So, I just bought a $700 Hisense ULED TV. 65" and it's a beautiful panel. I want to game on it but wondering whether the shield is really worth it JUST for remote gaming. I feel kind of silly spending an additional $200 on the shield pro if the only added value is gaming in 4k. Thoughts? Thanks
I have a $5,000 4K OLED Sony smart tv and its implementation of Android is horse shit. It’s slow, apps crash, and a few weeks ago my HBO app stopped working completely. I’ve uninstalled and reinstalled it with no luck. I’m about to go back to my Shield. Not as convenient but a way better user experience.
EDIT: spelling
It might be redundant until your TV stops updating its apps. Happened with my Samsung. Months before they cut off support completely, Netflix would have major problems playing videos.
My TV never supported all the stuff my Android TV or Roku do ... like Spotify, Kanopy, etc.
So yeah, something to consider. Maybe delay your purchase of a different device until your Hisense gets annoying. By then, today's devices will be cheaper and there will be newer more awesome devices available.
You'll find that today it's probably overkill, but in 2 years when that Hisense hasn't been updated since 2019 you'll want an external device that's modern. Today, right now, if you're happy with the Android TV OS that it's got, whatever version, and it plays your games, don't spend the cash. Wait until your TV OS is old/busted :).
Here's something no one mentioned, gigabit hardwired ethernet port.
My house is hardwired with cat6. Bought a new Sony x90j. Mid high-end 85" Sony, this model year.
Plug it in, the Google TV is solid. I'm naming my devices on my switch and notice it's on a 10 meg/sec connection not a 100meg / sec.
On a $3k TV the skimped on the NIC. Unbelievable.
I hate compression and banding. I've got a kickass receiver and speakers, and often stream uncompressed 4k hdr blue rays. Bottlenecking that down to 10 megs per sec is no Bueno. Sure 10 Meg HEVC is OK on your phone or a PC screen. But for legit home theater you just can't get enough data through that.
The cost of a shield is nominal in a good home theater system. But the codecs and support make it worth it. It gets updates and it's the premier streaming box. And it's $200.
The built in android on my TV got slow fast. When Disney + came out the UI was too slow to use so we've switched to the Xbox Series X. Much faster and in the UK Android TV still doesn't have some apps (Now TV) and the Xbox does.
Yes and no.
I'm in a similar as just got a new Philips with Android, and although it has replaced my usage of the AppleTV for the most part, I've no plans to get rid of it just yet. I've also got an older Sheild and again not planning to get rid of it either.
For me the reasons are the trust in Philips (or TPVision as they really are now), as the OS implementation is ok, it also has some flaws. And although Nvidia and Apple will fix their devices (esp Nvidia they've given their devices proper long term support), I'm not sure a TV company will.
Have a look at Moonlight. It's basically the same thing. Witness gaming, directly connecting Xbox controller via Bluetooth or cable. No Shield needed
Pretty much, The shield I believe has better hardware which should make the remote gaming/browsing experience better but you could always bluetooth a ps4 or steam controller to the TV as well.
If your TV performs well, no need to get a Shield right now. If you want to do remote gaming, just load Steam Link or Moonlight and get yourself some Bluetooth game pads (the ones from 8bitdo are nice).
If you ever find yourself dissatisfied with your Android TV experience, you might consider getting the Shield then.
I have the 65u8g, and find exactly zero need for an external device. The thing is super fast, and I have both GeForceNow and Stadia installed with zero issues.
I would say so, yeah. For now, anyway.
The problem with SmartTVs is that you'll want keep the TV for a decade or more, but the "Smart" part will feel incredibly old in more like 2-3 years.
I say use the built-in one until it doesn't work well anymore, then "upgrade" it by plugging in whatever the latest and greatest AndroidTV dongle/box thing is.