We live in a day and age where streaming services are battling to take over from the old school DTH box under your TV. If you have a smart TV then it doesn't make sense for you to invest in one of these, as the advantage aren't really worth the expense. But if have an old school HD TV or watch content on a monitor, or lets say have a Denon, Onkyo, Yamaha, etc. amplifier connected to a projector/TV then you may want to consider one of these options. If you want an in-depth streaming device buying guide, you can check it out here.
The Airtel Internet TV box, powered by AndroidTV, is a Hybrid DTH set top box that offers over 500 satellite TV channels alongside online content from Netflix, YouTube, Airtel Movies and built-in Google Cast functionality. The service supports 4K content with added support for Dolby Atmos. Airtel Internet TV is priced at Rs. 4,999 with a three month digital TV subscription. As a limited period offer, customers can pay Rs. 7,999 and get the service for a year. Existing Airtel DTH users can get the service for Rs. 3,999 with a one month subscription to channels. Airtel Internet TV will be available exclusively on Amazon, from April 12. You can watch a demo of the device here.
Those looking to pick up a Fire TV stick should know that if you buy one by May 31, 2017 and subscribe to an annual Prime membership, you will receive a ₹499 credit back to your Amazon Pay balance.
However, the Amazon Fire TV doesn't limit you to content available on Prime Video only. You have access to a bunch of apps, including Netflix, Hotstar, Eros Now, Voot, Airtel Movies and more. The device plugs into an HDMI port on your TV and you can access content from various services. The stick is priced at Rs. 3,999, supports Full HD playback and comes with a voice-activated remote.
Sure, the Chromecast Ultra is available internationally, but isn't available in India officially. It is for those looking for a 4K HDR Chromecast experience, which is hardly available here any way.
For the rest of us, there's the Chromecast 2 which is available in India. A thing to remember is you can't Chromecast the Amazon Prime app, which is a bummer. The catch with the Chromecast is that you need a smartphone or tablet (running iOS or Android) for it to work. You “cast content” from your smartphone to the device, be it YouTube, Netflix, Hotstar, Spuul or even images and videos stored on your Android device locally.
You can also stream your Android mobile games but in our experience, it isn't very smooth. Content from your Chrome browser (which is how you can watch Amazon Prime content) can also be streamed, but as of writing this story the experience isn't perfect. Google is however working on improving the experience.
As of writing this story, the Amkette Evo TV 2 is out of stock on most popular e-commerce websites, but you can find it on eBay. You can connect an external storage device to it or connect it to your home network drive to stream content. If you have a large library of content ripped on a hard drive in h.265 format then you are in luck.
The Amkette Evo TV 2 supports h.265 playback with ease. Needles to say, since this is an Android powered box, you can download Netflix, Hotstar and Amazon Prime to the box and stream it to your TV. The device supports 1080p videos, not 4K.
Netgear Neotv
Western Digital may have discontinued the WDTV box but that doesn't mean that such boxes are no longer available. We have devices such as the Netgear Neotv that does pretty much what the WDTV did. So, if you are one that wants a box purely to stream content from Plex or Kodi, or a home server, then you can consider the Neo TV.
It's a tad handicapped in terms of app support, but has most of the popular streaming apps.
MXQ Pro (Android box)
Now, we have to admit we haven’t tested the MXQ Pro, but it does look like an attractive Android TV box, especially when you consider the price (Rs. 3000 approx.) and the fact that it supports 4K.
Since the box runs on Android 5.1, it will support all the streaming apps available for Android along with Kodi and Plex.
Roku
Roku hasn't officially launched in India, but is available easily online. The Roku streaming stick works almost exactly like the Amazon Fire Stick. The Roku family of devices also support all popular streaming apps.
The Apple TV is ideal for those in the Apple ecosystem. It doesn't have the Amazon Prime video app, but has a lot of US-based streaming apps like Netflix, CBS and more. The Apple TV is ideal for those that want to mirror their iOS device on the TV, watch movies they own or have rented from Apple’s services and generally think that all things Apple are cool.
Another device that isn't officially available in India, but is worth your attention if you are a gamer, is the NVIDIA Shield. This sleek little box sits snug under your TV, supports 4K HDR playback and runs on Android. The NVIDIA Shield TV Pro is aimed at those who want to play games on their TV but don't want a dedicated gaming console. Apart from a voice controlled remote you also get a gamepad and the Shield TV has a good lineup of exclusive games. Since it supports Android you have access to all your streaming services.
Gaming Console
If you own a PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360 or a PS3, you can use these consoles as media streaming devices. The best part is that the PS3 and PS4 support Blu-ray and DVD playback too, whereas the Xbox One supports 4K HDR Blu-ray and DVD playback. The Xbox 360 supports DVD playback only. All the consoles can be connected to your home server to access content and also support Netflix and YouTube.
BD player with streaming services
If a gaming console is too expensive, there are a number of Blu-ray players available in the market that support apps like Netflix and YouTube. So, if you have a large library of DVD’s and Blu-rays and want only one device to sit under your TV, you can consider a smart Blu-ray player.
Yes, if you are upgrading your TV, chances are you will get an Internet enabled TV or a Smart TV. Sony, Samsung, LG, VU and more have a large library of smart TV’s that support Netflix, Hotstar and Prime Videos directly. So, if you don't want to make the effort of investing in a separate box or dongle, just get a smart TV.