> I can't see him messing around with his phone to watch tv.
And yet you don't see that for some this is in fact a "killer feature" in favor of the Chromecast? All this tells me is that you've never actually tried the product. Just count how many times you've had to hunt for a remote in the couch vs. how many times you've genuinely misplaced your phone to see how wrong your thinking is here.
With the Roku you can either use the remote or your phone with the Roku app. How is it an advantage by having only one option? You can also cast from the two most popular video apps - Netflix and YouTube. I won’t even mention that if you’re a subscriber to Amazon Prime - and there are over 100 million people who are - you can’t use Amazon Prime Video at all on the Chromecast.
Are you really going to say that a phone interface is “less fiddly” than a purpose built “10 foot interface” for watching tv with a purpose built remote for controlling the interface and having only to navigate through the compatible apps?
With private listening, you don’t need the tv to work with Bluetooth and that’s yet another “fiddly interface” you have to deal with and yet another device you have to keep charged - as opposed to using your phone you already have and either wired or wireless headphones. Depending on which Roku you have, you can plug your headphones directly into your remote.
If you really want to talk about “platform flammage”, I didn’t even mention my 4K AppleTV where you have the benefit of native apps, mirroring from Macs, Airplaying from iOS devices, and a remote app on iOS devices....
> Are you really going to say that a phone interface is “less fiddly” than a purpose built “10 foot interface” for watching tv
Uh, yes. Yes. I am really going to say that. Again, you either haven't tried a Chromecast, haven't ever played a Netflix[1] video on an Android phone, or both.
Again: yes, playing content on a phone is easier than a TV. And it isn't even close.
Did I mention the phone is easier? It's easier.
[1] Or Google Play, or Youtube, or Spotify, or pretty much anything except Apple or Amazon, which remain notable and regretful (if not unexplainable) holes in coverage.
With Roku you can do both. Netflix and YouTube both support casting from Android phones to Roku. Spotify
Connect works with everything.
Casting from my phone when I sharing a TV with other people who may not have the app installed, may not have an Android phone at all isn't more convenient than just handing over a remote - I'm not going to just hand my phone over silly nilly to let someone else control the TV while I'm out.
I'm not suggesting that most people get an AppleTV 4K - they are overpriced and I got one free with my DirecTVNow subscription - but at least with it, you can airplay Google Play and you have native apps (or Airplay) with Amazon Prime.
With Roku you have native apps for everything except Apple's stuff and you can cast to it.
With the Nvidia Shield - you have access to the entire Android ecosystem, Amazon Prime, and ChromeCast support.
The ChromeCast is the least capable alternative.
This isn't even an anti Android thing. The Nvidia Shield is Android based and just much better.
With the Roku you can either use the remote or your phone with the Roku app. How is it an advantage by having only one option? You can also cast from the two most popular video apps - Netflix and YouTube. I won’t even mention that if you’re a subscriber to Amazon Prime - and there are over 100 million people who are - you can’t use Amazon Prime Video at all on the Chromecast.
Are you really going to say that a phone interface is “less fiddly” than a purpose built “10 foot interface” for watching tv with a purpose built remote for controlling the interface and having only to navigate through the compatible apps?
With private listening, you don’t need the tv to work with Bluetooth and that’s yet another “fiddly interface” you have to deal with and yet another device you have to keep charged - as opposed to using your phone you already have and either wired or wireless headphones. Depending on which Roku you have, you can plug your headphones directly into your remote.
If you really want to talk about “platform flammage”, I didn’t even mention my 4K AppleTV where you have the benefit of native apps, mirroring from Macs, Airplaying from iOS devices, and a remote app on iOS devices....