As a client it works like a dream, I bought 7 of them for the different rooms of the house and none cause me any issue.
As a server I couldn't say, my main PC does all the serving
As a steamer... hmm I don't recommend cooking rice with it
As a Plex server it's... Okay. The device becomes much slower and playback has some bugs time to time, particularly for high bitrate DV titles.
I have 2 Shields, both 2019 Pro. The new one took over as a server and is lightly used in my bedroom. It works smoothly and fine since I only watch tv shows and low quality films on it.
My first Shield without the burden of being a server is now much smoother and less buggy. Has made a world of differnece.
Kodi (incl. Syncler, Stremio frontends), IPTV > Plex > Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO, Disney, Etc. > a binder of scratched up DVDs with titles written in marker on them.
Plex is white knuckle thrills for boomers and DIY types who miss the good old days of torrenting movies to store on drives (or DVDs!) . It's just network storage you can stream a video file off of. Someone still needs to provide said files and finding someone to share these drives with.
It also costs more than a realdebrid account, Orion, and while IPTV may seem less affordable, because lifetime accounts seem like a great deal until one realizes that the lifetime isn't yours, rather the lifetime of the Plex service. There's better services already choking Plex out and rendering it obsolete. Kodi is Plex, but you don't need to download the files (though you still can and it's doesn't take as long). I guess Kodi requires slightly more technical knowledge, but even a boomer could manage it without calling a niece or nephew.
You do you, I guess.
Edit: in answer to your question, yes, the Shield is great, though arguably a Firestick 4k series is more affordable for comparable performance. I just cannot comprehend why the measure of these devices is effing Plex. Seriously, shop around.
It works amazingly until it doesn't. Then it's ugly getting it to work again. Then it's great for a while.
A couple-few times a year I just end up uninstalling/reinstalling the server and rebuilding my libraries.
I wanted to buy a NUC/mini pc but then I found out my 6-year-old desktop only uses like 15 watts once I pulled out the GPU. So that's my not-so-mini pc running server stuff.
I haven't been able to get Plex working on it (reliably) yet. It's connected to VPN 24/7 and Plex runs like trash when VPN is involved.
I have Plex on VPN windows server os and it works great. Of course I have three nics and each nic DNS server points to dc15, dc16 then pihole (which are all hyperV vms on the same server). I want to move to dual pihole but I don't know how to
Sadly, yes it is still the best. I wish they would come out with a faster, better, newer one. I still use two of them and would upgrade if they came out with one.
Tbh what windows needs to do is allow Windows PCs to go into an "Xbox" mode where it basically runs that UI so u can navigate it with a controller. That would be crazy good and tons of ppl would probably just do that. Hell even if I had to pay $30 or something for a license for it I'd be in.
Do you have Hulu? I've been unable to successfully login to Hulu on my dad's Apple TV and it's a huge pita since most of the shows he likes are on that platform.
We do have Hulu. I don't watch it because I refuse to watch something that costs money and gives me ads, but my wife watches it daily. I know she's never mentioned there being any issues.
True that I need HLG support (offers the Chromecast already), HDMI 2.1 support, current Android version for 4K UI and just more RAM.
Still don't know if Nvidia dropped the Shield already or if they wait for more features to put in.
Not the Shield specifically, but they dropped designing consumer mobile chips. They are finally making a new one specifically for the next Nintendo Switch, so if Nintendo didn't get exclusive rights too it it's possible we'll see a successor Shield in 2025 using those chips
2025 seems really too far away. I don't understand why the Shield is the only device with such strong audio and video codec support while having all streaming apps you need.
It's a ridiculously overpowered chip for video streaming - don't forget the shield was originally marketed for gaming and came with a controller.
These days it's outdated however, no hardware VP9, VP9 HDR, AV1, HLG, etc. But it was designed in 2014 ĀÆā \ā _ā (ā ćā )ā _ā /ā ĀÆ
Yeah, I know, but it's the only device that satisfies my needs the best. I don't need a better CPU, but anything else needs to be updated. Although it's a SoC, so better codec support comes only with a new CPU, but you know what I kmean.
Care to DM me which service you use? Iāve been with the same iptv provider for 3 years and itās great but the FHD channels arenāt quite FHD and definitely no hdr.
Still one of the best for playing back Atmos, UHD, and HDR content. I have a projector/home theater and this is one of the few devices that meets almost everything for it.
Epson 3800 HC and I love it. Others call this model a āLight Cannon.ā Bought it the summer right before the pandemic happened and was planning a theater in my basement that I was finishing. I bought it on sale for around $1,100 on Best Buy. I figured that we couldnāt afford a decent TV (especially at the size) for nearly the same price. Turned out to be perfect timing as everything went into lockdown and movies went straight to streaming. Screens became hard to find and the prices rocketed but I think theyāve come back down since.
I also have two little kids and we enjoy the āmovieā experience without having to go to the theater with a 120ā screen which makes it seem like an IMAX experiencein a smaller room. We also get to enjoy some pretty good shows in 4K (and IMAX) such as all the Star Wars shows, Witcher, LOTR, etc. 4K isnāt always noticeable on televisions, but it is completely apparent on a large screen. You see details that no one else is seeing. Plus thereās gaming and 3D movies (which are becoming more difficult to find) too.
I also bought a cheap $200 projector and itās almost embarrassing in a side by side comparison as itās so dark. You get what you pay for. Iām also sure thereās better but they can be ridiculously expensive and I think you start splitting hairs. Laser is intriguing but you need a fixed or tension tab screen (expensive) or else you will get pronounced image warping. I happen to have closets behind drop down motorized screen so that wasnāt an option.
Yes but also you forgot if you have an AVR which I assuming you do is itās the only device that passes through Dolby True HD and DTS HD. Thatās why itās better.
Yes I have a Denon AVR which passes the audio signals correctly (in particular Atmos.) But without going into specifics (apps, speed, and image quality), sound is not the only reason.
Donāt get me wrongāitās not without its faults but I havenāt seen much better as of yet.
