Streaming Showdown: Google TV vs Fire TV Cube vs Apple TV 4K - Which is the Best for You?

[@stevemarruk]

What do you use for you main TV and why?

[@tonystaples7457]

Hi Steve. Thanks for all your reviews. They are excellent. I have 2 traditional SKY+ boxes with multiroom. I also have Apple TV 4K on the main TV. I have been wanting to get rid of the SKY boxes for ages and your reviews have been helpful. I'm almost convinced that NOW TV is the way to go using the app on the Apple box. Unfortunately I tried the TV launcher yesterday and it froze about 2/3rds of the way into watching BBC1. I do have the terrestrial apps (iPlayer, ITVX etc) but I'm not sure if they all play "live" TV. The second TV isn't "smart" so I can't completely switch to NOW so I guess I will need a new TV before I can completely dump the Sky boxes. Sky stream doesn't seem much cheaper than the boxes as it's nearly always possible to negotiate a better price for traditional SKY. I should say that the second TV is wall mounted (no other choice) and I have nowhere to locate a second Apple TV box plus the wifi in that room isn't good enough until I upgrade later this month. This also negates the use of an Amazon Firestick. Don't know if this is what you want in answer to your question but......

[@stevemarruk]

Thanks Tony means a lot the TV launcher just launched the app within the Apple TV so if it is freezing I would save it’s the App or your broadband? The launch is just a cool way to see everything in once place. However if you need to check the support from TV launcher is amazing.

[@stevemarruk]

Apple and sound quality is just amazing at the price and recently I have been listening Apple music more than Spotify simply because of the quality of sound.

[@legendkiller2k]

Love your videos they are full of very good information, i'm a techy myself so your channel is right up my street. I have bought a apple tv 4k after watching you last video on it i've always been in the abdroid tv and roku system so wanted a change, the apple tv arrived today bit of a faff to set up as required itunes account aswell as apple account but got there and it is a fantastic piece of kit, it has everything i need on it and as i travel a lot i can take it with me and use the apps from other regions where i travel without needing to reset it unlike the roku. Thankyou for these videos i really appreciate them.

[@stevemarruk]

That’s amazing that’s all I want to help people and even save money if we can thank you means so much to read this

[@legendkiller2k]

@@stevemarruk Just wanted to add to this regarding android/google tv there is a app called live channels it's normally automatically installed but if not you can grab it from google play, it is a epg but at the moment it only covers plutotv in the uk in usa it covers sling, xumo and peacock too, they are talking to now to get them onboard and also bbc, itv, channel 4 etc.

[@stevemarruk]

Nice thank You will check It out

[@thetoshmiester5136]

Does apple tv 4k up res the NOW TV app....or is the NOW TV app just hd on apple tv 4k? Great review

[@stevemarruk]

Very good question in all honesty the now TV films look good in Apple TV but I think they are HD 1080p

[@matt5solomon]

Another great video! Yor previous video convinced me to transfer to Apple TV, money well spent 😃 Has the TV launcher guide gone down for you? Was working great then guide stopped working. Contacted developer and they are looking into the problem

[@stevemarruk]

Yeah I spoke to the. It should all be up and running now he is changing to a solid provider and thank you for your support

[@ChinaRising]

I have Apple TV, had it since the 2nd gen. Have the 4K version now and it’s always been my favourite. Tried fire TV and Google, but always go back to Apple. Thing is with me, I’m still a big live TV watcher. I have Sky Q. I’d love to cut the cord, but I’d miss the live TV aspect, channel surfing and just having something on in the background. I don’t think I’d ever be able to just scrap that and use a streaming device full time.

[@stevemarruk]

Try the TV Launcher see if that helps

[@MrSamsung99uk]

Steve can you tell me the difference between Apple TV 4k streamer and the Apple TV+ app on my TV. I don't think that they are the same?? Or am I missing something.. 😃

[@stevemarruk]

The apple will give just Apple TV stuff like your library, Apple TV + and so on where as the Apple TV 4K is a small box that allows you to have all the different type of apps but like a iPhone for the TV

[@GRIFF22]

Just out curiosity, does the TV launcher app open Sky Go instead of NOW TV if you have a Sky Go subscription on the Apple TV? To my knowledge Apple TV is the only streaming box to have Sky Go. It isn't on Roku, Fire TV (amazon) or Google / Android TV. I travel a fair bit and taking the Apple TV on the move would be perfect with this TV Launcher capability.

