Overall, the Roku 3 features over 100 channels of content (more than the Boxee Box or Apple TV), including dedicated Roku channels for baseball (MLB) and basketball (NBA) all this content is what makes the Roku one of the best media boxes available.
There are free apps for iOS and Android that let you stream some content to the Roku from smartphones. One unique feature of the Roku 3 remote control is that it has a headphone jack and acts as a video game controller for games, like Angry Birds. Buying a mounting kit for the Roku 3, allows the small Roku box to be mounted on the back of a TV. The Roku 3 has fewer ports versus the Boxee with HDMI, ethernet, micro SD card slot. The Roku 3 specs are comparable to the Boxee, it also supports 1080p video, has built-in wifi, and it plays videos in the formats MKV (H.264) and MP4 (H.264). Versus to the Apple TV, the Roku 3 allows you to customize the interface much more than you can with the Apple TV. Unfortunately, the Roku 3 does not feature a QWERTY remote, so users have to use the Roku's onscreen keyboard to search for content. One great feature of the Roku 3 is its "universal search" feature that allows you to search all the the channels for a particular movie, show, or even actor.
There are a few streaming services for the Roku 3 than don't exist for the Boxee for instance users can stream Hulu Plus, HBO2GO, and Amazon Prime Instant Video. The Roku 3 accesses many of the same internet services that the Boxee can, like Netflix and Vudu movies and Pandora music. The Roku 3 is one of the best known streaming devices and has a faster processor that previous Roku versions. The first Boxee alternative reviewed here is the Roku 3. For advanced users, the Boxee Plus is open-source software that delivers additional features to the Boxee Box along with a faster interface. The Boxee Box browser does support Flash to watch videos on websites, but the browser can be underpowered and buggy and the mouse can move slowly around webpages. Also, it is unfortunate that the Boxee does not have the ability to stream Hulu Plus. Some of the cons with the Boxee is that users may not always be able to tell the difference between free and paid content.
The newer Boxee TV supports live TV right of the box. Boxee also allows watching live TV using a USB TV tuner, like the Hauppauge WinTV-HVR 950Q instructions for setting up live TV on the Boxee are here. The device supports full HD 1080p and plays video files in many formats, including: MP4 (H.264), XVID, DIVX, MKV, AVI, and Flash videos (FLV). Boxee specs are impressive, it comes with many ports, including: HDMI output, RCA and optical audio output, ethernet and wireless support, two USB ports, and SD card slot. The Boxee Box is a great buy and comes with a remote control with a full QWERTY keyboard (unlike the other two set-top boxes reviewed here) and directional controls. The first review is of D-Link Boxee Box streaming player that allows you to stream from a variety of internet sources with an easy to use interface that plays many different services, including Youtube, Pandora, Netflix, Vudu, Flickr, etc. These are some of the best media boxes around, and each device has its own advantages and disadvantages that are reviewed and depending on what services you're most interested in these devices may help you get rid of your cable bill for good. Reviewed here are streaming media players the Boxee Box vs Roku 3 vs Apple TV vs Chromecast allow users to play media from internet web services, like HBO Go, Netflix, Vudu, Pandora, etc.