It looks like Amazon might launch a 4K Fire TV box soon

The Roku 3, which is probably the best streaming box available for most people right now because it has the most apps and is incredibly easy to use, is also less expensive than the new Apple TV.

“Apple TV has always been a hobby for Apple before, and now it’s a headline”, said Peter Csathy, CEO of business accelerator and development firm Manatt Digital Media. There is a touch surface that is used to navigate through the TV interface while also controlling player movement and actions in games. So you can search for a movie, and it will show up on your screen whether it’s on Netflix (NFLX, Tech30), Hulu, HBO or any number of other apps – you no longer need to search inside every single app.

Apple generated plenty of buzz yesterday when it unveiled new set-top box hardware but it’s not the only company preparing to ship an updated media streamer.

Pros: Press a button, say the name of a movie, actor or director, and the Roku 3 will find relevant search results.

Apple is reported to have made an audacious but unsuccessful bid for Jeremy Clarkson’s new vehicle show, which ultimately ended up going to Amazon Prime. It will open up the set-top box to new third-party content, apps and games.

It’s been rumored for years, but this time it looks like Apple really will launch a brand new Apple TV tomorrow. Meanwhile, the amount and quality of content online exploded, and competitors like Roku, Amazon and Google were agile.

The company will continue selling the existing model for $69, a price that had dropped from $99 in March.

So the big question will be whether Apple can once again come up with something that will really wow consumers.

Cons: Its remote doesn’t feature voice search; that feature can only be accessed through the Fire TV app or with a more advanced remote that is sold separately.

Universal search will be done via Siri, which will be a huge improvement for users on its own. The industry-leading Roku, for example, starts at $50 and goes up to $100. The discount suggested the company had a new version on the way, and many expected to see a new Apple TV earlier this year.

The impact on you at home: With an apparent FCC filing from Amazon showing up and the Amazon Fire TV out of stock for a while now, there’s a good chance this is the real deal. “I think it will create a much more exciting device for consumers, and a big opportunity for publishers”.