I tried out a Roku, but I sent it back because it wouldn’t do free Hulu or Youtube, which is basically everything I wanted it for at the time. . I also found it awkward to try to retrieve content using a remote as opposed to a mouse or keyboard.
Is there something where anything that I can open in a web browser on my office computer or laptop can be streamed to a Roku or Apple TV box. I am aware of Chromecast, but it’s missing the ethernet port and I don’t like Wifi for high bandwidth stuff that doesn’t need to move.
Short version: AppleTV can do all that, over Ethernet if you prefer, but still needs a Hulu Plus subscription for Hulu.
Long version:
Roku has YouTube support now (finally) but still not Hulu. You can also search for things with the Roku app on your smartphone, if you have one, and the Roku device will play it. Apple TV lets you do the same thing with an iPhone or a Bluetooth keyboard. With YouTube on Roku (and maybe Apple TV?) you can also look up the video on your computer and click “Cast” to send it to the Roku without having to search it up there, as long as both are on the same wireless network. FWIW, even last-gen 802.11g is more than sufficient for streaming video over a local area network (1080p MP4 is only about 8 Mbps). If there’s a slowdown, it’s more likely to be with your ISP instead of your LAN.
AppleTV also lets you mirror your display from a Mac (or Windows, with a third party app like AirParrot). AppleTV has an Ethernet port. It also does most of what a Roku can do.
If you want something that’s wired straight from a computer, well, HDMI or DVI/VGA are the standard solutions.
Actually, on second thought, a Google TV box is another option. It comes with the Chrome browser, and by changing the user-agent you can actually watch Hulu right on it. And it has the standard apps for other services (Netflix, Amazon, YouTube, Pandora, etc.).
Downside is that they all have pretty shitty reviews, complaining about their slowness, frequent crashes, lack of updates, awkward interfaces, and bad remotes.
I don’t have any smartphone / tablet type devices. I really want to be able to control things with a physical keyboard, preferably in he home theater so we’re not running back to the office constantly if watching short video clips.
I’d like free Hulu, but sounds like that’s the part that’s really no doable.
Even though I don’t have any other Apple products (except an iPod in my car) it sounds like an Apple TV is what I want?
Yeah, I suppose so, if you can live without the Hulu.
Synopsis of our discussion:
PC w/ cable: Will work, but interface is awkward, updates will be annoying, not as quick to use as a dedicated device.
Apple TV: Can do most of what you want, but you’ll need to buy a Bluetooth keyboard and maybe a third-party streaming app for Windows. And will need Hulu Plus unless you stream in Hulu from your PC’s browser, which I’ve never tried to do.
Google TV: Can do all of what you want, but Hulu will require opening Chrome. Has generally negative reviews.
If I were you I’d just go to Best Buy or similar, buy both an Apple TV and a Google TV and return the one you like less. And if neither one works the way you want, return both and buy a HDMI or DVI cable like you originally intended to and just suck up the pain…
If you do decide to go the PC route, you might want to look into Windows Media Center in conjunction with a Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote. It’s not as integrated a solution compared to Roku or Apple TV, but it MIGHT be better than a mouse and keyboard if you’re sitting far away from the screen and/or desk.