7 best streaming devices: don’t miss out on Netflix because of a dumb TV

With many of us facing a long time at home, we are going to need the right equipment to make sure that we are thoroughly entertained during the long nights and days. No, not that equipment you filthy animals - we are talking about the best streaming sticks. You know, those pocket-friendly things that hold the rather powerful key to getting the online-based services on to your television.

UPDATE: Anyone with a a Roku streaming player, Roku TV, NOW TV device or Sky Q box can now access over 10,000 movies, TV shows and documentaries thanks to Roku's new channel. The free streaming channel launched in the UK today and includes everything from Les Miserables and Skins to Homes Under the Hammer. There's even a dedicated family section where kids can watch shows like Bob the Builder and Fireman Sam.

There are many reasons to seek out a streaming stick. The main one is to have a cheap and cheerful way to get Netflix and catchup on things on iPlayer, Amazon Prime and the like.

Not all of us want the expense of a set-top box, especially when it comes to those all important spare rooms - where some of you may have to spend time. And these are cheap-ish ways to get 4K content too.

Here’s our pick of the best streaming sticks. Before our editor was all aboard the ShortList ship he spent a decade helming one of the UK’s biggest tech sites - so you can rest easy in knowing that every single one of the products below have been tested for a long time. Tough job but somebody has to do it.

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Best streaming device

Amazon has made turning your television into a 4k media powerhouse a cinch, thanks to the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K. This is also one of the cheapest ways (but not the cheapest) to make your TV smart. There is a slight catch: it only really works well if you are already signed up to Amazon Prime. If you have this service, then the whole Amazon sheen will work well for you - and the voice control features that are built in work best with Prime. Saying that, there are a whole load more apps you can get, including Netflix.

If you are an Apple nut then you really aren’t going to be looking at anything else are you? While there are better-priced options out there, the Apple TV 4K is a cracking bit of kit. Apple has gone hard to also make this thing a gaming device, so if you buy one of these expect that side of things to ramp up. As for streaming services - you can watch Prime Video, Netflix and the like on there but the Apple TV+ service is what Apple is pushing right now - it’s a good service, but needs more shows and movies to make it special.

Nvidia may seem like an odd choice for a maker of a streaming device but the Shield TV is a fun, gaming-centric alternative to the other streamers on the market. It works great as a TV or movie streaming service, coming with Dolby Atmos support, has nifty upscaling tech so you can watch things in 4K that haven’t been shot in 4K and, thanks to the Tegra chip inside, this is a games machine as well. And let’s not forget its design - kudos to Nvidia for making something that isn’t just another black box.

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As Content Director of Shortlist, Marc likes nothing more than to compile endless lists of an evening by candlelight. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.