Nvidia Shield TV info

[NINaudio]

I didn't see a specific thread for this product, so figured I'd start one.

Who here has one and what are you using it for?

I got one months back in order to stream games from my PC to my HT setup. It quickly became my de facto streamer for everything (pandora, spotify, netflix, amazon video, etc.).

I'm just starting to explore what else I can do with it. I've just recently moved my music collection to it and started playing around with PLEX.

So, what can I do with PLEX besides using it to listen to my music? And does anyone have any idea what all the advanced options are for? I haven't been able to find much info on them online.

 

[panteragstk]

I didn't see a specific thread for this product, so figured I'd start one.

Who here has one and what are you using it for?

I got one months back in order to stream games from my PC to my HT setup. It quickly became my de facto streamer for everything (pandora, spotify, netflix, amazon video, etc.).

I'm just starting to explore what else I can do with it. I've just recently moved my music collection to it and started playing around with PLEX.

So, what can I do with PLEX besides using it to listen to my music? And does anyone have any idea what all the advanced options are for? I haven't been able to find much info on them online.

I use my Shield for everything. It's really my only source. Plex hosts all of my movies and TV shows and local music. I use Play Music for online or youtube red.

I have SageTV loaded to access my server that records all my shows from DirecTV so it is really nice to not need an STB or separate HTPC for live TV.

Perfect all-in-one device for me. I had my HTPC doing the same functionality (minus HBO GO streaming) and it took so much more effort to make everything work properly. With the Shield you just select the app you want and go. I'll be getting another one for my theater.

I have three other Android TV devices, but the shield stomps them all in functionality and capability.

 

[NINaudio]

I have SageTV loaded to access my server that records all my shows from DirecTV so it is really nice to not need an STB or separate HTPC for live TV.

Do you have any info or links on how to set something like that up to work with Fios? I'd love to get rid of their DVR and just record it onto my own NAS or PC.

 

[panteragstk]

Do you have any info or links on how to set something like that up to work with Fios? I'd love to get rid of their DVR and just record it onto my own NAS or PC.

I use unRAID as my NAS and there is a Docker specifically for unRAID. Works wonderfully.

 

[NINaudio]

Thanks. More for me to look in to.

 

[sholling]

I got one months back in order to stream games from my PC to my HT setup. It quickly became my de facto streamer for everything (pandora, spotify, netflix, amazon video, etc.).

I use it for the same things that you use it for, the only real difference is that I store my media on a QNAP NAS. I really like my Shield TV with one exception - I cannot get Google Play Music to play properly. It just jumps all over the place while I try to select music. Other than that it the Shield is near perfect.

 

[NINaudio]

I use it for the same things that you use it for, the only real difference is that I store my media on a QNAP NAS. I really like my Shield TV with one exception - I cannot get Google Play Music to play properly. It just jumps all over the place while I try to select music. Other than that it the Shield is near perfect.

I gave up on using google play music to actually play my music. I use Plex now to play my locally stored music.

I think a NAS is the next logical step for me. I am also interested in finding a way to make my own DVR system instead of having to rent it all from Verizon.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

@NINaudio. All you need for diy security system (video part) is Poe switch, Poe HD w/night vision ip cameras, decent PC and free ivideon dvr software.
Don't go with cheapest cameras like foscam. They break often and company doesn't honor warranty.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

You could subscribe to ivideon cloud DVR, but you don't have to.

 

[panteragstk]

I use it for the same things that you use it for, the only real difference is that I store my media on a QNAP NAS. I really like my Shield TV with one exception - I cannot get Google Play Music to play properly. It just jumps all over the place while I try to select music. Other than that it the Shield is near perfect.

That's odd, I use Google Play Music all the time without issue. It's actually one of my favorite things about Android TV and chromecast.

 

[sholling]

That's odd, I use Google Play Music all the time without issue. It's actually one of my favorite things about Android TV and chromecast.

It really is odd, when I move try to move the selection to the right it bounces right back to the far left and flickers like it's trying to move further left. If it let it sit (in the Music app) for half an hour it settles down for a while. I've googled the issue but so far nothing - I may be the only one that has this problem.

 

[panteragstk]

It really is odd, when I move try to move the selection to the right it bounces right back to the far left and flickers like it's trying to move further left. If it let it sit (in the Music app) for half an hour it settles down for a while. I've googled the issue but so far nothing - I may be the only one that has this problem.

Clear the app data and cache. They it after that. I'd be very surprised if that didn't fix it.

 

[NINaudio]

It really is odd, when I move try to move the selection to the right it bounces right back to the far left and flickers like it's trying to move further left. If it let it sit (in the Music app) for half an hour it settles down for a while. I've googled the issue but so far nothing - I may be the only one that has this problem.

