Best set-top box for Netflix Streaming in NZ

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Banana?
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Reply # 1135370 24-Sep-2014 10:46

geekiegeek:
trig42: If you have a library of stuff on a PC somewhere in your network, I would go the Amazon FireTV, and get Plex going as well.

Plex plus Netflix is all we use at home (I have an AppleTV and use Plex through the Samsung SmartHub on the TV).

Plex can also be used on an apple tv by hacking the trailers app.

I know, and before I got the Smart TV I used to do that.
Apple broke it at one point and it was a bit of a pain to fix (involved installing a certificate on the AppleTV IIRC). My Stepson uses Plex on his ATV2, and it works fine for him.

BigMal

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Reply # 1136385 24-Sep-2014 11:25

I have a Fire TV, Roku 3, Chromecast and a ATV3.

IMO

Fire TV - best value for money, fast and responsive to the remote, versatile (can install other apps like XBMC), DNS cannot be configured for wireless, only wired, Netflix interface is a bit ugly
Roku 3 - Best looking Netflix interface, good remote with headphone option on the remote, DNS can't be changed on the device
Apple TV3 - Netflix interface is a bit ugly, easily configurable DNS on the device
Chromecast - DNS can't be changed on device, controlled via phone, tablet or computer, cheap

The Roku is the staple in our living room, it got the WAF with it's large clear icons and nice Netflix interface.

However I've been tinkering with the Fire TV and aside form Netflix not looking as nice as the Roku 3 the Fire TV is a great device. I have it configured with Netflix, SPMC, NFL Gamepass, SOPCast - it's versatility is awesome and at $99 I think it is by far best value for money.

razor2000nz

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Reply # 1136391 24-Sep-2014 11:36

I was also about to ask the same question as this post, I was looking into a Raspberry Pi that comes pre-loaded with XBMC (same price as Fire tv), I have my local content stored on WD my cloud. I have plex (now called Playz in LG tv world) installed on my 2013 lgtv, but want to get rid of having my laptop open to act as the plex client. thing that puts me of fire tv is you cant utilize the usb input to add your own media

Mattmannz

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Reply # 1136392 24-Sep-2014 11:37

BigMal: I have a Fire TV, Roku 3, Chromecast and a ATV3.

IMO

Fire TV - best value for money, fast and responsive to the remote, versatile (can install other apps like XBMC), DNS cannot be configured for wireless, only wired, Netflix interface is a bit ugly
Roku 3 - Best looking Netflix interface, good remote with headphone option on the remote, DNS can't be changed on the device
Apple TV3 - Netflix interface is a bit ugly, easily configurable DNS on the device
Chromecast - DNS can't be changed on device, controlled via phone, tablet or computer, cheap

The Roku is the staple in our living room, it got the WAF with it's large clear icons and nice Netflix interface.

However I've been tinkering with the Fire TV and aside form Netflix not looking as nice as the Roku 3 the Fire TV is a great device. I have it configured with Netflix, SPMC, NFL Gamepass, SOPCast - it's versatility is awesome and at $99 I think it is by far best value for money.

You can change the DNS on the wireless on the FireTV, you have to use a static IP though, you can't leave the IP to DHCP and change the DNS. Also it's $99US plus shipping to NZ.

Matt

dclegg

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Reply # 1136398 24-Sep-2014 11:46

We loved our Apple TV so much, we bought another one for our upstairs TV.

It mostly works well, but we do have one minor issue, which may or may not be the fault of the ATV. Our downstairs TV is a Panasonic Plasma. We have all devices (including the Apple TV) plugged into the TV via HDMI, and use an optical cable from the TV to our Pioneer A/V receiver (which has no HDMI inputs and only one optical in). As the receiver only has one optical in, these go via an optical switch so we can have our PS3 also going to it via an optical cable.

After continuous viewing on the Apple TV (either NetFlix, Hulu, or streaming local media from iTunes), the audio and video get out of sync. It generally takes a couple of hours for this to become a nuisance, and rebooting the Apple TV always resolves it.

I'm yet to fully diagnose what is happening here, but the Apple TV is the only source we've noticed this happening on. Other devices connected to the TV via HDMI, and with their audio going to the AV receiver via the same route don't appear to be affected.

This issue doesn't happen at all with our upstairs configuration, which is a lot simpler (Panasonic LCD TV plugged into a cheap Panasonic Home Theatre, using HDMI ARC to get the sound to it).

BigMal

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Reply # 1136404 24-Sep-2014 11:58

Mattmannz:

You can change the DNS on the wireless on the FireTV, you have to use a static IP though, you can't leave the IP to DHCP and change the DNS.

Matt

Ah, good to know. Thanks.

graemeh

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Reply # 1136433 24-Sep-2014 12:40

razor2000nz: I was also about to ask the same question as this post, I was looking into a Raspberry Pi that comes pre-loaded with XBMC (same price as Fire tv), I have my local content stored on WD my cloud. I have plex (now called Playz in LG tv world) installed on my 2013 lgtv, but want to get rid of having my laptop open to act as the plex client. thing that puts me of fire tv is you cant utilize the usb input to add your own media

I tried to get my Raspberry Pi to work with Netflix and gave up and bought a Roku 3. I believe the problem was Netflix security.

Raspberry Pi is great though for playing local content but interface is not quite as nice as Roku.