[@stevemarruk]

That’s a good question and I do t have sky Q and multi room to test it I am afraid I might see if a friend has it to test.

[@GRIFF22]

@@stevemarruk Thank you.

[@terrythewelsh]

I’m stuck with the sky stream for another 16 months, should have gone the monthly route, like you I’ve downloaded TV Launcher and it is brilliant, trouble is it doesn’t launch any sky content only NOW, would love to cancel sky stream, but am a bit concerned about the cost of cancelling it ( you know what sky are like) then go back to NOW, that has everything I need, keep up the videos, I’m loving them.

[@stevemarruk]

Oh no what a shame Tel it’s such a huge money saver

[@stevemarruk]

Keep me posted mate

[@terrythewelsh]

Will do 👍

[@ianhope6429]

I have fire cube & be hard pushed to change to Apple TV - for live tv have u tried the picture of the old tv next to the home? When I am logged in on USA, I can click that & it shows me what is on with my subscribed services

[@stevemarruk]

We don’t have that here I don’t think 🤔 but I’ll check it out

[@ianhope6429]

@@stevemarruk I’m in U.K. mate so u can get it

[@davidharron7990]

Note there is a bug with TV launcher for Apple TV. The service used by the developer to provide the TV guide has stopped working. The developer is working on a fix and will be pushing out an update soon

[@stevemarruk]

Within 24 hours he said he also has another provider that is even better he told me last night.

[@Hodge618]

Another thing to note with Google TV is why i wouldn`t use it as a primary device is the apps beside bbc iplayer, dont support 50/60hz switching yet. Netflix/Disney are 60hz and iplayer/itvx and Now are 50hz. So if you got your output selected at 60hz and load up NowTv you will get lots of stuttering (sky news banner going across is good example) So depending on app, i have to keep switching the output manually between 50/60hz which is a pain. I personally just use the apps built in on my LG OLED TV which i find quick and responsive without any issues. I do agree though out of all the streaming boxes, i would go Apple though, just because my film collection is with them and it doesn`t seem to have issues with frame rate matching on apps, which most other streaming boxes seem to.

[@stevemarruk]

Oh wow see this is what I mean people like you make this community so good great feedback that helps us.

[@lenellittsthegame2k0]

TVPlayer used to be really good at one time it used to have a lot of channels like mtv, syfy, discovery etc Aswell as most of the freeview channels, it used to be 2 packages the freeview channels were free then mtv, syfy etc were £6.00p/m. However they lost a lot of rights and decided to go in a completely different direction and ended up £6.99p/m for a load of junk channels. For android tv/Amazon i recommend rlaxxtv that is free and there is also pluto tv which is free too. I personally use a mini pc for my tv that has everything you need on it.

[@stevemarruk]

Cheers that good feedback and I agree

[@garyjohnson9787]

Are the channels all in hd on the tv launcher thanks

[@stevemarruk]

If the app supports it then yes remember all it does is launches the app

[@alyjackson9691]

