Roku 3 vs chromecast video quality

General Discussion
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I just got my 4 tuner Tablo this week, and only have a chromecast to send the image on my tv.

My tablet has Android 4.0 only, so I can only use the web app to cast. I find that the video quality on the chromecast is not comparable to the image I have when I use my tv tuner directly. I am wondering if the video quality on a Roku is better or a lot better then the one of the chromecast.

Still debating if I will keep the Tablo and buy a Roku or send it back, but video quality is a big plus for me.

2

Video quality issues you are having have little to do with video quality Chromecast can handle, and more to do with the fact you are cast from a Chrome browsers not a supported app. Video in this case is usually jerky.
With that said, streaming your Tablo will be much improved when you are able to do so through a dedicated “app”. This would include a roku. But a roku is but one option.

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What recording quality do you have the Tablo set at? 1080p or 720p Roku / Chromecast?

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I’ve watched 2 recorded shows and a couple of shows live through my Tablo quad, notebook computer, Chrome browser and Chromecast.

I have to say that I found the quality of the live tv streamed via my notebook to the Chromecast in the LG tv that it rivaled the LG’s own tuner.
It was absolutely impressive, not jerky at all, smooth and very good resolution or video quality. The picture was sharp as watching TV through the TV itself. 
I DID have some trouble last night with a recorded show getting to about 20 minutes of play then pausing and “buffering” according to the message on my notebook’s screen but after a while that cleared up and it was fine. 
(I am beginning to suspect it was the recording itself that was the issue as it also showed down on the screen and not centered on the TV screen)

I watched a show “live” night before last through Tablo - it was about the development of the V1 missle and the pulse jet engine and the picture was at least as good as it was through the TV’s own tuner. 
Remember, you are doing a LOT on a network, Wi-Fi especially as Tablo has to get the stream to your “device” and then it has to leave the device again out the SAME network to the device in your TV, Roku or Chromecast or whatever.
So as far as Wi-Fi, take the traffic that it requires to stream from Tablo to a tablet or iPad and DOUBLE that as that’s what your Wi-Fi network is actually having to handle. 
Stream from Tablo to your go-between device,
Stream from that device to the Chromecast, Roku or Apple TV device plugged into your HDMI port.
For watching on an iPad or tablet you are using HALF the traffic.

OK, so I’m using rough numbers when saying double or half, but you get the idea…

If your network is iffy in the very least, the stream quality to the TV will be iffy as well as it’s got to share your network with the stream from Tablo to your tablet, phone or iPad.

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I have tried regular 720p and 1080p, didn't do 720p Roku/Chromecast.

1080p was sometime choppy with buffering, but add no real quality improvement.

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What recording quality do you have the Tablo set at? 1080p or 720p Roku / Chromecast?

Question related to that - 

The option in Tablo is set to 720p by default.
That’s how it comes when you run it for the first time. 

However, there is a second option:  720p Roku/Chromecast.
Both say 720, one is default from the “factory”, the other has the words Roku and Chromecast after the 720.
So…both being 720 what’s the difference?
We know 720 takes less than trying to get full 1080 and 4whatever takes less network than 720, but what’s the difference between 720 and 720 Roku/Chromecast?
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The 720p Roku / Chromecast is a lower bitrate of the 720p option to accommodate wireless streaming via Chromecast or Roku. A lot of people were having buffering issues.

The reason I asked the OP was because if the record quality is set to 720p of course the video quality is going to look worse than the TV tuner as that displays the original source of 1080p.

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The fact that I am using the chrome web brouser to cast is probably the reason I have poor video quality.
My question was address to peoples using roku 3, will I get better video quality?
I probably won't have problem using 1080p on my network with a roku3, I have a new Netgear AC rooter.
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I am using Roku3’s and am very happy with the video quality. I’m using 720p. All of my Rokus are hard wired into the lan. I’m not using wifi.

10

I have a Roku 3 with Tablo set to 720p and I am very happy with the video quality. I did not compare to Chromecast side by side.

I will be honest though, my HDTV tuner looks quite a bit better than the Tablo video quality. But that’s expected as the video is being compressed on the fly.

11

I have not noticed a quality difference between the Chromecast and Roku.  I don’t use my Chromecast very often, but quality is not the issue.  I just don’t like having to use a separate device to control the Chromecast, while the Roku is completely run by one tiny remote.

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I have not seen a quality issue but, I have seen buffering with Chromecast I do not see with Roku. 

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The 720p Roku / Chromecast is a lower bitrate of the 720p option to accommodate wireless streaming via Chromecast or Roku. A lot of people were having buffering issues.

The reason I asked the OP was because if the record quality is set to 720p of course the video quality is going to look worse than the TV tuner as that displays the original source of 1080p.

Not necessarily - it depends on screen size and how far back you are seated or the viewing distance. On screens below 50" you may not really see much of a difference. We sit far enough back with a 42" that any difference is questionable. 
Of course 1080i is not as good as 720p even though there’s double the pixels.

A 50" at 10’ viewing distance it worth the extra, a 50" at 12’ distance isn’t worth it. this is a quote from a tech site having studied and polled folks to see when there was a difference people could detect. Of course some will “claim” the more is always better but that’s not necessarily true given the typical human eye - >
>>Generally speaking, if you sit more than 10 feet away from your TV, and your display isn’t bigger than 50 inches diagonally, you won’t be able to tell the difference between 720 and 1080.<<

Not all of us have room where the bigger set is realistic. And medicine has told us for years that closer distances are very hard on the eyes over time.
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Using a friend’s tablet, I have tried the app, and the picture quality was good on the chromecast in both 720p and 1080p.

So the problem is related with my old tablet and the chrome brouser.

Thank you all for your input.
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