Which is better: An Android TV or a traditional streaming stick?

Android TV is the next hacker toy. As I explained in an earlier article, Android TV is an evolution of Android tablet technology designed to work with simple remotes and HDTVs. A lot of Android software designed for phones and tablets will work with it, meaning that it’s very flexible.

It’s not for everyone, though, and if you have to ask whether or not you want an Android TV box, you probably don’t. Unlike a streaming stick which has custom apps and a fairly closed ecosystem, Android TV is wide open. There are a lot of ways to set one up wrong. If you’re looking for something that gives you Netflix, Hulu, YouTube and not much else, you’re much better off with a solution from a well-known company like Google, Apple, Amazon or someone else.

On the other hand, if you’re the sort of person who rips a lot of content, stores stuff on hard drives, looks for offbeat streams all over the web, and treasures the ability to customize every part of your experience, you’re going to love Android TV. Think of Android TV as a super-media-player that can handle any format you throw at it, with the ability to expand to handle anything you want to do in the future. Android TV is a blank canvas; a streaming stick is more like a paint-by-number. If your abilities in searching for and finding content border on the artistic, Android TV is the toy for you.

Solid Signal is proud to carry the MyGica line of Android TV products. These are products designed for home theater enthusiasts that pair Android TV with over-the-air and other features that cord cutters are searching for. The price point is higher than streaming sticks, but of course these are much more versatile devices and definitely worth the price.

About the Author

Stuart Sweet
Stuart Sweet is the editor-in-chief of The Solid Signal Blog and a "master plumber" at Signal Group, LLC. He is the author of over 10,000 articles and longform tutorials including many posted here. Reach him by clicking on "Contact the Editor" at the bottom of this page.