topic Re: Anyone familiar with Nvidia Shield Pro? in Electronics

Anyone familiar with Nvidia Shield Pro?

Lilysmom1 — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 18:32:53 GMT

I am thinking about buying one mainly for streaming. In reading about it, I am aware that it is five years since they did a new version. There is some rumour about a new version being past due. If a new one is on the horizon, I would rather wait. I just missed AI on my iPhone 15 so that has made me a bit more cautious.

Anyone here knowledgeable? TIA.

Re: Anyone familiar with Nvidia Shield Pro?

Kachina624 — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 20:22:10 GMT

@Lilysmom1. Never heard of it and have no idea what it is or does. I stream on my TV.

Re: Anyone familiar with Nvidia Shield Pro?

Lilysmom1 — Sat, 16 Nov 2024 08:51:35 GMT

@Kachina624 , good morning. It is a higher end android streaming box. It is also a gaming device. My interest was streaming. It is top of the line for streaming but my research shows it is old technology (5+ which is old in the technology world). I will wait and see if they make a newer version.

Re: Anyone familiar with Nvidia Shield Pro?

gardenman — Sat, 16 Nov 2024 12:34:55 GMT

@Lilysmom1

There are tons of options when it comes to streaming devices. I mostly use Fire Sticks. They're cheap and do what I need them to do. Rokus are also very nice. Both Rokus and Fire Sticks get updated regularly, so you get newer tech (WiFi 6/7, various HDRs, Dolby updates, etc.) with them. I find my Rokus are more prone to overheating while the Fire Sticks never do.

With Black Friday coming up, every streaming device will be on sale at around 50% off so it's a good time to be out shopping for one. My most recent purchase (September) was a Fire Stick 4K. I was going to get the 4K Max, but it went off its sale price when I was ready to buy so I opted for the plain old 4K (which was still on sale and meets my needs anyway) and it's been great.

Since you are an Apple user you might also want to consider the Apple TV streaming boxes. I've never used one but they generally get good reviews.

Re: Anyone familiar with Nvidia Shield Pro?

Lilysmom1 — Sat, 16 Nov 2024 15:39:20 GMT

@gardenman , I was hoping I would hear from you. I am going to check out Apple TV. I think it is version 4 now. I have an older one. I have heard good things about them but I don't know the details.

It is good to hear your comments about Roku heating up. I am going to be travelling this winter and would like one small enough but powerful enough to go with me. Maybe Firestick is the way to go.

Re: Anyone familiar with Nvidia Shield Pro?

gardenman — Sat, 16 Nov 2024 17:16:27 GMT

@Lilysmom1

Yeah, I have two Rokus, one a Roku Ultra, and both overheat in the summer if I'm streaming a lot. And I often have the Big Brother live feeds up for hours at a time. I've never had an issue with the Fire Sticks. They don't seem to have any issues. The Rokus will pop up an overheating warning from time to time.

Re: Anyone familiar with Nvidia Shield Pro?

Kachina624 — Sat, 16 Nov 2024 18:47:47 GMT

@Lilysmom1. I have a Firestick on a Samsung TV and the steps I have to go through to get to my streaming services are ridiculous. I often have to repeat the tedious steps several times. I commend myself for ever figuring it out. I'd never buy another.

I also have a voice controlled Roku which I've had for 4-5 years. Never had a bit of trouble with it and it's fast and easy to use. I vastly prefer it over the Firestick.

Re: Anyone familiar with Nvidia Shield Pro?

Lilysmom1 — Sun, 17 Nov 2024 08:44:05 GMT

@Kachina624 Thanks for the feedback. Does the Roku heat up?

Re: Anyone familiar with Nvidia Shield Pro?

Kachina624 — Sat, 16 Nov 2024 20:24:52 GMT

@Lilysmom1. I've had 2 of them and neither ever heated up.

Re: Anyone familiar with Nvidia Shield Pro?

gardenman — Sun, 17 Nov 2024 13:02:32 GMT

@Lilysmom1

Okay. That intrigues me. My Fire Sticks are very easy to use. They turn off and on the TV and even adjust the volume. My frequently used apps are right there on the home screen. I simply hit the power button to turn on the TV, the Fire TV interface is right there and so are my apps. The five (or more) most used are right there and the less used ones are just a click or two away and can be moved to the front by clicking on the three horizontal bars to rearrange the home page apps and move one to the front.

Both of my Rokus overheat with lots of use and give me the overheating warning. My Roku Ultra seems to do it less than my older Roku but it still does it with lots of use. If you Google "Roku overheating" you'll find it's a common issue. I like them and their interface but if I'm watching anything for more than a few hours, it becomes a pain having to let them cool back down. Both of mine are in the open, clean and dust-free, with no airflow restrictions, just sitting under the TV with nothing hot beneath them.

I've used my Firesticks for twenty-plus hours straight on occasion with no overheating and they're tucked behind the TV in a less ventilated area.

I'd recommend heading to YouTube and watching install and use videos for both devices to get a feel for which might suit your needs best. Also Google "common issues with((insert name of device here)" to see what kinds of trouble you could experience with either one.

I don't think you can go too far wrong with either one (or an Apple TV or other streaming device.) Oddly, one of the better-reviewed devices recently is the ONN brand streaming box sold by Walmart. I believe it's a US exclusive though so that's an issue.

Re: Anyone familiar with Nvidia Shield Pro?

Lilysmom1 — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 09:17:05 GMT

@gardenman , good advice. I am going to be in South Carolina for a month this winter. Maybe I will check out ONN there!

