I own the the shield (2017) and use it mainly for Kodi, Netflix etc and am quite happy about it. Curious if there's anything else out there that could be better in terms of performance.
I own the the shield (2017) and use it mainly for Kodi, Netflix etc and am quite happy about it. Curious if there's anything else out there that could be better in terms of performance.
The Shield is pretty much the best of the best as far as streaming boxes go. A game console like the Xbox One X or PS4 Pro would probably pack more power, but it also wouldn't give you the breadth of applications that Android TV does. HTPCs are always an option, but again, you'll run into issues with the availability of apps that fit a TV use case (unless you're OK futzing around with web browsers and pointers).
How can you be happy about it? Every update they push out makes it worse. And they almost never update it. I have the 2020 pro and it freezes and locks up, disconnects from Bluetooth every few minutes, and it pauses the video even if I'm 20ft from the remote.
This thing is awful.
It worked super great until the irreversible update was force pushed out to everyone.
I would say no.. While the Apple TV has the more powerful chipset nothing takes advantage of it just like nothing takes advantage of the Shields chipset. Not media wise anyway.
Apple TV would make a great second device if your curiosity gets the best of you. I am a believer in not only having one platform.
Conversely, if you only want Kodi, there’s stuff that’s better for cheaper.
Apple TV running Infuse, maybe.
For a streaming media player with Kodi - no...
But for Netflix - definately Yes - the Apple TV 4K because you get Netflix - DolbyVision & Dolby Atmos & the Netflix App works with Apple tvOS Frame Rate and Dynamic Range Matching features.
A lot if people are very happy with the really Bling - Infuse App on the ATV 4K. The highly modded Kodi Jarvis based - MrMC App is pretty decent as well.
The ATV 4K has a more powerful SoC vs the much older (in Tech terms) one in the Shield. ARM chipset tech moves pretty quick these days and Apple lead the pack by leveraging the powerful Chipsets they use in their iPhones to plug those into Apple TV's.
It's a very smart move IMHO.
You can buy a new Apple Mac Mini, Max it out (configuration/specs), install Kodi on it and try that. It will set you back around £4500.00
NVIDIA Shield TV is definitely the best all around device for those things. The hardware is 3 years old so it would be nice if NVIDIA upgraded the hardware soon or dropped the price, but either way it's still the best.