Glassboy

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Reply # 1136459 24-Sep-2014 12:49

Another great point is the Roku 3 has a USB port into which you can plug USB storage containing your media files. The Media Player - like the Netflix client - has a high WAF. The Roku 3 controller also has a skip back a few seconds button. Great for those people whose SOs talk at to them during critical moments of a show.

rokki

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Reply # 1136479 24-Sep-2014 13:10

I have an Apple TV , Roku 3 , Roku 2 , Xbone and a PS4.

Apple TV is in main lounge theater room and is the device I watch movies on in there. IMO best picture and audio quality.
Roku 3 is also in lounge for breakfast viewing and dinner viewing of a tv show we are watching it is a little quicker starting streaming than the Apple TV but it has a caveat in that on this device Netflix uses Dolby Digital Plus with a very low Bitrate and depending on your receiver you may suffer from this http://www.avsforum.com/forum/90-receivers-amps-processors/1492916-dolby-digital-plus-netflix-various-avrs.html as i do with my receiver so hence only short viewing periods.
Roku 2 is on loan.
Xbone and PS4 are in man cave and a fine with Netflix.

Just my two cents worth.

My gear 55" Samsung 4K SUHD LCD HDR , Denon AVR-4200W Reciever in 7.1.2 Surround , Denon 2 Channel Amp to power ceiling speakers , Combination of Polk Audio Fronts And Tannoy Surrounds plus 2 Cambridge Audio Ceiling Speakers Pioneer Downfiring Subwoofer , Oppo UDP-203 UHD Player , Roku Ultra , Apple TV 3

tkr001

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Reply # 1136735 24-Sep-2014 17:01

I have a roku 3, a roku streams tick and an Apple TV. I prefer the roku 3 and really only use the Apple TV for airplay.

Scott3

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Reply # 1136957 24-Sep-2014 21:38

Wow, Thank you for all the responses, really great to know what people use in NZ

Options so far:

Last gen consoles (ps3 or xbox360) - I didn't think of this, xbox360's are quite cheap on trademe..
Amazon fire: 5+ recommendations
- If I could run xbmc on it that would be great, I still have my xbox with xbmc, from back when xbmc stood for xbox media centre, and liked it then.
- Plex? I have local content currently on a usb 2.5" drive + my laptop drive, was going to get a NAS, but spouse I could get a x-lease desktop and set it up as a plex server. I am a bit worried about the power use, space, heat and noise of a server compared to a nas
Apple TV: I don't really have an apple ecosystem (have a retina ipad and a couple of 1st gen ipod touches, but phones are andriod, laptops are windows). therefore some features would be wasted.
Roku 3: sounds like the best netflix streamer but it will be be a pain to set up the DNS address.
Raspberry Pi xbmc setup, I thought the Pi struggles to decode high bitrate 1080p streams, - I don't think netflix works with this setup.
WDTV live sound like a poor choice for netflix

My TV is a Samsung UA40D5000 purchased in Nov 2011 - It has a RJ-45 LAN port, and has DLNA, Samsung Allshare, and can play from local USB drives, interface is a little clunky. I'm pretty sure it can't do any internet streaming. It is currently being repaired under warranty for a fault that requires panel replacement, so there is a possibility that they just swap out the entire tv for a current model.

USB playback on the set top box isn't a big need for me, TV can play .264 .mkv's etc. Plan to have content on the network in the near future.

I am leaning towards Amazon fire as I like the easier DNS setup, and the possibility of running xbmc. plus it is currently on special US$84 + freight.

Although I am still tempted by the roku 3 US$100 + Fright, for its better interface, and brand recognition. I assume Vodafone will give me a Huawei HG659 with my ufb install, will I need to replace this if I want to set a dns server for the roku but not impact on the rest of my network (the roku will be wired).

Thanks again for all your help.

[edit] add wdtv to list above

razor2000nz

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Reply # 1136964 24-Sep-2014 21:51

"Raspberry Pi xbmc setup, I thought the Pi struggles to decode high bitrate 1080p streams, - I don't think netflix works with this setup".

from what ive read the new Raspberry Pi B+ model plays 1080p fine, have seen them playing 25gb blu ray mkv's with no problems. - doesnt help your netflix issue though.

blakamin

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Reply # 1136967 24-Sep-2014 21:56

I use the 360... mainly for the fact the DNS can be set on it, and not my router.

Earbanean

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Reply # 1137198 25-Sep-2014 10:24

We use an ATV3 and it works perfectly for Netflix. However, one thing I think not mentioned above is that it doesn't support a few of the other sources that you may end up wanting to use. e.g. Amazon Instant and Vudu. A box not aligned to any of the content sources will give you a bigger range of options. e.g. the Roku.

We currently solve this issue (when we need to), through our Sony blu-ray player, which sits next to the ATV. For $120'ish it gives us the only (and last?) physical disc player we'll need (plays blu-ray, DVD, CD and even SACD), supports all the streaming options (Netflix, Amazon etc), has DLNA for home server stuff, works wired or WiFi etc. Only downside is the interface for Netflix etc not as nice as the ATV, which is why we prefer the ATV for the services that it supports.

razor2000nz

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Reply # 1137212 25-Sep-2014 10:28

Purchased Fire Tv last night, ability to side load XBMC and get it on to the main app screen, plus able to have netflix was the clincher for me.

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