Don’t buy a Roku or Fire Stick without checking this first

Way back in the early 2010s, getting my first add-on media streamer — a Google Chromecast — was a revelation. I did own a smart TV, but like many sets of the era, its built-in apps were proprietary and not that well-supported. My Chromecast opened up a world of content and convenience, no matter that I was forced to use my phone as the interface.