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Child Item

2017 Nvidia Shield

SachaJ

Not much of a discount at £20 (Was £189.99, now £169.99) but it's the first time I've seen the new model reduced.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/NVIDIA-SHIELD-Media-Streaming-Device/dp/B01NBJ6KZY/

I'm on the lookout for a 3rd one but think I'll hang on and see what happens on Amazon Prime Day this week.

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McMurphy

SachaJ wrote: »

Not much of a discount at £20 (Was £189.99, now £169.99) but it's the first time I've seen the new model reduced.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/NVIDIA-SHIELD-Media-Streaming-Device/dp/B01NBJ6KZY/

I'm on the lookout for a 3rd one but think I'll hang on and see what happens on Amazon Prime Day this week.

Absolutely fantastic piece of equipment these are.

cjlawlor

Mr.S wrote: »

What can these do differently then your standard Apple TV / cheaper android box? I get they are high spec but even cheap 4k android boxes perform well.

Well, you get the full 4K capable versions of Netflix and Youtube not available on 95% of other android boxes. If gaming is important to you, you get a decent controller. Tomb Raider, Half Life 2, Portal etc. are exclusive to nvidia shield and it is very good at emulation. There is also the GeForce now subscription service which works great but is a bit expensive in my opinion and not really necessary if you already have a gaming PC. One thing to bear in mind is is the nvidia shield is running Android TV which differs from regular android. You can sideload most apps but they may not work too well if they are not optimised for a TV screen as well as a touchscreen.

WhiteMemento9

cjlawlor wrote: »

Well, you get the full 4K capable versions of Netflix and Youtube not available on 95% of other android boxes. If gaming is important to you, you get a decent controller. Tomb Raider, Half Life 2, Portal etc. are exclusive to nvidia shield and it is very good at emulation. There is also the GeForce now subscription service which works great but is a bit expensive in my opinion and not really necessary if you already have a gaming PC. One thing to bear in mind is is the nvidia shield is running Android TV which differs from regular android. You can sideload most apps but they may not work too well if they are not optimised for a TV screen as well as a touchscreen.

So if you don't game is the Mi Box a better option at around 1/3 of the price? It is also running Android TV, does 4K etc and the reviews on youtube look really positive.

Oat23

WhiteMemento9 wrote: »

So if you don't game is the Mi Box a better option at around 1/3 of the price? It is also running Android TV, does 4K etc and the reviews on youtube look really positive.

Mi is a good alternative for non-gamers as long as you don't plan on using Plex. It's broken on the Mi.
http://forums.plex.tv/discussion/244739/xiaomi-mi-box-us-version-android-tv-6-0-plex-client-with-audio-hdmi-passthrough-broken/p1

Bought the new shield back in January and it's worth every penny. Small and compact but very powerful. None of those Chinese ones with tablet android can compare.

super_furry

Fantastic price for a great piece of kit. Even if you were to solely use it as a gaming emulation box, it'd be worth the money. There, but with the media output, game streaming and 4K support, it's essential.

McMurphy

cjlawlor wrote: »

Well, you get the full 4K capable versions of Netflix and Youtube not available on 95% of other android boxes. If gaming is important to you, you get a decent controller. Tomb Raider, Half Life 2, Portal etc. are exclusive to nvidia shield and it is very good at emulation. There is also the GeForce now subscription service which works great but is a bit expensive in my opinion and not really necessary if you already have a gaming PC. One thing to bear in mind is is the nvidia shield is running Android TV which differs from regular android. You can sideload most apps but they may not work too well if they are not optimised for a TV screen as well as a touchscreen.

Add to that chromecast is built in, and also the voice searches etc.

None of the previous boxes I've owned come within an asses roar of the shield.

WhiteMemento9

Rick Shaw wrote: »

Add to that chromecast is built in, and also the voice searches etc.

None of the previous boxes I've owned come within an asses roar of the shield.

Mi Box also has both of those features.

