A programmable microwave has more features than a toaster. Doesn't help me much if I want to make toast.
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Apple TV 4K vs. Nvidia Shield
- Thread starter ledamon
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Interesting arguments ScorchedEarth and Rigby.
For me though, I simply detest Android, Google and their ethics or lack of!
There's no way that I'd go to a lesser OS which is Android after having pleasure, reliability etc with my Mac OS X over many many years. The fact that Apple TV runs on a Mac OS (OK iOS which is based on OS X) does it for me.
Maybe the Shield has more features but that doesn't make it a better machine with a beautiful user experience.
A Ford Focus has more basic features than a Ferrari but it offers a rather difference experience. And to me, 7 years of using ATV and seeing the competition, the ATV remains the Ferrari! in every way!
For me though, I simply detest Android, Google and their ethics or lack of!
There's no way that I'd go to a lesser OS which is Android after having pleasure, reliability etc with my Mac OS X over many many years. The fact that Apple TV runs on a Mac OS (OK iOS which is based on OS X) does it for me.
Maybe the Shield has more features but that doesn't make it a better machine with a beautiful user experience.
A Ford Focus has more basic features than a Ferrari but it offers a rather difference experience. And to me, 7 years of using ATV and seeing the competition, the ATV remains the Ferrari! in every way!
I'd avoid Plex on an AppleTv - due to their insistence only using the Apple media player. This will certanly result in some/many of your local files being unsuitable... without transcodng or other unnecessary nonsense.
Once I can get an Atv4k to replace my Minix, i'll be using Infuse which will play any format.
MrMC would be worth a look too, as i do have a plex server still running.
Once I can get an Atv4k to replace my Minix, i'll be using Infuse which will play any format.
MrMC would be worth a look too, as i do have a plex server still running.
A programmable microwave has more features than a toaster. Doesn't help me much if I want to make toast.
So what would your complaints be in regards to these two TV boxes? The OP would like to know the pro's and con's and according to their usage, it seems like the Apple TV is pointless. They won't be buying movies from itunes.
@ledamon Check this video out for a quick comparison between the two. There are plenty of websites and videos you can check out for more in depth reviews, which will pretty much conclude the same thing. Asking on this site will pretty much warrant a one sided answer, which doesn't make it the right answer. Good luck on your decision!
This is a hugely limiting argument from the outset.
You do not need to be buying movies from iTunes to enjoy appleTV.
You can use it as any other streaming device to enjoy your own media from your own (local) library.
You can use it as wireless display device for any other Apple device (apart from the Watch).
As has been mentioned before - if you are in Apple ecosystem, then it makes a lot of sense.
If you are not, then it won't (unless you really just want to take advantage of UHD/HDR movie offers in the iTunes Store, which btw go for half of the uhd-bd price).
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And the Shield does all of that, and then much, much more. OP already stated they are deciding between the two devices. In their scenario, and especially with the mention of Plex + streaming files directly from the computer, it makes more sense to go with the Shield. Apple TV only makes sense when you are tied to the Apple ecosystem, more specifically, having plenty of itunes purchases. If not, the Shield is the superior device. Look at comparisons on youtube or a simple search.
ScorchedEarth, you are a Shield fan, and that is great. However, some of the things you are stating are opinions and not facts.
There are in fact things that the AppleTV can do that the Shield cannot. The Channels app for use with the HDHomeRun is 1 example. This matters to some people, including me.
I could be wrong, but I don't think that DirecTV Now is currently available on the Shield. Again, I may be wrong on this point.
This is also not exactly true. I too have an LG TV, and switching over to the native apps does not require you to change inputs per se. You simply navigate to the LG app (YouTube for instance) via the pop-up menu from the bottom, all while the ATV can be running in the background. It is incredibly smooth and intuitive, not like the old days of input switching or using remotes like the Harmony that used activities/macros to perform multiple steps.
And if he prefers, the LF remote is very usable to drive the AppleTV, so using both the external streaming box along side of the native apps is outstanding.
Then there are subjective reasons beyond being an Apple Fan, including the ATV interface (which I find much better on the ATV) and Plex app (again, I personally prefer over the other Plex interfaces). This has zero to do with being an Apple Fan.
