Questions regarding noise and power-consumption

Plex Media Server NAS & Devices
1

I’m currently looking into using a Shield as a power-efficient and (more important) quiet Plex server. After browsing the boards for a couple of days, I still have some questions.

I’d like to add an external USB RAID-system to store all my media and also use it for a DVR storage.

  1. Can I use the Shield just as a standalone Plex sever, which is NOT hooked up to a display? -> So can I manage the server over the network or do I still need to hook it up to a tv do so some regular maintenance stuff?

  2. Does the external HDD spin down to reduce noise, when none of the content on the the drive is actually played back?

  3. Is the database stored on the Shield’s internal storage? -> Can you browse the library without having the HDD that holds the content spin up every time?

  4. Can the Shield be put into standby-mode and still have the Plex server be accessible at that time? Any reference on how loud the fan and how much power consumption is during standby?

2
  1. Yes. All management is done through a web browser interface on any network connected PC, tablet etc
  2. Don’t know, all mine is stored on NAS
  3. Yes it’s all stored on the Shield, don’t know how external HDD behaves here.
  4. Yes, available all the time. Even when running at full pelt I can’t hear my Pro from 6’ in a near silent environment

Sorry I couldn’t answer all

3

Suggest you read the Plex documentation regarding the Nvidia Shield TV, especially the limitations section.

  1. No. Definitely not. A display is required for regular maintenance of Plex and the Shield TV. PMS on Shield is absolutely not like running PMS on a headless server.

The web interface into PMS is for using PMS - configuring a library, updating metadata, watching a movie, etc.

You cannot upgrade/stop/restart PMS on Shield via the PMS web interface. You must interact with Android TV using a monitor or TV and the included remote.

This extends to any management of the Shield TV as well. Short of pulling the power plug, the only way to restart/shutdown/etc the Shield TV is via the Android TV interface. Same for upgrading, configuring, etc the Shield TV OS.

Caveat: The Shield does support CEC control, so turning off an attached receiver/tv/etc that also supports CEC will put the Shield into standby. CEC control can be disabled if desired.

  1. Don’t know. All mine is stored on a NAS. That said, how noisy are your external drives? I’ve two Seagate USB drives I use to backup my NAS. Quiet as the proverbial church mouse.

  2. The database is stored on internal storage. Short of rooting the Shield, you have zero access. You cannot perform a backup/restore of the database, copy it to another system, etc.

Note that Nvidia recently discontinued the Shield Pro with internal 500 GB drive. This leaves only the base model with 16GB internal storage. Running PMS on the 16GB Shield is problematic. If you enable features such as chapter thumbnails, the internal db may become too large, leaving no work room for transcoding, etc.

There is no official method of moving the database from internal storage to some other location. There are rumors that it is in the works, but believe it when you see it. There are unofficial ways of moving the database to another location. Search this forum to find them. Might require rooting the Shield TV.

  1. See Anandtech review including power consumption. Or just search for “Shield TV power consumption” and you’ll see many hits.

I’ve the Shield Pro located in cabinet about 10’ from couch & chairs. I never hear it running. Even if I’m standing six inches away.