Thoughts on best streaming platforms?

[drummertime]

If you have a Bestbuy account, check for Tidal subscriptions there from time to time. It is currently on sale for $1 for three months of service! I've gotten it several times that way when not using free trials.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/tidal-hifi-plus-family-3-month-music-subscription-starting-at-purchase-auto-renews-at-22-49-per-month-digital/6431965.p?skuId=6431965

The catch there is that the subscription is managed through the Bestbuy account. So any changes or cancellation of it must be done through one's Bestbuy account and cannot be done directly with Tidal. Bit of a hassle but a heck of a savings.

Do you enter a code or something when you start the subscription on Tidal?

 

[Trebdp83]

You will get an email with subscription info from Bestbuy after purchase.

 

[Trebdp83]

Just let any free trials run their course and cancel them before the first charge date. Then, look for another deal to start the subscription back up.

 

[panteragstk]

@Trebdp83 Thanks for summarizing the discussion. It makes it awesome to have a great forum you can bounce ideas, see what others use and the issues or positive results they get. I'll definitely have to try Tidal, I've used Spotify for years and really do like the interface. At some point they've got to start offering surround options.
Plus the Amazon Fire TV Cube will be a good fathers day gift idea!! I've also bought a couple Blue Rays in Dolby Atmos, so looking forward to that as well.

Now that the newest Fire Cube supports HD audio it is a worthy contender to the Shield TV. My only issue is I can't stand the Amazon UI. You can install a new launcher, but I don't know how tricky that is or isn't.

I might have to grab one to see how well it works. I love my Shield TV devices, but the one in my office is almost a decade old. It still works perfectly, but I'd like to have Dolby Vision support. It also supports AV1 if you care, but I just saw that it only has a 10/100 ethernet port so the really high bitrate 4k BDs might have issues.

 

[Trebdp83]

Get the Fire TV Cube 3. Yes, UI is aweful. I use the recent button often now to select apps. The Roku Ultra has the best UI. There are some amusing backgrounds, themes and sounds you can set up.

 

[Trebdp83]

Yes, the lack of a Gigabit ethernet port and USB 3.0 are glaring omissions on the new Cube. I’d gave swapped the HDMI input port for them.

 

[philly]

Streaming platforms have always had issues in my opinion! From an HT/audiophile standpoint, you spend thousands on this really quality equipment to watch movies and play music. Then you can never get the clarity/quality you should unless its a 4K Blu-ray or just Blu-ray. Same with audio, the best quality is always from from a cd. You find yourself constantly moving volume levels all over the place!! Anyhow off my soapbox!!

I've recently switched from Roku Ultra to my Xbox X platform for streaming movies and music. I think with my older Roku Ultra I can't seem to get anything to play in Dolby Atmos. On my Xbox X I have it toggled to pass through because I don't want any upscaling and would rather use my AVR decoder to apply the best audio format. I do have cable but that's a whole other area of frustration! My Xbox X seems to sound the best given my current options. But it has its issues and limitations as well, the interface is clunky and streaming music from say Amazon Music Unlimited doesn't even work correctly for Dolby Atmos.

Anyhow back to thoughts on best streaming platforms. From a good amount of research it seems that the two I keep reading about that seem to have the highest quality and the least complaints are:
1) Nvidia Shield TV pro
2) Apple TV
I've never been a huge fan of apple, I like more open source such as android. Any suggestions would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance!

I've been reading about the Zidoo series of media players, but not sure if they're worth it?

I too, am looking for the best streaming platform, particularly for music. I'm told that the media players are better quality than the built-in TV apps. But I'm not sure if that's validated or not?

 

[philly]

Streaming platforms have always had issues in my opinion! From an HT/audiophile standpoint, you spend thousands on this really quality equipment to watch movies and play music. Then you can never get the clarity/quality you should unless its a 4K Blu-ray or just Blu-ray. Same with audio, the best quality is always from from a cd. You find yourself constantly moving volume levels all over the place!! Anyhow off my soapbox!!

I've recently switched from Roku Ultra to my Xbox X platform for streaming movies and music. I think with my older Roku Ultra I can't seem to get anything to play in Dolby Atmos. On my Xbox X I have it toggled to pass through because I don't want any upscaling and would rather use my AVR decoder to apply the best audio format. I do have cable but that's a whole other area of frustration! My Xbox X seems to sound the best given my current options. But it has its issues and limitations as well, the interface is clunky and streaming music from say Amazon Music Unlimited doesn't even work correctly for Dolby Atmos.

