Rex would like to connect a computer to his new flat screen and stream videos online. What should he buy?
Leo says that Rex doesn't really want a computer, he wants something like the Roku 3, Apple TV, or Fire TV. The problem is, just one of them won't have all the shows that he wants. But considering the shows that Rex's wife wants to watch, having an Amazon Prime membership will be most beneficial because streaming videos from Amazon is free. And the Amazon Fire TV may be a good option in that case. Then there's Netflix, which is included on all of the boxes. So if his favorite shows are on Netflix, then it doesn't matter what he gets.
Scott Wilkinson says that while HBO Go is on most boxes as well, until the beginning of the year he'd have to have an HBO cable subscription to use it. Next year, however, he'll be able to subscribe to the streaming service by itself. Scott says it's a very complicated process right now because all of the devices make deals with content providers and ISPs. So it's all very fragmented. The best he can do is decide what are services he can get and then go for that.
What does Scott use? He has both Apple TV and the Roku stick. Leo says that if he gets the Xbox One or PS4, he could get an internet enabled streaming device that doubles as a Blu-ray player and a gaming device. Veronica Belmont has crowd sourced a master list of all the streaming devices and what services they offer at http://bit.ly/settop.
Scott also says that having a 4K TV has another wrinkle because the TVs don't support 1080p streaming boxes. He'd have to have an internet enabled 4K TV and use the apps it has.
Cutting through all of it though, Leo says that the Roku 3 is Rex's best bet.