I bought a Sony tv which has an android o/s which I use a lot. I really like it. It gives me a storage warning from time to time though which is one of the reasons I am looking for a new streaming device. My current android boxes are old.

Re: Anyone familiar with Nvidia Shield Pro?

gardenman — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 12:32:56 GMT

@Lilysmom1

Yeah, YouTube is your friend with anything electronic. You can learn a lot there.

I'm planning to get a Playstation 5 over Black Friday and was planning on also getting a stand and using it vertically as it could easily slide into my entertainment setup vertically. After watching way too many YouTube videos on the PS5, I've learned that the liquid metal thermal compound Sony uses can pool and in some cases even leak when the PS5 is used vertically causing overheating and other issues. I'm still getting a PS5 when the Black Friday sales kick in but now I'll be using it in the horizontal position where the liquid metal stays where it needs to be. I have to shuffle some stuff around to make room to use it that way, but it's better for the PS5 and it saves me the cost of the stand, so that's good.

I wouldn't have known about that if I hadn't spent hours watching YouTube videos on the PS5 and issues with the PS5. A few minutes of YouTube watching can save you hours of grief later.

Re: Anyone familiar with Nvidia Shield Pro?

Lilysmom1 — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 08:35:34 GMT

How would we survive without YouTube? It has rescued me more than once!

Re: Anyone familiar with Nvidia Shield Pro?

Lilysmom1 — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 11:00:07 GMT

@gardenman , I was looking at these 3 yesterday...any comments on the specs? I am thinking the first one @ 32 GB ROM might not be enough? Is 4GM of RAM standard? I never seem to find one with more than 4 GB. I am leaning toward 2 or 3.

TIA. LM

1. Android TV Box 13.0 2024 Android Box 4GB RAM 32GB ROM 4K 6K 8K WiFi 6, X88 PRO 13 TV Box Android RK3528 Quad-Core Support Dual-WiFi 2.4G/5G

8K HDR BT5.0 USB Smart TV Box with Mini Wireless Keyboard

by T95 $59.99

2. Android TV Box 4GB RAM 128GB ROM Upgraded W2 Mali-G31 2.4G/5G Dual WiFi Bluetooth 4.2,Media Player Support 3D Android 12 TV Box USB 2.0

Wireless Backlit Mini Keyboard Support 4K Video by XDOOZOO

$81.99

3. Android 13.0 TV Box 4GB 64GB Smart Android Box with RK3528 Quad-core 64-bit Set Top Box with 5.0GHz WiFi6/BT5.0/8K HDR/3D H.265/USB3.0 Smart

TV Box Android 2024 with 2.4GHz Wireless Keyboard by EASYTONE

$68.99

Re: Anyone familiar with Nvidia Shield Pro?

gardenman — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 13:07:57 GMT

Streaming boxes don't need a lot of RAM as most apps are pretty small. RAM is the active memory devices use while streaming and 4 GBs is plenty. If you're planning on putting a lot of apps on the device then more ROM is good, but most people only use five to ten apps so it's not something that would drive my decision making. With the devices only having 4 GBs or RAM, that means all apps will be less than 4GBs. So at worst, a 32 GB ROM device would hold 8 apps. (And that's assuming each app was the full 4 GBs in size and they're typically much smaller.)

On average, smart TV's have 8+ GBs of ROM for app storage. With your TV now giving you storage warnings. you'll want something with more ROM for app storage. The smaller 32 GB one would still have about four times what your TV currently has. Probably. You can check your TV for how much storage it has now, but bear in mind some of that storage will be taken up by the OS of the TV.

A faster processor gets you through the menu quicker but has little real-world impact on the streaming itself. Any of those devices are likely far superior in terms of hardware to your current smart TV. You can't go too far wrong with most streaming devices these days.

Re: Anyone familiar with Nvidia Shield Pro?

Lilysmom1 — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 14:42:07 GMT

@gardenman Thank you! I will probably opt for the middle of the pack then. Much appreciated!

Re: Anyone familiar with Nvidia Shield Pro?

Lilysmom1 — Fri, 22 Nov 2024 11:23:43 GMT

@gardenman I bought this one this morning. Wanted to check out the Fire Stick and see how it operates. It is very portable so will take this when I travel...thoughts?

Re: Anyone familiar with Nvidia Shield Pro?

gardenman — Fri, 22 Nov 2024 12:01:39 GMT

That's an excellent choice in my opinion. I was going to get that Fire Stick in September. It had been on sale for $39.99 but when I went to get it the price had gone back up to $59.99, so I opted for the Fire Stick 4K (no Max) at $29.99 and it's been great. I think you'll be very happy with it.

Re: Anyone familiar with Nvidia Shield Pro?

Lilysmom1 — Fri, 22 Nov 2024 14:20:04 GMT

@gardenman , great. Another item off the list.

Re: Anyone familiar with Nvidia Shield Pro?

Lilysmom1 — Fri, 29 Nov 2024 16:42:40 GMT

@gardenman I have the fire tv 4K max up and running. It is working very well so thank you for pointing me in that direction. Very portable for travel too which was one of my purchasing criteria.

I downloaded the remote control app but am having trouble with the connection. I am ensuring my tv and my iPhone 15 are on the same wifi signal, ie, 2.4 ghz or 5 ghz but still having issues. I really want to use that for searching for titles. The old hunt and point is enough to drive anyone up the wall.

Any advice?