As stated, I will pick up my NVIDIA Shield tomorrow. I currently just cast to my smart TV. I have a Plex server I run as well as I use Google Play Movies, Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube. Anything I must set up on day one?
Edit: I have it set up and it is awesome! Thanks for all the suggestions. I am working my way through them now.
Buy an HDHomerun and watch OTA TV through your Shield.
Join is an undersung hero. You install it on all the devices you usually use (phone, laptop, Shield, etc), and it can send stuff to the clipboard of whatever remote device you wanna use it with. For example, I send text all the time from my browser (using the Chrome extension) straight to the clipboard on my Shield, great for entering obscenely long wifi passwords or stupidly long stream URLs.
I like ProjectM for TV. It's $4, and only works on Android TV (it's another $4 if you want it on your phone, and a separate download), but it gives you super trippy visuals with your music. Most Android TV music players look paralysingly boring while playing music, so it's a nice touch. It works weird, you start music in any other app, then go home and launch ProjectM, and it "hears" the music from the first app and visualizes accordingly (which is why it needs Record Audio permissions).
Kodi or VLC seem to be the best for local or local network media. Shield can mount a NAS at the system level, exposing it to basically all apps, so that helps, but I still find Kodi and VLC the easiest to use. Kodi is more powerful and has more options, a double edged sword as it is quite complex. VLC is simpler, but doesn't have the kind of configurability and extensibility that Kodi has.
Breakneck is a cute little game, works great with the TV remote, easy to just pick up and play.
Console emulators. 🙂
Well.. take it out the box first..... 🤔😉
They say the Shield is one of the best devices to emulate retro game consoles, more to the point the elusive N64 and Dreamcast which are pretty hard to do accurately. If you're that kind of guy, you're set to have a good time. :)
Install X-Plore File Manager.
Kodi :)
"What are some of the first things I should do?"
At the very least get a Pi-Hole.
1 shield alone has requested over 3,000 DNS requests in less than 24 hrs. Most of them completely worthless to the end user.
You are a product to be sold at the highest bidding. Its nothing but data collection.
​
Your privacy should be important to you.
Download the Nvidia Shield remote app.
Haystack TV for news.
STBemu!
Basically start trash talking everyone who buys devices with trash tier SoCs lol but honestly, the performance is just so damn good
Cancel all your plans for the foreseeable future. You're entertainment options are now unlimited
You should wait for the new one
enable porn mode
Does it have Google assistant?
Install Plex (as already stated), but you definitely need to buy Solid Explorer for Android TV. Cloud integration, network shares, etc. (You won't use network shares as much if you can stream off Plex, but you can browse shares to copy locally if you so desire). Well worth a couple of bucks. Other than that, make sure you see HDR on Netflix for those applicable movies (if you have the plan that supports it.) I had a heck of a time configuring the Shield/TV to do so because my receiver didn't have HDR passthrough. Bitches.
If you already have a cable subscription, you can get an HDHomeRun Prime for 3 or 6 simultaneous streams. You just need to get a one cable card.
Android TV has built-in integration for HD HomeRun as provided by Google themselves with Live Channels. No app needed. You get built-in DVR support if you add an external drive.
Also, since you already have a Plex server, you can already stream it to pretty much any other setup.
I pay $5 for a Cablecard on FiOS and have zero rentals. The Shield works natively and the Roku and PS4 stream of Plex. Still, the native Android TV Live Channels is just better.
If you don't torrent, you should sideload Morpheus. It's just a really good streaming app that has anything I've looked for.
If I don't have it on my DVR, it's not on Netflix or Amazon Prime, then I check Morpheus.
I hope you got the 500GB one, because it's easy to fill up the storage fast.
Redacted
Just update the Shield TV and Remote to the latest software, and install whatever apps you want. The list you have is a great start.
You might also want to install RetroArch, X-plore, VLC, and Kodi.
It's for watching video... so just install Netflix, Youtube, Plex. What else do you want.
You can tinker with the gaming stuff like emulators or streaming but IMO its meh
You could put the Plex server on it now.
edit: why the hate? Nvidia Shield works as a energy-saving plex server
Come on here and make a post saying how great it is and that everyone should buy it over every other box. /s
Spmc!
Return it and buy an Apple TV 4K.
Yes connect it to your TV and power it on. And cancel your cable subscription because aren't Going to use it anymore