So. I just bought a new telly and to my surprise, not, the OS is rather bad and has very limited amount of apps. Therefore I’ll invest further in either Apple TV or the Firestick. Anyone got any recommendations, tips or hot takes on this? Which has more adds, and can it be blocked via DNS? Further read that Firestick could be jailbreaked, that has my interest 🦊

  • garretble@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    My hot take is the AppleTV will last you years where the fire stick will probably get frustrating after a while.

    By that I mean the AppleTV is fast. Of the other streaming devices I’ve used (newer chromecast, Rokus), my first gen AppleTV 4K still is snappy and feels better. I think I got this thing in 2018.

    That may not be the end all for you, but when you compare a lot of these devices back to back, the AppleTV just feels better to use.

    • glimse@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      I am not a fan of Apple but I completely agree. I was a home automation programmer for years and that included AV.

      Personally I use a Roku I got for free but AppleTV has unmatched quality and experience for a standalone streaming box.

      The only downside is that IP control requires you to set it up as part of your apple home. If you don’t want to do that, you’ll have to use IR and IR control sucks.

      I also much prefer the old remote design (without Siri) but that’s just an opinion.

      • garretble@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        My brother is a home theater project manager, and he generally likes Roku the best since they can integrate it easier (or something). But they just feel cheaper to me overall. And I have a pretty standard 5.1 setup (hopefully adding Atmos soon), so the AppleTV works great in my setup.

        I really like the original 4K remote. It lets you zoom around the interface so fast.

        • glimse@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          He’s right! Roku is soooo easy to integrate…you just plop in the IP and give it permission and you’re good to go. They have GREAT drivers for every system I have experience with.

          The biggest downside of Roku is the gigantic ads on the home screen. To get rid of those you need to do some router config which can be annoying (or impossible in some situations) but when I use it I don’t spend much time outside of apps

      • BillyZane@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        Also agree with Apple vs Firestick. The Firestick felt extremely sluggish. I personally just use my Xbox, so if you already have one then it’s a great option. I just bought a Logitech external remote since I don’t like to use the controller all the time.

        • glimse@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          I hate everything about the firestick. The only two streaming boxes worth using are AppleTV and Roku imo

      • WiseMoth@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        The old remote as in the one that’s probably around 7 years old? There are two Siri Remotes. A glass one with just a track pad and some buttons and an aluminium one with a circular trackpad that also has physical navigation buttons and the rest of the buttons. Both have Siri

        • glimse@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          Good call, I forgot gen2 existed.

          Yes I meant the original AppleTV remote with the rectangle trackpad. I unironically think it’s the best mini remote ever made lol

          • WiseMoth@lemmy.world
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            11 months ago

            Y’know, I honestly really liked that remote too. Although I will say, after using, I like Gen 2 as well. When I hear “the old remote” though, I think of the ancient one without the trackpad that legit just had navigation buttons haha