At last, the next iteration of Apple’s living room set-top box has arrived. Well, almost. The fourth-generation Apple TV is now available to order online, with the first units arriving on October 30th. The base model with 32GB of storage will set you back ¢567 ($149), or you can pay an extra ¢190 ($50) for the 64GB version. The biggest addition is arguably the remote, which now comes with a small touchpad for navigation and games. Yep, video games. It’s not a heavyweight console like the PS4 or Xbox One, but you’ll be able to play casual titles like Crossy Road and Harmonix’s Beat Sports. There’s also a much-improved TV interface and Siri-enabled voice [...]
It’s clearly video-streaming box season. Apple finally dropped an updated Apple TV, the Chromecast got all colorful and the Fire TV upped its resolution to 4K. Now it’s Roku’s turn with the new Roku 4. The flatter and wider set-top box sports 4K, has a remote locator (YES!), an updated OS and a redesigned app that makes it easier to travel with your favorite shows. The new device joins the rest of the Roku line instead of replacing anything. Priced at ¢480 ($129), it sits between the Apple TV and Fire but without all the recent drama.
Roku told Engadget that it continues to focus on discovery. Fortunately that also means helping you find the tiny remote when [...]
Google has just announced its next-gen Chromecast streaming stick, and just like earlier reports said, it’s taken on a circular form and has donned more colorful shells. The company says its antenna system allows it to stream higher-resolution videos significantly faster, with less buffering. It even comes with a feature called “Fast Play” that gives it the ability to establish a connection with your TV more quickly than the original version can. Fast Play works by preloading content — it can, for instance, start downloading a series episode — the moment you fire up the media player’s app. In addition, Mountain View has redesigned the Chromecast [...]
