I’m just wondering whether the Nvidia Shield is still the best (only) game in town when it comes to full codec support, i.e. 4K HDR with Lossless Audio (Atmos/DTS:X) and smooth playback with correct refresh rate and direct play of subtitles streams?
I’m thinking of picking up a 2017 model on the cheap to replace Plex Media Player in my home cinema setup as it seems PMP will never/not for a long time get HDR support. I currently use PlexKodiConnect plugin in Kodi to playback HDR material on windows 10, but even that is a PITA as any update to Nvidia drivers seems to break that also (I have to downgrade to 399 driver version fro HDR to work for me).
Also, if I were to get a shield how is it at running as a plex server currently? Is it a realistic replacement for my plex server on windows? Can I migrate easily, or is that another giant pita?
I have a 2017 Shield TV and and the Shield Pro 500GB. Current firmware has been buggy with HD audio. They’ve pushed hotfixes and so far the audio is more stable.
Overall, it’s a probably the best option though it’s buggy. Netflix, Youtube and Prime video will not change match framerate and HDR coloring is hit and miss. Regarding Plex, I tend to have to start and stop movies a few times to get it to match the framerate. In general, I tend to have to reboot the device daily to “clear” the bugs.
Reading through NVIDIA forums the 2019 is as buggy if not more.
I wish there was a better hardware player out there that could do direct play but all seem to have limitations.
Thanks for the reply. Really surprised to hear your experience. I can’t fathom how it’s so difficult to get a decent player that can play all formats at this stage in 2019! Very frustrating.
