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Re-activateLooking for an easy, cheap way to access Netflix and other streaming video services? Consider an Internet-connected set-top box. The boxes, most of which cost $100 or less, were used by 25 percent of survey respondents who stream video, most of whom were very satisfied. The small devices work with any TV that has an HDMI input, which includes just about any LCD or plasma TV. (A few boxes also work with older sets.)
Every model we tested yielded very good full HD (1080p) images. All stream Netflix, one or two more video services, and a music station or two. All but a few models also had apps of other kinds that we don't list below, such as Facebook, Twitter, and photo-sharing services such as Picasa and Flickr. The Boxee and the Sony, the priciest models, also have full Web browsers.
All models can access your home network via Wi-Fi. Initial setup is pretty easy. You plug the box into your TV and connect to your wireless network, and you're good to go. A few models even have Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS), so no password is needed; you push a button on the router to connect the player.
Services: iTunes, Netflix, YouTube
This has Apple's usual super-friendly interface and integrates nicely with iTunes TV shows, movies and music libraries, and the iCloud storage service. If you already live in Apple's world, it's a great choice. Using AirPlay, it can stream content from an iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch to a TV, and it supports AirPlay mirroring (which displays whatever's on your iOS device's screen on the TV). It also provides access to Netflix and YouTube. Its remote control was the smallest of the tested models' but was easy to use despite having no dedicated buttons for services. But it offers fewer services than some others.
Services: Amazon, Epix, HBO Go, Hulu Plus, Netflix, Pandora
Roku's flagship media player has a wide selection of streaming services and apps (it comes with Angry Birds) and has an enhanced Bluetooth game remote with motion sensing for playing games. (The remote required pairing with the box.) The box has a USB port and a microSD card slot for additional storage. It's the only tested model that requires you to register using a computer, and it lacks YouTube. If you can live without Angry Birds and the motion-sensing remote, the $80 Roku 2XD might be a better bet, though it also lacks the USB port and a wired Ethernet port.
Services: Netflix, Pandora, Vudu, YouTube
This lower-priced box (available only at Walmart) is limited to three streaming video services—Netflix, Vudu, and YouTube—plus Pandora Internet radio. It has WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup), which makes things very easy: You just push the WPS button on the router and the box automatically connects; you don't need to enter a network password. MovieNite has composite audio/video connections for use with older devices, and its remote has dedicated buttons for the four streaming services. But unlike most boxes, no future additions are expected. It can connect to an optional Mydlink-enabled webcam for in-home monitoring via any Internet-connected device. D-Link also offers the MovieNite Plus, an $80 box that provides access to more content, including apps.
Services: CinemaNow, Hulu Plus, Netflix, Pandora, Vudu, YouTube
This midpriced media player includes Intel's WiDi technology, which lets you wirelessly display content from your laptop on a TV. The NeoTV Pro 200S can access CinemaNow, Hulu Plus, Netflix, Vudu, and YouTube, plus Pandora. The company also sells a less-expensive version without the WiDi feature. This model was easy to connect via its built-in WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) support, which eliminates the need to enter a password to connect to your wireless network.
Services: CinemaNow, Hulu Plus, Netflix, Pandora, Spotify, Vudu, YouTube
This media player has access to CinemaNow, Hulu Plus, Netflix, Vudu, and You Tube, plus Pandora. It was one of the few models with support for Spotify, an increasingly popular music app. It has two USB slots as well as support for older analog A/V connections. The company also sells a version that comes with a built-in hard drive. The box contained logos for the Blockbuster streaming service, but it's no longer supported on the device.
In addition to streaming video, these devices let you go almost anywhere on the Web. So you could, for example, view a slideshow from a photo site such as Snapfish or explore Facebook on your TV.
Services: HBO Go, Netflix, Pandora, Spotify, Vudu, YouTube
This pricier model has a relatively large, unusual shape that makes it more obtrusive than most boxes. It has a full Web browser, lots of content—including HBO Go, Netflix, Vudu, and YouTube, plus Pandora and Spotify music services, and social-media sites such as Facebook and Twitter—and the widest video-format support. The box has two USB ports, plus an SD card slot for playing photos, videos, and music. It comes with a dual-sided remote with QWERTY keyboard on one side, useful for registering the device and performing Web searches. It can accept an optional USB antenna to get free over-the-air TV.
Services: Amazon, HBO Go, Netflix, Pandora, Sony Entertainment, YouTube
Tested as a preretail sample and the priciest of the boxes we tested, the Sony uses the revamped Google TV platform, with a full Web browser and access to the Android market, now called Google Play. The box can search for live TV shows as well as content from Amazon, HBO Go, Netflix, Sony Entertainment, YouTube, and Pandora (services subject to change). It comes with a sophisticated dual-sided remote with a keyboard and a touchpad. Unlike other boxes, this sits between your cable box and TV, and can even pass through 3D signals (from cable, satellite, or a service that offers it, such as Vudu) if you have a 3D TV.
A version of this article appeared in the September 2012 issue of Consumer Reports magazine with the headline "Plug 'n Play: Boxes That Take Your TV Online."
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