Nvidia Shield TV Pro 2019 and the Disney+ app

[Trebdp83]

Disney+ recently rolled out IMAX Enhanced Sound by DTS as many already know. It is a lossy version of DTS:X that DTS calls DTS:X Profile 2. Many, myself included, hoped that, because the Nvidia Shield TV Pro is an android device, it would stream DTS:X from the Disney+ app. But, while it can bitstream DTS:X like the Roku Ultra, it and the Roku cannot decode it. So, support is limited to devices that can bitstream DTS:X as well as decode it. Certain Smart TVs can do it but only a select few of them are actually supported at this time. Decoding Dolby Atmos and DTS:X can be done in some Smart TVs when using their own speakers. Connect an AVP, AVR or soundbar to them and those signals need to be bit streamed for output from the connected device. So, for now, there is no DTS:X from Disney+ from any of my devices.

The lack of DTS:X streaming isn't the only issue concerning the Disney+ app on the Nvidia Shield TV Pro. Before I get into the Disney+ app, I do want to comment on the Home Screen. It looks like s#%t. The Nvidia Shield TV Pro does NOT allow ALL screens to be displayed in Dolby Vision AT ALL. My Amazon Fire TV Cube Gen 3, Apple TV 4K Gen 1 and Roku Ultra 4800X ALL want to default to Dolby Vision for EVERYTHING when connected to a Dolby Vision capable TV. This means their Home screens and app menus all look colorful and sharp when using Dolby Vision. The Apple TV 4K has a color calibration feature that is disabled when outputting Dolby Vision as it says "The TV's Color Is Accurate" when using it. The Shield cannot output HDR10 or Dolby Vision in the Home Screen though it supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision output when using apps that support them. The SDR image of the Home Screen is a bit fuzzy and washed out and switching to the Home Screen of one of the other streamers, my Mac mini desktop or the XBOX Series S results in a much nicer image onscreen.

Anyway, let's click on the Disney+ app and select an IMAX Enhanced title. The Shield Disney+ app supports Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos BUT does NOT support 24Hz playback. Now, some will output everything in their Shield at 24Hz by selecting it for output or select the 24Hz playback feature, still in Beta, to make the app output in 24Hz. This will result in the Disney+ app disabling Dolby Atmos output and the signal will change to PCM 2.0. The Shield can also output each app in Game mode and ALLM will display onscreen when doing so BUT, the Disney+ app will warn that the feature does NOT work when watching Dolby Vision material and it is disabled when doing so. While the ALLM limitation and 60Hz output may be a con for some, the Shield does support both TV Led AND Player Led Dolby vision when it is put into Developer mode. Some displays may have an issue with TV Led Dolby Vision and Player Led may work. Using TV Led Dolby Vision, which sends an RGB 8 bit signal to the display, IMAX Enhanced titles from Disney+ look amazing on my LG OLED TV.

While disappointed that DTS:X is currently not working for Disney+ IMAX Enhanced titles on the Nvidia Shield TV Pro, image quality is not an issue. Disney+ did have some aspect ratio issues over the last few days that resulted in the IMAX Enhanced 1.90:1 aspect ratio not working at all for the Marvel movies and the "Queen Rock Montreal" concert being shown in 1.90:1 rather than the 1.43:1 aspect ratio that is closer to the 1.33:1 aspect ration in which it was supposedly originally filmed. All seems fixed now and the "Queen Rock Montreal" concert plays in 1.43:1. The color and detail are impressive on that one. But, some aren't keen on lossy audio/video presentations streamed from certain devices. So, for those folks, none of this really matters. For others, it may be of some interest. Whatever you watch and however you watch it, enjoy!

 

[brett_jv]

Thanks for the highly informative post!

Can I ask, are there any deleterious effects to setting the Shield to default to RGB 8 output? Is it something one needs to toggle regularly, based on whether you're running DV content, or can it just be left that way?

I have a new G3 sitting here in the box, about ready to be hooked up, and there's been talk of recent DV problems on the 2023's, screen looks too dark with DV on, etc, on some owner's threads (though the posts are from December 2023).

Also how does one enable the 24p Beta? Where is it in the settings? Interested in trying it, even though on my old (2018) XBR900F, the 3:2 pulldown consistently works fine and I get 24 fps on movies, both Plex rips and streaming apps on the Shield. I assume the idea is it'll look even better if the Shield is passing 24fps to the display instead?