Very interesting. I'm in 2 minds whether to buy the new Apple TV. I did used to have it but sold it as my main phone is now a Samsung Fold 4 (and you can't go back once you go foldable) but I still have my imac. I have an extremely old apple tv 1080p with the old siri remote connected to an old TV in the extension and its still amazing and works really well. So anyways cut a long story short I now have a studio space with a 70 inch philips oled android tv. The android tv works pretty well and I ended up selling my apple tv 4k. Then I got the sky puck loved it but can't stomach the high monthly fees so have canceled it. I then purchased a fire stick and even the new light up alexa remote and love the fact that the ring doorbell shows up on it. But after a while it annoyed me as apps randomly crash, the Disney app sometimes won't even load and throws an error and the interface is a bit of a mess i also had a random problem where any show that has dolby atmos kept dropping in and out of sound every now and then. I then went back to my android tv interface. But it can lag and again sometimes crashes. I then went out and purchased a Roku 4K (the new HDR dolby vision version. (The Philips tvs are like samsungs where they support HDR 10+ aswell as dolby vision (would be interested on what you think of the roku in a review) it's actually been rock solid all the apps have that "apple" feel to them. The roku also has actual official airplay and also has apple music as an app. The remote is nice to as has buttons for Netflix,disney,apple tv and Spotify. Which incidently I use all those services so no wasted buttons. It's a nice feeling remote. Also the apps run really well with no hiccups. It also has an amazing app on android and iphones that allows you to use any Bluetooth headphones connected to your phone to play the tv. (Hard to explain but it's an amazing feature) also has a very nice tropical fish tank screen saver lol. And a very simple interface it also has a nice apple watch and android watch app for the remote you can also connect it to alexa or google assistant to control and open apps handsfree. But after watching your reviews and seeing apple tv I kind of miss it and feel like maybe I should go back 🤔 also I should have said this 1st but on android tv (Google tv) and fire tv try an app called kappang tv. It's free you just need to sign up and tick that you have a tv license. And you get all uk freeview channels streamed with a nice enough interface and tv guide without having to open up individual apps. Give that a go ! Sorry for the long comment lol but I'm going through exactly what you are going through in finding the perfect streaming / tv solution

[@stevemarruk]

Nice one thank you 🙏 I will check it out sounds like you have bounced around so what will you end up with ? Keep me posted

[@alyjackson9691]

Will do.

[@rickdurro1091]

You have a 4k oled tv why not just use that I have the lg c2 and an nvidia shield pro 2019 model both of them will do anything you want

[@stevemarruk]

Oh ok is is good?

[@rickdurro1091]

@Rate My Tech the nvidia shield pro is the best streaming device you can get

[@stevemarruk]

I’ll try to check it out

[@vkh2k6]

@@rickdurro1091 The Upscaling is worth the money along 👍

[@super61]

@@rickdurro1091 by a long shot

[@1blackballed]

I'm due to change broadband and TV... currently with virgin and as much as I like their TV box their broadband is very poor and can't get a signal upstairs. So I would like to go with a good broadband provider but don't have a good TV solution. And this video is helpful. As want ideally a Freeview WiFi box much like sky stream but just for Freeview. Looks like apple TV might be best as have plenty fire sticks but like you said no great apps for TV. Virgin have gave me a decent offer but can't stay with them with such a poor signal

[@stevemarruk]

The Tv thing as well is a game changer

[@JasonV74]

Dong forget if you have satellite feeds you can buy a cheap second hand Freesat box of eBay ,cex etc that will give you freeview and the ability to record. I bought one for £40 inc a 500gb hard drive, I will be using it for our main TV come march

[@stevemarruk]

Sounds like a lot of work Jay? Is it?

[@JasonV74]

@@stevemarruk It depends on your sky q LNB if it's accessible and a multi LNB, i.e. Freesat and sky q compatible. If it is, you can change the outputs or swap the coax cable on the sky LNB from sky q to the Freesat ones, connect coax to the Freesat box go into the Freesat menu and scan. Watch and record free TV without any delays. It really depend on how much you value higher quality feeds and the ability to be able to record content

[@stevemarruk]

Oh wow you know your stuff

[@I_Was_Chrispy_Kreme]

100% agree with the Google Tv comments. I hate the remote and ended up putting it back in the box and in a cupboard. As others have said you also don’t get all the uk apps on google

[@stevemarruk]

Cheers Chris

[@I_Was_Chrispy_Kreme]

I think the real missed opportunity with Fire TV is the Live TV section. On my Fire it shows only Channel 5 content, Pluto and Freevee. If it could include BBC, ITV and Now I’d go straight out and buy 3 boxes

[@snakychip]

When I was younger and there was only 4 channels I watched tv all the time, now there are endless amounts of apps and streaming services I hardly was anything anymore 😂

