Roku's remote control vs the Now TV controller Fire TV Other than that, it looks and feels like the Now TV remote. There are some differences - the Roku Express remote doesn't have power or microphone buttons, and there are no volume controls on the side either. This might come in useful for those worried about the sensor falling off a small ledge, but it's not an essential and our reviewer's average TV stand didn't require the adhesive.Īs they're both manufactured by Roku, it's unsurprising that the remote for the Roku Express closely resembles the Now TV remote.
The sensor comes with a thin strip of adhesive to help fix it on to a surface. Since it's plain black, it doesn't look out of place beside a television and it's unnoticeable compared to the lumpy Freeview boxes from the early days of universal digital television. It isn't an intrusive device, about the length of a USB stick and not much wider. The design of the Roku Express is slightly more complex than the other devices as it has a sensor device which must be placed in view to ensure the remote works properly. Google's Chromecast smart TV stick offers a different design to the others Roku Express
In terms of design alone, this makes it the most visually appealing of all four devices - although it's wasted behind the television. That said, the Chromecast itself has a distinctive circular receiver connected to the USB wire on one side which then links to the plug adaptor too. Unlike the other three devices, the Chromecast doesn't have its own remote as every action takes place via the smartphone or tablet casting to the device.
For a right-handed person, this means the sound can be adjusted with the thumb, although this might be trickier for a left-hander. There's a directional arrow button for simple scrolling, with the rest of the buttons clearly marked and fairly self-explanatory.Īs well as the active buttons on the front of the remote, there are also volume controls on the right-hand side. The branded remote fits snugly in the hand and isn't too cluttered. Now TV's Smart Stick is the most compact of all the devices, coming in at around the size of an average USB stick with a simple thin connector wire leading from the bottom of the smart stick to the plug. That said, three of the four TV sticks we examine here come with remote controls and their design is arguably more important than the appearance of the TV stick itself. TV sticks are functional items and, since they're mostly out of sight behind the television, there's little need for them to be overly flashy.
USB TV STICK UK FREE
Like the Now TV Smart Stick, there's nothing to stop customers using the Fire TV Stick to access free apps like YouTube on their TVs, but it's an expensive way of doing it. This is currently £79 per year, a saving of almost £17 over 12 months and is essentially two months free if you choose this option.
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Fire TVįire TV is another device with a monthly fee to access the Amazon Prime service, which also comes with various other benefits which we'll discuss below.Ĭustomers can get a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime and then it costs £7.99 per month on a rolling contract unless cancelled.Īmazon also offer a discount if you purchase a year's membership upfront. The price of these apps and the content within them can vary, but so does the quality. What makes the Roku Express different is that it offers the equivalent of in-app purchases, where customers can buy monthly or one-off subscriptions to various apps available through the device. The Roku smart TV stick and remote controller The cost of the Roku Express is in line with the Chromecast at £29.99 and can also be used simply as a device with no monthly fees to watch free apps. That said, the Chromecast is the least versatile of the four sticks we discuss here, so the flat price delivers a set service with no opportunity for upgrades. Once you own the Chromecast, you own all functionality for the lifetime of the product. The third generation of the Chromecast costs £30 and there are no additional fees on a monthly basis. In fact, it's the cheapest smart stick for that purpose. There isn't anything to stop customers using the Now TV Smart Stick as a portal to access the free TV apps available (more on that below). Learn more about Now TV pass prices in our dedicated Now TV review here. Now TV passes operate on a monthly rolling basis, and there are various Sky Sports options which can bring the costs down if sports are important.