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The concept of an Android-based set-top-box streaming platform is exciting.

Unlike the Apple TV and Roku app ecosystem, Google’s Android world is open in terms of what apps can be developed and released for the platform. This means in the future, Google’s Nexus Player could end up getting a number of applications that other video streaming platforms never will.

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Past attempts by Google at entering the realm of Apple TV and Roku ultimately failed. The circular Nexus Q, which was supposed to release in 2012, never made it to market, and Google TV didn’t take off like Google hoped. The only Google-made streaming product that has managed to find an audience is the $39 Chromecast dongle — and Google’s latest streaming device, the Nexus player, builds on what the Chromecast started.

Enter the Nexus Player, Google and Asus’ latest $100 attempt at owning your living room. The big question surrounding the device is whether or not the Nexus Player is a worthy competitor to the Apple TV and Roku. Unfortunately for Google, right now it isn’t.