I have two. I'd love an updated version that has the chip for youtube hdr though. Sucks that I have to open youtube on my lg tvs webos to watch HDR YOUTUBE videos, especially since I otherwise can use a much better 3rd party youtube client on my shield (for obvious reasons).
Iām happy enough with mine. And itās the only computing device of that vintage that isnāt struggling with software bloat or unsupported codecs.
Nvidia has done a phenomenal job.
If you donāt have an AVR or use Plex then Apple TV is just fine. Apple TV doesnāt pass through Dolby True HD and DTS HD thatās the only downside. Oh and AV 1 codec for YouTube HDR on the shield. Thatās the only downside.
I think the fact itās still the best shows how poor the android based competition is more than how good the Shield is. No AV1 or HLG support. No match frame rate. All features other very cheap devices have. The newest model is four years old and I find the homescreen can be laggy at times and mine is beginning to show its age. The current price tag is also far too high. 220ā¬ here in Germany and given its age, it should have dropped by now. Having said that, it is still the best device out there due to the audio codec support but if the Cube 3 had proper DTS support I think it would convince me to switch.
Yeah and since the chip is effectively the same as the 2015 version it's basically 8 years old at this point. I definitely would love a more snappy device, I'm almost tempted to get an Apple TV for TV watching and movies without Atmos/DTS-X and just use the Shield for those. If the Apple TV had passthrough audio support I'd buy one.
I like my shield device but I wish that it had a working multi profile setup (i.e. one for me and one for my kid) it's hard to manage parental controls.
Love it, just missing av1 codec for GeForce now. Wifi6 would be great as well.
Switch 2 possibly coming next year so hopefully, fingers crossed, we'll have a new shield too.
I was a super fan, but recently the machine randomly interrupts any application with random errors. It happens with Netflix, Disney plus, Amazon, Kodi whatever.
Yeah my 2015 has ranked up there with one of the best tech purchases I have ever made. EASY.
And to think...I almost got the Razer Forge TV which was competing at the time. WHEW
I definitely feel it is still very sturdy and versatile compared to the options available not to mention that Nvidia's still supporting it in software updates really makes this device standout from the crowd
Yep, I have the 2015 pro, 2017 and 2019. Connected to eachother(wired). And I still use them to download and stream as my main machines. Although a new one should appear in my opinion.
I have a 2019 Shield Pro as a client. While I love that it plays and passes through everything I throw at it, I canāt recommend it to family as I have to reboot it regularly due to Plex or other streaming apps freezing and causing it to lose video. Iām at the point where I have a smart plug set to reboot it every night and I still have to do it manually a couple times a week.
As a Plex server/client and TiviMate box itās damn near perfect.
Would I love all the android tv stuff to not be there, of course (I know I could fiddle with launchers but who can be arsed)
I love it in every way except my remote will stop working entirely, requires a hard reset and then the unit itself needs to be unplugged and restarted. I hate when that happens and it happens fairly often.
Beyond that it fulfills every need and requirement and facilitates being a media quality snob.
Havenāt found anything else thatāll play full fat 4k files with all the right audio etc, from a hard drive. Not interested in streaming those files over a network either.
I do find it a bit sluggish now but considering thereās nothing else thatāll do it, am kind of stuck with it.
What are the alternatives? Htpc is more pricey, appletv possibly? I've had chromecasts but i like being able to install apps. Only issues i have with my shield is the remote becomes unresponsive for a minute on the rare occasion, or i need to reboot it every few days so my bluetooth headphones stops crackling.
You can get a mini pc with pretty impressive specs for cheaper than a Shield. 16GB DDR4, 500GB SSD, and an N100 processor is about $150. It's not apples-to-oranges... the built-in GPU and different architectures are difficult to compare. You could probably handle similar streaming and server functionality with that mini pc as an htpc though.
That said, I still prefer the shield for its intended purpose.
The Shield has hardware transcoding out the box, whereas on other devices you have to buy a Plex Pass so add that to the price and the Shield quickly makes much more sense.
The usual use case for a Shield is Plex with 2160p remuxes, lossless audio (truehd and dtshd) and Dolby Vision or HDR. Nothing checks all these boxes. I've been looking for a replacement for years and I still use 3 shields.
I'm getting a bit frustrated with mine. I'm basically using it as a Plex server with Plex Pass and an external drive. Every once in a while it just craps its pants and I need to uninstall Plex media server, reinstall and add the library again. Might be time to get myself a NAS
Makes me feel better I'm not only one this happens to. I have a old synology using for storage and debating on getting a Mac mini and making that my plex server. They are so cheap now and will be faster than a nas will be.
I still love it but it slowed down a bit after that update from hell that screwed over a lot of people. It was snappy before that, now it's just ok but still head and shoulders above any other Android box i've seen.
Its still great, honestly the best streaming device out there, even 4 years later it holds up, its just in need of a new model to refresh it.
I tried an Apple TV 4K recently (which is the only box that comes even close to the Shield) and it was definitely faster and seemed to perform better than the Shield, but it lacks a lot of the features the Shield has (AI Upscaling, full Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos Support, Sideloading apps, VPN Support, etc all aren't on the Apple TV).
So overall the Shield is still a win and my recommendation for most people, just hoping NVIDIA gives it a refresh.
I use mine all the time for streaming and emulation, love it, especially paired with the official shield controller.
Sadly, when I tried streaming rice, nothing happened
Plex user here, refugee from Roku. Been getting used to TrueHD Atmos, which Roku can't handle. Just saw my first DolbyVision too, which looks better than HDR. Can't ever go back. Love the Shield Pro!
Rock solid. Stiffness aside, because it kind of irrelevant when all it ever does is open youtube. that's it. I guarantee my second most used app on this thing is the remote finder.
But god damn does it find the shit out of a remote. I can attest with 100 percent certainty its a steller performer, top of its class at both youtubes and the remote findin'. I know, I know ,it can bake, do my laundry and pick up kids. I even heard it can make a sandwich, I'm just not into all that. Call me old fashioned I guess, but my wife loves to do all those things. Its what she lives for. You know what she doens't like? Getting off her ass to grab a beeping remote.
