The * means that the app has to support it first. So Plex etc. have to be updated first.
Any idea when this will be available? Mine still isn't showing up.
Also any rumored availability of Amazon Instant Video? I'm using my xbox one right now because of no Amazon and Plex not having delete functions among the list above and would love to use the Shield instead.
There doesn't seem to be that much interest in this box... Why don't they go the standard platform owners route and create some high end platform specific content to draw the crowds?
It's very clear that the ShieldTV is the best media streamer on the market, by most measures. It only lacks HBO GO and Amazon video, and HBO GO is supposedly "coming soon" (promised since June).
Thing is, the FireTV is literally _half_ the price. Oh, and it supports HBO GO and Amazon video, right now. Kodi runs great too.
Is the FireTV as snappy as the ShieldTV? Certainly not. But even the old FireTV is more than fast enough to stream video, and the new one is twice as fast. Again, coming in at $99.
Depends on what capabilities you're looking at. IMO a media streamer that can't stream one of the big services is pointless. Yeah Shield is more powerful, but why do I care? I'm not going to run games or programs on it, I'm using a PC or console for that. It can stream games (I guess) from a PC with a recent Nvidia GPU, but that's its draw IMO, and the Steam box thingee is 1/4 the price (not sure whether Nvidia or Steam's streaming support for all games is better though).
For gaming, sure-- although there aren't many android games that exploit the ShieldTV's GPU power, and they're all in nVidia's separate store on the box.
For playing media, the differences simply aren't important.
"For playing media, the differences simply aren't important." - Please qualify that with 'for my use-case'
Imagine having a library of TV shows recorded in wtv or dvr-ms containers - The SHIELD Android TV can / will do a better job of playing them back compared to the Apple TV or Fire TV - without needing a Plex server doing transcoding in the background - better power efficiency all around.
Kodi can play both of those formats, if not encrypted. Are you saying the fireTV doesn't have the juice to play them natively? I don't have a windows media center PC, so I actually don't know the answer to that question.
I am just saying that Kodi can't play it efficiently in the case of the Fire TV because, Amazon, with their streaming focus, refuses to license hardware decode for a bunch of codecs and Kodi would have to fall back to software decode. Software decode of video streams is inherently not power efficient.
Also, without the proper feature set enabling from Amazon, the Fire TV will also not be able to passthrough HD audio from Blu-ray backups. T
My take on the changelog for the OTA update is that the SHIELD Android TV caters to the local media playback enthusiasts with features that are not supported by the competition.
For my use case, the Shield TV is miles ahead of the other devices. There are a few games on Android that will exploit the Tegra X1, but where the device really shines is in PSX/N64/Saturn emulation. None of those other devices will come close to it.
Also the fact that it ships with a good quality gamepad is advantageous if you intend doing any gaming on it. All in all I'm exceedingly happy with the Sheild TV.
It also emulates PSP games very well and more reciently the Gamecube/Wii emulation is starting to come together. I played Zelda wind waker for several hours at full speed without any issues. Check out freemulator on youtube for some good examples.
BS update. Basically bricked my console. No Netflix, Asphalt 8 is not working anymore and all game streaming is broken. Hey Nvidia how did you test that update??!
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nathanddrews - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
VERY important update!"Adds pass-through support for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio lossless audio*"
Is the asterisk a typo or is there something special we should know about the passthrough support?
jublin - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
Probably an asterisk to say you must have a compatible receiver, for the cover-your-arse aspect.JohnGalt1717 - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
The * means that the app has to support it first. So Plex etc. have to be updated first.Any idea when this will be available? Mine still isn't showing up.
Also any rumored availability of Amazon Instant Video? I'm using my xbox one right now because of no Amazon and Plex not having delete functions among the list above and would love to use the Shield instead.
