Previously on Cord Cutter Weekly …

Apple clearly sees its TV app as the interface of the future for Apple TV. But right now, it doesn’t support enough video sources, especially if you don’t have a cable TV login.

Streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime are great at delivering on-demand video, but sometimes you don’t want to pick from an endless list of movies and TV shows. For this type of lean-back, passive viewing, you’ll want a video app that has some kind of ‘round-the-clock streaming element, so you can start watching with minimal effort.

After months of hype with little substance, AT&T has launched DirecTV Now, a bundle of streaming channels that will compete with Dish’s Sling TV and Sony’s PlayStation Vue.

Nothing’s more important than app selection when you’re shopping for a streaming TV device. Without access to the streaming services you require, it doesn’t matter what kind of fancy features are included in the box.

With HDMI-CEC, streaming boxes such as Apple TV and Roku can control your television’s power, volume, and input, making additional remotes unnecessary.

Apple’s $150 streaming box isn’t a bad product, but it faces the same fundamental challenge as other streaming boxes: With so many apps competing for users’ attention, managing and sorting through them all can be a chore.

AT&T made some waves this week when it announced that its upcoming DirecTV Now streaming bundle would cost just $35 per month for 100 channels. Still, AT&T won’t be alone in trying to bring more TV bundles to the Internet.

As online video transitions from “skinny” bundles to more standalone streaming services, you might wish for a way to bundle them all under one bill—kind of like you did with cable. Streaming platforms from Apple, Amazon, Google, and Roku are best-suited for this new type of bundling.

The Roku Express is currently the cheapest streaming device on the market at just $30. Unfortunately, it makes several compromises to get there, including a sluggish processor, no dual-band Wi-Fi, and an IR remote that requires line-of-sight to the box.

It turns out some folks at Roku read last week’s column about how the quality of its streaming video apps is falling behind other platforms.