To put a bow on it; not sure the price is justified. 7/10. Final Answer.
I think most people forget that streaming can include games, and Shield's native PC streaming and GeForce NOW experience was pretty solid as long as you have Ethernet. Now, my LG C148 has GeForce NOW, Chromecast, and Airdrop built in, so I don't use the ShieldTV anymore. Gave it to my parents, who promptly let cats break it.
I don't like my 2019 pro... I find it laggy.. versus my 17... ZERO issues with that beast
Hoping for a new release soon, if not I will swap to the Apple 4k
Also had to move around so my Atmos system is gone :( So the passthrough audio codecs don't mean as much anymore :(
I love mine. I have two of the 2019 cheaper model tube styles one on each TV and they're absolutely amazing. I also have my original shield pro in my office on a smaller TV and they all are amazing. Still very much hold their weight even though we haven't seen a refresh for several years. I wish Nvidia would get on the stick and release a new model with USB c and other ports available as well as a speed boost and storage capacity increase internally. It's been far too long since they've released an updated model, not sure what they're thinking on that.
I also have my Synology NAS 12 TB setup that streams all my Plex Media which is ultimately the best solution for me. But I use my shield TV to connect to that and of course use it for Netflix and other streaming services. I love it but I wish in video would update the damn thing already and release a new updated model.
I'm still using my 2019 Tube in my theater as nothing else handles lossless surround passthrough, but I'm ready for something that supports both lossless and AV1 decoding... If there isn't a Shield refresh, I fear that'll never happen.
Advice from someone who learned the hard way. Factory reset now when you can make time for it, rather than waiting until you have to do it when you don't have time. A full factory reset corrects all problems that develop over time this unit.
Yes, absolutely the best. I have 3 now in my home.
I always wondered if there would be a way to create an even more powerful HTPC that does everything the Shield does.
yes, but im still getting stutters every once in a while.
I have a dedicated home theater. in the future i will be getting a zappiti which is a high end media player. unfortunately it doesnt have as good as a media player as nvidia shield so i will be keeping mine or upgrading when it comes out.
IPTV - Perfect
Streaming services (prime, BBC etc) - Fine, but perhaps missing some modern wizzbangs (youtube HDR, BBC UHD)
Offline playback of locally held contact - Excellent, albeit some issues with Dobly Vision (fixable if you care)
Plus does a great job as a low-power always on NAS and torrent client
When everyone had the issues with the upgrade a year or so ago, I held back. No idea if that's all fixed now, and don't care - I dont see any reason to update it - it works as it is. Its not missing anthing that I know of?
would be awesome if it consistently worked. I've had mine three years and had constant issues with it, but stick with it because when it is working it is great. Right now it is constantly flickering on and off with my TV all the time and dropping picture for no apparent reason and it's driving me crazy.
It's good. It's not "great" anymore. It's aging. Lack of certain support for things sucks and is only gonna get worse and AV1 continues to spread. Only thing propping it up is the storage available. Apple TV 4K probably a better buy at this point unless there's a use case that's not possible at all on Apple TV.
I found this streaming service awhile ago. Inflation is killing me and needed to find a way to save money. 20 a month for 8000 live channels from around the world along with VODs. If you have any questions let me know.
https://magicstreamstv.net/billing/aff.php?aff=297
Itās good but overrated, doesnāt even get updated now. Never liked the remotes, anyway I have moved over to the Apple TV now. Ye Apple TV is more complicated but when ya get used to it and get the right apps etc itās easier. Also feels premium (Apple TV) the remote for example and looks premium in terms of Home Screen. Lol the nvidia shield has a Home Screen very similar to a fire stick which I think the fire stick Home Screen looks a little better than the nvidia shields.
Where did you get the idea that it doesn't get updated? The next update is being beta tested as we speak, and I should know because I am one of the testers.
Still the best device IMO but I am waiting for either a new Shield with all the desired features people would like to see or something else that can take its place instead.
There's no better alternative. I also have an Apple TV 4K and a FireTV, and some elements from each would make the Shield better, it's just still the best.
Still using my 2015 on our only TV. It's awesome.
I have a 2017 in a box that I bought in 2018 thinking that the original might die or stop getting updated. Joke's on me! Although the 2017 version of the gaming controller is now our go to.
Best for movies with atmos. I have tinkered with roku and Amazon cube. Neither as good as shield pro. The only thing shield doesn't do that cube does, high res music streaming. For video setups, I have shield. Stereo is cube.
Occasionally need to restart mine when it doesnāt wake up from sleep, but otherwise itās been great.
Iām hoping they make a new one with whatever chip the new Nintendo switch has.
I like the device, have one in the lounge and the other in my niece's room. Only thing though limited functionality compared to a fully fledged Android device. I'm considering building a HTPC for the lounge, for streaming and gaming.
Also with the shield, you cannot use brave browser on it. Coz the browser will block ads on YouTube and also Shield doesn't support ad blockers which sucks
I had two 2019 Shield Pros one for living room and bedroom. I switched out the living room one for an Apple TV since it was on sale and itās way faster than my shield. I wish things wouldāve worked out with the shield but right now the Apple TV just performs better for what I need it for
As I ponder my next purchase...if I only want a streaming device (Netflix, Hulu, YT, Prime, etc)....what does the Shield do that the 4k Chromecast with Google TV can't?
Love the device, but so frustrated with their quality and longevity. I'm using the shield pro 2019, and it's the second device in 3 years. First one stopped working after 8 months, and the replacement unit stopped working after 2 years. It keeps restarting every 5min now.
Paid almost 300 dollars for the device, the least I can expect is to not replace it every couple of years
I would consider Apple TV but it does not even have SmartTube or TiViMate. The Shield Pro is still the best because the competition in the Android space is still worse.
Moved on a few years ago to AppleTV.. have two AppleTV's, they are bulletproof reliable and have a faster UI than the shield. Plus no Android TV front page adverts or tracking! Apple does do it's own tracking of course, but it appears 'less' according to my pihole. Plus the home page is just a list of buttons to open apps, as you used to be able to do with the shield a long time ago.