[@stevemarruk]

Bahahah yes yes yes I totally agree I miss benny hill lol

[@I_Was_Chrispy_Kreme]

There has been a lot of scientific research into this. When faced with too many choices it becomes difficult to make a decision. For me the real issue with so many services is discovery… how do i know what is showing where? There are apps like reelgood which try to help. For me the Apple TV interface is too basic.. like Roku at least Fire and Google have things to whet your appetite

[@stevemarruk]

Nice one Chris

[@katiewO4]

I’m considering moving from sky q to apple 4K tv and using the tv launcher app that does seem a game changer now seems better value than sky q/ stream

[@stevemarruk]

Yeah it’s good I won’t lie it’s has everything on there

[@katiewO4]

Is picture quality as good as sky q on Apple TV?

[@stevemarruk]

@@katiewO4 if not better on Apple TV 4K

[@matthewtaylor8674]

Got one fire tv cube it really nice but beautiful hd pictures nice easy use

[@stevemarruk]

Does it have a Tv guide as such? This is what I am trying to find

[@ianhope6429]

Have u tried just watch?

[@stevemarruk]

No not yet what’s that

[@ianhope6429]

@@stevemarruk look it up - it’s an app for free that puts all your subs in one

[@stevemarruk]

I will check it out first thing tomorrow thanks man

[@allansutcliffe648]

I would love to get an android box that had a full EPG in the style of sky or virgin preferably recordable 7day see whats coming up or been.full play store able to download Kodi.there only seems to be a hybrid.type Mecool? or something.Its strange that no company like Amazon, Roku, Apple, Google,do these.

[@stevemarruk]

Mmmm interesting

[@stroudswebs]

Would stick to Apple TV with the guide you like

[@stevemarruk]

Yeah that’s my thinking too

[@totalplonker824]

The only reason why I go with an Apple TV is because I have a high-end Dolby Atmos 5.2.4 configuration setup and as you may or may not know Apple TV has more Dolby Atmos movies than any other streaming platform!

[@stevemarruk]

Oh yeah great set up dude

[@totalplonker824]

@@stevemarruk cheers butt! I might have overdone it but anyway if interested here's a 3 minutes sample... kzbin.info/www/bejne/rqfHonxrpr-UbMk

[@stevemarruk]

Looks awesome

[@JasonV74]

TV player is a third party service, and it's dreadful it used to be half decent two or three years ago, but now stay well away your get a better experience from BBC iPlayer, ITV x etc on Apple TV

[@stevemarruk]

Wow thanks for the heads up Jay

[@matthewtaylor8674]

I think Apple TV 4K there are best one my choice use tv launcher

[@stevemarruk]

Good man

[@stroudswebs]

Don't use a TV launcer on Amazon fire TV generaly flick to TV guide on TV

[@stevemarruk]

Cool

[@davidharron7990]

TV Player is just away of watching TV via an app. What I can’t understand is why you don’t hook up your TV to an external aerial and pick up the 100+ freeview channels for all your traditional terrestrial viewing

[@stevemarruk]

I don’t have an Ariel’s address suppose I can get one and a very good point you made but we all know that is a dying bread but might be a while before that happens.

[@DarEdits451]

Kepang View TV is the best app for the fire cube. You have to make an account and subscribe but it’s free and it has basically all the Freeview Channels. I would give that a try.

[@stevemarruk]

My man thank you I’ll check it out this is why I love our community

[@I_Was_Chrispy_Kreme]

+1 for Kapang it is the closest to freeview via internet you can get. Not sure why channel 5 seems to be offline? But Kapang and Fire is the best i think

[@stevemarruk]

Thanks man

[@DarEdits451]

@@I_Was_Chrispy_Kreme noticed channel 5 wasn’t working and also the EPG wasn’t showing up anything either not sure if that was just mine

[@I_Was_Chrispy_Kreme]

Yeah I tried on Fire TV, Chromecast HD, Apple TV and iPad. On Apple TV it just crashed out of the gate, on the other three the Five Channels just come up unavailable. So I suspect however they are sourcing these is broken