Recently bought an NVIDIA Shield Pro and was wondering how others are using the device in their TV setups?
After some basic research online, I finding alot of people are pairing the Shield with a NAS and using various apps to auto-download media and stream it via Plex.
Really looking for ideas on what works and hacks that have improved your Shield experience.
if you have a 2017 model shield, the remote is powered by two CR2032 batteries. easy enough to swap out. NS2019 remotes are powered by AAA(?) i believe and are even easier to swap. Theres youtube tutorials if needed.
It's the 2017 model. I know it's easy enough but that power draw when not using it feels ridiculous.
Replace the remote with one of these. Best $10 I ever spent. So, so much better than the 2017 remote
@stratbargain: What is the advantage of that remote? I don't have any real issues with the original but do know a lot of people hate them.
@tonydav: the batteries in the original are terrible. Coin batteries have no place in a remote.
I found with that remote it would go to 'sleep' really quick, so I often had to press a button to wake the remote and then press a button to get it to work on the shield. I also hated that stupid volume control on it.
This one just works 100% of the time. Has a few extra buttons, has a mic for Google Now, has the gyro feature and has AAA batteries. The one I linked feels more like an official remote in my experience than the original… But then again if you have no issues with it, stick with it.
@stratbargain: I find the original remote touchy as anything - except for the horrible volume control… If you get too close to the remote and it turns on.
going through the options at moment. Seem quite a few.
@tonydav: Battery life is poor on the original one. Volume slider is next to useless and very gimmicky.
@stratbargain: Excellent. I can even use my eneloops!
Do you think the version with gyroscope is worthwhile?
@Caped Baldy: that's the one I got. The airmouse actually works pretty well in Kodi. I don't use it often but for an extra couple of bucks I would.
@stratbargain: Could you program the volume up and down buttons to emit IR signal for the TV? The aliexpress page is a little vague so I'm curious if you've tried something like this. My parents have a Shield but their TV doesn't have CEC so they have to juggle several remotes.
@mr-incredulous: I've lost the instructions. I know you can program the on/off button for ir. Not 100% on volume
@stratbargain: I use Simplecom RT200 - air mouse & keyboard combo although it uses rechargeable battery instead. Pretty sure it would be easy to replace when its dead.
@stratbargain: Bought a Chinese cheapie replacement remote as, I agree, Shield remote is feature poor (and coin batteries, yuk) but one thing I do like about the Shield remote is the excellent button-press feel.
The replacement has either a poor "feel" to the buttons (mushy and hard to tell without seeing screen that a press has worked based on simple tactile feedback) OR they don't work at all. What's this one like please?
@havebeerbelywillsumo: I agree and I was worried about that as well but these buttons are not mushy at all. A satisfying 'click' with each press. I would say just as good if not better tactile feel when comparing it to the shield remote.
@stratbargain: Thanks, will follow your advice and spend.
or maybe not? seller "eeupoosmt store" says $8.18US for gyro version then wants $9 US when you hit purchase…………it's only cents to me but a profitable racket for the seller of many items. Tried Chrome and Firefox based browsers.
@havebeerbelywillsumo: The one I linked above is $12 au shipped for me - but there are 100's of sellers with the same model. Pick one - https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&initiative_id=S…
@stratbargain: Thanks again stratbargain, used that HUGE link to purchase a different remote drom a seller that seems, on scores, to be reputable
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33024763833.html?spm=a2g0o.s…
Here's hoping…..at least I found about that little extra that keeps being added ….it's Gerry's damn GST
@stratbargain: I like the look of that but Estimated Delivery: 15-60 days ??? Then add the Corona delays and it could be months?
Anyone bought aliexpress lately?
@pharkurnell: You can get them on Amazon AU as well for a bit of a premium. Much faster shipping
https://www.amazon.com.au/WeChip-G20-Control-Wireless-Sensin…
@stratbargain: yea I think shipping delays everywhere will be hideous at moment .. :( Wish I could find me old control.. its lost somewhere in teh lounge.
@pharkurnell: Can't seem to find the option to send you a direct message, but let me know if you want an official one It's from the 2017 model. I'll let it go for a fair price and I'm in Melbourne. I'd still recommend the WeChip one though :)
if you have samsung TV (2018+ models), then no need for the shield remote.
I LOVE MINE. I previously had Mi Box and it was super slow and laggy. With Nvidia Shleld I had no problems with speed. Also because it's got more power I had no issues with live transcoding from Plex. Sometimes my MiBox would buffer or crash because of transcoding.Plus remote had IR sensor so I can control volume directly on TV bypassing secondary TV remote.
I use my shield for Netflix, Disney, NBA/WWE (sports etc, obviously not right now) plex of course, but also all the channels like 7,9,10. ABC and SBS. As well as connecting a variety of usb powered nes/snes/n64/gamecube controller knock off and retroarch (which is a emulator of sorts). Besides that, you may want to look into geforce now which is a game streaming service, when it hits australia. I dont think it has yet. And you can use both steamlink and nvidia experience to cast games to ur tv.
of course, if u dont want to do any of that, i question the need for a nvidia shield in the first place…
Anyone use it as a plex media streamer in conjunction with their NAS?
Yes and it works flawlessly
agree..
Love it.
I have a plex server running off a Dell 9010 SFF. I'd used Apple TV, Foxtel Now, Roku, Telstra TV as clients to connect to it (and still use those in the kids rooms) but the experience was never as good as my old media box (old school).
But the NVidia is chalk and cheese. So fast it's at least as good as the direct media box was. And plays everything I can throw at it without any transcoding.
