NEW YORK--Dedicated streaming devices like Apple TV (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Roku have one distinct advantage over competing devices that offer multiple functionalities: OTT services like Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) load significantly faster, with programs starting up within 2 seconds on average.
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Dan Rayburn demos the Apple TV interface. |
The devices' speed advantage was on display at the Streaming Media East event in New York City, with Streaming Media EVP Dan Rayburn demonstrating load times and functionality for several devices including Amazon's (NASDAQ: AMZN) new Fire TV, Google's (NASDAQ: GOOG) Chromecast, Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT) Xbox One, Sony's Playstation 4, and an LG smart TV.
Gaming consoles and smart TVs load Netflix programs within about 15 seconds on average, Rayburn told attendees.
Apple TV's interface was the prettiest on display at the Streaming Devices Pavilion, with Rayburn demonstrating the quality of streaming on its Major League Baseball app.
And Amazon Fire TV still has a few quirks to work out, Rayburn noted, as he demonstrated that searching for "Pokemon" on the device returned horror series "Walking Dead" as the first result, followed by tamer kids' fare.
While a TiVo-enabled set-top box was on display, its load time for Netflix was not demonstrated.
For more:
- Streaming Media released this device comparison chart
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