Although it's only just been revealed and won't actually go on sale for four long weeks, Apple's new hockey puck is far from the only media streamer on the market -- and with Sony's Netbox and the Boxee Box on the way, the sub-$200 set-top box market is exploding with options. So let's line up the revised Apple TV against the (post-price cut) Roku HD-XR, Popbox, and even an LG Blu-ray player in the same price range and see what you're actually getting -- and more importantly, getting access to -- on each device. Oh, and there's some choice words from Roku after the break.
Update: You asked for them, so we added the PS3, Xbox 360 & WDTV Live as well, after the break.
| Device: | AppleTV | Roku XR | Pop Box | LG BD550 |
 |  |  |  | |
| Price: | $99 | $99 | $129 | $130 - $150 |
| Form Factor/Size: | 3.9 x 0.9 x 3.9 | 5 x 5 x 1.75 | 8 x 1.4 x 6 inches | 16.9 x 1.8 x 7.9 |
| Available Content: | HD TV shows from ABC & Fox ($0.99), HD Movie rentals ($4.99/$3.99), Netflix, iTunes, YouTube | Netflix, Amazon VOD (now with $0.99 HD TV show purchases from Fox & ABC), MLB.tv, UFC, NBA GameTime, YouTube, Pandora | YouTube, Revision3, Blip.tv, h.264 / XviD / MPEG-4, MKV / AVI / WMV | Blu-ray discs, VUDU, Netflix, CinemaNow, YouTube, Pandora, Napster |
| Apps / SDK: | N/A | Roku Channel / SDK available | Popapps Store / SDK available | NetCast widgets |
| Connectivity: | WiFi N, Ethernet | WiFi N, Ethernet | Ethernet, optional WiFi adapter | Ethernet, Disc |
| Video Quality: | 720p, 5.1 audio | 720p (1080p upgrade coming soon), 5.1 audio | 1080p, 5.1 audio | 1080p, 7.1 audio, DTS-HD MA / Dolby TrueHD audio |
Continue reading Apple TV vs. the competition -- how does it stack up?
Apple TV vs. the competition -- how does it stack up? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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