There are only 2 models to choose from, and they are only $20 apart ($129 vs. $149). I bought the more expensive one because it has twice the storage (128GB vs. 64GB) and an Ethernet port (the cheaper one is WiFi only) which seemed well worth the extra $20.
I have a spectrum essentials streaming package, which is a small package, but i get my locals & a few channels. It.would.be less.then yttv. I also roku tvs in addition to.a fire tv & apple tv. I use channels dvr as my tv source for emby when watching tv on my rokus & i use channels on my fire & apple tv. Ill say cahannels does live tv better then emby & stored content is better on emby, but channels is hard at work on that end. I undertand some peoples dislike of roku, but they have a very clean u.i & affordability. Fire tv u.i is just disgusting & i dont have an android tv by sony, but ive heard good.tv, but bad u.i. choice is good, my friend.
A agree. I am an Android and Linux lover at heart. But Roku is, hands-down, the best consumer TV-watching platform for several reasons. Simplicity, clean look, etc are all important. But memory management and stability on Roku is far superior to Android, which was not designed as a TV box OS. I use Jellyfin rather than Emby since it is free and open source. The Roku Jellyfin app needs work, but it is coming along. I'd love to see a channels app for Roku.
I have Android, Linux, Windows and Mac devices, I'm a technology lover at heart and enjoy choosing the best tool for the job. I've used Roku, FireTV, Android TV (via Sony Bravia as well as Nvidia Shield) and AppleTV... all pretty extensively. Suffice it to say I couldn't disagree more strongly with your statement.
Not happening. Discussed ad nauseum. The latest:
Therefore I conclude, that AppleTV is, hands-down, the best consumer TV-watching platform for several reasons, not the least of which being, it has premium support from the stellar team that develops Channels DVR for it.
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Isn't AppleTV the best for those in the Apple ecosystem?
If I don't have any other Apple products (and I don't intend to buy one) will the AppleTV still be the best client for me?
Yes it will be
I'd say it really depends on priorities. If you use Chromecasting from Android a lot (and your TV doesn't have that capability into it, as an option) and you're only going to use one single streaming box, the Nvidia Shield would be the best of the AndroidTV choices, IMO.
If you don't use Casting functionality though, and the streaming box and its UX will be judged on its own merits as a standalone device, I'd say AppleTV is the best. I've come to really appreciate its overall usability, along with the improved remote. Especially considering how the development of Channels DVR is prioritized for it.
OK. I am currently using an Nvidia Shield as my client.
You said "overall usability" Please elaborate.
Just exactly how is it better than the Nvidia?
As someone with two shield TVs and an Apple TV it’s pretty easy to say the atv is a better choice for channels. However I personally wouldn’t replace a shield with an atv for the price. Starting from scratch or needing to add another device it would definitely be atv. The small annoyances the shield has like having to restart and clear cache every once in awhile because the video races and having had to side load a launcher to get rid of advertising that google forced on nvidia. I think the shield has an ever so slightly better picture but atv wins in every other department especially new channels features that come to atv first
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By compation, AppleTV's home screen interface is consistent, not cluttered, and doesn't have (what I'd consider) moving distractions. That's because AndroidTV is developed by Google as a means to collect data and sell ads, which is its core business model. When I use Android TV I'm reminded that I'm not Google's customer, I'm the product being sold. I follow all sorts of threads where folks are spending time with alternate home screen launchers, and blocking updates, to prevent Google from having their way on their large TV screen at home. Personally speaking, especially when I'm relaxing in the living room or bedroom, I want the display to "just work" and not need too much customization or attention in order to be tolerable. It should never "get in the way," and AppleTV wins in this regard.
When I compare the Shield directly to the AppleTV, I can say I vastly prefer the remote control. The ability to "scrub" on the timeline of any video is much more precise than anything I could do on the Nvidea. With that remote I would jump too far ahead or too far back and it was more of an exercise in frustration. The ability to scrub on a timeline with the Siri remote is unrivaled. The overall responsiveness of the system, and how quickly I'm able to get from the home screen to enjoying content, is just... faster. It's something you can feel after a few days of use, it's an overall more elegant experience.
I am also an app junkie and like to try out, well, everything... so I've downloaded and experimented with hundreds, maybe thousands of TV apps over the years. By and large, the tvOS versions have a better interface. The interface elements are more consistent, intuitive, and less crashy. There are a few areas where Android excels (like allowing easy sideloading, along with emulators) but those areas aren't a priority to me. In my experience AirPlaying from an iPhone to an AppleTV (including full screen mirroring) works better, more reliably, over longer periods than Chromecasting does from an Android smartphone to an Android TV. The device itself and tvOS also feel easier to manage, over time. Space management seems much more intelligent. I reboot an AppleTV less because there's far less troubleshooting to do. Thankfully it's not impossible to use both, but if for some reason, I was forced to choose one and only one, the winner for me is clear.
Just my 2¢.
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Well, Channels do provide a great product. I think you point on priorities are spot on. I actually have two devices on each TV so I can cover the things you discuss whenever I need them (like Chromecast). With that, Jellyfin, Plex, Channels, etc servers, I don't consider my situation to be too consumer-friendly, but it works for me, and (with some coaxing) my spouse.
I am getting ready to turn my spouse and offspring loose on Channels. She's a TiVo/Spectrum lover that migrated grudgingly to using YTTV on a FireTV and a Roku TV. I will probably just add a FireTV to the Roku for starters as there is probably already one around here somewhere that can be redeployed - one less interface for her to learn.
While I agree that the ATV is superior, it is really expensive, and the remote is a learning curve in itself. Coupled with the fact that any remote control she uses in the 'family room', with family, inevitably gets so manhandled/mangled it looks like the dog has gotten it. I can't tell you how many TiVo remotes I bought over the years.
While the FireTV is not the best for all the reasons all have mentioned, it seems stable (IME here) and is relatively inexpensive. For her (as I am the admin) stable in inexpensive are at the top of the list.
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I use the Firestick 4k Max for many of the same reasons you described. The remote has survived 3 teenagers for a year and a half. The remote has the four shortcut app buttons which is perfect for me, and the FireTV interface has 6 apps available right on the Home screen. The Max device has worked great for me, except one major problem: limited storage memory. I have added 128GB of external memory, but not all apps can take advantage of this memory. Still I am able to use all the apps I really require. Before I added the extra memory, I used the Playback/Stream option to increase my pause rewind buffer for live TV. The Stream option works fairly well, but does impose some delay.
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