Western Digital WD TV Live Hub: Product Review

Pros: Good picture quality, Broad file format support, Can play back media from any networked device, Huge 1 TB hard drive

Cons: Some early units were subject to a manufacturer's defect, Wi-Fi not built in, Limited number of content providers, More complex to set up and use than some digital media players

Western Digital released the WD TV HD Plus few months ago, a set-top box designed to play nearly any media file from a USB drive. It could play movies or songs in nearly any format, but a blunt, awkward user interface held it back. Now, the company has given its WD TV Live series a significant upgrade with the WD TV Live Hub. With a roomy 1-terabyte hard drive and a drastically improved interface, the Live Hub earns our Editors' Choice for media hubs with integrated storage. Its design and features make the Live Hub somewhat similar to the previous generation of the Apple TV; while Apple removed the hard drive from its new set-top box, Western Digital added massive storage.

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Apple TV: Review

Pros: Inexpensive, Easy to set up and use, Streaming from iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Access to iTunes, Streaming of local files

Cons: Other than iTunes, limited content partners, Resolution only 720p

The Apple TV's new low $99 price makes it an easy impulse buy for Apple fans looking to bring Netflix into the living room, but you may want to wait until more content--or Apple's forthcoming AirPlay update--becomes available.  Traditional services like cable and satellite are losing ground, as more people are streaming content directly from the Internet, using services like Netflix, iTunes, and Amazon Video on Demand. The revamped Apple TV is the company's aggressive move to capture the streaming-video business: for just $99, you get access to Netflix, YouTube, TV, and movies from the iTunes Store, plus all the music and videos on networked computers running iTunes.

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Roku 2 XS: Product Review

Pros: Cheaper cost, Great picture quality, Easy to use, Wide library of content providers, Gaming features and Wii-like motion controller

Cons: Need to sign up separately with most content providers, Only a few free content providers, No easy way to stream media from a computer , Few games at launch
 

Thanks to a varied range of content offerings--including Netflix, Amazon, Hulu Plus, Crackle, and Pandora--that beats the Apple TV, the Roku 2 XS is the best all-around streaming-media box you can get for less than $100.

Roku is calling its new line of streaming-media boxes "Roku 2," but this is actually the fourth iteration of the device, which started its life as the "Netflix Player" in 2008. Like Apple TV, this is still a Netflix video streamer at its core--and a very good one--but along the way Roku has shrunk the box down; added several new "channels," including Amazon Video, Hulu Plus, Crackle, and Pandora; and bulked up feature-wise, upping the ante this go round with a new Bluetooth motion remote (included with the top-end $100 Roku 2 XS) that allows you to play games. The end result is arguably the most robust little streaming-media box for less than $100. The two step-down models in the line-- the Roku 2 XD ($80) and Roku 2 HD ($60)--have nearly all the features you'll find in the higher-end XS but trade the Bluetooth motion remote for a standard IR remote (the entry-level Roku HD offers 720p video output instead of 1080p but all three models are gaming-enabled--if you have that Bluetooth remote).

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