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best streaming player roku vs apple tv
compare the features and decide for yourself roku player AppleTV
Price $49.99-$99 $99
Entertainment choices
Netflix (instant movies and TV shows) yes yes
Hulu Plus (current TV shows) yes
Top movie rentals yes yes
Top movie purchases yes yes
Major sports packages (like MLB, NHL, UFC) yes
Streaming access to iTunes library without PC yes
Free Internet radio (like Pandora, TuneIn) yes
Premium internet music services (like MOG) yes
Photo and video viewing (like Flickr, Vimeo, and Picassa) yes yes
Major news programs and podcasts (like Fox News, CNBC) yes yes
Over 100 channels available, with more added all the time yes
Video playback and controls
720p HD video streaming* yes yes
Available 1080p HD video streaming* yes
Available Instant Replay (via button on remote) yes
Connectivity
Connects to standard definition/traditional TVs yes
Connects to HDTVs yes yes
Built-in wireless (Wi-Fi) yes yes
Available dual-band Wireless-N – the latest standard yes yes
Ethernet port yes yes
Available USB port for playing media from local USB device yes**
And the winner is... Roku. The best selling streaming player ever.

* Not all streaming services support 720p or 1080p HD streaming (on both Apple TV or Roku) 
**USB 2.0 port (enabled via free Roku USB Media Player channel). Video support: MP4 (H.264), MOV (H.264), MKV (H.264) ASF/WMV (WMV9/VC-1). Audio support: MP3, AAC, Dolby Digital (MP4, MOV and MKV pass through only), DTS (MKV pass through only). Image support: JPG, PNG.

What the Press are saying
By Edward C. Baig - USA Today

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"Roku more than holds its own, with a broader channel lineup that will soon add the subscription Hulu Plus streaming service."

USA Today
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Review: A better Apple TV doesn't beat competition
By Peter Svenson - Associated Press

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"[With Roku] …you can get version that can connect to older TV sets that don't take digital inputs; Apple TV can't do that."
Associated Press
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By Dan Rayburn - Streaming Media

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"….I'd much rather have a Roku due to the flexibility with the hardware, the support for 1080p and the fact it gets a lot more content than the Apple TV."
Streaming media
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