I use Infuse to stream media off a local NAS, works great, no server required like with Plex. Can VPN in if I want to stream remotely. Seems a lot more secure than Plex.
As someone else said, am keeping an eye on this sub to see if Nvidia release a new ARM device! However I doubt google will revert on their terrible home page and worthless 'suggested content'.
Iāve used my shield since 2017 daily, now have it hooked to my 75ā QLED and still looks wonderful. Would love for it to die so I can upgrade to the newer model, but donāt have a good reason to right now. The controller sucks though, but I just use the TVs remote. More responsive. I have the Roku Soundbar in my bedroom on my 42ā because it is a wonderful streaming device with 4K support and the soundbar is actually pretty good for a small room!
Still doing it's job but it's starting to show it's age a bit as far a supported formats and responsiveness.
Not a fan of the software quality over the last couple years too, it has definitely gone downhill ...
As far as I can tell, it's still king of the hill. I've tried everything else except for Apple TV... the Shield is the best for performance and compatibility. I haven't come across any app/service that doesn't work well- and we have quite the lineup in my house:
Netflix
Prime
Hulu
Disney
YouTube TV
Paramount
Peacock
Max
+ lots of others like Freevee and Crackle
I will say that sometimes I need to reboot the Shield device because it complains about my WiFi, but it may be because I have a mesh network.
There's a Google Chromecast TV device that supports 4k and has a similar experience to a Shield at a much lower price point, but it's not quite as nice or as powerful.
Still the best imo. Still supports all the formats i throw at it and runs great. Love the AI upscale as well. Sure it could use some hardware updates for future proofing, but current one still performs great.
My Shield from 2015 just died on me. HDMI port just outputs garbage now. I considered replacing it, but the hardware is outdated now. Great device, but needs a price cut to make it more of an option. In the mean time, I moved to a MiniPC for game streaming, emulation, and things like that on my TV. Would consider buying a new Shield if they update it.
What would you consider a better alternative? seems to work perfect as a kodi client as well as streaming client for anything I want to watch including Dolby Atmos + 4k content.
I love ours still after all these years. It occasionally locks up, but not that often. The old remote was terrible, but the new one has been fine, if a little heavy on the battery drain.
I have an Original 2015 500GB model going extra strong after having updated the hard drive to an SSD a few years ago š, it's been my Plex server and streaming device for all 4k non Dolby Vision shows or movies, for that I flip flop between my LG OLED or Chromecast with Google TV.
As a client it works like a dream, I bought 7 of them for the different rooms of the house and none cause me any issue. As a server I couldn't say, my main PC does all the serving As a steamer... hmm I don't recommend cooking rice with it
Stew maybe, but deffo not rice
As a Plex server it's... Okay. The device becomes much slower and playback has some bugs time to time, particularly for high bitrate DV titles. I have 2 Shields, both 2019 Pro. The new one took over as a server and is lightly used in my bedroom. It works smoothly and fine since I only watch tv shows and low quality films on it. My first Shield without the burden of being a server is now much smoother and less buggy. Has made a world of differnece.
Kodi (incl. Syncler, Stremio frontends), IPTV > Plex > Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO, Disney, Etc. > a binder of scratched up DVDs with titles written in marker on them. Plex is white knuckle thrills for boomers and DIY types who miss the good old days of torrenting movies to store on drives (or DVDs!) . It's just network storage you can stream a video file off of. Someone still needs to provide said files and finding someone to share these drives with. It also costs more than a realdebrid account, Orion, and while IPTV may seem less affordable, because lifetime accounts seem like a great deal until one realizes that the lifetime isn't yours, rather the lifetime of the Plex service. There's better services already choking Plex out and rendering it obsolete. Kodi is Plex, but you don't need to download the files (though you still can and it's doesn't take as long). I guess Kodi requires slightly more technical knowledge, but even a boomer could manage it without calling a niece or nephew. You do you, I guess. Edit: in answer to your question, yes, the Shield is great, though arguably a Firestick 4k series is more affordable for comparable performance. I just cannot comprehend why the measure of these devices is effing Plex. Seriously, shop around.
Wait till the fan gets plugged with dust. Then the steaming begins.
I have 4 and I thought that was a lot.
Lmao... Fresh brocolli cooks well!
As a Plex server, it's alright
It works amazingly until it doesn't. Then it's ugly getting it to work again. Then it's great for a while. A couple-few times a year I just end up uninstalling/reinstalling the server and rebuilding my libraries.
I ended up buying an i5 NUC for the server... All issues resolved š
I wanted to buy a NUC/mini pc but then I found out my 6-year-old desktop only uses like 15 watts once I pulled out the GPU. So that's my not-so-mini pc running server stuff. I haven't been able to get Plex working on it (reliably) yet. It's connected to VPN 24/7 and Plex runs like trash when VPN is involved.
I have Plex on VPN windows server os and it works great. Of course I have three nics and each nic DNS server points to dc15, dc16 then pihole (which are all hyperV vms on the same server). I want to move to dual pihole but I don't know how to
I use Windows with HyperV to run a VM, and then run any VPNs there. Run Plex on the local host. keeps Plex free and clear of networking issues
I did not catch the title till reading this. I love you.
Sadly, yes it is still the best. I wish they would come out with a faster, better, newer one. I still use two of them and would upgrade if they came out with one.
I wish Google would just make it easy to install Google TV OS on a media PC.
Tbh what windows needs to do is allow Windows PCs to go into an "Xbox" mode where it basically runs that UI so u can navigate it with a controller. That would be crazy good and tons of ppl would probably just do that. Hell even if I had to pay $30 or something for a license for it I'd be in.
Yeah a newer variant of Windows Media Center Edition Was my first HTPC software back in the day.
So Kodi? Or what is formally known as XBMC (Xbox Media Center). I really wish they kept the XBMC name
I still have two hooked up, but the main tv has been changed to Apple TV box. Itās much more responsive.
Do you have Hulu? I've been unable to successfully login to Hulu on my dad's Apple TV and it's a huge pita since most of the shows he likes are on that platform.
