Best Streaming Players 2012

First let's get straight that there doesn't seem to be a consensus on naming these devices like the Roku, Apple TV and the Boxee. Streaming players, streaming media players, media devices, etc. It gets confusing to know who to compare.

But naming aside, the main reason that people are buying these players are for streaming movies to their TV from online sites like Netflix, Amazon Video, iTunes and more. In my area most of the video rental stores have closed so either you rent from your cable provider (on demand) which is expensive or you can pay $8 per month for unlimited movies from a place like Netflix. All you need then is a Netflix ready device to play on your TV.

Some people may use these video streaming players as a cheap replacement to cable. But if you watch a lot of TV shows or specialized channels for sports and stuff, don't give up your cable just yet. Not all channels are available online and the ones that are may also require a subscription. At this stage these players are mainly for movie watching.