I experienced this too. I describe it as "the program having a seizure". However, it would settle down for me in a minute or two. I just figured it was updating the libraries.

 

[sholling]

Clear the app data and cache. They it after that. I'd be very surprised if that didn't fix it.

Thank you very much for trying but no joy. GMusic just stopped working until I rolled back and then reupdated the app and it was back to jumping around.

I experienced this too. I describe it as "the program having a seizure". However, it would settle down for me in a minute or two. I just figured it was updating the libraries.

That's very possible and since I have roughly 1TB of music on my server it could require a good while to update. Because I only use Google Music for background music while working or writing it isn't a terrible loss if it doesn't work but it would be nice to find a permanent fix. I use Plex for playing music from my collection. I'm also wondering if my Harmony Hub isn't playing havoc with the controls.

 

[panteragstk]

Thank you very much for trying but no joy. GMusic just stopped working until I rolled back and then reupdated the app and it was back to jumping around.


That's very possible and since I have roughly 1TB of music on my server it could require a good while to update. Because I only use Google Music for background music while working or writing it isn't a terrible loss if it doesn't work but it would be nice to find a permanent fix. I use Plex for playing music from my collection. I'm also wondering if my Harmony Hub isn't playing havoc with the controls.

Sounds like our setups are pretty much the same. Mine just doesn't have this issue. I'm wondering if I don't have the latest version of the app? I'll check my version and see if there is a difference.

 

[sholling]

Sounds like our setups are pretty much the same. Mine just doesn't have this issue. I'm wondering if I don't have the latest version of the app? I'll check my version and see if there is a difference.

I finally got around to putting in a trouble ticket and NVIDIA had my problem solved in 2 days. I had to clear the app's cache and data and reboot. I think that solved the problem but I'm not sure, during the reboot the Shield updated me to the newest (8.1.6) version of Google Play Music and I have not had a problem since.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

My current living room htpc running of old Asus eeebox with Atom D2700 and nVidia chip [Ion2] is starting to show it's age, particularly with new fanged video compression codec - H.265
More and more content on the net is getting released in this format due to it's significant savings in file size - about 50% less space or more, plus official support for 10bit encoding, which helps in particular with animated content - much less banding.

Last few days I've looked at many variations of HTPC boxes from complete diy like odroid c2 (out of stock and requires separate case and eMMC purchase) to intel nucs and everything in between.
Finally just settled on this box:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Khadas-Vim-An-Open-Source-TV-Box-Quad-core-S-905X-WiFi-DIY-Set-top-Box/202015505562?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&var=502019125350&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

reasons:
1) [biggest one] - it's mentioned here as one of recommended boxed for Libreelec:
https://forum.libreelec.tv/thread/9759-choosing-a-s905-s905x-s905d-s905w-s912-box-guide/?pageNo=1
2) Open Source/Community Support.
3) Support for decoding h.265/10bit/4k/HDR - HD audio pass-thru.
4) Includes case, 2gb memory and I chose 16gb eMMC storage - which is overkill, but 16gb version should be the Pro version which includes AC wifi.
5) Unfortunately Only 100mbps wired, but it should support 802.11ac so it should be ok getting higher speeds later if needed. Worst comes worse, I'll just use spare ac66 as wifi ap.
6) has IR port.

Power supply (usb c should be fine), Remote and hdmi cables are not included.

 

[sholling]

My current living room htpc running of old Asus eeebox with Atom D2700 and nVidia chip [Ion2] is starting to show it's age, particularly with new fanged video compression codec - H.265
More and more content on the net is getting released in this format due to it's significant savings in file size - about 50% less space or more, plus official support for 10bit encoding, which helps in particular with animated content - much less banding.

Last few days I've looked at many variations of HTPC boxes from complete diy like odroid c2 (out of stock and requires separate case and eMMC purchase) to intel nucs and everything in between.
Finally just settled on this box:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Khadas-Vim-An-Open-Source-TV-Box-Quad-core-S-905X-WiFi-DIY-Set-top-Box/202015505562?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&var=502019125350&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

reasons:
1) [biggest one] - it's mentioned here as one of recommended boxed for Libreelec:
https://forum.libreelec.tv/thread/9759-choosing-a-s905-s905x-s905d-s905w-s912-box-guide/?pageNo=1
2) Open Source/Community Support.
3) Support for decoding h.265/10bit/4k/HDR - HD audio pass-thru.
4) Includes case, 2gb memory and I chose 16gb eMMC storage - which is overkill, but 16gb version should be the Pro version which includes AC wifi.
5) Unfortunately Only 100mbps wired, but it should support 802.11ac so it should be ok getting higher speeds later if needed. Worst comes worse, I'll just use spare ac66 as wifi ap.
6) has IR port.