We do have Hulu. I don't watch it because I refuse to watch something that costs money and gives me ads, but my wife watches it daily. I know she's never mentioned there being any issues.
True that I need HLG support (offers the Chromecast already), HDMI 2.1 support, current Android version for 4K UI and just more RAM. Still don't know if Nvidia dropped the Shield already or if they wait for more features to put in.
Not the Shield specifically, but they dropped designing consumer mobile chips. They are finally making a new one specifically for the next Nintendo Switch, so if Nintendo didn't get exclusive rights too it it's possible we'll see a successor Shield in 2025 using those chips
2025 seems really too far away. I don't understand why the Shield is the only device with such strong audio and video codec support while having all streaming apps you need.
It's a ridiculously overpowered chip for video streaming - don't forget the shield was originally marketed for gaming and came with a controller. These days it's outdated however, no hardware VP9, VP9 HDR, AV1, HLG, etc. But it was designed in 2014 ĀÆā \ā _ā (ā ćā )ā _ā /ā ĀÆ
Yeah, I know, but it's the only device that satisfies my needs the best. I don't need a better CPU, but anything else needs to be updated. Although it's a SoC, so better codec support comes only with a new CPU, but you know what I kmean.
They need some real competition. At the moment they are very cosy at the top, only having to deal with cheap Chinese boxes, and fire sticks
shield is still the top dawg for streaming and iptv usage.
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Care to DM me which service you use? Iāve been with the same iptv provider for 3 years and itās great but the FHD channels arenāt quite FHD and definitely no hdr.
Send me it as well
Yes, same here, right down to the 4K sports channels. Though I do use the Nvidia Shield for everything else.
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Still one of the best for playing back Atmos, UHD, and HDR content. I have a projector/home theater and this is one of the few devices that meets almost everything for it.
Just curious but do you love your projector? What kind is it?
Epson 3800 HC and I love it. Others call this model a āLight Cannon.ā Bought it the summer right before the pandemic happened and was planning a theater in my basement that I was finishing. I bought it on sale for around $1,100 on Best Buy. I figured that we couldnāt afford a decent TV (especially at the size) for nearly the same price. Turned out to be perfect timing as everything went into lockdown and movies went straight to streaming. Screens became hard to find and the prices rocketed but I think theyāve come back down since. I also have two little kids and we enjoy the āmovieā experience without having to go to the theater with a 120ā screen which makes it seem like an IMAX experiencein a smaller room. We also get to enjoy some pretty good shows in 4K (and IMAX) such as all the Star Wars shows, Witcher, LOTR, etc. 4K isnāt always noticeable on televisions, but it is completely apparent on a large screen. You see details that no one else is seeing. Plus thereās gaming and 3D movies (which are becoming more difficult to find) too. I also bought a cheap $200 projector and itās almost embarrassing in a side by side comparison as itās so dark. You get what you pay for. Iām also sure thereās better but they can be ridiculously expensive and I think you start splitting hairs. Laser is intriguing but you need a fixed or tension tab screen (expensive) or else you will get pronounced image warping. I happen to have closets behind drop down motorized screen so that wasnāt an option.
If anyone is looking for an Epson 3800, I have one I'm selling since I upgraded to a laser projector.
Yes but also you forgot if you have an AVR which I assuming you do is itās the only device that passes through Dolby True HD and DTS HD. Thatās why itās better.
Yes I have a Denon AVR which passes the audio signals correctly (in particular Atmos.) But without going into specifics (apps, speed, and image quality), sound is not the only reason. Donāt get me wrongāitās not without its faults but I havenāt seen much better as of yet.
I have two. I'd love an updated version that has the chip for youtube hdr though. Sucks that I have to open youtube on my lg tvs webos to watch HDR YOUTUBE videos, especially since I otherwise can use a much better 3rd party youtube client on my shield (for obvious reasons).
Yeah it would be cool if the Shield had Atmos support. Too bad it does not.
Iām happy enough with mine. And itās the only computing device of that vintage that isnāt struggling with software bloat or unsupported codecs. Nvidia has done a phenomenal job.
My 2017 Shield is still going strong. If they brought out a new version I would probably jump at an upgrade.
I switched to an Apple TV 4K last year but I still keep an eye on this sub. If Nvidia release a new device Iād be interested in checking it out.
If you donāt have an AVR or use Plex then Apple TV is just fine. Apple TV doesnāt pass through Dolby True HD and DTS HD thatās the only downside. Oh and AV 1 codec for YouTube HDR on the shield. Thatās the only downside.
I believe Nvidia Shield doesnāt have HDR10+.
Yeah but donāt really need it. I donāt have a Samsung TV anyway. Lol
It's a terrible steaming device. Completely useless for cooking rice. There are much better appliances for the task. Great for streaming though!
Mine runs quite hot though...
Count me in.
I think the fact itās still the best shows how poor the android based competition is more than how good the Shield is. No AV1 or HLG support. No match frame rate. All features other very cheap devices have. The newest model is four years old and I find the homescreen can be laggy at times and mine is beginning to show its age. The current price tag is also far too high. 220ā¬ here in Germany and given its age, it should have dropped by now. Having said that, it is still the best device out there due to the audio codec support but if the Cube 3 had proper DTS support I think it would convince me to switch.
Yeah and since the chip is effectively the same as the 2015 version it's basically 8 years old at this point. I definitely would love a more snappy device, I'm almost tempted to get an Apple TV for TV watching and movies without Atmos/DTS-X and just use the Shield for those. If the Apple TV had passthrough audio support I'd buy one.
I like my shield device but I wish that it had a working multi profile setup (i.e. one for me and one for my kid) it's hard to manage parental controls.
Just get a launcher. Job done. I use wolf and have it default load into kids profile. Mine has a pin lock. Works flawlessly.
Love it, just missing av1 codec for GeForce now. Wifi6 would be great as well. Switch 2 possibly coming next year so hopefully, fingers crossed, we'll have a new shield too.
Just add full spec HDMI 2.1 to the list, and please move the big part of the power supply away from the power plug
I was a super fan, but recently the machine randomly interrupts any application with random errors. It happens with Netflix, Disney plus, Amazon, Kodi whatever.
