That’s because this isn’t exactly a normal market. Some companies, like Amazon and Apple, run their own digital video stores, produce shows and sell streaming-media hardware, which can push them to restrict content in ways that might make economic sense for them, but will probably annoy you, the paying customer.

So deciding between the different models of Apple TVs, Roku players, Amazon Fire TV devices, Google Chromecast or some other player that plugs into your TV may require not a spreadsheet, but a Venn diagram of overlapping site compatibility.
Apple vs. Amazon

This conflict of interest is never more obvious than with Apple (AAPL) and Amazon (AMZN), both of which run major streaming-video services and sell their own streaming-media players.

The situation with Apple fits into its history of limiting its services to its hardware: Enjoying TV shows and movies you rent or buy from iTunes on the biggest screen in your house without fussing with audio-video cables requires a $149 Apple TV.

Amazon’s behavior makes less sense. It has long balked at shipping an Apple TV app, even though its iOS app supports AirPlay streaming to an Apple TV. Amazon has been just as recalcitrant about adding support for Google’s Chromecast to its iOS app or its Android app, which you can only install by disabling a security setting.

Last year, Amazon banned Apple TV and Chromecast devices from its storefront—a spectacularly petulant move.

But whatever you think of these companies’ conduct, Apple will keep being Apple and Amazon will keep being Amazon. Don’t buy a player hoping either will shed its stripes.
Everybody else

Roku comes the closest to being the Switzerland of streaming players—remember, it doesn’t sell its own video service. So if your taste in dystopian political dramas requires binge-watching both Netflix’s “House of Cards” and Amazon’s “The Man In The High Castle,” Roku is your best bet.

Amazon’s Fire TV devices also have Netflix, but its interface gives non-Amazon services second-class treatment. For example, Amazon’s “universal” voice search only gained the ability to find Netflix programming in September.

Google’s Play TV & Movies doesn’t offer any exclusive content of note, but if you want to user the service and don’t want to get a Google (GOOG) player, you’ll have to get a Roku.

Putting aside Apple, Amazon and Google’s services, most other big-name streaming offering like Netflix, Hulu, Sling TV can be found on all major players. You’re also likely to find them on new smart TVs, connected Blu-ray players and even a new cable box: Comcast (CMCSA) added Netflix to its X1 boxes in early November and just announced Sling TV is coming to, as well.

If your video tastes are more obscure, Roku’s deeper selection is a better bet—see Jared Newman’s exhaustive comparison at TechHive of what’s on which players. That advantage led my colleague Daniel Howley to anoint Roku’s $50 Streaming Stick (discounted to $35 through Sunday), which plugs into an HDTV’s HDMI port, as the best media player.