Both Roku and Apple TV are excellent media players. They both offer users excellent streaming experience. Deciding which of them to go for can be a herculean task. This is facilitated by the fact that both digital media players offer excellent services.
Both devices stream video up to 4k your HD-capable television, they both offer full-featured apps for finding and playing content, they both come with high-end remote controls, which is a powerful tool for navigating through the content offered. Apple TV offers a slender black glass, plastic and metal remote-as-art-object is just as easy to use as Roku’s chunkier, plastic one. Still, on similarities, both media players also offer a wide range of movies, games, and apps.
As already mentioned, these similarities make it difficult to make a choice between the Apple TV and Roku. In this article, we are going to explore the minute differences between these media players. Minute differences that may make you choose one of the other. These differences will be discussed under different headings.
Roku Vs Apple TV
| Apple TV 4K | Roku Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $179/$199 | $90 |
| Resolution | 2160p (4K) | 2160p (4K) |
| Operating system | tvOS 12 | Roku OS |
| Processor | Apple A10X Fusion | ARM Cortex A53 |
| Storage | 32GB/64GB | 512MB |
| RAM | 3GB | 1GB |
| External storage | None | USB-A/microSD |
| Bluetooth | BT 4.0 | None |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes |
| Dolby Vision | Yes | No |
| Voice remote | Yes | Yes |
Available Variants
Purchasing the Apple TV, you are presented with two variants. It’s either you go with the Apple TV variant with either 32GB or 64GB of storage, or you purchase the standard version of the Apple TV, which doesn’t support 4K and again you can choose to either go for the 32GB or 64GB variant.
Unlike the Apple TV, Roku offers more variants. Purchasing the Roku TV media player you are presented with 7 different Roku variants. Apart from these variants, there are literally hundreds of smart TV with Roku Built-in.
Setup
The ease of setup is a very vital parameter when it comes to digital media players. We do not want to rely on technicians for everything. Thankfully both media players have a setup system that can qualify as DIY ( do it your self).
The setup process of the Apple TV can conveniently be referred to as “Auto-magic”. Technicalities are reduced to the barest minimum. Setting up the Apple TV, you are required to connect the power cord and HDMI cord to the Apple’s TV box, after which you are to touch your iTunes-connected iPhone to the Apple TV. Apple TV will connect to your Wi-Fi network and iTunes store. The Apple TV app handles individual content providers, with a single sign-in once configured.
Setting up Roku TV requires a little more from you, though it’s straight forward, it isn’t as easy as setting up the Apple TV. Here you will have to set up the Roku store account, tackle individual log-ins for various channels, and lots more. In order to make the setup process simple, The Roku TV features an On-screen help setup, that makes the whole setup process straight forward and easy.
Channel List
The number of available channels is another factor that may determine your purchase decision. The availability of channels brings the discrepancy to both media players.
- Must Read: 10 Best TV Remote Apps For Android/iPhones
Roku TV has over 8,700 channels and apps available, while the Apple TV media player has fewer channels. On the Apple TV, you are presented with approximately 2,000 channels, which can be accessed via a quick scan of the Apple TV’s App store.
Apple TV or Roku: Which Should You Pick?
Reading the disparity in features of the Apple TV and Roku, there is hardly enough reason to choose one over the other. Both media players offer top-notch service. But one thing is certain, Apple users are certainly going to opt for the Apple TV. Similar to other Apple products, they only function in Apple’s ecosystem. Pairing the Apple TV with any Apple device in the Ecosystem, you get seamless integration. Music, Photos, Movies are available on all screens at the same time.
Switch Over to Roku, you are presented with an open source system, that is compatible with devices running the Android operating system. Roku lets you control what you watch using your Android smartphone.
If you are an apple fan, already sunk in the ecosystem, you are strongly advised to go with the Apple TV media play. If the case is reversed and you use an Android device Roku is highly recommended.