Impressions coming from an Apple TV to the New Shield Pro

by murdermaschine

I have had the new Shield Pro for a couple days now and have it setup as good as I can get it for now so I thought I would give some feedback for anyone else who has an Apple TV and is thinking about making the switch to Android TV.

I don't have a 4k TV (yet) so unfortunately I can't comment too much on that aspect. I will be picking up an OLED soon but one of the main reasons I got this was to do the game streaming from my PC in the office. Everything is wired via Ethernet

Pros:

  • Speed - It's nice and fast
  • SPMC - Kodi fork is quick and allows add-ons
  • Game streaming is great (when it works)
  • Chromecast built in which works decent with my Chromebook
  • A bunch of Android games to try out
  • I like the small controller better on this when compared to ATV

Cons:

  • You cant change this ugly ass green blood microscoped background WTF
  • There are NO HBO GO or SHOWTIME apps if you use Comcast/Xfinity (this was almost a dealbreaker but I have a Uverse backup account)
  • Game streaming has been buggy as hell for me - GTAV doesn't work at all, BF1 will not work with controller, steamlink app launches in wrong resolution randomly, the only game that worked for me is DOOM (Main PC is i7, 16gb ram and GTX 1080)
  • I don't like the homescreen layout as much as Apple TV, this is more cluttered, I can't believe I have to disable apps in order for them not to show up.
  • If you turn off all suggestions for the UI you have a big blank space telling you to enable suggestions so you see something.
  • Ran into several bugs onboarding, highlighting items don't always highlight (yes I did all updates)
  • Chromecast mirroring is laggier than airplay

So with this being said... If I didn't plan on getting a 4k TV I'm not sure this is really a huge upgrade coming from the ATV4. I might change my mind if the game streaming would actually work better (one of the main reasons I got it) Comcast not supporting apps on Android TV stunned me and not being able to change the ugly background has me baffled.

thecw

There are NO HBO GO or SHOWTIME apps if you use Comcast/Xfinity

Chromecasting works, however.

cordcutta

Thanks, I was going to buy another, I have the 2015 and it's Dead due to a failed update. Hoping for for an RMA. Add DirecTV now to the list of non working apps but that's all Android TV as of right now it's not working.

houmi

I got a Nvidia Shield (non pro) and I don't have any issues streaming games (PC with 1080GTX and Gigabit Connection)

The only thing that bugs me is what you mentioned about HBO Go/ShowTime with Comcast. I was really looking forward for those working as well, but hey it's Comcast...

I was thinking to subscribe to HBO Now and Showtime directly and cancel HBO/Showtime from Comcast, but it's more expensive that way.

I was really hopping that this device would make me switch away from ATV4, but not quite!

But I am happy to get Amazon Prime video.

I am not sure if this is correct, but for Comcast to offer on demand premium channels to their customers via their DVR and such, I think they store those bits locally. So when you use the HBO Go or those other apps, you may download those bits directly from Comcast servers instead, hence they want control over it. Again this is just a hypothesis based on some article I had read before...

bintasaurus

I also have a Atv4 and 2 Shield TVs (2015) but find the Shields hugely superior.Im in the UK so that will make a difference,app selection on the UK Atv4 is shockingly poor,at least on the Shield I've managed to sideload load apps which work in general,with remote/kB or Chromecast.Never had any bugs whatsoever,while on my Atv4 I've had crashes and freezes under different circumstances........Holding onto the Atv4 though just to see if things improve,not looking good though...I do love hearing different opinions & circumstances though 👍

rhpot1991

Do you see any lag in your pro model when downloading a large game/app from gplay? I see this in my pro model but not my base ones, not sure if this is normal or if I got a bad unit.

getcashmoney

Do you not use Amazon or Vudu? The availability of those on Shield is a massive Pro over the Apple TV.

Can you describe your network you are using for Gamestream? Wireless? Ethernet? Router?

chrissurra

To answer one of your cons about the background. Thats the launcher and you can install a different one.

Check out Hal Launcher or Tv Launcher 3

jmleep

I also have an ATV4 and new shield TV. Shield tends to be plagued with bugs. From home screen launcher icons not staying put, to the remote bugging out on me, or poorly written Android apps that don't function correctly, the shield has been unimpressive (I've kept all devices and apps updated to the latest versions). ATV4 is always fast, apps have never failed, and so far has offered a better streaming experience.