Plex User: Nvidia Shield Pro vs Chromecast with Google TV

by salamanderJoe24

Hey All, I am looking at upgrading my tv box. Currently I have been using a fire stick 4k max, but I have been experiencing too many issues with it, primarily Bluetooth headset causes the whole device to lag up, audio go out of sync, and remote barely works. Also when using plex the subtitles sometimes don't work and I need to restart the device.

My primary usage is plex 65% of time, Netflix 20%, tivimate 10%, and 5% other (YouTube, etc).

I would ideally also want a remote that has IR and can control Soundbar speakers and tv power.

I was debating between the Nvidia shield pro and chromecast with google tv 4k. I used to have the shield 2017 version and loved it, however I am worried to spend a lot of money when a newer model may be around the corner. The google chromecast is much cheaper and some argue performs similarly for streaming.

Any recommendations?

panteragstk

I have both and they are awesome devices.

The shield is just faster and more powerful. That's it depending on your sources. If you want HD audio, the shield is the better device.

Melon_Farmer2014

I have both devices. The shield tv pro is better in every way. The Chromecast needs to be rebooted every couple of days because the menus and content selection will start to get laggy and slow. It also does this frustrating behavior where 4k movie content will jump and stutter, again requiring a reboot to get back on track. The remote is small and cheap and has awkwardly placed buttons. It also has no backlight on the remote. There are no USB or LAN ports. It's a tolerable device for a guest room just because it's so cheap, but trying to use it as your main streaming device will be an exercise in frustration. Get the shield tv pro and don't look back.

WhiteNinja42

Have had both, having recently upgraded from my Chromecast with Google TV.

The shield tv pro has all the features the Chromecast has but without the piddly 4gb storage which I was constantly running up against even with very few apps installed. This caused performance hits and reliability issues in certain apps.

The shield pro remote has the IR blaster just like the ccwgtv and also has way better performance. The ai upscaling is pretty good and has noticeably improved some older shows I play on Plex.

josefgabriel

I can't comment on the Shield, but I understand it is a great piece of hardware. I do have the Google TV and I think it is near perfect. I have a harmony remote, and I do use it for macros and other things but the Google TV remote is just SO nice. The volume rocker is nice, the texture is nice, and the controls are great.

You can also reprogram the buttons with apps as well as have custom menu screens, but the default UI is also great and in appropriate Google manner, it is very good at picking things out you might want to watch. I am pretty invested in the Google ecosystem and it works well with that too. But the biggest surprise to me was the remote.

I thought the Harmony remote was near perfection and I use the Google remote a lot more.

forgiuse

The Shield is great as I host my Plex server on it and AI upscale is great for old movies and shows, but of course it's obviously way pricier than a Chromecast and doesn't support HDR on YouTube and HDR10+ like the Chromecast does.

Ahenze85

I have The Google chromecast and would recommend it. It can turn my TV on & off, and control the volume on my Bose soundbar with the remote or Google Assistant . I use it for Kodi, Twitch and YouTube, and find all run without lag. Only issue would be the storage which is only 4gb.