The Cordkillers Guide to Streaming Hardware
The second half of our streaming guide moves from services to the boxes, sticks, smart TVs, antennas, and oddball gadgets that actually get the video onto your screen. Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Google TV, NVIDIA Shield, smart-TV platforms, and antenna/DVR setups all get sorted by ecosystem, reliability, longevity, and how much tinkering you actually want to do.
Roku
Roku remains one of the most affordable and widely supported streaming hardware options, with both boxes and sticks available. Tom looks back at Roku’s origins as the original Netflix streamer, while the conversation moves into why Roku’s biggest advantage today may be less about app availability and more about interface preference, ecosystem familiarity, and its massive advertising platform.
Fire TV
Fire TV sticks and boxes are a strong fit for people already deep in Amazon’s ecosystem, especially if they use Prime Video and add-on channels heavily. Brian praises the Fire TV Cube as an easy “hotel-like” setup for guests at Modern Rogue HQ, while Tom notes that Amazon’s voice control remains one of Fire TV’s biggest strengths.
Apple TV
Apple TV is presented as the obvious choice for people already using iPhones, Macs, and iPads, thanks to smooth ecosystem integration, easy authentication, purchases through Apple devices, and a polished interface. Amos explains that he has six Apple TVs still in active use across different rooms, with older models continuing to work well even if they lack the latest features.
Google TV Streamer
Chromecast is gone as a hardware brand, replaced by the Google TV Streamer, a small box rather than the old familiar dongle. Tom and Brian mourn the loss of the Chromecast name while noting that Google TV Streamer makes sense for people invested in Google, YouTube, YouTube TV, and Android, even if Google’s TV strategy has been less consistent than its competitors.
NVIDIA Shield TV
The NVIDIA Shield TV remains the power-user streaming box, especially for gamers, tinkerers, VPN users, and people who want more control. Tom notes that it has not been meaningfully updated since 2019, yet still works remarkably well, though it is beginning to show its age as apps become more demanding.
Game Consoles and Retired Hardware
Game consoles are still capable of streaming, but Sony and Microsoft have largely moved away from treating them as primary TV boxes. The crew also gives a nod to retired or fading hardware like TiVo and Microsoft’s old TV ambitions, noting that most people with consoles still end up buying a dedicated streaming box anyway.
Xumo Stream Box
The Xumo Stream Box, available through Comcast and Charter, is discussed as a potentially useful option for subscribers who want a simple streaming device tied to their internet provider. It can replace some traditional cable-box use cases and may be worth trying if it is included for free or discounted through a provider.
Smart TV Operating Systems
Many viewers now simply use the apps built into their smart TVs, and that can work perfectly well as long as performance remains acceptable. The discussion runs through Samsung’s Tizen, LG’s webOS, Roku TVs, Fire TV sets, Google TV/Android TV sets, Vizio’s SmartCast under Walmart, and TiVo OS on some budget TVs, with the main advice being to consider both app support and long-term performance before relying entirely on the TV’s built-in software.
Antennas, HDHomeRun, and Tablo
For over-the-air broadcast TV, devices like HDHomeRun and Tablo can turn an antenna into a networked live-TV and DVR system. Amos explains his HDHomeRun Quattro setup feeding Plex for local DVR recordings like Saturday Night Live, NASCAR, major sports, and local news during severe weather, while Tom explains why he sometimes prefers a direct antenna connection for the lowest possible sports delay.
Alaska Is the Edge Case
Amos points out that in Alaska, over-the-air broadcasts can sometimes be delayed or degraded because local TV signals are rebroadcast by satellite. That means streaming apps may occasionally be ahead of the antenna feed, proving once again that every “simple” TV setup has an exception hiding somewhere.
What Guides What We Watch?
The crew closes by talking about how they actually choose what to watch now that almost everything is available somewhere. Brian compares modern TV to a book-club experience built around shared viewing, Tom breaks down his household’s different use cases for appointment viewing, background TV, sports, YouTube, and queue management, and Amos describes his viewing as deliberate, focused, ad-free whenever possible, and driven by attention more than availability.
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