Power supply (usb c should be fine), Remote and hdmi cables are not included.

I hope it works out for you. My experience with a big name S905 Android box and vanilla Android TV was only slightly more painful than a double root canal and almost as cost effective as burning a $100 bill. Even worse, admitting that I blew $100 on a total piece of crap lacks the cache of actually burning $100 bills while costing just as much. At the urging of people (elsewhere) that I mistakenly thought had a clue I bought the much praised DroidBOX T8 SE for a little used TV with no cable box to see what the attraction was. Boy did I screw up in listening to that bad advice.

In Android mode (it boots to vanilla Android TV w/Kodi or LibreELEC/Kodi) the DroidBOX opens to an attractive menu page that is easily navigated via the included infrared remote. For navigating much beyond that, including setting up apps like Kodi you need a $15-20 RF remote/air-mouse with a built-in mini keyboard or a wireless HTPC keyboard like Logitech’s K400+. Not a big deal but it adds another $15-30 to the final cost of the product. I'm even less impressed with the included applications because DroidBOX seems to have put almost no effort into obtaining TV optimized applications for their device. Versions of popular apps that can easily be used without a mouse or touchpad. In fact, their version of Netflix will not even display videos on my 1080P TV (black screen) and the Google Play Store version is not compatible. Basically, this vanilla Android TV box lacks even the most basic level of functionality that you’d expect from a phone or a $50 Amazon Fire 7 Android tablet or even a low-end Amazon Fire Stick. The one video application that did work sort of okay with the supplied remote was YouTube, but only with Android’s notification and navigation bars taking up part of the screen. In other words, unless your sole focus is on Kodi this thing is, in my opinion, junk and it has since been replaced by another NVIDIA Shield TV. Perhaps the DroidBOX is a decent Kodi box, but I’m not even a little bit into watching pirated video feeds and didn’t get that far simply because I found that vanilla Android TV failed to meet even my most basic minimum expectations - Netflix and Amazon Prime at 1080P (really 4K at the $100 price point) without a mouse, and YouTube in 100% full screen mode. In my opinion Kodi is icing on a cake and not a device’s minimum functionality. If you’re feeling wonky and are looking for a thoroughly crippled HTPC like experience or just something to play with Kodi on then the DroidBOX is a cheap way to get there. On the other hand, if you prefer a no muss no fuss TV appliance experience like Roku, Amazon Fire TV, built-in TV apps, or a cable box then vanilla Android TV is probably not for you. Google search reveals that I'm not alone in these problems and that DroidBOX isn't the only culprit. These seem to be common problems with vanilla Android TV boxes.

In contrast NVIDIA’s Shield TV runs the real Android TV OS and interface and the whole experience was designed from the get-go for use with the simple Bluetooth remote that they include in the box – no mouse needed. NVIDIA includes a number of remote control optimized applications, including an Android TV only version of the Google App Store, and while you'll find fewer applications than the phone/tablet version, all of the apps are optimized for a TV/remote control experience. Versions of YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO Go and most of the other popular video and music services, all of which play 100% full screen and none of which requires a mouse or touch screen or hours of troubleshooting. The exception is Kodi, which runs fine but is just easier to set up using a mouse and keyboard, but once setup it works fine with the remote. For those that do not need full blown Kodi, NVIDIA includes a full version of Plex/Plex Server which I use to access my very large digitized music collection and my collection of classic cartoons. There are also a ton of video games available and it has access to NVIDIA's subscription game service. In my opinion, on a 1 to 10 scale it’s a 10, limited only by the number of optimized apps. It’s every bit as as easy to use as a Roku or cable box but much-much more.

Bottom line BSA my very respected friend, in my opinion, unless your sole focus is Kodi, the next time that someone suggests “investing” in a vanilla Android TV device, including the DroidBOX or the Mi Box, do yourself a HUGE favor and ignore them and buy a Shield TV instead – you’ll be glad that you did.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I hope it works out for you. My experience with a big name S905 Android box and vanilla Android TV was only slightly more painful than a double root canal and almost as cost effective as burning a $100 bill. Even worse, admitting that I blew $100 on a total piece of crap lacks the cache of actually burning $100 bills while costing just as much. At the urging of people (elsewhere) that I mistakenly thought had a clue I bought the much praised DroidBOX T8 SE for a little used TV with no cable box to see what the attraction was. Boy did I screw up in listening to that bad advice.

