Best Streaming Media Players in the UK

Most of the devices that people have underneath their televisions are generally just small computers that have reduced specs compared to what one would use for work. Of course, most of these devices won't support a keyboard or mouse, and don't use a full operating system like Windows, but the architecture of the devices is the same. The main difference is that they are geared for only doing one task, so the hardware and OS don't need to be as powerful as a desktop or laptop computer. The Beelink GT King Android 9.0 TV Box, however, bucks this trend by giving you an extremely powerful Android TV box that is just as capable as many desktop computers.

The full power of this media streaming box starts with its base hardware. This device is powered by an 8-core Amlogic S922X CPU, providing more than enough power to run several tasks at once. Video is handled by the equally capable Mali-G52MP graphics adapter, which gives the box plenty of power for running even the most graphics-intensive apps. The 4 GB of RAM allows for multiple high-performance apps to run at the same time without any noticeable slowdown in the entire system's performance. Basically, this box can handle pretty much everything you could possibly throw at it without skipping a beat.

Sometimes getting a streaming media device might seem like a good idea, however, you don’t always have the space for it right next to your TV. Nowadays, most users have media converters, internet modems, and other similar appliances which all require access to a power socket. With this in mind, if you need to save space as well as have a spare power outlet, opting for an HDMI stick might be a smarter idea.

The Roku Streaming Stick+ is definitely among the smallest streaming media appliances included on our list. Measuring just 9.4 x 2.03 x 1.2 cm, this stick certainly won’t take a lot of space and will fit nicely behind or on the side of your TV set. The only caveat to this is that its unorthodox HDMI connector might be too big for some older TVs, however, that’s nothing an HDMI extender cannot handle.

What is really great about this tiny appliance is its support of 4K and HD resolutions out of the box without any additional tweaking. Likewise, the stick is also natively compatible with HDR screens and TVs. With these features under its belt, this tiny stick can transmit your favourite shows and films in full colour and sharp detail.

One of the first companies to bring streaming media boxes to the markets is also one of the best. In the last decade, Roku has really made a name for themselves with the great quality media streaming boxes they have brought to the market. Featuring an extremely intuitive menu along with hundreds of different streaming channels available, Roku has deservedly earned a reputation for creating some of the best streaming boxes available. This extends to the Roku Premiere 4K UHD Streaming Media Player, one of their latest offerings that hold up extremely well against all other set-top boxes.

The main thing that should be notable about a Roku device is that it is easy to set up and use, and nothing is different from this particular box in that regard. This device takes only a couple of minutes to set up and configure, and then you are well on your way to accessing all of your favourite streaming content. You have access to just about every streaming service you can think of, including all of the most popular ones, and the hundreds of different channels available will have you covered no matter what your tastes are. Better yet, finding any particular channel is extremely easy thanks to the intuitive interface that is included in all Roku devices.

Many of the TVs that come out now have smart TV functionality, which in essence is meant to negate the need of having a separate streaming media player. However, many of the smart TVs don't really have quite the selection of different streaming services that a dedicated box has, nor are then usually as robust in overall features. Even still, there are TVs being sold that have no smart TV functionality. This isn't a problem, though, as you can turn any TV into a smart TV with the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Streaming Media Player.

Although we often refer to such devices as streaming media boxes, this device is no box. Instead, it is more of a small dongle that you can plug into the HDMI port of any TV. This device is incredibly small, so finding a place to put it simply won't be an issue. In many cases, it will just fit behind your TV, being virtually unnoticed. In fact, it is so small, that the remote for the device is roughly twice the size of it. For TVs that have their HDMI ports on the back instead of on the side of the unit, this media player comes with a dongle that makes it easier to plug in. One small hiccup with its small design is that the unit does tend to get pretty hot after extended use, but this shouldn't be much of an issue for anyone.

The Amazon Fire TV Lite is yet another HDMI stick that resembles a USB flash drive dongle more than a fully-fledged media box. That being said, as is often, the first impression can often be deceptive.

What we have here is, without a doubt, one of the most compact HDMI sticks for streaming media that you can find on the market today. Despite its size, though, the appliance is capable of streaming media like shows, films, as well as videos from internet platforms in stunning 4K resolution.

Contrary to other streaming media packages, this one comes equipped with an HDMI extender designed specifically to make the stick compatible with older TV systems that feature older versions of the HDMI port.

As for how the device is powered, the stick utilises a micro USB connection that will require a free power socket alongside your TV set. Fortunately, the kit features a UK power plug that acts as an adapter for the USB cable, so you won’t have to use one of your own adapters. Alternatively, the appliance has wireless modules and supports the Bluetooth 5.0 and 802.11ac Wi-Fi protocols, which enables swift pairing and quick updates without the need to use additional cables. The only drawback to that process is the need to grant permissions for the applications to update, which can take several minutes depending on how many of them you have installed on the stick.