Which Android clients support HD audio?

[rbjtech 5284]

15 hours ago, croaton said:

First off all Proof is a Harsh Word, but if have Time Tomorrow, will check it out

Why is proof a harsh word ?

I think all everybody wants is a 100% confirmation that the Mi 4K stick direct plays HD Audio - and the only way to see that without involving tricks played by 'Plex/Emby/Kodi' is to show the 'Audio Input' video overlay from the AVR. 

We need to see it say -

True-HD' with Atmos

DTS-HD MA 7.1

DTS-HD X

If it says that - then we have the 'proof' - and it now matches the Shield in terms of HD Audio passthrough capability - and we can close this topic.

[darrenkdean 31]

@croaton

Just stumbled upon this thread.  Have been on AliExpress all morning attempting to find the perfect android replacement for the Amazon Firesticks & don't want to drop $ on Nvidia Shields, until they bring current the hardware inside of it.  Curious to know if you ever ran the test suggested & wouldn't mind posting pics?  If we can confirm it, would love to buy a bunch of these & start replacing Amazon devices in our setup.

[ebr 16169]

40 minutes ago, darrenkdean said:

until they bring current the hardware inside of it.

What does the hardware not currently support that you need?

[darrenkdean 31]

@croaton

Just stumbled upon this thread.  Have been on AliExpress all morning attempting to find the perfect android replacement for the Amazon Firesticks.  Curious to know if you ever ran the test suggested & wouldn't mind posting pics?  rbjtech knows what he is talking about

49 minutes ago, ebr said:

What does the hardware not currently support that you need?

Nothing really, I guess, lol, as it has everything...

The hardware is fine for Shield & Shield Pro, I think for me it's a cost to value equation.  If I'm not mistaken Shield Pro is built on Tegra X1+ which is around 5 years old.  For $150 - $200 per device, I would anticipate more power than that - is it actually needed for anything (future proofing), not sure.  Just implemented 2x low powered AMD based mini proxmox hosts (barebone) that are significantly more powerful than the shields, at a cost of $225 per as an example of cost to value. https://www.gmktec.com/products/amd-ryzen-7-5825u-mini-pc-nucbox-m5-plus?spm=..order.order_detail_1.1

My current setup are Firestick 4K's for TV's with soundbars & Fire Cube Gen 2+ for full Denon Receivers.  These devices can be purchased on sale & represent, at least two me, a better cost to value for the hardware specs.  But they come with the Amazon ecosystem, which the advertisements are getting increasingly more pushy, & have found myself paying for multiple subscriptions my 2 year old signed us up for, lol (now PIN protected on each device).  It's also a pain to load the Emby app during rare periods where the internet may be out, as the Amazon GUI is internet dependent.  Can be done by going thru the settings, locating the apps installed on the device, & launching it from there.

The Shield Pro's are the undisputed best streamer, but am having a hard time justifying the price point, for 5 year old hardware.  For 5 year old hardware, I would anticipate something in the $50 range.  For newer hardware I would anticipate $100 - $200.

Am I off in my thinking here?

[rbjtech 5284]

26 minutes ago, darrenkdean said:

Am I off in my thinking here?

Not really - but a question that a lot of people fail to add into the debate is time/hassle.    A Shield Pro 'just works' with Emby out the box - no hacking required, no linux custom builds, no kodi required (and it's constant hacks..), no updated firmware, no messing about at the start of a movie night - I hit play - I get Dolby True HD and Atmos or DTS:X out my Denon and have done for the last 5 years without fail.

But would I spend that amount of money today on what I agree is old hardware - 'probably' as I don't plan on using AV1 until it's much more mature (and encoding at speed is widespread) and I don't have any HDR10+ TV's - as Dolby Vision is still the superior technology.  Shield supports DV 5,7 & 8 without issues.   So yes, it's hanging by a very thin thread, but nothing out there surpasses the Shield Pro for my current 'cinema' needs.  btw - all my other streamers (of which I and family have many) are all Amazon devices running Emby for FireTV - zero issues in many many years of service.

Edited March 6, 2025 by rbjtech