The Shield is excellent. The AppleTV is excellent. IMO, the choice comes down to preference.
Weird chart with disinformationBut he would have to switch from HDMI over to the youtube app on the TV, and then back if he wants to view other content. It just seems it would be more convenient to have everything in one package. Most reviews also agree that Shield is better than Apple TV. But if someone is a diehard Apple fan, that would be the only reason to get Apple TV over shield TV.
Neither supports console class gaming, unless you really really water down the definition of consoles class gaming... subjective and ambiguous.
AppleTV does support media servers with network storage. Via itunes, via plex, via dlna, and more.
Dont need proprietary usb plugin antenna. Have Channels app for TV to networked HDHomeRun box.
I tried a shield TV 2017 just in Oct, was considering migration to android, but was a trainwreck. Remote did not have the advertised plugin for private audio, used shitass old 1980’s coincell batteries.
Could not control my receiver inputs via CEC nor volume via IR. Just kept failing to find any working code. AppleTV switches inputs properly, and learns codes from receiver remote, works smoothly.
I returned the Shield. Shield does too much sleazy shady advertising with their specs.
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A quick google search would show you that both of those apps are available for the Shield...I don't get why you use those as an example by saying the shield cannot do them, without fact checking. But like I said, Nvidia shield is better than Apple TV if you are not tied to its ecosystem. I understand that some of the guys in this thread love Apple, but there are plenty of grounds that Shield has superior features, which Apple cannot match the Shield.
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Doesn't have console class gaming....hmmmm... Nintendo Switch is a console, and they both share the same hardware....but Shield actually has superior hardware. (active cooling, much higher clockrate on GPU/CPU) It can play all kinda games from OG Nintendo to Wii games. I guess those are consoles right? I can play games that are on XBOX1 or PS4 on my Shield if I wanted to, with better textures, framerates, etc.... I guess that's even BETTER than consoles... Maybe you never used a Shield, or if you did, you had no clue what you were doing. Headphone jack is on the controller AND remote. Kinda hard to miss this, even with a google search, more or less owning the product. And both have simple interfaces and straight to the point....soo....not sure where you went wrong. CEC works like a charm.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/atv4k-as-gaming-platform.2080424/
Proof is in the pudding, Shield TV can do AAA gaming, Apple TV can only do old basic games. Nothing spectacular. Plus it doesn't even come with a controller.
[doublepost=1511889276][/doublepost]@ledamon I personally recommend taking a few minutes to check out some videos and comparisons on both devices. Again, going to an Apple site, will give you one sided answers. I have personally used both, and there is a clear cut winner. Not just in my opinion, but also majority of people who used them both extensively.
If anyone wants to debate actual features instead of throwing around empty/false claims feel free to quote me.
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Those codecs can be used through Plex, Kodi, etc.
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Sorry, I asked if Nvdia added them, not if Plex client can use AC3/AC3-E.
The correct answer is no, if you look in the system codec list (via adb), they are not present. And the lack of them is certainly a problem to those that are not bitstreaming audio to an external audio receiver for decoding.
https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/994786/?comment=5245931
The correct answer is no, if you look in the system codec list (via adb), they are not present. And the lack of them is certainly a problem to those that are not bitstreaming audio to an external audio receiver for decoding.
https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/994786/?comment=5245931
You can use passthrough. AC3 became royalty free just this year, so this can be added in an update. Just like how Apple TV 4k does not support Dolby Atmos. The Apple TV can't passthrough DTS, DTS-HD MA or TrueHD. The Apple TV does not currently support bitstreaming lossless or object based audio formats.
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To be fair as I don't think you know who I am. I'm a retired XBMC developer. Responsible for bringing XBMC/Kodi to the AppleTV2 in the 1st place, same for iOS and Android. Even did some ports to platforms that never saw the light of day, like Tegra1 and Mips. FireCore has me to thank for creating the 2nd stage bootloader that made their aTV Flash so popular. And the Broadcom CrystalHD hw decoder port for the original AppleTV, that was me too.
So I know quite a bit about what various platforms can do, what they do best, and which ones to stay away from. I write the code to do the various things like display rate switching and video and audio decode and display. So I know, by direct coding experience what platforms are good and what platforms are quirky. Android by far is the most quirky of them and the audio handling of android is still in the dark ages. They still don't understand the important concept of audio latency and why it matters.
