Best streaming client after Nvidia Shield

[clarkss12 304]

Looks like a very nice microPC.  What will you be using it for?  Beelink does try to make some inexpensive quality products.

[Guest asrequested]

Looks like a very nice microPC.  What will you be using it for?  Beelink does try to make some inexpensive quality products.

 

Mainly the bedroom TV. But I'll put it through it's paces.

[mark235 5]

I've been using an HTPC (NUC) for a while now, but there are a few things that are pushing me towards an Android TV / Roku box:

 

- No large UI for Spotify, no proper remote control for the Windows Netflix or Amazon Video apps. There's Spotify connect, and other casting solutions, but then I might as well switch to a Chromecast and take out the PC altogether

- Windows 10 wasn't made to be interacted with via remote from a couch. There are solutions to get around that (airmouse or universal remote + IR sensor), but in the end, it's a lot of hassle to get things right, and there's always squinting to read the small UI elements from 5 meters away. After a lot of evenings of tweaking I had my Logitech Harmony setup properly, only to realize that the processing lag was too high (fast repeat clicking not possible), and I needed to revert back the MCE remote anyway.

- Updates are a pain, and break stuff, like the solutions mentioned above

[Guest asrequested]

I've got a harmony hub, and the remote works perfectly.

 

I can't wait to ditch the shield, and have full functionality.

Edited November 6, 2018 by Doofus

[thelanranger 11]

Can't believe no one suggested an Xbox One. It's pretty tiny and aside from some minor annoyances it has a Toslink, HDMI, a ridiculously over qualified processor for streaming (like the NVidia shield) because it's for gaming, it does 4k (the white one doesn't do 4k gaming but I personally don't care about that), and it does COUNTLESS other things. You can use Netflix, Prime, Kodi, VLC, uPNP it to a computer, SMB it to your computer, RDP into it, buy a one time license for DEV mode and literally do anything...

 

Plus, it's a game console and a blu ray player...

 

IR Remote is $20.

[legallink 187]

I've been using an HTPC (NUC) for a while now, but there are a few things that are pushing me towards an Android TV / Roku box:

 

- No large UI for Spotify, no proper remote control for the Windows Netflix or Amazon Video apps. There's Spotify connect, and other casting solutions, but then I might as well switch to a Chromecast and take out the PC altogether

- Windows 10 wasn't made to be interacted with via remote from a couch. There are solutions to get around that (airmouse or universal remote + IR sensor), but in the end, it's a lot of hassle to get things right, and there's always squinting to read the small UI elements from 5 meters away. After a lot of evenings of tweaking I had my Logitech Harmony setup properly, only to realize that the processing lag was too high (fast repeat clicking not possible), and I needed to revert back the MCE remote anyway.

- Updates are a pain, and break stuff, like the solutions mentioned above

This was my experience. The remote wasn’t as responsive as the streaming box remotes. The UI/Interface either wasn’t geared towards the screen or the remote. It always required fiddling. My WAF factor went up considerably when we switched to a Roku and then hit its pinnacle when we switched to the Apple TV. I prefer the Roku over the Apple TV (although we do like screen mirroring a lot), but Apple TV wins on interface and thereby WAF factor so I’ve made my content accommodate that.

[mark235 5]

Can't believe no one suggested an Xbox One. It's pretty tiny and aside from some minor annoyances it has a Toslink, HDMI, a ridiculously over qualified processor for streaming (like the NVidia shield) because it's for gaming, it does 4k (the white one doesn't do 4k gaming but I personally don't care about that), and it does COUNTLESS other things. You can use Netflix, Prime, Kodi, VLC, uPNP it to a computer, SMB it to your computer, RDP into it, buy a one time license for DEV mode and literally do anything...

 

Plus, it's a game console and a blu ray player...

 

IR Remote is $20.

 

I never considered the Xbox One as an allround media player. Will have to investigate this a bit before making my final decision, as there seem to be a lot of plusses.

 

 

This was my experience. The remote wasn’t as responsive as the streaming box remotes. The UI/Interface either wasn’t geared towards the screen or the remote. It always required fiddling. My WAF factor went up considerably when we switched to a Roku and then hit its pinnacle when we switched to the Apple TV. I prefer the Roku over the Apple TV (although we do like screen mirroring a lot), but Apple TV wins on interface and thereby WAF factor so I’ve made my content accommodate that.

 

The problem with HTPC's and the Harmonies' reponsiveness can be mitigated somewhat by lowering the inter-key delay. But that also results in unintentional scrolling when doing fast presses or a longer press. I never found a sweet spot that made the response as good as the MCE remote. 

 

The Apple TV. Oh dear... I just got everything converted to MKV. That would mean starting all over again with MP4 

[Jdiesel 1431]

I never considered the Xbox One as an allround media player. Will have to investigate this a bit before making my final decision, as there seem to be a lot of plusses.

 

 

I don't have an Xbox One personally but you may want to browse the forum a bit more before you make a decision. Last I heard there were a couple major issues around 4K playback that may or may not affect you. It didn't sound like Microsoft had addressed them at all yet. I'm not knowledgeable enough to speak to these issues but maybe someone else can elaborate if they still exist.

