Google - Nexus Player Streaming Media Console - Black

The setup was as easy as plugging it in and.. Oh wait that's it. I plugged in the hdmi, then the power and it turned on. The Google Nexus player loads Netflix extremely fast vs some Blu ray players with slow interfaces. YouTube works great, in HD too. The Pandora app is flawless, and there are countless apps for things such as weather, games, news. The included remote has a built-in microphone for voice search. Just say what you want to see and it's there. If you want a smart TV but don't want to replace your old set, then this is a definite buy! I am extremely satisfied with my purchase and with Best Buy for providing excellent customer service and prices.

It was easy to set up and the apps are great better than cable

I love it ,i buy 1 at first and I used it for a week and I love it, so I went back and buy 3 more

I got this on sale for $50 so though I would give it a try. I am a fan of the Nexus line offered by Google so I figured this would be a decent product. Coming from Apple TV to this (better price point was a major reason) and looked to be more powerful than Chromecast. Interface is decent though not as customizable as Android or Apple TV so a little surprised there. The remote is almost laughable, it is cheap plastic and makes horrendous clicking noises when any button is pressed, however, it does get the job done and the built in mic works flawlessly from my use. Has most all the standard apps though nowhere near the growing apps of Apple TV or even Chromecast at this point. Comcast does not support this device so that may also be a factor for most people. HBO GO, Showtime, FX Now all will not activate if you have Comcast but will on Verizon FiOS. Player handles everything I throw at it. Gaming is mostly mediocre and needs to run on medium settings compared to the Nexus 9 tablet that runs on high. AC wireless streams very fast and 1080p looks sharp and does not buffer. Plex and Kodi apps are nice apps to stream local content. This has a large developer base and the home brew content is fairly decent if you are into tinkering and rooting your Android device. All-in-all if you are in Google's ecosystem this may be worth looking at as the price has dropped and it is a decent all around device. In most cases though the Chromecast is a even better price and has a lot more apps to choose from. If you are from the Apple ecosystem I would suggest sticking with that as this device will not be one to make you consider switching, or, give you a satisfied feeling if you do switch.

The Nexus Player is Google's answer to Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV, and runs Android TV, a specialized version of Android for TVs and set-top boxes, and it delivers (for the most part) in all facets. The design of the actual device is pretty minimal, sporting the "hockey puck" aesthetic, with the ports somewhat hidden in the back and under the device, and the remote is fairly minimal as well, sporting only a few buttons. It's nothing too fancy to look at, but aesthetics weren't my concern when purchasing this over any of the competition. Out of the box, Android TV is pretty impressive, sporting a nice home screen already populated with several apps both by Google and third-party developers to get users right into enjoying content. Among these apps are Google Play Movies, Google Play Music, and YouTube, making it easy for people already getting movies, TV, and music through Google to dive right in. To extend the functionality of the Nexus Player, users can download apps from the Google Play Store, though not all apps are Android TV optimized, and therefore some apps may not be available to download to the Player. However, there are several great apps available in the Play Store, including Kodi (formerly XBMC) that can greatly expand the abilities of the Nexus Player and allow users to truly enjoy the benefits of Android TV over a Chromecast or another platform. Speaking of Chromecast, the Nexus Player is Cast Ready, meaning you can cast content from your phone, tablet, or computer to the Nexus Player through Google Cast where it's available. I've only had one big gripe with the Nexus Player, and that is that the Nexus Player seems to have an issue managing running apps. Some days I'll come to watch something in the YouTube app, and the app won't display any parts of the interface that are necessary to actually watch videos. Furthermore, it seems that Android TV doesn't kill apps in the same way as regular Android, as I'll see decent amounts of lag if I move from game to game which should be eliminated if Android TV kills apps that are no longer being used. So to conclude, it seems that Google may need to further refine Android TV as a product, which means the Nexus Player with the latest version of Android TV as of the writing of this review, less-savvy users may want to steer clear of this device, though if you can learn to restart the device, you'll be fine. Regardless of the aforementioned issues, the Nexus Player is a fairly nice device, and with the optional controller accessory, it's a great device for families that don't necessarily want to spend money on a game console and a set-top box.

This device has a ton of potential and works great out of the box, but there are a few things missing that ended up being dealbreakers for me. 1 - no ethernet port, 2 - no regular usb ports, 3 - nearly no internal storage. It has the faster wifi standard with the 2x2 MIMO 802.11AC but nothing can truly replace ethernet when you are streaming almost entirely HD now a days. The small footprint is great and the remote it comes with works very well and is quite responsive, but when the Nvidia Shield TV launched it made this device look like a beta Android TV effort vs the mainstream Android TV device that is was intended to be. For the avg user looking to stream some google play content or netflix or youtube this is great, but if you are more of a power user and want to install KODI (formerly xbmc) or do a lot of rom emulation then you run into issues quickly between the lack of ports and internal storage and the inconsistency that is wifi. If you want something that is a step up from this device, check out Nvidia's Shield TV, it's starting at $200 but it truly is a great Android TV device and includes the gaming remote if you plan on using Android TV for a lot of gaming.

This is definitely my favorite streaming device I've ever owned. I've owned a Roku 3, an Amazon FireTV, a Vizio CoStar, a Google Chromecast, and a WD TV, as well as an Xbox 360 and an Xbox One, and this is now my favorite device for streaming content. I mostly use it with Plex, but also Netflix and the few Google movies that I do own. The interface on this is the smoothest and quickest responding of any streaming device I've ever owned. The voice search is great as well and even works within some apps (I've tried it in Plex. Not sure about others). I have also cast material to it as if it were a Chromecast and that worked well. Overall I'd really recommend this device for streaming content.

We have a Chrome cast stick and it does work a lot better than that did, as you have access to content without needing a computer or device to cast from. The technology is great, but having the stick and also having a Roku make this not necessary. You can get a Roku cheaper and have the same results, minus the casting ability. If you don't have a Chrome stick or you can use it on another tv, this is great, though. Streaming is a breeze and the layout is very well thought out.Navigation is seamless. Overall a little expensive but a LOT better than Apples product!