Disadvantages: Most set-top boxes don't include a full Web browser, so you can't always watch the videos you want, especially if your favorite shows are found only at live streaming sites or from the TV networks. And, as noted, you don't have many options for streaming live TV with a set-top box.
Advanced tips: , including the Apple TV and the Roku, to add new features, channels, and applications. For example, you can jailbreak your Apple TV and install the to enable 1080p video playback, which the stock Apple TV doesn't support.
Future-proof? The set-top box's place in the future of smart TV is iffy at best. You can't really do much besides watch the ported Web video. That may be okay for now, but we expect Web video to continue proliferating--and standard set-top boxes will struggle because they lack Web browsers.
While the Web video services that run on set-top boxes often add new channels, you have no guarantee that your set-top box developer will add the ones you want when you want them. But the boxes are relatively cheap, so buying a new one every few years could be one way around that problem.
Apple TV and Google TV have two different approaches to the set-top box. Apple's turns your TV into an extension of your iTunes Library--great if you own a bunch of other iOS devices, or if you prefer to pay the TV/movie rental fees over a subscription fee. Google's offers many of the benefits of a home theater PC, such as a Web browser and (future) access to apps via the Android Market, without the expense or hassle of a full-blown media PC. Also, the search function on Google TV could radically change the way you watch television simply by making it far, far easier to find what you want to watch.