Internet TV

Internet TV is changing the way we watch TV. With services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Boxee, you can watch TV wherever you go, on your phone, tablet computer, or laptop.

The Roku 2

Two interesting set-top boxes, or internet streaming boxes are Roku and Apple TV. The base Roku player is only $60, compared to the Apple TV, which is $100. The top model Roku player costs $100 and includes most of the features of Apple TV. In this post, I will contrast the Roku player to Apple TV. Note that the Roku player that I am referencing is the top model Roku player.

Apple TV 2

The Roku has some nice streaming features that Apple TV doesn't offer. For example, the Roku can stream from Pandora, TuneIn, and Last.fm. Unfortunately, Apple TV doesn't offer these streaming services, but Apple TV does offer Airplay, which allows you to wirelessly stream content from your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch.
Here's a list of the features that the Roku and Apple TV offer:

Feature	Roku	Apple TV
Netflix	✓	✓
Hulu Plus	✓	✗
Movie Rentals	✓	✓
Movie Purchases	✓	✓
Sports Packages	✓	✓
Streaming iTunes content wirelessly	✓	✓
Free Internet radio (like Pandora, Last.fm)	✓	✗
Photo and video content (like Flickr and Youtube	✓	✓
Major news programs	✓	✓
720p HD streaming	✓	✓
1080p HD streaming	✓	✗
Connects to standard/traditional TVs	✓	✗
Connects to HDTVS	✓	✓
Wi-Fi	✓	✓
Wireless N	✓	✓
Ethernet	✓	✓
USB Port	✓	✗
iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch control	✗	✓
Streaming iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch content	✗	✓
Remote control	✓	✓
Games	✓	✗

Here's a great article covering several other Internet TV services in detail. -- Matthew