Top Streaming Media Players 2023

The Roku Express (2022) is the least expensive streaming device that Roku makes, but it lacks more modern features to keep the price low. It has all the apps and services you’d expect, and the Roku interface makes it easy to use.

The new Google Chromecast doesn't make any big changes from the original media streamer, but it's a bit quicker and every bit as handy, for the same very reasonable $35.

Roku Utra gets you into 4K HDR streaming for less than $99, and represents a really good bargain. But it’s not a smart streaming box, and its interface is simple to a fault with not enough features or flexibility for power users. With more apps than anyone else, you get quantity but not necessarily quality. It's function, but it needs a new interface, smarter voice search, and updates to some dated apps.

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

The TiVo Mini, which lets you watch live programming and your TiVo recordings on another television, is a new toy for current Premiere 4 DVR owners, but it has too many restrictions to be the killer product that TiVo aficionados are looking for.

If you have a Premiere DVR, TiVo Stream lets you download and stream video to your Apple mobile devices, but a high price, the need for extra hardware, and some copy-protection limitations keep it from being a must-have.

There's no compelling reason to get a Xiaomi Mi Box S, due to troublesome issues with its picture quality, sound levels and interface.

The onn Android TV UHD is great at times, but its remote and software issues make it impossible to recommend right now.