Blazer

Have the 2016 model which is basically same spec and its a great piece of kit.
I love the fact that I can plug in my headphones into the controller etc and listen to movies as long as I want without waking everyone else.
Plex runs fantastic on it and there's also a server version for the shield also.

banie01

Blazer wrote: »

Have the 2016 model which is basically same spec and its a great piece of kit.
I love the fact that I can plug in my headphones into the controller etc and listen to movies as long as I want without waking everyone else.
Plex runs fantastic on it and there's also a server version for the shield also.

i have 3 of the previous model and I think they are an even better bit of gear than the 2017 version.
The older version has the same processor/ram with the added bonus of an IR receiver making a 1 remote set up a breeze.
The newer model dropped the IR receiver and has an updated controller design.
Still a fantastic piece of kit however and i use mine constantly(all 3)

SachaJ

I have two and getting a third - basically I'll have one on each TV in the house.

In our case we rarely game although the young lad (5) enjoys a few racing games and they've saved me buying an xbox for him. In our case it's purely for TV viewing/streaming. Benefits to me:

Love the UI. I can set up a really simple user interface with minimal clutter. Mine all boot into the restricted profile with only the allowed apps visible. Kids have limited access to content and that does myself and the wife.
4K with HDR.
Plex is fantastic. I'm a complete convert from Kodi. Plex (client in my case) gets special attention on the Nvidia Shield and they work put a lot of effort into new features
High resolution games on their highest settings
Support. Nvidia are still supporting the 2015 model with new updates. I doubt most other Android boxes are still getting specific updates

I have an Amazon Fire 4K and much much prefer the Shield. Does everything I need. I even replaced a Dune Solo 4K media player and using a Shield into the projector (130" screen) and it's brilliant.

I'm even thinking now of getting a digital tuner (sat or saorview) and using the Shield/Plex to view live TV. No idea would I actually use it permanently for TV but I'm interested to see what it's like.

I have both the 2015 and 2017 models. I actually prefer the new model. It's more compact and the controller is streets ahead of the older one.

Fr_Dougal

Bought one last week, needed a second so pulled the trigger.

These boxes are superb, no lag with movies and no messing about. Might be overkill for Kodi etc., but with Chromecast built in, and 4K support; you won't need to upgrade the box for a few years.

It's a quality box, the remote is actually metal. Pricey even with the discount, but worth it.

Jurgen Klopp

As cjlawlor said remember this is Android TV, not android for your phone or tablet.

It's play store is very bare so you have to sideload most stuff with things like 3 player and I THINK RTE player apps not working as they are incompatible

Just bare it in mind. I sent mine back as Im just not bothered with having to do small work around anymore and got a grand little €50 yoke that's fulfilled by Amazon and can't fault it

studdlymurphy

SachaJ wrote:

Plex is fantastic. I'm a complete convert from Kodi. Plex (client in my case) gets special attention on the Nvidia Shield.

Does plex play all the same types of movies as kodi? New releases etc? I use kodi but find it cumbersome at times. It's an older version also I think.

SachaJ

studdlymurphy wrote: »

Does plex play all the same types of movies as kodi? New releases etc? I use kodi but find it cumbersome at times. It's an older version also I think.

Plex doesn't have any pirate streams that I'm aware of and its the better for it! (BTW no discussing of pirate streams on the boards.....)

jakdublin

studdlymurphy wrote: »

Does plex play all the same types of movies as kodi? New releases etc? I use kodi but find it cumbersome at times. It's an older version also I think.

Plex is mainly for organising and streaming your own media content and presenting in a way similar to Netflix. It plays virtually all formats and can be configured to deliver content remotely. It's not really an alternative to Kodi.

studdlymurphy

jakdublin wrote:

Plex is mainly for organising and streaming your own media content and presenting in a way similar to Netflix. It plays virtually all formats and can be configured to deliver content remotely. It's not really an alternative to Kodi.

So I would have a hard drive connected to the box via usb or Ethernet and it would present all the movies sort of like a Netflix layout? That sounds nice alright.

SachaJ

studdlymurphy wrote: »

So I would have a hard drive connected to the box via usb or Ethernet and it would present all the movies sort of like a Netflix layout? That sounds nice alright.

Yes you can. Or in my case I have a PC running 24/7 that acts as my Plex server and each Shield acts as a client. The PC has around 12TB of media stored and shared among the devices.

