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Anonymous User
Not applicable

SMART Stick or SMART box

Hi folks...

 

New to the forum... I have recently left SKY, having been with them for donkey's years... and have now subbed to NOW TV on a 6 month pre pay offer... I still want Freeview and the players (BBC, ITV, 4od, 5od) and I watch Netflix a lot...

 

I was just about to buy a SMART box, when I dived in feet first for a new Apple TV 4k... However, the NOW tv app on apple is just awful, so that has gone back...

 

So... SMART box on offer or the new SMART stick... ??? Do they do the same thing, or have they lost some of the features in the new Stick?

 

Also, is the interface teh same as the standard Samsung tv App? No improvemnts ??

 

Thx in advance for your help folks...

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION
Andy
Legend 5
Legend 5

@Anonymous User I think live chat sometimes get mixed up between Freeview over-the-air broadcasts and the catch-up apps.

 

No Eurosport on any of the NOW TV devices I'm afraid. 

View solution in original post

36 REPLIES 36
Andy
Legend 5
Legend 5

@Anonymous User wrote:

With ref to the TV player app... I browsed that briefly on ATV and it might have been just my eyesight, but it seemed that all the channels were in standard def only???

 


They only have about 4 or 5 channels in HD, everything else is SD.

Anonymous User
Not applicable

@Anonymous Userwrote:

My issue with NOW on ATV was that none of its functionality or navigation was there... No 'My TV' and browsing was a nightmare... Having read about it, it doesnt seem NOW are in any way going to update it anytime soon either... Hence me asking about the apps on these sticks... Obviousaly the NOW stick should have a decent app, but I am now more tentative about 3rd party devices...

 

With ref to the TV player app... I browsed that briefly on ATV and it might have been just my eyesight, but it seemed that all the channels were in standard def only???


As Andy said, the 'NOW TV' app on Roku's own-brand devices and Roku-Powered™ (but NowTV-branded) ones are pretty much the same. All the apps (or, "channels", as Roku call them) are essentially 'Roku Channels' developed to run on the Roku OS (which also forms the basis for NOW TV devices) so aside from (slight) variations in the software versions for each brand, they are pretty much the same... and Roku devices (like Roku Express and/or Roku Streaming Stick+, etc.) all have the 'My TV' feature that is "missing" from Apple TV devices.

 

AFAIK the 'TVPlayer' app still uses lower than 'Full HD' quality, to keep the overall cost of the service down (for both themselves, as well as to the end-user). This is similar (in my opinion) to what NOW TV have being doing thus far... which is to rely on Adaptive BitRate (ABR) streaming technology [sometimes called Multiple BitRate (MBR) streaming] that varies the quality of the individual streams based on what it determines to be the maximum that your device can handle (at any given time) without the risk of losing the signal or having to constantly be buffering. This generally means that, it will often start with a lower quality and then raise-up to a better quality within a short time of starting whatever you are watching... but can also mean that, if your network speed drops while you are streaming, it can also lower the quality to maintain the stream. More info at:-

 

What Stream Video Quality Does TVPlayer Use?

 

 

Anonymous User
Not applicable

OK, so for general interface, lag, speed of everythig loading... NOW Stick or Roku?

 

#onthespot 🙂 

 

Andy
Legend 5
Legend 5

@Anonymous User wrote:

OK, so for general interface, lag, speed of everythig loading... NOW Stick or Roku?

 

#onthespot 🙂 

 


In the style of those 'yes/no' Smash Hits quizzes 

 

Do you like an uncluttered homepage > Yes - go for Roku, it just displays all your installed apps

 

Do you want the extra apps > Yes, go for Roku

 

Do you want to spend a lot of money > No - Go for the Stick

 

Do you want it mainly for NOW TV cos you'll use your other devices for Netflix etc > Yes - go for the stick, homepage covered in NOW TV showcasing and quick access to continue watching and watchlist

 

Conclusion = personal choice! 😉

 

PS lag, speed of loading - nothing in it

schnapps
Legend 5
Legend 5

Hi @Anonymous User

 

If you are susceptible to judder on UK video content, then just be aware that the Roku Express video playback is fixed at 60hz, where the nowtv smart stick plays video content at 50hz which a lot of people find video playback smoother on UK broadcasts.

Anonymous User
Not applicable

@schnapps I'm unaware of any 'judder' when watching anything previously...

 

@Andy Good pop quiz answers... Thx 🙂

Anonymous User
Not applicable

Can you tell me what this is...? The Roku stick is just one stick isnt it... Does it need tl be plugged in two ports... 

 

 3rd image in...  Click me !!!!

 

Thx 

schnapps
Legend 5
Legend 5

Hi @Anonymous User

 

With the Roku Stick Plus (4K) you need a HDMI port version 2 with HDCP 2.2 if you want 4K or HDMI 1.4 for 1080p on your TV set.

 

Regarding power, you can either use a USB port on your TV set if it supports 5v dc 1 amp or use the power adapter that comes in the box to plug into a 240v mains power outlet socket.

 

The power cable also comes with powerful external wifi reciever (which is the chunky bit shown on the photo between the Stick and the wire going to the USB port on the TV to draw the power).

Anonymous User
Not applicable

@Anonymous Userwrote:

@schnapps I'm unaware of any 'judder' when watching anything previously...

 


I don't get any "judder" with NOW TV playback through any Roku device(s) on my TV's... so it might be dependent on the exact specifications of your TV. Most modern sets should be happy with displaying content at 60Hz (such as NTSC video) as well as 50Hz (such as with PAL recordings) - which mine are - so, assuming yours is too, you should be okay. It's also worth remembering that, if you opt for the 4K Roku Streaming Stick+, there is an option within the 'Advanced system settings' for enabling the device to "Auto-adjust display refresh rate" which will then output the native format of each movie, video or TV show. This should fix things for those who might experience such issues with their particular TV model.

 

More info in this 'Roku Support' help article:-

 

How to change the display refresh rate to match the native format of each movie, video or TV show

 

 

 

Anonymous User
Not applicable

The 'My Feed', on the Roku interface ... Does this track your viewing across all channels??? NOW, Netflix erc. etc.???