My current tv is so old that the netlfix app isn’t supported anymore. From an usb stick it can only play h.264 videos so I always have to run them through hand brake first. That is why I want to buy an streaming box. Preferably under 50€
Alternatively if someone knows about a blu ray player under 100€ which can do all of the above plus play blu ray dvds please recommend me one :)
Pick up a Nvidia Shield Pro 2019 on ebay. Connect an external hard drive through one of the two USB ports and run Kodi as your library manager. That should be all you need. Supports HDR, 4k, upscaling.
If you go that route, run a launcher for a more streamlined home screen. I’m running Projectivy Launcher because it was easy to install and does what I need it to, but there are other options out there.
Why is a 5 year old device still the best bet? It’s frustrating that nothing better exists on the market.
The Android market sort of split into cheap streaming sticks vs more expensive but niche boxes (like the Zidoo or Dune players). The former are meant for streaming but lack power. The latter are more capable players but often can’t stream from legit services due to DRM.
The Shield sits in this weird middle ground where it’s actually good for a variety of use cases….but unlikely to get an update due to small market demand.
Although I’d argue that unless you need atmos audio passthrough for Bluray rips…the AppleTV 4K is the best option these days. Super fast processor, no ads or bullshit in the OS, reliable frame rate matching, good track record of software updates and vendor support, and apps like Infuse which is a superb Plex and Jellyfin client. It’ll do 4K REMUX playback with lossless 7.1 audio, and the UI never lags…ever. Just a shame about no audio passthrough which prevents it from being an enthusiast player.
Hey hey, check your facts, the Shield did get an update recently. They did in fact add ads to the home screen./s But I assume you mean a hardware upgrade.
But on a serious note I don’t see a reason why I need anything else than the Shield. It has flaws and bugs but generally plays everything. Combined with my Plex home server the experience is great. Can take the shield anywhere I go and stream content from my home server.
I play everything in 4k blueray remux without any problems (except for a memory leak every few weeks).
That’s not on Nvidia but the fault of Google tho (they use stock Android TV) you can just use another launcher and set it to auto start ( not like the Fire Stick where they barred that option with updates sigh).
I use the 2017 edition and it works great. Has the same SoC AS a switch Lok but supports 4k
Most of what these devices do is fairly light compute-wise. There’s no real need to have the most powerful hardware when all it will really do is add to cost. Are there use cases for more powerful hardware, of course but for most people what we have is good enough. That said, I would love an updated Shield or competitor.
Even my Shield TV Pro 2019 lags a lot when using Kodi (With Umbrella, TMDBHelper and a nice skin with not too many widgets) I can only imagine how thrash it would be to attempt to do that setup with worse hardware.
Which version, pro or tube? My 2015 pro is a champ, including in Kodi. Adding the Samsung SSD a few years back was a game changer though. Boot time dropped to 7 seconds, and no trouble with h.265 and even 1080 AV1.
Edit: To OP, I currently host my files on the shield local drive and watch with Kodi. I used to have a NAS, but am living leaner lately, and local works fine. Can easily move files to it over the network
Go Av1, much better support: all recent amazon fire sticks support it, I am am using one and loving it.
Jellyfin ofc
H264 is great, but h265 is basically feels like a dead end. Av1 instead is picking up lots of steam. I am betting on it instead of h265.
Thank you for your comment. This made me reconsider. I already bit on ebay for an nokia stream box 8010. If I loose I might then go with the orbsmart s 87 plus since it has av1 :) Edit:
Nvm 8010 has av1 too. I previously bit on the 8000 which doesn’t but I thankfully lost.
Where do you currently store the video? You could get a cheap Chromecast with Google TV (the one with a remote) and use Jellyfin on your computer to make the video files available over the network.
I store them on my pc but I think my internet connection is too bad for that
It doesn’t depend on your Internet, it all works through your local network.
The router is far away from both devices so I think connection might be bad. But I guess I can try with my phone on the spot where the TV is. Will do that tommorow. Thank you for the advice!
You don’t need the one with the remote. Jellyfin will cast to google devices from the client.
I know but I prefer to get the one with the remote, since you can also cast to it, and having a remote for guests is nice.
