A good rule of thumb with tech products is to avoid upgrading until you can no longer tolerate what you already have. That’s certainly true of streaming TV devices such as Roku and Apple TV, which tend to be fine for watching Netflix or Hulu even years after you buy them.

But with each wave of new hardware, the case for upgrading gets stronger, and I inevitably field questions about whether the time is right to replace an old streaming box or stick. To that end, I've put together a rundown of all the latest streaming devices from Apple, Roku, Amazon, and Google, and what you stand to gain by upgrading from their older hardware. Read the full column on TechHive.