Apple TV vs. Roku: Which streaming box should you buy?
The Roku 3 launched early in 2013 to nearly universal rave reviews, including mine. It's a simple device, but it gets just about everything right and improves on most of the faults of its predecessors.It sports the redesigned Roku interface (which is also now available on its many older Roku models), which is a huge improvement over the old "film strip" look. The only catch is once you jump inside apps, the experience varies, with some apps, such as HBO Go and Amazon Instant, have a distinctly subpar interface compared with other platforms.RokuRoku's ace in the hole has always been it's impressive lineup of content, which includes Netflix, Amazon Instant, Hulu Plus, Pandora, HBO Go, MLB.TV, NHL GameCenter, PBS, Crackle, Rdio, TED Talks, Revision3, TWiT.TV, NASA, and CNET. You can see a full list on Roku's site, and the company is aggressive about continually adding more content sources. There's also some neat live TV options like Time Warner Cable's app and Aereo.RokuWith so many channels, it's a relief that Roku also sports cross-platform search and it actually works well. Type in just a few characters of what you're looking for and Roku combs through several major services (Netflix, Vudu, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant, HBO Go, and Crackle) for content. It's great for those moments when you know what you want to watch, but you're not sure where it's available.Roku's major weakness on the content side is YouTube. For reasons that are unclear (and increasingly baffling), YouTube is still not available on Roku and there are no signs it's coming anytime soon. It's a significant omission, since there's a lot more quality content on YouTube than ever before and nifty features like the "Watch Later" queue make longform viewing more compelling.Sarah Tew/CNETThe box itself is well-designed, with the remote being the standout. It features a headphone jack, letting you listen to your streamed programs while the TV's audio is muted -- perfect for late-night listening without disturbing anyone else.Apple TV (read the full review)If you're willing to pay for content, the browsing experience on the Apple TV is outstanding for movies and TV shows.Matthew Moskovciak/CNETThe Apple TV started out as a clunky, relatively limited streaming-video box, but consistent updates have transformed it from a glorified Netflix player to one of the best streaming-video boxes you can buy.Sarah Tew/CNETThe longstanding knock against the Apple TV is its limited selection of streaming services, but I think that's largely overblown, especially with the recent addition of HBO Go. Most people only care about a few major services, which the Apple has (Netflix, Hulu Plus, MLB.TV, YouTube), although Amazon Instant is a major missing source. There's also iTunes, which has tons of movies and TV shows and the Apple TV's presentation is arguably the best there is, complete with Rotten Tomatoes scores and detailed production information. And iTunes purchases are stored in the cloud, so you can easily restream whatever you've bought.Matthew Moskovciak/CNETThe Apple TV's truly killer feature is AirPlay, which lets you stream music, photos, and videos directly from an iOS device (iPod Touch, iPad, or iPhone) or iTunes to your Apple TV. So while the Apple TV technically doesn't have Pandora support, it's a cinch to stream Pandora from an iOS device.There's even AirPlay Mirroring built into the Mountain Lion operating system, which lets you stream anything on your computer's screen -- including Flash video and free Hulu content -- to your TV, wirelessly. It only works with relatively recent Macs, but it's a killer feature if you have a compatible computer.In addition to AirPlay, the Apple TV also does a solid job of streaming your music collection with iTunes Match. It's a $25-a-year service, but it stores your digital music the cloud and lets you access it all right on the Apple TV. (Roku owners have a good alternative with Amazon's Cloud Player app.)You've probably noticed the pattern by now: if you're committed to Apple's media ecosystem and own other Apple products, the Apple TV is tough to pass up.Before you buyBoth boxes are outstanding values, but there are some important caveats to keep in mind before you purchase. Most of the good services require a separate monthly subscription or pay-per-view fee, so you'll need to factor that into the overall cost of ownership of the box. Some services, such as HBO Go, also require authentication, which means you have to prove you're a cable/satellite subscriber before you get access. That sounds straightforward, but it's not: Comcast won't authenticate on Roku, but will on Apple TV. There's little rhyme or reason to these technicalities, so it's worth investigating your favorite services before making the jump.Editors' note: This story was originally published November 8, 2011, but has been significantly updated since then to account for changes in both products.