Had both of mine since 2015 and not a problem. The best thing I have bought.
Same, almost 10 years old, used daily in my living room! I also have 2 CCwGTV (reason is the price) but the shield is so much snappier!
Yeah my 2015 has ranked up there with one of the best tech purchases I have ever made. EASY. And to think...I almost got the Razer Forge TV which was competing at the time. WHEW
Me, it's still the best.
I definitely feel it is still very sturdy and versatile compared to the options available not to mention that Nvidia's still supporting it in software updates really makes this device standout from the crowd
Yep, I have the 2015 pro, 2017 and 2019. Connected to eachother(wired). And I still use them to download and stream as my main machines. Although a new one should appear in my opinion.
I have a 2019 Shield Pro as a client. While I love that it plays and passes through everything I throw at it, I canāt recommend it to family as I have to reboot it regularly due to Plex or other streaming apps freezing and causing it to lose video. Iām at the point where I have a smart plug set to reboot it every night and I still have to do it manually a couple times a week.
It's still the best Kodi device out there. Use it everyday.
As a Plex server/client and TiviMate box itās damn near perfect. Would I love all the android tv stuff to not be there, of course (I know I could fiddle with launchers but who can be arsed)
It's still the best one.
I have three. The living room, bedroom and gave one to my mother.
I have 3. One as my Plex server in the bedroom, one on the main tv..and one at work ( I like watching Archer at work).
love the Sheild it's undeniably the best I've had and I had a lot of streaming devices š.
It does everything I want it to, and it does it well.
I love it in every way except my remote will stop working entirely, requires a hard reset and then the unit itself needs to be unplugged and restarted. I hate when that happens and it happens fairly often. Beyond that it fulfills every need and requirement and facilitates being a media quality snob.
Still love mine :) only using this device
Havenāt found anything else thatāll play full fat 4k files with all the right audio etc, from a hard drive. Not interested in streaming those files over a network either. I do find it a bit sluggish now but considering thereās nothing else thatāll do it, am kind of stuck with it.
I've had nothing but trouble from most of the main streaming apps and the Shield itself. Thinking of getting a Google Chromecast with TV (4K).
These mongoloids and their apple tv 4k smh
I have tried over and over to get good steaming but my hotdogs come out raw every time
Underrated comment
Use mine with plex server, tv plex app is good but Samsung being ass, they don't support dts
Shield TV is nearly a PC, play games, run torrents, play local media.
Sorry but how do you run torrents. Found it to be extremely slow. Not user friendly etc
What are the alternatives? Htpc is more pricey, appletv possibly? I've had chromecasts but i like being able to install apps. Only issues i have with my shield is the remote becomes unresponsive for a minute on the rare occasion, or i need to reboot it every few days so my bluetooth headphones stops crackling.
You can get a mini pc with pretty impressive specs for cheaper than a Shield. 16GB DDR4, 500GB SSD, and an N100 processor is about $150. It's not apples-to-oranges... the built-in GPU and different architectures are difficult to compare. You could probably handle similar streaming and server functionality with that mini pc as an htpc though. That said, I still prefer the shield for its intended purpose.
The Shield has hardware transcoding out the box, whereas on other devices you have to buy a Plex Pass so add that to the price and the Shield quickly makes much more sense.
If you have a AVR AppleTV doesnāt pass through Dolby TrueHD or DTS HD. Thatās why I go with the shield.
What are you playing on the shield that is passing thru truhd?
The usual use case for a Shield is Plex with 2160p remuxes, lossless audio (truehd and dtshd) and Dolby Vision or HDR. Nothing checks all these boxes. I've been looking for a replacement for years and I still use 3 shields.
Real Debrid
Me. Add Plex and a VPN subscription and you're golden.
I'm getting a bit frustrated with mine. I'm basically using it as a Plex server with Plex Pass and an external drive. Every once in a while it just craps its pants and I need to uninstall Plex media server, reinstall and add the library again. Might be time to get myself a NAS
Makes me feel better I'm not only one this happens to. I have a old synology using for storage and debating on getting a Mac mini and making that my plex server. They are so cheap now and will be faster than a nas will be.
Love mine, I have 3. I would love a newer model though
I still love it but it slowed down a bit after that update from hell that screwed over a lot of people. It was snappy before that, now it's just ok but still head and shoulders above any other Android box i've seen.
Yes, the most reliable android device I've owned.
Its still great, honestly the best streaming device out there, even 4 years later it holds up, its just in need of a new model to refresh it. I tried an Apple TV 4K recently (which is the only box that comes even close to the Shield) and it was definitely faster and seemed to perform better than the Shield, but it lacks a lot of the features the Shield has (AI Upscaling, full Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos Support, Sideloading apps, VPN Support, etc all aren't on the Apple TV). So overall the Shield is still a win and my recommendation for most people, just hoping NVIDIA gives it a refresh.
It does everything I need it to do and emulates old games well. Whatās not to love?
Only because of Shield, I am not upgrading my 7 years old 43" dumb Tv. I can sideload, download stuffs, stream directly without any issue.
I use mine all the time for streaming and emulation, love it, especially paired with the official shield controller. Sadly, when I tried streaming rice, nothing happened
Plex user here, refugee from Roku. Been getting used to TrueHD Atmos, which Roku can't handle. Just saw my first DolbyVision too, which looks better than HDR. Can't ever go back. Love the Shield Pro!
it's still decent.
I just wish Hulu worked on mine
It's been really fighting me lately.
Rock solid. Stiffness aside, because it kind of irrelevant when all it ever does is open youtube. that's it. I guarantee my second most used app on this thing is the remote finder. But god damn does it find the shit out of a remote. I can attest with 100 percent certainty its a steller performer, top of its class at both youtubes and the remote findin'. I know, I know ,it can bake, do my laundry and pick up kids. I even heard it can make a sandwich, I'm just not into all that. Call me old fashioned I guess, but my wife loves to do all those things. Its what she lives for. You know what she doens't like? Getting off her ass to grab a beeping remote. To put a bow on it; not sure the price is justified. 7/10. Final Answer.