Anyhow back to thoughts on best streaming platforms. From a good amount of research it seems that the two I keep reading about that seem to have the highest quality and the least complaints are:
1) Nvidia Shield TV pro
2) Apple TV
I've never been a huge fan of apple, I like more open source such as android. Any suggestions would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance!

Also i read the shield Pro has not been updated with its software since 2019.

 

[philly]

Before selecting any platform, make sure it supports Dolby Atmos from the desired app. @drummertime has already found that Amazon Music Unlimited Dolby Atmos tracks are not supported on Microsoft’s XBOX consoles and I don’t believe it is supported on Windows. If anybody has experience to the contrary, do chime in.

@TLS Guy is very knowledgeable concerning certain equipment, speaker builds and electrical wiring. He is not a fan of streamers or is up on platforms and supported apps. He has condemned Apple Music in the past because he didn’t understand that Apple Music Dolby Atmos tracks are only supported over HDMI on the Apple TV 4K. That statement is not at all a personal criticism of @TLS Guy. I simply made it to illustrate the fact that the best hardware cannot do anything with unsupported software. He has had better luck using his LG TV for Dolby Atmos music from another app.

Big companies with big ecosystems will support the ecosystems of other big companies to varying degrees. If somebody has Apple Music and wants Dolby Atmos music playback over HDMI, they need an Apple TV 4K. If somebody wants Amazon Music Unlimited Dolby Atmos playback over HDMI, they need an Amazon Fire TV Cube or Fire TV Stick 4K Max.

The Nvidia Shield is the best device for those using Plex for rips. While it supports Dolby Atmos music playback from Tidal, it does not do so from Amazon Music or Apple Music. But, it is the most capable in many ways and is the coolest looking of all streaming devices. But, for anybody wanting optimal performance from Amazon Prime Video(with HDR10+) and Amazon Music Unlimited(with Dolby Atmos) the Amazon Fire TV Cube cannot be beat.

Anybody with a receiver that supports at least HDMI 2.0 and HDCP2.2 should be connecting their streaming device directly to their receiver, not their new TV. Only next gen gaming consoles and gaming PCs should be connected directly to new TVs supporting HDMI 2.1 gaming features when a receiver does not support HDMI 2.1 features. Using eARC for audio return of connected streamers will only result in more settings requirements regarding proper audio output.

Some streamers bitstream audio signals without much fuss. Some will convert to LPCM and use Dolby MAT for Dolby Atmos output. It can get very confusing concerning signal passthrough and, again, things can really go south when using ARC/eARC to get the signal from the streamer to the receiver.

The Nvidia Shield Pro is getting long in the tooth. If the next iteration keeps the same form factor and remote controller and supports Dolby Atmos from Amazon Music and Apple Music, I’d be all over it for sure.
As a reminder to @drummertime, your LG TV supports Dolby Atmos tracks from its Tidal app as does your new Nvidia Shield Pro. You might try a free trial of Tidal’s HiFi Plus to check it out on each device.

And, for anybody with any music service, know that rights deals change often and while one album may be currently available in Dolby Atmos on one service, it may not be currently available in Dolby Atmos on another service. 360 Reality Audio is also supported on some services but will only work properly over HDMI on receivers equipped with 360 Reality Audio processing capabilities. Happy listening!

Really good breakdown and analysis, thank you! I just bought the DPUB820 Panasonic dvd player, which supposedly supports all the latest audio and video formats such as Dolby Atmos. However, I'm reading that the streaming apps are not good. Which is really what I'm looking for is the best music quality, esp., on YouTube.

I do agree with you and I have it directly connected to my marantz preamp av10, no my tv. The shield pro's software has not been updated since 2019, so I hear.

I also have been reading about the Zidoo media player. anybody have any thoughts or experience on that?

 

[NINaudio]

Also i read the shield Pro has not been updated with its software since 2019.

The hardware hasn't been updated, but NVidia still frequently updates it's software. I'm still receiving software updates for my 2015 Shield TV Pro.

 

[philly]

The hardware hasn't been updated, but NVidia still frequently updates it's software. I'm still receiving software updates for my 2015 Shield TV Pro.

The Panasonic DP-UB820K dvd supports all these if you're a purist, plus a dvd player, and plays local content.
DTS-HD, Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD
Dolby Digital, Surround Sound

 

[philly]

Before selecting any platform, make sure it supports Dolby Atmos from the desired app. @drummertime has already found that Amazon Music Unlimited Dolby Atmos tracks are not supported on Microsoft’s XBOX consoles and I don’t believe it is supported on Windows. If anybody has experience to the contrary, do chime in.