Before the AppleTV 4K appeared, the NVidia Shield was the undisputed King, even with Android as the base OS. With the A10X, 4K hw decode and now dynamic range/display rate switching, the AppleTV 4K will be a strong challenger to that title. When someone that daily writes and maintains code to support these types of platforms says that, one should take notice.
[doublepost=1511906964][/doublepost]Funny, both my AppleTV4 and AppleTV4K can passthrough DD and DTS just fine with MrMC.
So I know quite a bit about what various platforms can do, what they do best, and which ones to stay away from. I write the code to do the various things like display rate switching and video and audio decode and display. So I know, by direct coding experience what platforms are good and what platforms are quirky. Android by far is the most quirky of them and the audio handling of android is still in the dark ages. They still don't understand the important concept of audio latency and why it matters.
Before the AppleTV 4K appeared, the NVidia Shield was the undisputed King, even with Android as the base OS. With the A10X, 4K hw decode and now dynamic range/display rate switching, the AppleTV 4K will be a strong challenger to that title. When someone that daily writes and maintains code to support these types of platforms says that, one should take notice.
[doublepost=1511906964][/doublepost]Funny, both my AppleTV4 and AppleTV4K can passthrough DD and DTS just fine with MrMC.
Oh, so it's not ok that the Shield can use passthrough for AC3, yet it's perfectly fine that Apple doesn't natively support those codecs, and you need to use passthrough + 3rd party app? Why no mention of the supported file formats? I'll copy and paste from their websites. Lets see:
Nvidia Shield:
~Video~
4K HDR ready
Up to 4K HDR playback at 60 FPS (H.265/HEVC)
Up to 4K playback at 60 FPS (VP8, VP9, H.264, MPEG1/2)
Up to 1080p playback at 60 FPS (H.263, MJPEG, MPEG4, WMV9/VC1)
Format/Container support: Xvid/ DivX/ASF/AVI/MKV/MOV/M2TS/MPEG-TS/MP4/WEB-M
~Audio~
Dolby Atmos and DTS-X surround sound pass through over HDMI
High-resolution audio playback up to 24-bit/192 kHz over HDMI and USB
High-resolution audio up-sample to 24-bit/192 kHz over USB
Audio support: AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, MP3, WAVE, AMR, OGG Vorbis, FLAC, PCM, WMA, WMA-Pro, WMA-Lossless, DD+/DTS (pass-through), Dolby Atmos and Dolby TrueHD (pass-through), DTS-X and DTS-HD (pass-through)
Apple TV 4k:
~Video~
H.264/HEVC SDR video up to 2160p, 60 fps, Main/Main 10 profile
HEVC Dolby Vision (Profile 5)/HDR10 (Main 10 profile) up to 2160p
H.264 Baseline Profile level 3.0 or lower with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file formats
MPEG-4 video up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 fps, Simple profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file formats
~Audio~
HE-AAC (V1), AAC (up to 320 Kbps), protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (up to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Apple Lossless, FLAC, AIFF and WAV; AC-3 (Dolby Digital 5.1) and E-AC-3 (Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 surround sound)
No offense to your background, but its not just my opinion, but many others out there that have used both devices extensively, yet come to the same conclusion that Shield TV is the better device. Now if someone prefers Apple's ecosystem over everything, the Apple TV would be the only option. If someone isn't biased, the Shield is the clear cut winner, especially with its additional features outside of videos/music.
Yes, "Frequent software upgrades" unchecked in Apple column sounds like an error
Ok, let's try this. My wife, not the most technical on the planet, prefers the AppleTV4/4K over the Nvidia Shield or FireTV1/2. Why, much less confusing for her to get to what she wants to watch. I have them all connected, for development but she always switches to the AppleTV4/4K.
Plain and simple, ease of use always wins over quoted technical lists of features. Only a geek like me understands those lists and what they really mean anyway
Plain and simple, ease of use always wins over quoted technical lists of features. Only a geek like me understands those lists and what they really mean anyway
And I'll add that with the "wives category" less or zero scrapes -> no brainer, well worth some dollarOk, let's try this. My wife, not the most technical on the planet, prefers the AppleTV4/4K over the Nvidia Shield or FireTV1/2. Why, much less confusing for her to get to what she wants to watch. I have them all connected, for development but she always switches to the AppleTV4/4K.
