Which 2019 Shield to buy for a Sony Bravia 2017 model?

by Jobear91

I have a Sony Bravia KD85XE8596 from 2017. You've heard it all before, it's slow, inflexible, UI is sluggish etc.

I already have a 2017 Shield in my bedroom which I think is brilliant.

I've resisted pulling the trigger on a second Shield to use with my Bravia for a while but I'm now starting to think that I shouldn't have to accept and put up with this subpar performance from my television. Visually it's a great TV but the performance of ATV on it is, as we know, utter pants.

I've been looking around on Reddit for weeks in here and in r/ShieldTV and r/Bravia for advice on this but haven't quite found what I'm looking for.

My question is:

Which Shield TV should I buy for my Bravia? The tube or the pro?

To give you an idea of my needs, I use:

Plex for home network streaming, sometimes in 4K Netflix Prime Video Sports streaming apps A VPN app

However, with a Shield I would likely also use game streaming apps such as Nvidia's own or Steam to play my PC games on my living room TV).

That's more or less about it. Perhaps that's why I've managed to get by so far. It seems like the 2019 Pro version is a no-brainer for only £50 more, but I'm wondering if it's overkill and if I'd be unnecessarily wasting money when the tube would be more than capable for fulfilling my requirements.

Of course, feel free to tell me if for any reason I'm being silly and should in fact, stick with the Bravia as it is.

sivartk

I'd get the pro just for the extra 1GB of RAM. The tube version actually has less RAM than your 2017. I tend to keep my items for several years and I'm sure as the apps grow in the amount of RAM they consume the extra RAM will come in handy in the future and allow you to have more apps open in the background (quicker switching)

I'm thinking about a Pro just for the USB so I can integrate it with my still working Harmony 900 from 2009ish. I'll need a FLIRC device and it is USB and the tube has no USB port.

simiwood

Get the pro, compared to the 2017 the tube is 50% less everything but the processor.

kitanokikori

The tube has lots of weird surprising restrictions because it's nerfed to use 32-bit only. Get the Pro

Tomjr78

Gonna need the big boy! https://www.androidcentral.com/nvidia-shield-pro-vs-standard-which-should-i-buy?amp NVIDIA Shield TV (2019) vs. Shield TV Pro (2019): What's the ...

brent_starburst

Heard and read bad things about the tube. Get the pro.

totodee

Or you could move the Shield you have now to your living room TV and get a cheaper box like maybe a Mibox or a Firestcik 4K for your bedroom.

Jobear91

Cheers guys, all helpful comments

touchet6

The tube doesn't even exist as far as I'm concerned for a little extra money you get the real deal.

UsrFriendly9

For Plex Server and USB get the Pro

arrowrand

I got the Tube on sale for $129 and had a $50 gift card for Best Buy, been using it for a week or a little longer.

I'm using it on a 48" HD TV that sits right next to a 55" HD TV with a 2017 Shield TV hooked up. Aside from the HD thing, there's no noticable difference in performance or stability with any TV apps.

The 2017 Shield is my Channels DVR server, which the Tube can't do, but I knew that going in.

schneidernet

2019 Pro. For $50, you get a lot more capability. I've added a Logi K600 that needs a USB connection for its dongle, a WinTV tuner, 256gb USB button, and a 2tb USB HD. Needed a powered USB hub to pull all that off though.

Re sticking with the TV? I have an LG OLED and the WebOS app is long-in-the-tooth and not being updated. Can't afford another $2-3K every few years so changing AndroidTV boxes is much cheaper.

pawdog

I can tell you from experience that for what you mention the Tube will fit the bill, less RAM has made no difference in performance. Nothing on your list requires more storage and the SD Card as device storage is working great should you want to expand that. At the end of the day though What's another $50 for the Pro? Could be a lot or a little for you. I love my Tube and use it everyday. One little thing is the issue with 4K remuxes that crops up sometimes, mostly with the new Plex media player where the client crashes. This exists only on the Tube, Plex is working on it. This may be the only real reason to get the Pro over the Tube for a user such as yourself.