What media streamer suits my needs, and how does DTS:X Passthrough work with them?

Gil111000

Gil111000

Audioholic Intern
Hi!
Instead of going for HTPC, I rather get a dedicated streamer.

I want a 4K HDR whatever steamer, the most I can get without breaking the bank (nVidia Shield is kind of expensive), and without paying for needless features.
I understand the Shield has game streaming capabilities...? And since I have an Xbox Series X it's irrelevant.
What streamer has similar qualities to the Shield, which I persume is the best streamer in the market, but has no gaming or other gimicky features?

Do they all run on Android?
And, I saw some media streamers support DTS:X Passthrough. Now, my AVR doesn't support DTS:X. So does a streamer decode it instead? Or do I need a compatible reciever?

Or, is the Series X enough to use Kodi and other streaming apps? Like, is getting a streamer useless if I already have the Series X?
 
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panteragstk

panteragstk

Audioholic Warlord
To get everything you want, plus have an interface that isn't sluggish, you're looking at the high end of any streaming platform. Roku, Apple TV, FireTV, and Android TV all have higher end models, but a lot of them don't support bitstreaming audio to your AVR.

I have a few Shield TVs and they work great for what you want. Sure, $200 is expensive, but it's a LOT cheaper than building a proper HTPC. It's also much easier to setup and use.

A lot of cheaper devices run Android TV, but you'll have to look at their specific feature list to make sure they support everything you're looking for. I have the Google TV streamers and they work fine, but struggle with full quality blue-rays. Not sure if they bitstream or not.
 
Gil111000

Gil111000

Audioholic Intern
To get everything you want, plus have an interface that isn't sluggish, you're looking at the high end of any streaming platform. Roku, Apple TV, FireTV, and Android TV all have higher end models, but a lot of them don't support bitstreaming audio to your AVR.

I have a few Shield TVs and they work great for what you want. Sure, $200 is expensive, but it's a LOT cheaper than building a proper HTPC. It's also much easier to setup and use.

A lot of cheaper devices run Android TV, but you'll have to look at their specific feature list to make sure they support everything you're looking for. I have the Google TV streamers and they work fine, but struggle with full quality blue-rays. Not sure if they bitstream or not.
Let's say they don't bitstream, it means I won't get 5.1 audio from content streamed? Or is it only for the unsupported formats by my reciever?
 
panteragstk

panteragstk

Audioholic Warlord
Let's say they don't bitstream, it means I won't get 5.1 audio from content streamed? Or is it only for the unsupported formats by my reciever?
Bitstream means that it will send the audio untouched to the receiver. A lot of devices only support certain formats, so they re-encode things to that format for compatibility. When your main device is a TV, that works great. When you want to use an AVR, and have files that have DTS-HD/X or Dolby TrueHD/Atmos tracks, then you need a device that will output them properly so they don't get re-encoded to Dolby Digital Plus or something.

That's why I use a Shield TV. It supports pretty much everything.

However, if you are NOT trying to play full quality blu-ray backups and are just streaming from Netflix, Vudu, Amazon, etc. you can get away with a multitude of devices that will make you happy. Just go with the interface you like best.
 
WookieGR

WookieGR

Full Audioholic
Hi!
Instead of going for HTPC, I rather get a dedicated streamer.

I want a 4K HDR whatever steamer, the most I can get without breaking the bank (nVidia Shield is kind of expensive), and without paying for needless features.
I understand the Shield has game streaming capabilities...? And since I have an Xbox Series X it's irrelevant.
What streamer has similar qualities to the Shield, which I persume is the best streamer in the market, but has no gaming or other gimicky features?

Do they all run on Android?
And, I saw some media streamers support DTS:X Passthrough. Now, my AVR doesn't support DTS:X. So does a streamer decode it instead? Or do I need a compatible reciever?

Or, is the Series X enough to use Kodi and other streaming apps? Like, is getting a streamer useless if I already have the Series X?
Maybe the Dune HD Real Vision 4K will be an option. I'm selling mine now that the review and unboxing are complete.



Dune HD Real Vision 4K
 
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