Plain and simple, ease of use always wins over quoted technical lists of features. Only a geek like me understands those lists and what they really mean anyway
Not sure how confusing it would be to click on Netflix, Youtube, or any app from the homescreen... It's not like she would have to go through a bunch of sub menus and secret codes to get to the apps... But if you can't play x,y,z file format...pretty sure that would be a big inconvenience. It doesn't take a geek to know what those file formats and codecs mean... many people were complaining about lack of support in earlier threads about the Apple TV.Ok, let's try this. My wife, not the most technical on the planet, prefers the AppleTV4/4K over the Nvidia Shield or FireTV1/2. Why, much less confusing for her to get to what she wants to watch. I have them all connected, for development but she always switches to the AppleTV4/4K.
Plain and simple, ease of use always wins over quoted technical lists of features. Only a geek like me understands those lists and what they really mean anyway
I own both. For local content there is no beating the shield. It plays everything. 4k, HDR, Atmos, DTS:X, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-MA HD. It can be a plex server on it's own if you wish. And there's no beating it when it comes to gaming.
That said, I use the ATV for streaming apps as it has more of them. Except for youtube as the ATV app sucks. I don't have a 4k ATV so I don't know if Netflix on it supports HDR/DV?
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That said, I use the ATV for streaming apps as it has more of them. Except for youtube as the ATV app sucks. I don't have a 4k ATV so I don't know if Netflix on it supports HDR/DV?
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There are many such channel tuning apps that work with the HDhomerun and shield has several. Including plex which can do it. And as of todays update plex can auto remove the commercials from recorded shows.
I see it's just futile to continue with this thread I've given my thoughts, others can chew them over and decide for themselves. Besides, It's coding time and MrMC 3.3.0 release waits for MrMC Lite to get in sync and get pushed up for review.
I've given my thoughts, others can chew them over and decide for themselves. Besides, It's coding time and MrMC 3.3.0 release waits for MrMC Lite to get in sync and get pushed up for review.If the ATV 4k supported HD audio formats it would be my main device. But it doesn't. While there are programs that can decode and then passthrough Dolby TrueHD/DTS-MA HD I want them bitstreamed. And it doesn't support DTS:X or Atmos so it simply cannot replace my shield as a result.
I did do a Google search...and I did preface my comment about DirecTV Now by saying I was not sure if it was yet available. However...
1) Channels is NOT available on Android TV. Android TV does offer an app called Live Channels. However, Channels is iOS only (see https://getchannels.com)
2) DirecTV Now's own support site does not list Android TV or the Shield (see https://help.directvnow.com/hc/en-u...es-and-browsers-can-be-used-with-DIRECTV-NOW-)
You say "But like I said, Nvidia shield is better than Apple TV". This is an example of a subjective statement. YOU think Shield is better because of your use case. That's perfectly fine. Shield is a great device. I prefer AppleTV for MY use case. It's really that simple.
Yes, there are options to view live TV on the Shield. I never stated otherwise. I explicitly stated "Channels" app is only on AppleTV. Channels is a fantastic app, and I've tried Live Channels on Android TV. I prefer Channels by a mile.
I've used every box out there including apps within Sony, Samsung, and LG smart TVs. Each has pros/cons.
Unless the iTunes store supports these audio files in a few years, it's highly unlikely that we'll see this. Apple is investing so much into 4K DV iTunes that ATV really is the ultimate compliment for it & the Apple family. Yes Dolby Atmos will come - once iTunes films carry it I guess but I could be wrong! Never say never, look how they gave us Auto Frame Rate switching etc
But...
Unless the iTunes store supports these audio files in a few years, it's highly unlikely that we'll see this. Apple is investing so much into 4K DV iTunes that ATV really is the ultimate compliment for it & the Apple family. Yes Dolby Atmos will come - once iTunes films carry it I guess but I could be wrong! Never say never, look how they gave us Auto Frame Rate switching etc
They saw my many posts about Auto frame rate switching so thank me i don’t care much about atmost