I saw my shadow the other day, which I think means there will be six more months of social distancing. To be on the safe side, we should probably all stock up on streaming video services. In addition to free movies, there are a lot of free streaming services as well. If you’re ready to add a streaming media player to your dumb TV or you’re unhappy with the streamer built into your existing smart TV, I’ve got some good news: There are a bunch of players on sale right now. I rounded up all the ways you can save $10 to $20 right now on a new player.
Roku
The Roku Premiere is perhaps the cheapest way to get into streaming. This player supports HD, 4K and HDR, and connects to your router with 802.11 b/g/n single-band wireless. Regularly $40, you can get it now for $29.
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The Roku Streaming Stick Plus is currently selling for $39, down from the regular price of $50. This player-on-a-USB-stick streams in HD, 4K and HDR and supports 802.11ac dual-band MIMO connectivity to your router. The remote is also smart thanks to its voice control.
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It doesn’t matter whether you prefer Wi-Fi or Ethernet, because the Roku Ultra supports both. This player streams HD, 4K Ultra HD, and HDR via 802.11ac dual-band MIMO or Ethernet Port and comes with Roku’s best remote control, enhanced with voice and personal shortcuts. The player also includes microSD and USB ports to play external media.
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Amazon’s version of a streaming media player on a USB stick, the Fire TV Stick is limited to HD, but the remote control includes Alexa for voice control and you can use Bluetooth headphones for private listening. It connects to your router with 802.11ac dual-band MIMO.
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Amazon’s most powerful streaming media player, the Fire TV Cube streams video up to 4K with support for all the HDR formats including HDR 10, HDR10+, HLG and Dolby Vision. Thanks to the far-field microphones in the Cube itself, you can control the player by voice without speaking into the remote. And in addition to 802.11ac dual-band MIMO Wi-Fi, you can connect via Ethernet as well.
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