Best Streaming device ?

S

sathishv

Audioholic Intern
Hi All,

i have finished setting up my home theater system using Denon AVR x6700h and 7.1.4 configuration.I have finished Audyssey setup and it sounds good. However i am using Firetvstick 4k and it doesn’t seem to be handling the DD+ signal from Disney and Netflix well The whole system sounds very dull even with it upmixing to DD+ + DDSurround. I have been doing some research and not able to decide on one good streaming device that can handle content from Netflix, Prime, HBOMax, Disnet+. Please suggest. Also please suggest a good Bluray player. It it will be even best if a smart Bluray player exists that can solve both needs. Thanks in Advance!
 
T

Trebdp83

Audioholic Ninja
A bit more research is necessary these days when considering a streaming device. Just because a system is setup for 4K/HDR and DD+/atmos does not mean a service app on a particular device supports as much. Apple TV 4K gen 1 and soon to be released Apple TV 4K gen 2 will do it all, though gen 1 decodes DD+/atmos 7.1 and sends it out as multi channel PCM. It can pass the atmosphere metadata and Dolby light will go on in the receiver. We'll see what gen 2 does with it. Nvidia Shield Pro is great. ROKU Ultra is nice but not sure about app playback with that one. Some will hopefully chime in on it.
 
S

sathishv

Audioholic Intern
A bit more research is necessary these days when considering a streaming device. Just because a system is setup for 4K/HDR and DD+/atmos does not mean a service app on a particular device supports as much. Apple TV 4K gen 1 and soon to be released Apple TV 4K gen 2 will do it all, though gen 1 decodes DD+/atmos 7.1 and sends it out as multi channel PCM. It can pass the atmosphere metadata and Dolby light will go on in the receiver. We'll see what gen 2 does with it. Nvidia Shield Pro is great. ROKU Ultra is nice but not sure about app playback with that one. Some will hopefully chime in on it.
Thanks @Tredbp83. I was also thinking go give a try with Apple tv 4k. Any suggestion on Bluray player ?
 
T

Trebdp83

Audioholic Ninja
Well, Oppo is out of the game. Panasonic and Sony have some very capable players out there. I would not recommend any player for doing anything more than playing discs as they are not as capable as streamers as dedicated devices. I use a Sony UBP-X800 myself as I wanted SACD and DVD-AUDIO playback as well. The Sony UBP-X800M2 added Dolby Vision capability. I thought my player was priced well considering it's capabilities. So, consider the features you want from a player and then see what is out there in your budget. You may need to adjust the feature set and/or budget to get just what you want in your player.
 
M

Movie2099

Audioholic General
Thanks @Tredbp83. I was also thinking go give a try with Apple tv 4k. Any suggestion on Bluray player ?
I would rank it this way, #1 Nvidia Shield, #2 Apple TV 4k/ Roku Ultra, #3 Everything Else. Haha.

Panasonic UBP-820/420 or Sony X800M or the 700 model. Any of those 4 will work just great.
 
S

sathishv

Audioholic Intern
I would rank it this way, #1 Nvidia Shield, #2 Apple TV 4k/ Roku Ultra, #3 Everything Else. Haha.

Panasonic UBP-820/420 or Sony X800M or the 700 model. Any of those 4 will work just great.
Any specific factor that made Nvidia Shield ranked above Apple tv 4k ? Just curious as i placed order for Apple tv 4k Gen2 this evening and i want to know if i should consider cancelling that order and trying out Nvidia shield tv pro.
 
M

Movie2099

Audioholic General
@Trebdp83 @Movie2099 thanks for the input. Does Xbox series x a good one to be used as Bluray player ?
I don't own an Xbox X or PS5 so can't say they are bad 4k players. Me personally, I will always have a separate 4k player even if I owned the latest gaming console that includes one.

If you are just speaking specifically about Blu Ray's, yes both consoles with play blu rays just fine.
 
M

Movie2099

Audioholic General
Any specific factor that made Nvidia Shield ranked above Apple tv 4k ? Just curious as i placed order for Apple tv 4k Gen2 this evening and i want to know if I should consider cancelling that order and trying out Nvidia shield tv pro.
From things I've read, Nvidia Shield is considered the top just because of the options it has. Has all your latest and greatest video formats, Dolby Atmos. The Android layout is top tier and easy to navigate. You can upscale your 1080p content into 4k. And of course, if you have a PC you can play your games through the Shield on to your TV.

