CHOICE recommends streaming devices with an overall score of 75% or more.

The CHOICE Expert Rating, our overall score, is based on the scores for ease of use (50%), remote control (40%) and standby energy (10%).

We look for how easy it is to set up the device and how intuitive the on-screen display and menu system is to carry out various tasks.

We look for buttons big enough to press without touching the adjacent ones, and clear labels, ideally with different shapes to quickly associate with different tasks. Devices that do not come with a remote as standard are noted but not penalised in the overall score. However the lack of a remote may have implications to the ease of use score. A recommended smartphone app is used in place of the remote.

Standby energy score is made with the unit in standby mode. Models that measure greater than 2W score 0%, 1 and 1.9W score 40%, 0.5 and 0.9W score 80%, and less than 0.5W score 100%.

Recommended retail price.

Calculated at 40c per kW/h, 14 hours in standby and 10 hours in use per day.

Even if you're only streaming TV shows, apps are still stored locally. If your streaming device only has a small storage space and you're subscribed to a lot of streaming services, you may find that you need to uninstall apps you're not using.

For microSD.

Also known as optical audio.

At the time of testing.

Can the device stream 4K (aka UHD) content. Note, access to 4K content may require a premium subscription on some streaming services.

Can the device stream high dynamic range (HDR) content. Note, access to HDR content may require a premium subscription on some streaming services.

Profiles that filter and restrict content not suitable for children. Some devices can apply this broadly in the system settings, others require activation individual apps.

This covers the subscription-based Prime Video service and the rent/buy Prime Video Store.

This only covers the subscription-based AppleTV+ service and does not include rent/buy Apple TV store.

Does the device support Plex. Plex lets you stream media from a local device such as a NAS and their free streaming service. Support for local media streaming varies across devices. Note, some devices may not support all app features such as 4K and surround sound.

Apple AirPlay lets you wirelessly stream content between supported devices, using a proprietary Apple protocol.

USB in allows you to connect movies stored on a USB device to the streaming device connected to your TV and watch the movie on your TV.

The Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) enabled devices can communicate with each other to share content across your home network. A common use is streaming video from a DLNA enabled laptop to DLNA supported streaming devices.

Lets devices directly connect to one another without having to join the local wireless network. This means you can connect your device to the TV to show movies stored on it without a confusing setup procedure.

Mirrors the screen of the device (e.g. phone or laptop) connected to the streaming device, to display it on your TV.

Just like a TV guide, the home search screen is a good place to start when looking for a show or movie you want to watch.

A dedicated button for Netflix makes it easy to access the service.

A dedicated button for Stan makes it easy to access the service.

A dedicated button for YouTube makes it easy to access the service.