Chromecast vs Mi Box vs Nexus Player

[Phil Schroeder]

I got a free Chromecast with my Google Home purchase. While I've found it to be neat to give voice commands to watch something on Netflix or put something up on my TV from my phone for some reason I envisioned that Chromecast also had a general interface like Roku in addition to the screencast functionality. But it seems that it just uses your phone as the player and then it acts as the intermediary to broadcast this on your tv it's connect to. Am I getting that right? If so, would using a Mi Box or Nexus Player be a better bet if I want more of a Roku experience but still have the casting option? I had the Mi Box once and generally liked it but at the time didn't have Google Home and didn't have much of a reason to switch over so I stayed with Roku. I haven't used the Nexus Player but I do have some concerns that the device is discontinued so I wonder how long it will be supported. Anyways, curious on other's takes on their utilization of the Chromecast and how it stacks up to other Android TV options. Thanks!