Roku Ultra Vs Nvidia SHIELD Vs Apple TV 4K
Three Great Top Of The Line Media Streamers - Which One's Really Best For You?
While there are many different media streamers to choose from these days, the Roku Ultra, Nvidia SHIELD TV and Apple TV 4K 5th generation are some of the best models you can buy.
When it comes right down to it, these 3 media streamers each offer something unique that puts them in front of most other media players available today.
Ethernet On Board
The Ultra is Roku's current flagship model and it includes pretty much everything you need to watch your 4K HDR streaming content. What really separates this model from all the other standalone Roku models like the Express and Streaming Stick is the included Ethernet Port.
Using a hard-wired Ethernet connection instead of WiFi can really make a big difference in your overall media streaming experience.
Especially as are seeing more "Smart Things" added to WiFi networks. As more smart light bulbs, doorbells and thermostats are added to your home network, they are all competing for your limited WiFi bandwidth.
If you live in a crowded WiFi neighborhood with many other devices congesting the airwaves and fighting to use the same channels, it can also result in a poor WiFi signal that can slow your Internet streaming to a crawl. This can be a major cause of buffering and time-outs when streaming your favorite TV shows and movies.
An Ethernet connection basically eliminates any chance of WiFi interference and gives you a nice fat pipe right to your Router so the data can flow from the Internet to your media streamer without any speed bumps in its path.
The Nvidia SHIELD TV and Apple TV also include an Ethernet port as well, making all three able to achieve the fastest streaming speeds possible.
Easiest Media Streamer to Use
If you want a media streamer that is super simple to use we would have to rank the Roku Ultra up near the top along with the Apple TV 4K. These are both very intuitive and will make using one feel like second nature in a very short while.
The Nvidia SHIELD which uses an Android operating system will take a somewhat longer learning curve before you really feel comfortable and know your way around.
Popular Features
The Roku Ultra has some pretty cool features and one feature we really like that the other two don't have is the remote finder. If you live in a home where your kids are constantly hiding the remote, just press the button on top of the Roku Ultra and the remote will beep. This can help you easily retrieve it from behind the couch cushions or under the bed.
Another feature where Roku Rocks is the Private Listening port found on the Remote control. Just plug in the included headphones into the audio jack on the Roku Ultra Remote and you can listen to your TV shows or Roku Music channels in private without disturbing the rest of the family. This is a pretty cool feature that the Apple TV and Shield TV don't offer.
Content is King
Content is where each of these three media streamers shines. For the most content including both Religious and Adult we again have to give Roku the win. Their channel list is extensive and new channels are added almost every day. Adding Roku channels can be added from the Roku itself or from their channel store on their website. (This Excludes Adult content channels which can only be added as private channels.)
Roku has a ton independent channels and also a long list of private adult channels. Plus you will also find pretty much every major streaming service and cable TV channel represented. Most of major network channels can now also be found on the Nvidia SHIELD and Apple TV 4K as well.
One nice feature that makes owning any one of these streaming boxes great if you continue to subscribe to cable is they can cut your extra monthly cable TV box or satellite receiver rental costs.
By eliminating extra cable TV boxes and using the cable TV anywhere feature you can sign in using your cable TV provider login and watch supported channels free of charge on all three of these media streamers.
This can cut down on expensive monthly cable box rental fees and let you afford other programming from Netflix Hulu or a long list of others which offers more diverse content than cable or satellite.
Here is a list of cable TV channels you can watch on Roku, Apple TV and also on Nvidia SHIELD.
Nvidia SHIELD Most Open Media Streamer
The most open system can be found on the Nvidia SHIELD with it's Android TV OS and believe it or not, now the Apple TV since you are not restricted from installing m3u players, and watching IPTV channels on either device.
Roku on the other hand has banished channels that let users play IPTV streams directly from their platform. Although there are still a few IPTV workarounds like these that continue to let you play m3u streams on Roku.
Of the three, if you want to use Kodi only the SHIELD will let you easily add it without restrictions. The Apple TV can run Kodi but it requires either a developer account or access to one plus a complicated install. On a Roku, you can't install Kodi directly because their OS is not compatible. Some have been able to cast it to Roku from another device.
Hardware
When it comes to hardware all three media streamers stream 4K HDR content and they do it very well. The Apple TV and Nvidia SHIELD both have much faster processors and more onboard RAM than the Roku Ultra.
One area where the Apple TV has both the SHIELD and Roku Ultra beat is sound quality. The sound seems much clearer on the 5th generation Apple TV 4K than it is on both the Roku and Nvidia SHIELD.
The Apple TV 4K is also the only media streamer of the three that still has a rechargeable remote. Nvidia offered a rechargeable remote on their first generation SHIELD and still do if you get the Pro, but their current entry model and also the Roku Ultra require the use of replaceable Alkaline batteries which can get expensive over time and this adds more the local landfill.
None of these media streamers come with a backlit remote either and this is another feature that would make using them a lot easier in dimly lit rooms.
Which Media Streamer Should You Buy?
Unfortunately, there is no easy answer. If you can afford them we highly recommend all three as they each offer something unique. We have used the Roku Ultra, Nvidia SHIELD TV and the 5th Generation Apple TV extensively and love them all. All three are great media streamers and when you add together the price of all, they will still cost you a lot less than the annual cost of watching cable TV.
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Use of third-party trademarks on this site is not intended to imply endorsement nor affiliation with respective trademark owners.
We are Not Affiliated with or Endorsed by Roku®, Apple, Google or Other Companies we may write about.
