Update: This popular deal is still available.
Amazon has
16GB NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV 4K Pro Streaming Media Player (945-12897-2500-101) on sale for
$169.99.
Shipping is free.
Thanks to Community Member
A00 for sharing this deal.
B&H Photo Video has
16GB NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV 4K Pro Streaming Media Player (945-12897-2500-101) on sale for
$169.99.
Shipping is free.
- Note: Temporarily Out of Stock
Additionally,
Best Buy has
16GB NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV 4K Pro Streaming Media Player (945-12897-2500-101) on sale for
$169.99.
Shipping is free. Otherwise, select free store pickup where stock permits.
- Note: Availability for pickup may vary by location.
Product Details:
- Enhance HD video in real-time to 4K for clearer, crisper visuals using next-generation AI upscaling.
- 2x USB 3.0 ports for storage expansion, USB cameras, keyboards, controllers, and more.
- Plex Media Server built-in, 3GB RAM, and 16GB storage.
- Connectivity Technology : Bluetooth 5.0
- Bring your home theater to life with Dolby Vision HDR, and surround sound with Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital Plus.
- 4K HDR content.
- GeForce NOW Cloud Gaming.
- Built-in Google Assistant.
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Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank CoolAppliance356
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I still use the shield in a place my family won't be affected by the hanging or other issues presented by more modern codecs.
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But will fail plex and ai upscaling is non existent
Blu Ray remux full rip basically .mkv looks amazing when upscaled on shield
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Plex tries to "direct play" when the client device reports it supports the codecs/container/audio. If not, it falls back to transcoding (video + audio) so the client can play it. On onn 4K, the device apparently doesn't always correctly report support.
Once Plex initiates transcode rather than direct play, playback becomes dependent on server power (or hardware transcoding if enabled). If the server (or onn 4K) can't handle it, you get playback failure, stutter, or just audio.
For newer codecs (AV1, HDR content, advanced audio) — the risk is greater. onn 4K simply doesn't seem to match the codec support completeness of Shield.
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Plex tries to "direct play" when the client device reports it supports the codecs/container/audio. If not, it falls back to transcoding (video + audio) so the client can play it. On onn 4K, the device apparently doesn't always correctly report support.
Once Plex initiates transcode rather than direct play, playback becomes dependent on server power (or hardware transcoding if enabled). If the server (or onn 4K) can't handle it, you get playback failure, stutter, or just audio.
For newer codecs (AV1, HDR content, advanced audio) — the risk is greater. onn 4K simply doesn't seem to match the codec support completeness of Shield.
The ONN has never failed to negotiate the connection. With AV1 content the shield fails constantly.
But will fail plex and ai upscaling is non existent
Blu Ray remux full rip basically .mkv looks amazing when upscaled on shield
Where Apple TV falls short (vs Shield) — what it may miss
Audio limitations: If your movies use lossless or high-end audio codecs — for example, Dolby TrueHD + Dolby Atmos (common in Blu-ray remuxes or MKV rips) — Apple TV's Plex client often can't passthrough those natively. Instead, Plex must transcode (or downmix) the audio — so you lose the "pure" audio track or Atmos metadata.
MKV / container & format support is tricky: There are multiple reports of MKV files failing to play via Plex on Apple TV (i.e. they spin forever), while converting to MP4 sometimes fixes the issue.
HDR / advanced video + container combo issues: For certain high-bitrate 4K remuxes, special HDR formats, or uncommon audio + video combinations, Apple TV + Plex sometimes struggle — especially compared to Shield, which tends to handle "everything" more reliably.
Dependence on your media's codec/container: With Apple TV, you often need your Plex library to be "well-behaved" (HEVC/H.264 + compatible audio + MP4 or supported container). Wildcard remuxed Blu-rays or MKVs with lossless audio are more likely to need transcoding or fail playback.
That's pretty bad if you can't get HDR on YouTube . Nvidia shield is for people who want 100% working transcoding or direct play for atmos setups with proper receivers and TVs that support remix 4k or Blu-ray 1080p codecs with no issues. All players have issues but the Nvidia shield with Plex.
I never used those streaming services you mentioned but there is a reason why Plex is the best of the best and people still pay for it to this day .
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