@TLS Guy is very knowledgeable concerning certain equipment, speaker builds and electrical wiring. He is not a fan of streamers or is up on platforms and supported apps. He has condemned Apple Music in the past because he didn’t understand that Apple Music Dolby Atmos tracks are only supported over HDMI on the Apple TV 4K. That statement is not at all a personal criticism of @TLS Guy. I simply made it to illustrate the fact that the best hardware cannot do anything with unsupported software. He has had better luck using his LG TV for Dolby Atmos music from another app.

Big companies with big ecosystems will support the ecosystems of other big companies to varying degrees. If somebody has Apple Music and wants Dolby Atmos music playback over HDMI, they need an Apple TV 4K. If somebody wants Amazon Music Unlimited Dolby Atmos playback over HDMI, they need an Amazon Fire TV Cube or Fire TV Stick 4K Max.

The Nvidia Shield is the best device for those using Plex for rips. While it supports Dolby Atmos music playback from Tidal, it does not do so from Amazon Music or Apple Music. But, it is the most capable in many ways and is the coolest looking of all streaming devices. But, for anybody wanting optimal performance from Amazon Prime Video(with HDR10+) and Amazon Music Unlimited(with Dolby Atmos) the Amazon Fire TV Cube cannot be beat.

Anybody with a receiver that supports at least HDMI 2.0 and HDCP2.2 should be connecting their streaming device directly to their receiver, not their new TV. Only next gen gaming consoles and gaming PCs should be connected directly to new TVs supporting HDMI 2.1 gaming features when a receiver does not support HDMI 2.1 features. Using eARC for audio return of connected streamers will only result in more settings requirements regarding proper audio output.

Some streamers bitstream audio signals without much fuss. Some will convert to LPCM and use Dolby MAT for Dolby Atmos output. It can get very confusing concerning signal passthrough and, again, things can really go south when using ARC/eARC to get the signal from the streamer to the receiver.

The Nvidia Shield Pro is getting long in the tooth. If the next iteration keeps the same form factor and remote controller and supports Dolby Atmos from Amazon Music and Apple Music, I’d be all over it for sure.
As a reminder to @drummertime, your LG TV supports Dolby Atmos tracks from its Tidal app as does your new Nvidia Shield Pro. You might try a free trial of Tidal’s HiFi Plus to check it out on each device.

And, for anybody with any music service, know that rights deals change often and while one album may be currently available in Dolby Atmos on one service, it may not be currently available in Dolby Atmos on another service. 360 Reality Audio is also supported on some services but will only work properly over HDMI on receivers equipped with 360 Reality Audio processing capabilities. Happy listening!

So in your knowledgeable opinion, if I'm an audiophile and I'm primarily streaming YouTube premium...would I have the best quality through the native TV app,. The stock apps on my Panasonic. DB 820 dvd player, or my fire tv cube?? [ I am running through my marantz av10 processor]

 

[MLadia]

Anybody with a receiver that supports at least HDMI 2.0 and HDCP2.2 should be connecting their streaming device directly to their receiver, not their new TV. Only next gen gaming consoles and gaming PCs should be connected directly to new TVs supporting HDMI 2.1 gaming features when a receiver does not support HDMI 2.1 features. Using eARC for audio return of connected streamers will only result in more settings requirements regarding proper audio output.

I have an old xBox S that is on eArc. Should I connect directly to my Denon S740H?

 

[philly]

I have an old xBox S that is on eArc. Should I connect directly to my Denon S740H?

I do plan to connect any player thru my preamp. I was asking which media player or app platform is the best streaming quality?

 

[Trebdp83]

So in your knowledgeable opinion, if I'm an audiophile and I'm primarily streaming YouTube premium...would I have the best quality through the native TV app,. The stock apps on my Panasonic. DB 820 dvd player, or my fire tv cube?? [ I am running through my marantz av10 processor]

TVs and disc players will be a mixed bag concerning Smart apps. Dedicated streamers will have better support of premium audio and video presentations from services.

 

[Trebdp83]

I have an old xBox S that is on eArc. Should I connect directly to my Denon S740H?

If you mean the XBOX One S, a direct connection to the Denon S740H will be optimal for audio output. The Denon supports ARC but I don’t believe it supports eARC so audio will be crippled a bit using ARC when connecting the XBOX directly to the TV. I don’t believe the Denon supports 1440p resolution so 1080p @60Hz or 4K @60Hz are the options for the XBOX One S through the Denon S740H.

 

[NINaudio]

The Panasonic DP-UB820K dvd supports all these if you're a purist, plus a dvd player, and plays local content.
DTS-HD, Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD
Dolby Digital, Surround Sound

My Shield supports all that too, with the obvious exception of not being a physical disc player. I've never found TV or disc player smart apps to be anywhere near on the same level of functionality/usability as the Shield.