And the icing on the cake is that it will also run as a Plex Server (I have the 2017 non-pro model). I have everything on my main Plex server synchronising nightly to the NVidia external HDD. Gives me a backup, but also means when we go on holidays I just grab those 2 boxes (Shield and HDD) and we're right to watch when we're away.
I liked it so much convinced the GF to buy one and she's running much the same albeit with only a 1TB HDD and mainly old TV shows.
In regards to using a Dell 9010 SFF as a plex server.
Could you provide more information on your OS, any upgrades, and general usage?
I was originally running Win8 Enterprise, but managed to "hack" that to be Win 8 Pro and then did the free upgrade to Win 10 Pro.
It's an i5-3570 has 32GB RAM now. Standard video etc. I have added in a bluetooth wireless kb/mouse but very rarely use these. Normally control via remote desktop.
You wouldn't normally need 32GB but I have about 4 VMs in it. I would say 16GB would be fine for most people, or even 8GB if just for Plex.
A lot of people mention using Plex with the Shield but I just want to throw out there that Emby is a very nice alternative. I jumped from Plex to Emby a while ago because 1) better free features and 2) better user experience with the client app.
I've stuck with Plex as I share my library with friends and a lot use the Plex app built into their TV's. But I agree the Plex app on Android TV (at least the last time I tested it) kind of sucked.
I now use Kodi with PlexConnect for best of both worlds. Works great locally. I also use Matt Huisman's Kodi IPTV plugin and TV XML for Australian TV - https://www.matthuisman.nz/
That way I have everything I need within Kodi.
No doubt at some point in the future however when Plex continues down their current path I'll end up moving across to Emby or Jellywhatever.
What path do you mean?
Do you mean limiting features and pushing the annual/lifetime subs?
There are a lot of pissed off people online who believe Plex have shifted their original focus which was purely, streaming your own media across all of your devices local and remote to a more commercial model such as their Tidal Music partnership, their Plex news channel stuff, their new Plex movie and TV Show streaming (their own shows not your own etc). I'm sure there are others I'm missing.
The general consensus from long term Plex fans is that they are focusing more on areas to make Plex money rather than focusing on the features the core users want (improving the own media hosting/streaming) and fixing existing issues in those areas.
I guess as far as Plex is concerned it's a double edged sword. They need money to survive.. But it will likely see a lot of Plex users pivot towards free/opensource/alternative options such as Emby and Jellyfin. Personally if I was only using it across my network/devices I would have already shifted away from Plex.
@stratbargain: Yes the new Plex layout is annoying, you can tweak it to remove a lot of it, however you shouldn't have to..
Im keeping an eye out for alternatives , Its a pity as Plex had been great for so many years.
Did you purchase a lifetime license for Emby?
No I've never paid for Plex or Emby. I switched to Emby mostly because of features that are free with Emby but require money with Plex, namely being able to access the server outside your local network, being able to access it on your phone (using web page, you have to pay for the phone app) and being able to set up different accounts with access to different content.
Was using an Xiaomi Mi Box 3 but after the updates broke it I gave up using it and went for the NVIDIA
I have the latest version,
NVIDIA Shield TV Pro Tegra X1 and Use it with Plex, I already had a Plex server setup but the Nvidia Sheild can also act as a Plex server but not tried that.
I also use my Foxtel Now app with it as well as a lot of catch up TV services.
But currently its primarily for my PLEX
I dont have Netflix so I remapped the Netflix Remote Button: One Press For Plex and 2 Press for Foxtel.
The 4K Upscale works great in my opinion.
Also Dolby Atmos and DTS X working fine with Plex
Linus has a good video on the new Shield, raves about the 4k upscaling and interface.
Looks like a good little unit but no use to me, I just run a HTPC with all my media plugged straight into the TV.
I have a 2017 and 2019 unit and they are great - my only complaint is that my after 18 months my 2017 unit seems to have a thermal issue where the CPU throttles dramatically with any significant load like watching video for more than a few minutes. I've tried replacing the thermal paste and cleaning the fan to no avail. But I liked it so much I bought a 2019 and its working great.
I use a Harmony Hub remote so I don't care about the issues with the included remote, though the 2019 one is much larger as its got 2xAAA in it.
If anyone has any tips on getting my old 2017 one to work properly I'm very keen. Otherwise if you are interested in trying to fix it it's yours for free if you can pick up from Jamboree Heights in Brisbane.
Send me a PM. I am interested and can pickup this afternoon if available?
Further to below, any chance you are in the CBD this week?
Sent you a PM.
Had one for a while (2019 Pro), bought as I was shi**y with the Vodafone TV Pie update. Use it for streaming everything, Kodi/NAS and now we emulate games on it. Especially liking the Sega Dreamcast games like Soulcalibur (THE SOUL STILL BURNS).
I was planning for it to be a media center and retro gaming. The first bit works well with plex and kodi. The second bit didn't, the android emulators I've tried are all shit compared to running it on my PC, mostly the control settings and user experience. Even with an android bluetooth game pad. So I only succeeded in using half of what I intended it for.
Also I bought mine from Kogan, and it died a couple weeks in, luckily Kogan was willing to replace.
Also I have no idea what I did to the settings, it switched control over to my Sony Bravia tv controller and the shield controller stopped responding altogether. Not that I mind, as I can use 1 less controller.
Sitting unused mostly… Good when I occasionally use netflix.
I've only had it around half a year but found that my remote has run out of power which appears to be a pretty common issue. The controller doesn't last that long either.