Looking for advise about a streaming box thing.

I just got a decent TV for our bedroom but the only thing I have to plug into it is a laptop which would normally be okay but its kind of old so sometimes netflix is laggy and stuff like that.

Basically im in the spot where the thing I already have might be good enough or I need to spend money on a new thing.

Does anyone here have experience with chromecast? How well does it actually work?

Or Vita TV, can that thing even do netflix?

Any other reasonably priced products I should look at?

I've had a chromecast for a while now. It works just fine, I've got no real complaints about how it streams. My only negative is, if your phone is the remote, scrubbing through to an exact time can sometimes be a pain with finicky progress bars. That probably won't be an issue for you though if you're using the laptop.

I would recommend the Chromecast, I've used mine for a year now and it get's daily use.

I used WDTV Live HD for many years. It can run just about any codec if you're looking to stream your own content (or "acquired" media). It also has Netflix and few of the other popular streaming networks.

If you want to focus on streaming Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, Amazon, etc... you should look at the Roku 3 or the Amazon Fire TV.

I own a Chromecast and a Roku 3. If you're okay with using your cell phone as your remote, then the Chromecast is the way to go. It's cheaper than any other solution.

The way it works is you plug it into an HDMI port, and then the power to a USB port on your TV or it has an adapter for normal AC power. Once it's hooked up you just download the Chromecast app on your phone and set it up like that. It requires a Wifi connection obviously. Pretty much everything that streams anything will work on it. From your phone you simply download the app (example: Netflix) and then use the app normally, but there will be a little button at the top right of the app. You click that and choose "Stream to Device: Chromecast" and then you're golden. That's universally how it works on just about every app.

The Roku 3 is nice but honestly there's no real need for it anymore. It has its own remote and is more of a set-top box experience and has a nice UI, but there's not a single thing it does that a chromecast doesn't. It's also over $100. The only time I would recommend getting a Roku is if your entire family plans to use it a lot and they all either don't have smartphones, or everyone having to mess with their smartphones to play something is asking too much.

I've got a couple Roku 3's and they're really nice. I've got all the usual stuff on it like Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, HBO Go, and whatnot. There are a lot of channels.

I'll list off a few things I think are pretty great about it:

The remote has a headphone jack on it. It's the correct place to put a headphone jack.

It has a Plex app, which can stream videos off your computer and external drives. It works really well, even over wifi.

With the Youtube app, you can browse and make playlists on a phone or tablet, then toss it over to the Roku.

There's a global search feature, so you can search all the different content providers at the same time.

There's a Giant Bomb app.

If you've got a laptop or tablet and want to use it's keyboard with the Roku, there's a way to do that.

In short, my vote goes to getting a Roku.

I'd get the Amazon Stick. Bought it on impulse since they had a pre-order deal for Prime members for $19, and it really is a great device. Much faster than I was expecting it to be (after using a friend's Chromecast and my brother's Roku). It's got all the major streaming services (except HBOGO, but they said they're getting it soon, and if you're a Prime member you already get most of HBO's library for free on their Prime Video service) and it has the ability to sideload apps as well (it's kinda buggy, but the GB Video Buddy works most of the time). It also comes with a remote and you can also use your phone or tablet as a remote as well.

I use the USB port on the side of my Roku 3 way more than I ever thought I would. It's something to consider if you plan on playing anything off of a flash drive.

Another recommendation for roku 3, you can always download the roku remote app if you want to use your phone instead of another remote. I prefer it to a Chromecast as my girlfriend doesn't want to mess about with my android tablet to watch TV.

Depending on what you need the box to do...

I stream media from a nas as well as doing netflix so I use the WD TV live.

If you do not need to stream media from your home network I would look at a Roku 3, Apple TV, Amazon fire, or chromecast.

The PSTV does not have netflix at this time (and might not ever get it). However I bought one just for the ability to play some vita on my tv, with the hope that netflix functionality may come one day.