You’re still thinking about cutting the cable TV, but can’t decide on an internet streaming device. How do you get all that media streaming content available on the web onto your big ass TV? Which media streaming device to choose, the Roku, Boxee, Apple TV, or maybe even something else? The Device Guru has a great comparison of these devices and what features they have, plus a fair list of pros and cons for each. 
In general there are three kinds of activity that matter most, once you start hooking your TV up to your a local network and the Internet:
- Accessing Internet-based content via “canned” channels
- Playing your own multimedia files from USB or SD cards, or by accessing local network shares
- Using a browser to visit to check email, see what’s new on Facebook or Twitter, read the news, shop, or stream audio or video content from sites that aren’t supported by canned channels.
Other important considerations are ease of use (“Can the babysitter use this gadget?”); quality and reliability (smoothness of streaming and freedom from bugs and crashes); physical characteristics like size, power consumption, and fan noise; and cost.
The guru does a great job outlining these features, AND has a handy chart which shows them to you side by side. He even includes Google TV and Netgear’s NTV. There’s even a great chart that lists which formats each device is capable of playing, an important consideration depending on the source of your content. He is also correct in pointing out that there is still a lot of personal preference that goes into this… are you willing to weight ease of use more heavily than the number of formats that the device can handle? Again, he gives you a lot of information to look at to compare. 
In addition to his outline and feature comparison,
Throughout this smackdown, there are links to DeviceGuru’s in-depth reviews of all five devices. The reviews provide lots more detail on each device’s unique capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses, and also include comprehensive screenshot tours that demonstrate the device’s user interface and operation.
In the Roku vs Boxee vs Apple TV debate, it’s a tough choice on which media streaming device to choose. Keep in mind, that newer flat screen television may have internet streaming capability built in, if not available as a plug-in/add-on. Be sure and compare the interface with these little gizmos here.
