What is your favorite streaming operating system right now?

If you’re like me, you probably spend your evenings scrolling through endless streaming options, looking for something to watch before bed. But in the time it takes to find something worth watching, you probably don’t think much about the remote in your hand anymore. With the streaming era so deep, you’ve probably stuck with your streaming device of choice for years — no matter how many problems can arise as these gadgets start to age.

While there are more streaming services than ever, choosing which HDMI device or set-top box to use for access those services continue to shrink. These days, it’s not so much the devices that are limited as the platforms. Roku makes a half-dozen different boxes, but the core experience remains the same. Amazon’s Fire TV platform is split into five or six price points, so close together that it’s hard to pick which stick is right for you. And even Google TV — which is essentially a skin for Android TV — has dwindled to just a few aging options, despite technically being an open platform.

I’ve personally tried just about every modern streaming operating system out there in my search for the right device to handle the ever-growing collection of subscriptions I have. Really need to start trimming. I bought a Chromecast with Google TV in 2020 after a series of glowing reviews, only to find that the overall experience had aged about as well as milk left outside during a heatwave. After factory resetting my Chromecast multiple times in 2021, I gave up and switched to Fire OS.

And honestly, that’s not an experience I love either. Amazon’s devices also tend to slow down after months of use, though it’s not as big of an issue as what I saw with my Chromecast. I’ve had similar experiences with mid-range Roku gadgets I’ve tested, which makes me hopeful that a high-end Apple TV alternative will emerge. But if you’re looking for a modern device released this decade, Apple’s platform remains the only high-end device that’s capable of running it quickly and efficiently — and I hope that issue is resolved soon.

Last week we saw an early leak regarding the Google TV Streamer, a new set-top box that seemingly promises to be a higher-end device than previous iterations of the Chromecast. I sincerely hope Google has given this thing the power it deserves to go head-to-head with Apple, and considering the company has an event in just two short weeks, I don’t think we’ll have to wait too long to find out.

In the meantime, what streaming device do you currently rely on for your app library? As a dedicated AP reader, are you a fan of Google TV? Have you stuck with Roku since its inception as an officially licensed Netflix device? Do you live in an Amazon Prime-driven world? Or have you made the jump to the more premium Apple TV experience, even if it doesn’t work particularly well with the phone in your pocket? To keep things interesting, I’ve added a few more options to this week’s poll, including older Chromecast devices, gaming consoles, and — of course — your TV’s built-in streaming apps.