DigitalFreak - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
The update will be available tomorrow (10/1).JohnGalt1717 - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
Excellent! Thanks!Kerome - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
There doesn't seem to be that much interest in this box... Why don't they go the standard platform owners route and create some high end platform specific content to draw the crowds?Morawka - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
its the only real 4k streaming box and it's being advertised as such.. Best buy picking this up will really push sales.Anyone serious about watching 4k content on their new 4k tv, is throwing their money at nvidia right now.
schizoide - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
It's very clear that the ShieldTV is the best media streamer on the market, by most measures. It only lacks HBO GO and Amazon video, and HBO GO is supposedly "coming soon" (promised since June).Thing is, the FireTV is literally _half_ the price. Oh, and it supports HBO GO and Amazon video, right now. Kodi runs great too.
Is the FireTV as snappy as the ShieldTV? Certainly not. But even the old FireTV is more than fast enough to stream video, and the new one is twice as fast. Again, coming in at $99.
jm9843 - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
FireTV also has half the capabilities if we're being generous.Wolfpup - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
Depends on what capabilities you're looking at. IMO a media streamer that can't stream one of the big services is pointless. Yeah Shield is more powerful, but why do I care? I'm not going to run games or programs on it, I'm using a PC or console for that. It can stream games (I guess) from a PC with a recent Nvidia GPU, but that's its draw IMO, and the Steam box thingee is 1/4 the price (not sure whether Nvidia or Steam's streaming support for all games is better though).wuzelwazel - Thursday, October 1, 2015 - link
I watch HBO GO on my Shield just fine. Of course I cast it from my phone, but it does the trick.schizoide - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
For gaming, sure-- although there aren't many android games that exploit the ShieldTV's GPU power, and they're all in nVidia's separate store on the box.For playing media, the differences simply aren't important.
ganeshts - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
"For playing media, the differences simply aren't important." - Please qualify that with 'for my use-case'Imagine having a library of TV shows recorded in wtv or dvr-ms containers - The SHIELD Android TV can / will do a better job of playing them back compared to the Apple TV or Fire TV - without needing a Plex server doing transcoding in the background - better power efficiency all around.
schizoide - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
Kodi can play both of those formats, if not encrypted. Are you saying the fireTV doesn't have the juice to play them natively? I don't have a windows media center PC, so I actually don't know the answer to that question.ganeshts - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
I am just saying that Kodi can't play it efficiently in the case of the Fire TV because, Amazon, with their streaming focus, refuses to license hardware decode for a bunch of codecs and Kodi would have to fall back to software decode. Software decode of video streams is inherently not power efficient.Also, without the proper feature set enabling from Amazon, the Fire TV will also not be able to passthrough HD audio from Blu-ray backups. T
My take on the changelog for the OTA update is that the SHIELD Android TV caters to the local media playback enthusiasts with features that are not supported by the competition.
schizoide - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
Who cares about power efficiency? These aren't 2006 Xeons, these are modern ARM SoCs. Running full blast they consume vanishingly little power.It's true that the fireTV won't passthrough HD audio. If that matters to you, it's a point in the shieldTV's favor.
fivefeet8 - Thursday, October 1, 2015 - link
For my use case, the Shield TV is miles ahead of the other devices. There are a few games on Android that will exploit the Tegra X1, but where the device really shines is in PSX/N64/Saturn emulation. None of those other devices will come close to it.schizoide - Thursday, October 1, 2015 - link
Ahh-- good point. Another one in the ShieldTV's favor, if you care about emus.Aftershocker - Friday, October 2, 2015 - link
Also the fact that it ships with a good quality gamepad is advantageous if you intend doing any gaming on it. All in all I'm exceedingly happy with the Sheild TV.Aftershocker - Friday, October 2, 2015 - link
It also emulates PSP games very well and more reciently the Gamecube/Wii emulation is starting to come together. I played Zelda wind waker for several hours at full speed without any issues. Check out freemulator on youtube for some good examples.LordConrad - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 - link
The Roku 3 DOES have a MicroSD slot, it's right underneath the HDMI port.oscord - Monday, October 12, 2015 - link
BS update. Basically bricked my console. No Netflix, Asphalt 8 is not working anymore and all game streaming is broken. Hey Nvidia how did you test that update??!