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

jakdublin

Patww79 wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

I found it confusing at the start too but it's worth sticking with it. I've had my setup three or fours years now and bought a lifetime membership this year. I have access to all my movies, tv shows and music anywhere I go and share it with family members who use the free version. Think the Nivida would be overkill for Plex.

stimpson

jakdublin wrote: »

Think the Nivida would be overkill for Plex.

If you are serious about your home cinema then the Sheild is the box to go for. I've tried half a dozen different boxes for plex over the years including Mac Minis, smart TVs, Apple TV 4th gen. The Sheild has the best codec support of them all.

It can decode all the current HD audio streams (Atmos, DTS-HD etc.) and all the current video codecs (x265) without having to transcode on the server. It will ouput 4K HDR 60 fps (it looks sensational!), which is as good as it gets at the moment. The box is small and the UI is fast. For the money, nothing else comes close. Add to that the ability to stream games rendered on my gaming rig in 4K and it's an amazing piece of kit.

The high horse brigade

Oat23 wrote: »

Mi is a good alternative for non-gamers as long as you don't plan on using Plex. It's broken on the Mi.
http://forums.plex.tv/discussion/244739/xiaomi-mi-box-us-version-android-tv-6-0-plex-client-with-audio-hdmi-passthrough-broken/p1

Bought the new shield back in January and it's worth every penny. Small and compact but very powerful. None of those Chinese ones with tablet android can compare.

It must be noted that the Mi lacks Ethernet. You really should be using Ethernet for media especially 4k

stimpson

The high horse brigade wrote: »

It must be noted that the Mi lacks Ethernet. You really should be using Ethernet for media especially 4k

4K is only around 20-25 mb/s. A decent wifi connection (802.11n or better) won't have an issue. A good 802.11g signal shoudl be able to manage too.

jakdublin

stimpson wrote: »

If you are serious about your home cinema then the Sheild is the box to go for. I've tried half a dozen different boxes for plex over the years including Mac Minis, smart TVs, Apple TV 4th gen. The Sheild has the best codec support of them all.

That's interesting. I always felt the Nividia was really a box for serious gamers. Must take a look next time I'm looking for an upgrade, although I don't have any issues with Plex clients on my devices (Firestick, Apple TV 4, iPhone) but I don't have a 4k TV atm.

Mickeroo

Just fyi if streaming your gaming PC to your TV is the main draw, a cheaper alternative is the Amazon Fire TV utilising the Moonlight Game Streaming app, like the Shield it only works with Nvidia GPUs as it uses Shield technology but will give you 4k streaming unlike a Steam Link for example (provided your pc can handle it).

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

The high horse brigade

stimpson wrote: »

4K is only around 20-25 mb/s. A decent wifi connection (802.11n or better) won't have an issue. A good 802.11g signal shoudl be able to manage too.

As long as you've no other devices using WiFi as wireless is a shared resource. Your wireless router radio can only send (or receive) packets to one device at a time. I like to cable everything static to keep WiFi for devices that need mobility. No way I'd want something using that much bandwidth for long periods of time. It's a really stupid omission in this day and age.

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

The high horse brigade

jakdublin wrote: »

That's interesting. I always felt the Nividia was really a box for serious gamers. Must take a look next time I'm looking for an upgrade, although I don't have any issues with Plex clients on my devices (Firestick, Apple TV 4, iPhone) but I don't have a 4k TV atm.

The Shield can be setup as a Plex server using it's GPU to transcode. No other box can do this

WhiteMemento9

The high horse brigade wrote: »

As long as you've no other devices using WiFi as wireless is a shared resource. Your wireless router radio can only send (or receive) packets to one device at a time. I like to cable everything static to keep WiFi for devices that need mobility. No way I'd want something using that much bandwidth for long periods of time. It's a really stupid omission in this day and age.

I am using SIRO so bandwidth isn't much of an issue.

The high horse brigade

WhiteMemento9 wrote: »

I am using SIRO so bandwidth isn't much of an issue.

I'm referring to wireless bandwidth and the Mi lacking Ethernet. Having one device demanding continuous streams of 30mbit can really affect the wireless performance for other wireless users