[Question] Nvidia Shield Vs FireTV 2nd Gen. Worth The Upgrade?

by Bodoct

I currently have a FireTV 2nd Gen that i utilize for Kodi streaming and YouTube. My FireTV is hooked up via Ethernet which outputs 1gb Fiber speed, though i believe the FireTV port can't utilize those speeds. I was wondering if it is worth the costly upgrade to Nvidia Shield?

• Is it noticeably smoother than the FireTV?

• Will my internet speed be able to reach max speeds streaming (with Real Debrid), or do most sites cap off streams?

• How is streaming games from an Nvidia card device to the shield utilizing 3rd party software "Moonlight", is it smooth?

• Does the Xbox One S controller connect to the Shield. If yes will most games display Xbox buttons when playing, like when you are on a computer?

• Are there any features you utilize a lot that isn't really talked about?

• Can the FireTV 2nd gen remote sync with the shield? If so do all the buttons map correctly to the shield (Voice?). If it does not, which remote do you find works the best for most shield functions.

Thank you in advance for any feedback provide. It is very much appreciated!

ehosca

get the Shield ... its wayyy better than the firetv ...

Max_Roc

Shield is better but 2nd gen fire TV box is solid. If it met my needs, I see no need to upgrade. If you do, consider selling your fire. 2nd gen was discontinued and hard to find. I've seen used boxes going for over 100 on eBay. Possibly cover the cost of the shield.

Not sure if that remote works but the voice functions usually do not work on fire remotes that will pair to shield.

Whiteboyfntastic1

Shield TV can probably Max out 1Gbps connection. Of course that depends on what app you're using to download or stream. For what its worth, even 4K hdr content probably won't use more than 100Mbps.

Nvidia gamestream works well. Not sure why youd need moonlight if you have a supported card and a shield tv. Also, if you want to go that route, geforce now service works pretty well.

Feature not a lot use but works well and I use: shield as DVR with an external USB 3.0 HD and hdhomerun prime.

don't have a fire tv so cant comment on direct comparisons

Undertaker59

I own and use both.

Kodi performs much better and is smoother on the Shield. The Youtube app is supported. Those two things are mainly what I use the Shield for.

The Hulu interface is better on the Fire. Some apps are available for the Fire that are not natively on Android TV.

I can not answer most of your other questions, but I like and use both. If Kodi is your main concern, the Shield was noticeably better to me.

sk9592

Does the Xbox One S controller connect to the Shield. If yes will most games display Xbox buttons when playing, like when you are on a computer?

Yes, I use Nvidia Game Stream all the time with an Xbox One S controller. It works great. Windows games default to the Xbox controller layout anyway, so it works out of the box.

If yes will most games display Xbox buttons when playing

Yes, that is exactly how it works.

sk9592

How is streaming games from an Nvidia card device to the shield utilizing 3rd party software "Moonlight", is it smooth?

For the most part, yes. But if you are using an Nvidia GPU and Nvidia Shield TV, I would just save the effort and use Nvidia Game Stream. It is better supported and more reliable.

sk9592

Are there any features you utilize a lot that isn't really talked about?

I use the Shield TV a lot for emulating games from the NES, SNES, PSP, Gamecube, Wii, etc.

Built-in Chromecast desktop mirroring has been useful for presentations.

Integrated Google Assistant means I can control my lights and window blinds without getting up from the couch.

I don't do this anymore, but for a little while I was running a file server and Plex media server off of the Shield TV.

BiggussDikkuss

Just be aware if you have older audio equiptment that cannot support DD+ audio over HDMI you will only get 2.0 PCM audio from DD+ copy protected video streaming apps like Netflix and Amazon Video when using Android TV devices.

The FireTV's convert such DD+ audio to DD to support older DD only audio equiptment.

pawdog

The Fire TV 2 is a quite capable device but when put on the same TV THE Fire TV seldom gets used. The Fire OS interface is simply too busy compared to Android TV which is clean and quick. Plays high bitrate 4k with HD audio with ease.

It really a good device vs a great device when you talk about the two.