Most kids who break 'Internet house rules' have bad experiences
Most kids who break 'Internet house rules' have bad experiences
A 24-country study conducted by Symantec found that 82 percent of kids who've broken "Internet house rules" have experienced something negative online." That compares to 52 percent of kids who "follow house rules."More than six in 10 (62 percent) of kids reported that they have had a negative experience while online. Those negative experiences include being bullied, responding to an e-mail scam, downloading a virus, or being pressured online to do something that the child thought was wrong.CyberbaitingThe study also found that a fifth of teachers (21 percent) have personally experienced or know another teacher who's experienced "cyberbaiting." Cyberbaiting, according to Symantec Internet Safety Advocate Marian Merritt (scroll down to listen to the entire interview), is "where kids taunt or distress their teachers in the classroom and then capture the resulting misbehavior on their cameras," which, said Merritt, "has the net effect of embarrassing the teacher--taking a momentary lapse of judgement in the classroom and then permanently embedding it onto the web." Before you fixate on the 21 percent, consider that the report said "experienced or know another teacher who's experienced cyberbaiting." Putting that "or" in the report can lead to a misleading impression. In the interview, Merritt acknowledged that it's likely that only a very small number of teachers have experienced this themselves. Still, even if the numbers are low, it does indicate that this is something on an issue.Encouraging trendsThe results weren't all bad. The survey found that 95 percent of parents know what their kids are looking at online, up from 74 percent in 2009.Globally, only 6 percent of parents said they "have no idea what their children are doing online," even though 17 percent of kids thought their parents were clueless about their online activities. Parental blindspotsSymantecIt's not hard for kids to find porn, but most say they don't look at it. Only 12 percent admitted to visiting adult content sites when their parents weren't around. While 40 percent of kids say they sometimes stop what they're doing when their parents are watching, only 23 percent of parents "suspect their child changes the way they act" when the parents are around.When evaluating this study, consider that there are several other recent studies that show that kids behavior online is not as bad as some adults fear. A recent surveycommissioned by the Family Online Safety Institute found that 69 percent of kids said that their peers are mostly kind to each other online.Symantec Internet Safety Advocate Marian MerrittSymantecClick below to listen to a 10 minute interview with Symantec's Internet Safety Advocate, Marian Merritt. PodcastYour browser does not support the audio element.Subscribe now:iTunes (audio) |RSS (audio)
A 24-country study conducted by Symantec found that 82 percent of kids who've broken "Internet house rules" have experienced something negative online." That compares to 52 percent of kids who "follow house rules."More than six in 10 (62 percent) of kids reported that they have had a negative experience while online. Those negative experiences include being bullied, responding to an e-mail scam, downloading a virus, or being pressured online to do something that the child thought was wrong.CyberbaitingThe study also found that a fifth of teachers (21 percent) have personally experienced or know another teacher who's experienced "cyberbaiting." Cyberbaiting, according to Symantec Internet Safety Advocate Marian Merritt (scroll down to listen to the entire interview), is "where kids taunt or distress their teachers in the classroom and then capture the resulting misbehavior on their cameras," which, said Merritt, "has the net effect of embarrassing the teacher--taking a momentary lapse of judgement in the classroom and then permanently embedding it onto the web." Before you fixate on the 21 percent, consider that the report said "experienced or know another teacher who's experienced cyberbaiting." Putting that "or" in the report can lead to a misleading impression. In the interview, Merritt acknowledged that it's likely that only a very small number of teachers have experienced this themselves. Still, even if the numbers are low, it does indicate that this is something on an issue.Encouraging trendsThe results weren't all bad. The survey found that 95 percent of parents know what their kids are looking at online, up from 74 percent in 2009.Globally, only 6 percent of parents said they "have no idea what their children are doing online," even though 17 percent of kids thought their parents were clueless about their online activities. Parental blindspotsSymantecIt's not hard for kids to find porn, but most say they don't look at it. Only 12 percent admitted to visiting adult content sites when their parents weren't around. While 40 percent of kids say they sometimes stop what they're doing when their parents are watching, only 23 percent of parents "suspect their child changes the way they act" when the parents are around.When evaluating this study, consider that there are several other recent studies that show that kids behavior online is not as bad as some adults fear. A recent surveycommissioned by the Family Online Safety Institute found that 69 percent of kids said that their peers are mostly kind to each other online.Symantec Internet Safety Advocate Marian MerrittSymantecClick below to listen to a 10 minute interview with Symantec's Internet Safety Advocate, Marian Merritt. PodcastYour browser does not support the audio element.Subscribe now:iTunes (audio) |RSS (audio)
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