 

Edit: The thread I was thinking about

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/55755-xbox-one-x-no-4k-hevc-direct-play-or-hdr/page-1

Edited November 7, 2018 by Jdiesel

[legallink 187]

I never considered the Xbox One as an allround media player. Will have to investigate this a bit before making my final decision, as there seem to be a lot of plusses.

 

 

 

 

The problem with HTPC's and the Harmonies' reponsiveness can be mitigated somewhat by lowering the inter-key delay. But that also results in unintentional scrolling when doing fast presses or a longer press. I never found a sweet spot that made the response as good as the MCE remote. 

 

The Apple TV. Oh dear... I just got everything converted to MKV. That would mean starting all over again with MP4 

Once the new client comes out of beta, it won’t matter if it’s an mkv.

[mark235 5]

I don't have an Xbox One personally but you may want to browse the forum a bit more before you make a decision. Last I heard there were a couple major issues around 4K playback that may or may not affect you. It didn't sound like Microsoft had addressed them at all yet. I'm not knowledgeable enough to speak to these issues but maybe someone else can elaborate if they still exist.

 

Edit: The thread I was thinking about

https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/55755-xbox-one-x-no-4k-hevc-direct-play-or-hdr/page-1

 

That issue wouldn't affect me now with a fullhd tv, but the way the issue is being handled by microsoft doesn't instill a lot of confidence.

 

 

Once the new client comes out of beta, it won’t matter if it’s an mkv.

 

Thanks, that's good to know. I don't have much love for the Apple eco system, and most of our home devices are android based. But saying goodbye to the HTPC is partially also because of WAF here, so I'm gonna let the wife have a look at the Apple TV interface before making a decision.

Edited November 9, 2018 by mark235

[mark235 5]

Thanks all for the many suggestions so far!

[mark235 5]

And the winner is: Nvidia Shield.

 

What about the SPDIF requirement? Well, I recently changed my projector to an Epson TW9200W. Only found out afterwards that the included HDMI switch had optical out . That put the Shield back on the menu.

 

Some thoughts on the Shield after 2 weeks of use:

+ No more HTPC hassle with configs and updates. It just works

+ A lot faster and snappier performance. Ok, I had a low TDP processor in the NUC. But still, the speed difference is rather striking. Windows 10 asks a lot from an Intel N3700

+ Netflix, Amazon Prime and Spotify apps that are remote control friendly

+ Built in Chromecast enables several streaming options that I hadn't realized I needed 

- Emby for Android TV looks cluttered. I like Emby Theater better. I also miss the Emby Theater screensavers with pictures from collections. 

- I believe video quality on the NUC is just a tad better than the Shield. But that could be placebo

- No Dolby Digital Plus to Dolby Digital conversion, which means stereo audio only in Netflix, and no DD+ streams in Emby

- Spotify app is rather barebones, with no Artist view available, and a limited number of search results. You can find anything that exists in the Spotify database, but it might take several search attempts

 

I've sent a feedback form to Nvidia asking for DD+ to DD conversion.

 

In the mean time, there isn't any workaround to get DD+ streams to work in Emby or Neflix over optical, right?  

[Jdiesel 1431]

And the winner is: Nvidia Shield.

 

What about the SPDIF requirement? Well, I recently changed my projector to an Epson TW9200W. Only found out afterwards that the included HDMI switch had optical out . That put the Shield back on the menu.

 

Some thoughts on the Shield after 2 weeks of use:

+ No more HTPC hassle with configs and updates. It just works

+ A lot faster and snappier performance. Ok, I had a low TDP processor in the NUC. But still, the speed difference is rather striking. Windows 10 asks a lot from an Intel N3700

+ Netflix, Amazon Prime and Spotify apps that are remote control friendly

+ Built in Chromecast enables several streaming options that I hadn't realized I needed 

- Emby for Android TV looks cluttered. I like Emby Theater better. I also miss the Emby Theater screensavers with pictures from collections. 

- I believe video quality on the NUC is just a tad better than the Shield. But that could be placebo

- No Dolby Digital Plus to Dolby Digital conversion, which means stereo audio only in Netflix, and no DD+ streams in Emby

- Spotify app is rather barebones, with no Artist view available, and a limited number of search results. You can find anything that exists in the Spotify database, but it might take several search attempts

 

I've sent a feedback form to Nvidia asking for DD+ to DD conversion.

 

In the mean time, there isn't any workaround to get DD+ streams to work in Emby or Neflix over optical, right?  

 

The DD+ to DD is a licensing issue and I don't think Nvidia will be adding support anytime soon as this has been brought up since the Shield TV was released. I'm sure that a switch could be added in the settings to convert eac3 to ac3 but this would then require a remux on the server end.

[ebr 16176]

- Emby for Android TV looks cluttered. I like Emby Theater better. I also miss the Emby Theater screensavers with pictures from collections. 

 

You might want to try the beta version (see bottom of forum).

[mark235 5]

The DD+ to DD is a licensing issue and I don't think Nvidia will be adding support anytime soon as this has been brought up since the Shield TV was released. I'm sure that a switch could be added in the settings to convert eac3 to ac3 but this would then require a remux on the server end.

 

Yeah, the lengthy thread on the Geforce forums also mentions this. It's a shame, but I'll live with stereo in Netflix for now. It's better than no remote control, and no Netflix at all. 

 

You might want to try the beta version (see bottom of forum).

 

Thanks, will give it a go!