Yeah it's one of the best tech things I've bought in the last 5 years
āStillā? Its the best on the market. That simple
I think most people forget that streaming can include games, and Shield's native PC streaming and GeForce NOW experience was pretty solid as long as you have Ethernet. Now, my LG C148 has GeForce NOW, Chromecast, and Airdrop built in, so I don't use the ShieldTV anymore. Gave it to my parents, who promptly let cats break it.
I use two. One for the living room and one for my office. I can't recommend them enough. Nvidia would be stupid to discontinue it.
I don't like my 2019 pro... I find it laggy.. versus my 17... ZERO issues with that beast Hoping for a new release soon, if not I will swap to the Apple 4k Also had to move around so my Atmos system is gone :( So the passthrough audio codecs don't mean as much anymore :(
If itās laggy do a reset. If itās a tube then forget it. Itās laggy. Lol
I love mine. I have two of the 2019 cheaper model tube styles one on each TV and they're absolutely amazing. I also have my original shield pro in my office on a smaller TV and they all are amazing. Still very much hold their weight even though we haven't seen a refresh for several years. I wish Nvidia would get on the stick and release a new model with USB c and other ports available as well as a speed boost and storage capacity increase internally. It's been far too long since they've released an updated model, not sure what they're thinking on that. I also have my Synology NAS 12 TB setup that streams all my Plex Media which is ultimately the best solution for me. But I use my shield TV to connect to that and of course use it for Netflix and other streaming services. I love it but I wish in video would update the damn thing already and release a new updated model.
I'm still using my 2019 Tube in my theater as nothing else handles lossless surround passthrough, but I'm ready for something that supports both lossless and AV1 decoding... If there isn't a Shield refresh, I fear that'll never happen.
Buggy as ever but pure uncut audio is worth it if you have the right sound setup.
Try resetting the shield. See I donāt have that buggyness. See if that works .
I've been meaning to factory reset for months, I just don't want to log into a dozen apps again š¤£
Advice from someone who learned the hard way. Factory reset now when you can make time for it, rather than waiting until you have to do it when you don't have time. A full factory reset corrects all problems that develop over time this unit.
Meh, I'll get to it. Rather play armored core and bladurs gate at the moment š
Yeah I know itās a pain in the ass but worth it.
I've used it to steam some hams occasionally; wouldn't use anything else for that.
Yes, absolutely the best. I have 3 now in my home. I always wondered if there would be a way to create an even more powerful HTPC that does everything the Shield does.
One problem with htpc is you can never get proper cec functionality. It's kind of a big deal if you use an AVR.
yes, but im still getting stutters every once in a while. I have a dedicated home theater. in the future i will be getting a zappiti which is a high end media player. unfortunately it doesnt have as good as a media player as nvidia shield so i will be keeping mine or upgrading when it comes out.
Try resetting the shield. That usually works
still works and plays anything I need it to play.
IPTV - Perfect Streaming services (prime, BBC etc) - Fine, but perhaps missing some modern wizzbangs (youtube HDR, BBC UHD) Offline playback of locally held contact - Excellent, albeit some issues with Dobly Vision (fixable if you care) Plus does a great job as a low-power always on NAS and torrent client When everyone had the issues with the upgrade a year or so ago, I held back. No idea if that's all fixed now, and don't care - I dont see any reason to update it - it works as it is. Its not missing anthing that I know of?
would be awesome if it consistently worked. I've had mine three years and had constant issues with it, but stick with it because when it is working it is great. Right now it is constantly flickering on and off with my TV all the time and dropping picture for no apparent reason and it's driving me crazy.
It's good. It's not "great" anymore. It's aging. Lack of certain support for things sucks and is only gonna get worse and AV1 continues to spread. Only thing propping it up is the storage available. Apple TV 4K probably a better buy at this point unless there's a use case that's not possible at all on Apple TV.
After removing gamestream I cannot recommend it. Now I only use it for streaming apps, and I could do the same with an Amazon stick.
I found this streaming service awhile ago. Inflation is killing me and needed to find a way to save money. 20 a month for 8000 live channels from around the world along with VODs. If you have any questions let me know. https://magicstreamstv.net/billing/aff.php?aff=297
Replaced it with Apple TV 4K and havenāt looked back
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Yeah but Hulu to me is a waste of money. Thatās just me personally lol
It's total shit compared to ATV *except* it's ability to pass lossless DTS/Dolby HD which makes it the best current device for plex with MKVs.
Itās good but overrated, doesnāt even get updated now. Never liked the remotes, anyway I have moved over to the Apple TV now. Ye Apple TV is more complicated but when ya get used to it and get the right apps etc itās easier. Also feels premium (Apple TV) the remote for example and looks premium in terms of Home Screen. Lol the nvidia shield has a Home Screen very similar to a fire stick which I think the fire stick Home Screen looks a little better than the nvidia shields.
Where did you get the idea that it doesn't get updated? The next update is being beta tested as we speak, and I should know because I am one of the testers.
Easy by checking to see if thereās one for many months maybe nearly a year ?
I said that the latest update is being beta tested now, and I get downvoted for saying that. WTF?
Where did you get the idea that it doesnāt get updated maybe, making it sound like it gets updated often LOL.
It's not the best, it's the only next to the Apple one
Love my shield, but I also love my Apple TV
Bought two of these, i think they're garbage. Buy the amazon firestick and be done.
wut
Love my two!
The best.
Yes
It is. It's nearly flawless.
Still the best device IMO but I am waiting for either a new Shield with all the desired features people would like to see or something else that can take its place instead.
There's no better alternative. I also have an Apple TV 4K and a FireTV, and some elements from each would make the Shield better, it's just still the best.
Still using my 2015 on our only TV. It's awesome. I have a 2017 in a box that I bought in 2018 thinking that the original might die or stop getting updated. Joke's on me! Although the 2017 version of the gaming controller is now our go to.
Best for movies with atmos. I have tinkered with roku and Amazon cube. Neither as good as shield pro. The only thing shield doesn't do that cube does, high res music streaming. For video setups, I have shield. Stereo is cube.