Think we'll ever get the DTS:X for Streaming support added to Shield so we can hear the Imax Enhanced soundtracks from Disney Plus?

 

[Trebdp83]

The 24Hz beta feature can be found with other settings that can be added to the Quick Settings screen. You can also apply it to the Settings button and activate it using two quick presses of the button, one quick press or a long press.

I gave up on the picture settings and, because DTS:X currently does not work with Disney+ IMAX Enhanced titles, I went back to the Apple TV 4K. There are a few reasons for making the change but it would not be an option for those needing kodi or Plex to watch rips on their device.

Dolby Vision AND HDR10 support are not available when selecting RGB for output in the Shield. It’s a YUV 4:2:2 affair there but Dolby Vision content will output in RGB 8 bit unless low latency(player led) Dolby Vision output is selected in Developer settings.

There are those that want to maintain “Creator Intent” when watching movies and TV as if many of the picture and audio choices were made purely for artistic reasons. I’ve been over that s#%t for a long time. If everything I watched came over to my TV in a 16:9 aspect ratio @60Hz using Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, I’d be perfectly happy.

Concerning Dolby Vision, newer LG TVs have Dolby Vision IQ to adjust brightness of the TV based on the brightness of the room. Some leave their LG TV in Cinema mode and auto dimming can make Dolby Vision content unwatchable in very long and dark scenes. Others have gone into the service menu using an LG service remote controller and disabled auto dimming altogether in their LG TVs.

After watching everything, even SDR content, in Dolby Vision using the Amazon Fire TV Cube 3rd Gen, Apple TV 4K and Roku Ultra X4800, watching SDR content in SDR on the Nvidia Shield TV Pro just doesn’t cut it anymore. While the Shield is far more adjustable than any of the others, it simply cannot be set to output everything in Dolby Vision like the other devices.

There are issues in anything filmed @24fps. New TVs have multiple settings to deal with them. These settings can add the Soap Opera effect and introduce lag. For me, I want a consistent visual experience. So, it’s Dolby Vision @60Hz RGB 8 bit. The TV is in Game Mode for ALL sources to lock out certain settings that can introduce lag. And, as many know, LG OLED TVs only output RGB color properly while the connected HDMI port is in PC mode so I have it set that way as well. This, as well as Game mode Picture Setting, lock out certain picture adjustments.

If I watch content only on the Apple TV 4K, the picture is consistent with no frame rate or dynamic range adjustments that cause momentary picture blackouts. While it can’t output Dolby Vision in menus, I do have my Sony X800M2 set to RGB 8 bit output @60Hz. I leave Dolby Vision ON and all 4K discs output in Dolby Vision. 1080 @24Hz discs also output in Dolby Vision while 1080 30/60 discs remain in SDR.

The Nvidia Shield TV Pro is what it is and has not received an update in some time. If by magic it suddenly supported Dolby Vision output for everything and IMAX Signature Sound from Disney+, it would be damn near perfect and I’d switch right back to it.

For anybody using HDMI-CEC, using multiple streamers from different manufacturers will cripple your LG TV’s ability to sort it all out and a multitude of glitches can come your way. I just use one of them at a time now and switch them out for experiments. HDMI-CEC is the most frustrating feature out there because there is no universal standard for it and manufacturers can implement it just about any way they want to do it. No device I’ve used has HDMI-CEC settings and options than the Nvidia Shield TV Pro.

With Disney+ requiring devices to actually decode DTS:X Profile 2 for IMAX Enhanced titles, no current streamer is able to pass that signal on to an AVP/AVR. One of two things must happen. Disney+ will have to allow the signal to be passed through to be processed at the receiving end or current devices will need to be updated to decode the signal. It can be a hardware limitation, software limitation or licensing deal limitation given certain devices even when Disney+ finally decides to open things up. We’ll see how it all unfolds.

To add to that, the Nvidia Shield TV Pro and Roku Ultra X4800 support DTS. The Amazon Fire TV Cube 3rd Gen does not support it over streaming services but can passthrough DTS:X from a disc player connected to its HDMI IN port to an AVP/AVR connected to its HDMI OUT port. No Generation of Apple TV 4K supports DTS at all. They also don’t support Dolby TrueHD signals. It’s a PCM and DD+ affair there and DTHD and DTS signals must be converted to PCM at the source when being sent to an Apple TV 4K.