32 thoughts on “ WinTV Digibox HD Digital Receiver Review + GIVEAWAY! John Rogel I Aquino September 21, 2016 at 4:22 pm. What I am excited about this TV Box to watch is the local news channel like GMA News TV and CNN (if signal will allow me to do so) because of the information they want the Filipino to know and to be aware of.

Next year, 25 percent of households will have some sort of streaming device in their home, according to analysts. With Apple, Roku, Google, and Amazon all making dedicated streaming devices, consumers have plenty of competitive devices to choose from. But before you settle on a brand, the bigger question might be form factor: streaming stick or set-top box?

Inexpensive, compact and dead simple, streaming sticks like the Google Chromecast, Roku Streaming Stick and now Amazon Fire TV offer a compelling argument for “smaller is better.” And consumers agree. Google sold 3.8 million Chromcasts in its first year alone, the same number of set-top boxes Roku sold in 2013.

But what do you sacrifice when you go small? To help you navigate, we compiled a list of pros and cons to the streaming HDMI stick in an effort to help you decide whether the new hotness in home theater is right for you, or if a traditional set-top box better fits the bill.

Pros

Tiny size, light weight How to open octet stream file linux.

Streaming sticks are about the size and weight of a big pack of gum. With such a negligible footprint, they easily fit in your pocket, and go unnoticed in a backpack or suitcase. As such, you can take one anywhere, anytime, whether it’s to a buddy’s place, the office, or a hotel. Sure you can haul around a set-top box, but then you’ll have to bring its power supply and a bulky HDMI cable, too.

Out of sight

There’s a lot to be said for a device you don’t have to look at. Not only does your TV’s transformation seem just a but more magical with a streaming stick, but its out-of-sight location behind your TV is far more discreet and convenient, too. With a streaming stick, you don’t have to be concerned with another black box taking up space on your already crowded equipment rack.

Easier installation

Since streaming sticks plug directly into a one of a TV’s HDMI ports, you’ll never have to worry about running another HDMI cable up to a TV, or deal with the hassle of snaking another power cord through your entertainment stand’s already rat-nested bundle of cords and cable. Streaming sticks get their power via USB, and since most TVs produced in the past few years have USB ports on them, there’s often no need to run any cables anywhere.

Price

The Chromecast, Fire TV Stick, and Roku Streaming stick cost $35, $39, and $50, respectively. By comparison, each devices set-top counterpart, the Nexus Player, Fire TV box, and Roku 3, cost $99. That means the least you save by going with a streaming stick is 50 percent, which also means you can hook up at least twice as many TVs.

Same interface

It would be fair to assume that, because streaming sticks are so small and inexpensive, that they might offer a watered-down experience, but that would be incorrect. Both the Fire TV Stick and the present version of the Roku Streaming stick offer the same user interface with access to the same apps and many of the same features.

Cons

Slower

Simply put, streaming sticks can’t house as much horsepower, due in part to their smaller size. Though the Amazon Fire TV Stick raises the bar for HDMI dongle hardware, it’s still half the hotrod the Fire TV set-top box is. As such, The Fire TV Stick, like the Roku Streaming stick, will be a little slower to navigate and load videos compared to its full-fledged set-top counterpart.

No Ethernet connection

Both the Roku 3 and Amazon Fire TV feature Ethernet connections, which provide a more stable and reliable streaming video experience. Wi-Fi is prone to interference and congestion in a way that Ethernet hard lines are not. For those houses where multiple video streams via Wi-Fi are common, or Wi-Fi dead spots are a problem, Ethernet is the best possible solution, but, sadly, not an option for streaming sticks.

Fewer connection options

With a streaming stick, you’ve got one connection possibility — HDMI to one port — and that’s it. Roku and Amazon both outfit their best set-top boxes with Toslink optical audio output ports, which can diversify connection options and, for many, dramatically improve sound quality. Sure, HDMI can handle all the latest audio signals, which can’t be said for Toslink, but if that HDMI stick is connected directly to a TV, that TV is going to downmix and crush the living daylights out of the audio signal before it passes it out through its own Toslink optical digital audio port. Unless you are using an A/V receiver for all of your audio and video switching needs, a set-top box is almost always going to be a better choice for those that care about sound quality.

No on-board decoding potential

Fair enough, set-top boxes don’t currently decode video files on their own, but they at least have the potential to. Just looking at Amazon’s Fire TV hardware, and it’s clear it is up to the task of taking videos straight off a storage drive and decoding them on its own, without the need for media software (like PLEX) and a computer to run it. This is something we could see in a future firmware update (yes, we’re optimistic!). On the other hand, streaming sticks have virtually zero chance of pulling off this function anytime within the next decade. And this isn’t the only hardware-based con.

No storage expansion potential

It’s amazing technology has come to a point where the Amazon Fire TV Stick can tout 8GB of storage space — blowing the Roku Streaming Stick away — but that 8GB is all you’ll ever get. As apps and games get more advanced, they’ll get bigger, and a set-top box will be able to accommodate them, a streaming stick never will.