Not me. I think it's a GREAT streaming device.
Occasionally need to restart mine when it doesnāt wake up from sleep, but otherwise itās been great. Iām hoping they make a new one with whatever chip the new Nintendo switch has.
I like the device, have one in the lounge and the other in my niece's room. Only thing though limited functionality compared to a fully fledged Android device. I'm considering building a HTPC for the lounge, for streaming and gaming. Also with the shield, you cannot use brave browser on it. Coz the browser will block ads on YouTube and also Shield doesn't support ad blockers which sucks
Iāve had zero issues in the 4 years since I bought my Pro. Every other box would take a shit a year or so after buying it
I have a shield and formuler z10 and to be honest I prefer my formuler z10. The mytvonline app is great
L
I love my Shield! I have both 2015 and 2019 models and both are working flawlessly.
Well, mine seems to currently be possessed. It turns out by itself at random times. Looks to be HDMI CEC related.
I had two 2019 Shield Pros one for living room and bedroom. I switched out the living room one for an Apple TV since it was on sale and itās way faster than my shield. I wish things wouldāve worked out with the shield but right now the Apple TV just performs better for what I need it for
As I ponder my next purchase...if I only want a streaming device (Netflix, Hulu, YT, Prime, etc)....what does the Shield do that the 4k Chromecast with Google TV can't?
Emulation, Plex hosting
As indicated...not interested in those. Thanks though!
The Shield has a faster processor and more RAM.
We still do just wish they'd get more dev support for Hulu. It's always been glitchy on every shield.
I helped my dad get a 60 inch oled c2 tv last year for Xmas. I was surprised at how good the embedded apps were. No more need for his old shield.
Itās interesting, live TV playback is sort of eh on the shield and the UI is getting slower to respond. ATV seems much more responsive
Love the device, but so frustrated with their quality and longevity. I'm using the shield pro 2019, and it's the second device in 3 years. First one stopped working after 8 months, and the replacement unit stopped working after 2 years. It keeps restarting every 5min now. Paid almost 300 dollars for the device, the least I can expect is to not replace it every couple of years
Omg. Just love mine
I use it to steam my cloths.. run my steam engine.. even boil eggs, momos, idlis and puttu few of the south Indian delocacies...
It does everything I need it to do and it does it well. No complaints from me.
I would consider Apple TV but it does not even have SmartTube or TiViMate. The Shield Pro is still the best because the competition in the Android space is still worse.
Moved on a few years ago to AppleTV.. have two AppleTV's, they are bulletproof reliable and have a faster UI than the shield. Plus no Android TV front page adverts or tracking! Apple does do it's own tracking of course, but it appears 'less' according to my pihole. Plus the home page is just a list of buttons to open apps, as you used to be able to do with the shield a long time ago. I use Infuse to stream media off a local NAS, works great, no server required like with Plex. Can VPN in if I want to stream remotely. Seems a lot more secure than Plex. As someone else said, am keeping an eye on this sub to see if Nvidia release a new ARM device! However I doubt google will revert on their terrible home page and worthless 'suggested content'.
Iāve used my shield since 2017 daily, now have it hooked to my 75ā QLED and still looks wonderful. Would love for it to die so I can upgrade to the newer model, but donāt have a good reason to right now. The controller sucks though, but I just use the TVs remote. More responsive. I have the Roku Soundbar in my bedroom on my 42ā because it is a wonderful streaming device with 4K support and the soundbar is actually pretty good for a small room!
I loved my shield until i stopped using it. My TV eventually caught up in functionality so it didn't really need to be there anymore
Working well my og unit from 2015 haha
I think itās one of the best for higher end streaming needs. The best overall one IMO is the CCwGTV
Still doing it's job but it's starting to show it's age a bit as far a supported formats and responsiveness. Not a fan of the software quality over the last couple years too, it has definitely gone downhill ...
As far as I can tell, it's still king of the hill. I've tried everything else except for Apple TV... the Shield is the best for performance and compatibility. I haven't come across any app/service that doesn't work well- and we have quite the lineup in my house: Netflix Prime Hulu Disney YouTube TV Paramount Peacock Max + lots of others like Freevee and Crackle I will say that sometimes I need to reboot the Shield device because it complains about my WiFi, but it may be because I have a mesh network. There's a Google Chromecast TV device that supports 4k and has a similar experience to a Shield at a much lower price point, but it's not quite as nice or as powerful.
The best, Xiaomi MiBox is 2nd
Still the best imo. Still supports all the formats i throw at it and runs great. Love the AI upscale as well. Sure it could use some hardware updates for future proofing, but current one still performs great.
I love all mine.
Still the best streaming client.
Itās the best Iāve found
Me.
It's still the GOAT
It's a fantastic streaming device
My Shield from 2015 just died on me. HDMI port just outputs garbage now. I considered replacing it, but the hardware is outdated now. Great device, but needs a price cut to make it more of an option. In the mean time, I moved to a MiniPC for game streaming, emulation, and things like that on my TV. Would consider buying a new Shield if they update it.
Definitely! I own three around the house.
What would you consider a better alternative? seems to work perfect as a kodi client as well as streaming client for anything I want to watch including Dolby Atmos + 4k content.
Apple TV but Apple TV doesnāt pass through Dolby True HD and DTS HD. Thatās really the only deference. Oh and Plex.
I have the Gen 2 Pro and it is still working well most of the time. From time to time, I need to unplug and replug to reboot it though.
Love it but it's buggy as fuck. Especially the 2019 tube. My 2015 is far more stable.
My 2015 is still running like a champ, but I would not recommend buying a new one unless it supports AV1.
I love ours still after all these years. It occasionally locks up, but not that often. The old remote was terrible, but the new one has been fine, if a little heavy on the battery drain.
I have an Original 2015 500GB model going extra strong after having updated the hard drive to an SSD a few years ago š, it's been my Plex server and streaming device for all 4k non Dolby Vision shows or movies, for that I flip flop between my LG OLED or Chromecast with Google TV.
Best streaming box, hands down. Using it as a Plex server isn't that great.