Got a new Shield and looking for an alternative to VLC for playing media stored on my NAS. I have SBMC installed but am having issues getting it to pass surround sound correctly. VLC works but would like something a little "prettier" with thumbnails at least.
Hands down the real VLC of Android. Works great with my remote as well.
You'll most likely need to get a codec pack for it, but just a quick Google search will get you the codec pack you need from XDA developers . The custom codec packs you can get will also support DTS and AC3. MX Player also supports subtitling using internal or external files as well as switching between subs while playing the video. Same goes with audio and video switching. MX Player will play everything and anything and is highly configurable.
As far as playing files directly off your network share (without using something like Kodi or Plex), you can open video files with your file browser in MX Player. I use an old version of ES File Explorer ( es-file-explorer-3-2-5-multi-android-signed.apk ) [from before all the crapware they baked in] to browse my local network and open the video files in MX Player Pro; it works perfectly. This version is via my dropbox and has been re-signed to avoid being updated via Google Play.
Have you tried Plex with the Shield's server?
How long does it usually take them to get the update to the store?
If you sideload and then install the new version does it retain all your settings?
Finally got some time today and sideloaded the new version of SPMC and it fixed the audio issues. Thanks guys.
Try Archos Video Player. The free version should suffice. It does require you install a codec pack from the store but that's almost automatic
SPMC from the googleplay store is an "old" version. 16.6 fixes passthrough problems and, if you're using a receiver, they recommend setting it to use the IEC audio device. Download the apk and sideload it if you don't want to wait for the googleplay store.
For another alternative there is MrMC, also developed by former Kodi developers.