Reply With QuoteNvidia Shield would be my recommendation
My latest box (the third over four years or so) has given up the ghost and needs replacing. In truth I can't be arsed waiting for the damn programs to buffer and the abysmal audio but the wife is keen on the box even though she watches it so little. For myself I find it a useful way of getting a web browser on my TV. I have been advised not to bother with another one and instead go for the more expensive Amazon Fire 4K. Any thoughts? Grateful for any opinion/advice from anyone who uses them.
Rob
Nvidia Shield would be my recommendation
Bought the Roku Streaming Stick (4K) recently as our TV no longer compatible with latest apps.
First such device and very pleased with it so far but can't compare with anything else.
Big plus feature for us is that when controlling with a smart phone (rather than its very nice remote), TV can be muted and can listen on the phone's headphones w/o disturbing anyone else.
A negative (and doesn't make any difference in use) is that the stick didn't fit due to limited recess in back of TV but they do quickly send a free small extension lead on request. But with this and the USB lead going to it, might as well be a box not a 'stick'.
This. If you're prepared to make the investment, the Nvidia Pro is as good as it gets.Originally Posted by Spoonbed
Have a NVidia shield , worth every penny.
I'll second (third?) the nVidia Shield TV. I have an original version which must be 3 or 4 years old now and it still copes brilliantly with anything I throw at it media wise.
I haven't bought it yet and don't own any Apple products, but it seems that the Apple 4k TV is the only device which enables you to get 4K, HDI, Dolby Vision and Atmos from Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney Plus. I suppose Apple is the only one big enough to get everyone to cooperate to do this.
I have an Apple 4K on my TVs. Runs Plex, iPlayer, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Netflix, Disney+, Youtube. We’ve also airplayed things off our Apple devices to it. Even better the wife can operate it...
This forum has a lot of information about streaming boxes & the nuances of their capbilities. Ignore the reference to Kodi - it's much more wide ranging than just Kodi.
https://forum.kodi.tv/forumdisplay.php?fid=112
This thread focusses on media streamers:
https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=252916
In general it says the Apple TV 4k & the 2019 Nvidia Sheild are the two best off-the-shelf solutions.
So no love for the Amazon Firestick then?
Rob
me . i have 2 of them up and down
I have one, as well as the Shield.
It's nowhere near as good as the Shield, but gets the job done in a very portable way for a fraction of the price.
Certainly worth considering.
I have 3 Nvidia shields in our house, i have Kodi installed to stream from a Synology NAS. Plays everything I have thrown at in, even 50gb 4k files no problem. They are relatively expensive for streaming boxes but I wouldnt be without mine.
I mostly gave up on having muy own streamer. As I have Amazon Prime, the FireTV Cube plus a Netflix subscription covers everything I possibly have time to watch.
I do have Plex for my streaming my own music to Sonos but the free video content on there is fairly limited.
I'd go with FireTV 4k or Cube if you can't be bothered with the hassle of your "own" device (the Cube is occasionally on offer at £79 and is noticeably faster in menus etc.
Another question... Currys gave the Nvidia pro on offer at £200 which seems the best price out there and the firestick is only a quarter of that. Forgive my ignorance but do either of these include access to Netflix, Amazon Prime or any other similar app, or are all such apps only on subscription? And what about Titanium TV, Showbiz and similar apps... Would I be likely to get better results with one of these as opposed to the generic Chinese 30 quid boxes? Sorry to ask so many questions but all advice greatly appreciated.
Rob
I’ve got 2 firesticks, 4K for the living room and an older 2nd gen for the bedroom. Both have Netflix and Prime plus the usual iPlayer/catchup apps. I’ve also installed a Kodi fork on each one (Midian Builds) so we can watch sport or an ‘’up to date’’ movie if desired
Platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple TV & Disney+ are all subscription only so although a box may support the app you still have to pay to subscribe.
It's true that you can buy another cheap streamer but you've already had three & the next one won't last much longer. If you go for an Nvidia Shield or an Apple TV then at least you know it will be supported & in general will just work. They are both much more powerful than a stick option like the FireTV but you could start by shelling out £50 for one & find it's adequate. If it isn't, just stick it on SC & buy a Shield. You won't lose too much.
Sounds like good advice and now got it reasonably straight in my mind. That's what I will probably do.. I get Prime Video and You Tube as part of my Virgin TV package and can probably live without Netflix. I have seen lots of youtubes showing how to get some of the streaming apps like Titanium TV etc., although to be fair I've had limited success with those in the past. Many thanks to all who gave their time and replied.
All the best
Rob
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