At this point, you should have a gist for what makes streaming sticks and set-top boxes different. For casual users who want a quick and inexpensive fix, streaming sticks are great. And, frankly, they’re cheap enough to have one sitting around just in case. But if you consider yourself more of an enthusiast — a power user, even? — then the set-top box offers the sort of hardware and expansion potential that should help feed your tech-y need.

Available here:

Chromecast: Amazon, Walmart, BestBuy, Staples

Roku Streaming Stick: Amazon, BestBuy, Office Depot, Walmart

Amazon Fire TV Stick: Amazon

Nexus Player: Google Play

Roku 3: Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy

Amazon Fire TV: Amazon

Want more from your television without having to buy a new one? You need a streaming box. Here are five of the best on the market.

Now TV

Cost: £15

One of the cheapest and best media streamers around. It is a rebranded Roku 2, which costs £70, with Wi-Fi and ethernet connectivity.

The black box, which is 18cm sq, sits on top of almost anything, but needs its own power adapter. It is fast and outputs video in 1080p and audio in Dolby Digital Plus.

It requires a Now TV account and is limited to Sky’s excellent Now TV movies, entertainment and sport services, Sky’s pay-per-view store and a select number of catchup services, including BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, All 4 and Demand 5.

There is no support for Netflix or Amazon’s Prime Video streaming services.

Verdict: excellent value for money, but limited support for streaming services.

Amazon Fire TV Stick

Cost: £35 or £45

The Amazon Fire TV stick looks like a USB flash drive and plugs directly into the HDMI port at the back of the TV. It is powered by a micro-USB cable, but needs to be plugged into its own power adapter.

The remote can be pointed anywhere and the setup is incredibly easy: if bought from Amazon it comes with your details pre-loaded. There’s a simple how-to video when it is first installed too.

The interface is slick, it needs an Amazon account and works best with Amazon’s £79 Prime service, which includes a video-on-demand service with a solid selection of movies and TV and a music subscription service with access to 1 million tracks.

Other apps are available, including Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Spotify and more from the Amazon app store. The streaming quality is good, there’s a smartphone app for voice searches and if you own an Amazon Fire tablet you can mirror its screen on the TV.

It also plays games such as Minecraft, Sonic, Tetris and Crossy Road and supports an optional Bluetooth games controller.

Two versions are available, one with a voice-controlled remote and one without, with a £10 difference.

Verdict: best for Amazon subscribers, but good value and support for most other services.

Chromecast

Cost: £30

This takes a very different approach to turning your TV smart. It acts as a receiver for your smartphone, tablet or laptop, using Google’s Cast service across your home network.

It beams whatever is on your phone screen on to the TV, then uses the phone as a remote. There is no real interface for the Chromecast without a phone or laptop, beyond displaying background pictures, and so requires compatible apps such YouTube, Netflix and BBC iPlayer to work.

Hundreds of Chromecast-compatible apps are available for Android and iPhone.

It’s another small stick, which plugs straight into the HDMI slot on the TV, and can be powered by the USB port on your TV, unlike the Amazon Fire TV Stick.

Verdict: simple to install and use, but requires a smartphone, tablet or computer.

Apple TV

Cost: £59

One of the oldest streaming boxes available, the third generation Apple TV is currently available for £60, but a new version will be available in November for around £140 with a motion-control remote, voice search and apps.

The current incarnation of the small black box can be controlled using a slim metal remote or via the Remote app on the iPhone or iPad, which makes entering text easier.

Built around iTunes, the Apple TV is the only device here that can play movies and music from Apple’s digital store, but also supports Netflix, Sky’s Now TV service, YouTube and a small selection of other services.

The Apple TV supports AirPlay, Apple’s version of Google Cast, which streams video using your home network from an iPhone, iPad or Mac and a compatible app, such as BBC iPlayer.

Verdict: best for Apple users who want iTunes content on their TV and can’t wait till November.

Roku 2

Cost: £70

The same as the Now TV box, but with all the limitations removed. It is the Swiss Army knife of streaming boxes, with hundreds of apps and services called channels available in the Roku store

Netflix, YouTube, Google Play movies and TV, Spotify and many more are available, including all the catchup services such as BBC iPlayer, Sky’s Now TV and Sky Store and even the Firefox browser.

Apps and games are available, including Pac-Man and Fieldrunners, while local media playback via the microSD card slot on the back is also good. The Roku can play content streamed from a home-media server too.

The Roku’s universal search helps you find what you want to play and its movie recommendation service monitors what you watch and suggests other things you might like.

The remote feels a little cheap and its reach isn’t very far for infrared, but the interface can be customised and is easy to navigate, even if it isn’t slick.

The one thing missing is Amazon Prime video, which is available in the US Roku store but not in the UK. That might change soon.

Verdict: the do-it-all streamer.

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