The inexpensive Roku Express offers a lot of channels, but an awkward design and sluggish performance undercut its value.

The Roku Streaming Stick (2016) is a well-designed, inexpensive, content-rich streaming stick that occupies admirably little space.

The Samsung UN40JU6700 has a sexy curved design and 4K resolution, but the overall picture quality doesn't match the high price.

The Apple TV's innovative Siri features, app store and beautiful interface make the premium worth it for Apple fans, but it lacks 4K support.

The Roku 4 streams in full 4K at up to 60 frames per second and has more than 2,500 channels, but it's familiar and a bit pricey.

Google's Chromecast Audio makes it easy to stream high-quality audio from most streaming music services to powered speakers.

The redesigned Chromecast offers improved performance and makes it easier to find movies, shows and audio to stream.

The Slingbox M2 can stream whatever you see on your TV, but it doesn’t improve much on the previous generation.

Although the Chromecast is almost foolproof in both setup and functionality, what it does is limited compared to the competition.

The leader of the streaming player pack, the Roku 3 offers the most content choices, a comprehensive search feature and a remote that enables private listening.