In Android mode (it boots to vanilla Android TV w/Kodi or LibreELEC/Kodi) the DroidBOX opens to an attractive menu page that is easily navigated via the included infrared remote. For navigating much beyond that, including setting up apps like Kodi you need a $15-20 RF remote/air-mouse with a built-in mini keyboard or a wireless HTPC keyboard like Logitech’s K400+. Not a big deal but it adds another $15-30 to the final cost of the product. I'm even less impressed with the included applications because DroidBOX seems to have put almost no effort into obtaining TV optimized applications for their device. Versions of popular apps that can easily be used without a mouse or touchpad. In fact, their version of Netflix will not even display videos on my 1080P TV (black screen) and the Google Play Store version is not compatible. Basically, this vanilla Android TV box lacks even the most basic level of functionality that you’d expect from a phone or a $50 Amazon Fire 7 Android tablet or even a low-end Amazon Fire Stick. The one video application that did work sort of okay with the supplied remote was YouTube, but only with Android’s notification and navigation bars taking up part of the screen. In other words, unless your sole focus is on Kodi this thing is, in my opinion, junk and it has since been replaced by another NVIDIA Shield TV. Perhaps the DroidBOX is a decent Kodi box, but I’m not even a little bit into watching pirated video feeds and didn’t get that far simply because I found that vanilla Android TV failed to meet even my most basic minimum expectations - Netflix and Amazon Prime at 1080P (really 4K at the $100 price point) without a mouse, and YouTube in 100% full screen mode. In my opinion Kodi is icing on a cake and not a device’s minimum functionality. If you’re feeling wonky and are looking for a thoroughly crippled HTPC like experience or just something to play with Kodi on then the DroidBOX is a cheap way to get there. On the other hand, if you prefer a no muss no fuss TV appliance experience like Roku, Amazon Fire TV, built-in TV apps, or a cable box then vanilla Android TV is probably not for you. Google search reveals that I'm not alone in these problems and that DroidBOX isn't the only culprit. These seem to be common problems with vanilla Android TV boxes.

In contrast NVIDIA’s Shield TV runs the real Android TV OS and interface and the whole experience was designed from the get-go for use with the simple Bluetooth remote that they include in the box – no mouse needed. NVIDIA includes a number of remote control optimized applications, including an Android TV only version of the Google App Store, and while you'll find fewer applications than the phone/tablet version, all of the apps are optimized for a TV/remote control experience. Versions of YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO Go and most of the other popular video and music services, all of which play 100% full screen and none of which requires a mouse or touch screen or hours of troubleshooting. The exception is Kodi, which runs fine but is just easier to set up using a mouse and keyboard, but once setup it works fine with the remote. For those that do not need full blown Kodi, NVIDIA includes a full version of Plex/Plex Server which I use to access my very large digitized music collection and my collection of classic cartoons. There are also a ton of video games available and it has access to NVIDIA's subscription game service. In my opinion, on a 1 to 10 scale it’s a 10, limited only by the number of optimized apps. It’s every bit as as easy to use as a Roku or cable box but much-much more.

Bottom line BSA my very respected friend, in my opinion, unless your sole focus is Kodi, the next time that someone suggests “investing” in a vanilla Android TV device, including the DroidBOX or the Mi Box, do yourself a HUGE favor and ignore them and buy a Shield TV instead – you’ll be glad that you did.

You are likely very correct. So far I've managed to make this S905x nand wipe, since I couldn't quite right get the right imaging done. I did however was able to finally boot with Kodi of dog slow USB storage, but experience was much worse that my old atom (running of cheap SSD, which I had free). I am still determined to try to get Kodi installed on nand, but with free time limits it's unlikely to happen this year.
Android TV honestly doesn't attact me that much, but having full Plex client (I'm sharing libraries with few friends) would be useful. Still could do Plex client from Kodi, but it's not as useful.
My other option was to get mini itx board with soc Intel Celeron j3455 . I already have old mini itx case, SSD storage and I either have ram or could easily get it free at work.
At current sale prices shield TV is more tempting, but I know I unlikely use even a tenth of it's gpu powah.

 

[sholling]

The Shield ships with a full version of Plex server and the client. I am a fan of Plex because I have roughly 1.2TB of FLACs on my QNAP 451+ (running Plex Server) plus another TB or so of videos that I'll have access to in my bedroom (my little used TV). As I get older and health gets more of an issue it's nice to know that I'll be able to rock a middlin (early 2000s) quality version of Doom (not as nearly as good as the PS3 version) from my bed . I really-really don't like Amazon's Fire TV's interface and Kodi is a pain on Fire TV. I do like Rokus a lot but gaming is on a 1980s level. This makes two Shield TV with both the remote and game controller. I used a K400+ KB to setup Kodi but mainly use the built in apps plus Plex. After years of futzing with Windows based HTPC boxes I'm just over complicated controls and prefer the Shield's Roku like simplicity. B&H (in your area) has it cheap.