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Nvedia Shield, Fire tv - should I get Apple Tv as well?

S

surfer369

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 19, 2015
72
2
Hi all,

I have both the shield and the fire tv and are being used in two spirit rooms and I am thinking of adding the Apple Tv, should I add this or stick to another fire tv which is much cheaper.

Also, should I get the 64gb its only $20 more than the 32gb.
Does the apple tv every have deals during the holidays? I am sure Apple doesn't offer any discounts but do other retailers like Target, Amazon ave deals?

My main interest is streaming and also being able to watch family movies, pics etc.
 
Point one: It’s really hard to answer a subjective question like this, without a use case.

Point two: I have a shield (love it) and Apple TV’s. I did that to diversify my ecosystems. That is what all these devices are, direct access to an ecosystem. So, do you need access to itunes movies and music? If yes, buy an Apple TV. If no, then buy anything, it’ll all work equally well.

Point three: Buy a used Apple TV off eBay?
 
I have a shield (love) .. firetv (its ok) and just bought a 4k apple tv since i have a huge itunes library .. might end up buying a couple more 4k apple tvs for other rooms
 
I have all the above and several more. Hate the fire tv. Love the shield. For movies it's a must have.
For streaming the channels you see on cable l love the apple tv. 32gb is way more than enough storage. I do not buy any content from Apple at all and I still feel it's a great box.
 
Loved The Shield but VUDU wouldn't work via VPN (I'm in the UK) so it's out (Apple TV Does, but ssshh). Apple TV is great but needs to either change it's UI or every content provider app that's approved needs to be integrated into 'TV' from day one (hopefully it eventually becomes mandatory).

Other updates I'd like to see:

YouTube app update so that I can subscribe straight from a video by flicking upwards, as well as thumbs up/thumbs down

Increased app reserves for buffering (I notice that my m3u network streams need re-loading more often than on the Shield which was perfect). I'm hoping the A10X upgrade may help? who knows?

I'd say that once Amazon prime video is in the mix, you'll have every content provider pretty much (minus spotify) and the most flexible box provided you like to buy your content... You'll also have the only box that can access Carpool Karaoke and Planet of the Apps (and maybe some worthwhile exclusive content in the future).
 
Looks like I will get one, just to have another one of these devices....I am not sure why you guys don't like Amazon fire tv.I find it fast and like the UI and layout except for Amazon prime video content which is very confusing and limited.

I don't like the shield layout at all, I got it so I could have it as a plex server and client in one place, but haven't figured out how to...haha

Currently I use my macbook air as a plex server and firetv as plea client, I am assuming Apple TV4k will has a plea client too.

So do you guys suggest 64gb? what will the space be used for, I don't buy movies unless it will be a sale and would buy mostly kids and family movies, does it not get stored in iCloud? sorry I have no idea how apple tv works.
 
I have the OG Shield and it's a great media device of which I mainly use Plex, Netflix and Amazon Video. I just want to move over to the iOS eco system there as well and also add a HomeKit hub to my home to tie in better with my smart thermostat and lights.
 
I have the Shield, which I currently use as my Plex server. I really like it, and I would honestly use it instead of an Apple TV on my primary set if they only had a DirecTV Now app. Pretty baffling that they don't, but that's honestly the theme with any Android TV box - apps which are available on tvOS are just often mysteriously missing. If you look at the Play Store on an Android TV unit the selection is incredibly anemic.
 
Zorn said:
I have the Shield, which I currently use as my Plex server. I really like it, and I would honestly use it instead of an Apple TV on my primary set if they only had a DirecTV Now app. Pretty baffling that they don't, but that's honestly the theme with any Android TV box - apps which are available on tvOS are just often mysteriously missing. If you look at the Play Store on an Android TV unit the selection is incredibly anemic.
Click to expand...


Honestly, I bought it with the intention of using it as a plex server and client, but found out later that with the 16gb shield you cannot ste it up as a plex server. I also tried plugging in an external HDD and it doesn't recognize it and keeps saying format it, so haven't tried anymore. Kinda of disspointed, but its mostly me not able to find how to set it up and get it to work.
 
surfer369 said:
Honestly, I bought it with the intention of using it as a plex server and client, but found out later that with the 16gb shield you cannot ste it up as a plex server. I also tried plugging in an external HDD and it doesn't recognize it and keeps saying format it, so haven't tried anymore. Kinda of disspointed, but its mostly me not able to find how to set it up and get it to work.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure what may be wrong, but my Shield is the 16GB model. I have it set up as a Plex server without issues. I also have a 1TB external HD attached for movies and such.
 
I have a 500mb Seagate external hdd that when I try to plug in says to format it, I tried both the USB ports but still not working. I will try again, mine is formatted to NTFS I think. Did you just plug and play? I wonder if you can plug external HDD to the Apple TV and it will play all the various formats including mkv's.
 
surfer369 said:
I have a 500mb Seagate external hdd that when I try to plug in says to format it, I tried both the USB ports but still not working. I will try again, mine is formatted to NTFS I think. Did you just plug and play? I wonder if you can plug external HDD to the Apple TV and it will play all the various formats including mkv's.
Click to expand...

I don't believe it will accept NTFS. Try formatting it FAT32.
 
Zorn said:
I'm not sure what may be wrong, but my Shield is the 16GB model. I have it set up as a Plex server without issues. I also have a 1TB external HD attached for movies and such.
Click to expand...


Hi, sorry to interrupt the thread with a question related to the shield.I just got a shield, but cannot make the connected usb hard drive visible on my network. I'm trying to set it up as a Plex server, but the local network option under storage and reset does not appear where it should be. How were you able to make your drive accessible from your Mac? And are you able to drag and drop files onto it from you computer? Thanks for any tips you might have...
 
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