Now that it finally includes an app for Amazon video, Apple's 4K streaming box is the hands-down best product of its kind. But you should only buy one if you want a premium experience and are willing to pay for it.

It combines the best streaming video quality available today -- including Dolby Vision HDR, which no other streamer offers -- with the smoothest, most polished feel. It's as quick and capable as any streamer around. And if you just bought an expensive 4K HDR TV, the price of stepping up to an Apple TV might seem like a very worthwhile drop in the bucket.

My favorite streamer is the Roku Streaming Stick Plus, because it costs less than half as much and is almost as good. Both do basically the same things very well, and Roku has its own substantial advantages beyond price. It has more 4K apps, including YouTube, whose numerous 4K videos aren't available on Apple TV 4K, and Vudu, which has more first-run 4K HDR movies than iTunes. Roku's platform is more content-neutral, and I love its price-centric search results.