Personally, if you don't need all of that, the Apple 4k will do just fine. You're getting the latest Gen so you'll have everything. I personally use Roku Ultra. It's easy to use and comes with all the features that Apple 4k has minus Apple specific stuff.
 
S

sathishv

Audioholic Intern
I don't own an Xbox X or PS5 so can't say they are bad 4k players. Me personally, I will always have a separate 4k player even if I owned the latest gaming console that includes one.

If you are just speaking specifically about Blu Ray's, yes both consoles with play blu rays just fine.
@Movie2099 thank you. I knew they play Bluray’s in general and i actually have an old Song Bluray player too which works fine. Its just that i understood they wont provide the latest audio formats to get the full effects and immersion. I was just looking to see if Xbox one solves that too.
 
S

sathishv

Audioholic Intern
From things I've read, Nvidia Shield is considered the top just because of the options it has. Has all your latest and greatest video formats, Dolby Atmos. The Android layout is top tier and easy to navigate. You can upscale your 1080p content into 4k. And of course, if you have a PC you can play your games through the Shield on to your TV.

Personally, if you don't need all of that, the Apple 4k will do just fine. You're getting the latest Gen so you'll have everything. I personally use Roku Ultra. It's easy to use and comes with all the features that Apple 4k has minus Apple specific stuff.
Thanks again @Movie2099 That upscaling of 1080p content seems interesting too. I will look into that. Anyone else in the group have personally used shield ? If so can any of you share the experience ?
 
BoredSysAdmin

BoredSysAdmin

Audioholic Slumlord
Shield Pro isn't ideal (I own it) but is the best streaming device by far. It has the most power to process basically and current and near-future video and audio formats. Its killer feature is AI upscaling which I could personally attest to is simply jaw-droppingly good.
Plus you could run Plex Server straight from the tiny box.
 
S

sathishv

Audioholic Intern
Shield Pro isn't ideal (I own it) but is the best streaming device by far. It has the most power to process basically and current and near-future video and audio formats. Its killer feature is AI upscaling which I could personally attest to is simply jaw-droppingly good.
Plus you could run Plex Server straight from the tiny box.
Thank you for the response. Are you also having very good experience with audio that it handles from Netflix, Prime, Disney+, HBOMax ?
 
S

sathishv

Audioholic Intern
@BoredSysAdmin @Movie2099 @Trebdp83 i got the Nvidia shield from best buy and gave it a try. Its awesome so far with me test runs. I used all the 4 apps mentioned above and it detected and sent Atmos signals to my AVR and my AVR reflected same. Thanks for the valuable feedback!
 
ellisr63

ellisr63

Full Audioholic
What about a Dune HD Pro 4k?

Sent from my SM-T830 using Tapatalk
 
Verdinut

Verdinut

Audioholic Spartan
I would recommend the Roku Ultra. It handles HD Stereo Audio as well as 4K:

I own the Roku Premiere+ which is an older model. I am very satisfied with it.
 
Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
Oh boy, lots of great info. I was just talking to my neighbor the other day about my 5+ year old firetv. I think that's what it's called. It's not a firestick. It's a little bit bigger and is one of the earlier 4k streamers. In short, I'm due for an update and looking for a good streamer too.
 
M

Movie2099

Audioholic General
Oh boy, lots of great info. I was just talking to my neighbor the other day about my 5+ year old firetv. I think that's what it's called. It's not a firestick. It's a little bit bigger and is one of the earlier 4k streamers. In short, I'm due for an update and looking for a good streamer too.
I second the Roku Ultra. Just purchased the latest one and compared to the 2019 Ultra model, is definitely a solid upgrade. Best Buy just had it on sale for $60.
 
panteragstk

panteragstk

Audioholic Warlord
I've got three nvidia Shield TVs, but not the newest model that supports the AI Upscaling and such. I wouldn't use anything else since they work so well for me. At this point almost every issue I had has been dealt with. It plays back everything without any issues. Especially stuff from Plex.

Plus, wife and kids have no problem using them.

The other option, but less powerful, is the Chromecast with Google TV. I've got one in my sons room, and the kid profile mode is awesome.
 
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