You are correct. I bought one for my sluggish Sony x930e and it turned it into a new tv. Plus I enjoy the google interface and the remote controls everything. Super cheap too. As for as Apple TV is concerned I didn’t care for it and returned mine. I’m not anti Apple as I own an IPhone and a IPad. The no ad argument for the Apple TV is silly to me. When using my Onn device I pay no attention to the few ads there. All the apps are lined up in a row and that’s what I look at. You would think you have to flip through tons of ads to get to your apps the way Caleb and others describe it. You don’t.
Same. I've only used Roku devices over the years and switched to this one recently. I'm still getting used to the interface but overall I'm satisfied with it
I use both the NVIDIA shield and Apple TV 4K. The shield (as far as I’m aware) is the only streamer that supports audio pass through on plex which allows me to play lossless audio from files. Apple TV 4K is used for everything else
Yeah, that is a big miss on his comments as it is a show stopper for anyone who wants uncompromised audio from things like their ripped discs via Plex.
Nvidia Shield TV🐐 My original 2015 Shield has still been receiving OS updates for over 8 years now. It can even side loads apps etc. How many of the other streaming devices on Digital Trend's list have that longevity support?
I had to laugh when he said "it's five years old". This sort of mentality leads to e-waste and to unnecessary consumerist spending just to get "new" even though the new device may be more shoddily built, unnecessarily overpowered and lead to the old device becoming e-waste for no reason at all. Disappointed that Caleb would not come up with an actual reason based on facts other than "it is 5 years old" when he knows the kind of power and influence he wields.
Yes, it has been but he is recommending for the future, not for someone who is able to buy something 8 years ago. The Shield is not the best recommendation at this point because it is so old and showing its age. If they release a new one, then you can use the past model's age as possible reason as to why you would buy the new one as it might be supported for just as long.
@@Belbog1977Because it’s just not smart to recommend tech that old when newer and equal/better devices are on the market. You run into the chance that support will end for older tech and newer apps won’t run properly. I doubt it was him being malicious… rather making sure his audience doesn’t get screwed over in the near future.
@@ChillzIlz yeah that's no bueno for me. Sticking to my Zidoo Z9X cuz I play a lot of 4k Blu-ray remux files from my TrueNAS server to my home theater setup.
The one point you missed IMO with this review is whilst the Nvidia Shield is indeed old, its the only streaming box that allows Passthrough Audio, which is important for people with soundbars and Amps, as you get pure Dolby Atmos/DTS and not Dolby MAT or PCM! That is why the NVidia Shield is still King.
Firestick max can do this with the new Kodi build and it's cheaper, f aster. Only thing it can't do is DV profile 7 which is pretty damn good. Shield also has some codecs it can't fully pass through
@@allanalvarenga1500sorry but you are just as confused about the NVIDIA Shield Pro specs as Digital Trends. The Shield Pro has an 8 Core CPU faster than the Fire Stick 4K Max 4 Core CPU. The Shield Pro has 3GB of 64bit LPDDR4 memory versus 2GB on Amazon's offering. The Shield Pro also has a 64bit o/s, and allows apps to be side-loaded. Amazon only has 32bit kernel support with a very restrictive app policy. Also, per Amazon their devices support Dolby ATMOS audio only, no DTS mention at all. Also, I own a Fire Stick 4K, the baby brother of the MAX, and it doesn't offer any audio pass-through at all. Not sure how you're getting that feature. You are right about one thing. There are certain codecs the Shield doesn't have support for i.e AV1 & vp9 profile 2, the later being the biggest let down. When you consider all the boxes it does check, it's easy to overlook not watching a few UA-cam videos in HDR.
I have both the 2019 Nvidia shield pro and that same year’s Apple TV 4k. The shield has been too slow for the past two years now, and the Apple tv is still in perfect use. I bought the latest apple tv only because we added a new tv to the house so both apple tvs are daily drivers.
@@notmayo I have both and agree, my ATV4K is my preferred streaming box too. But try resetting your Shield and installing Projectivy Launcher on it, it'll give the Shield a new lease of life and speed it up a fair bit.
My Apple TV 4K has constant issues with matching content and with playing many codecs from Plex and Emby. I finally gave up on it and went back to the Nvidia Shield. Everything now works as it should. Most consumers out there apparently don't care they have HDR shoved in their faces when it was not meant to be, but "HDR" screams sells units, necessary or not.
@@Belbog1977 I've had multiple 4k apple tv boxes and never had any issues with any plex content. While the 2 Roku boxes I've tried are unable to stream Plex, local or remote, transcoded or original quality.
Love the ATV4K. Just super snappy, quick, works with HDR and Atmos without issue, no ads, looks clean and expensive. Also the app integration is better than most other devices. There are certain things id like for it to add, like DTS:X which android has on Disney Plus. Yet Atmos works like a charm.
Fire TV has become untenable with the sheer amount of ads and low quality suggested content cluttering up literally the entire user interface. It's messy, clunky, slow, and buggy. I've been using a 4K Max for a while and the experience has gone down hill, so I'm switching to Apple TV. I'm tired of being inundated by advertising while also not having the performance to make it worth putting up with.
I literally dumped the fire box after 6 years when my tv started blaring an ad when I'd turn it on everyday. Apple 4k TV has way better video and audio.
@@CaBdosdos Yeah, it goes straight to a banner ad now as soon as you turn it on, that you have to navigate away from. Sometimes it's suggested content, sometimes it's a truck or a sandwich, every time it's annoying. Or worse, as in November, it's exactly the political content (read: literally any at all) I'm trying to escape from in the first place. Honestly, the amount of political nonsense covering the interface last month is one of the heaviest of the last straws.
Yep I just made the switch to Apple TV 4K last week. Having Ethernet again has been great. The interface is cleaner. Performance and experience has been so much better the last couple of days. Feels like I’m fully enjoying my 4K TV again. Wish I’d done this years ago now.
Does a streaming device provide better upscaling than a high-end TV apps? I have a Bravia 9 85", would I be better off with the built-in apps with Sony's upscaling?
hey black mamba! I just discovered recently that especially on Netflix and prime video, us Sony Bravia users are much better off using the TVs built in google TV OS. 1) It allows the netflix and prime video 'calibrated' modes to work (make sure you turn it on in settings) and 2) the sound you get to your home theatre system for 5.1' content (aka most content which is not dolby atmos) is soooo much better as my Sonos plays it in 'Dolby Digital Plus 5.1' vs the 'multichannel pcm 5.1' which is played when streaming through my apple TV 4K. My Tv is the Sony A95L and I discovered this all last week. Crazy how reviewers don't mention it!
@@seifbuys Yes, I like the calibrated modes for most Netflix and Prime content. I was predominantly wondering on upscaling for live sports. Sometimes the internal apps are better and sometimes the Apple TV 4K. I have an NVidia shield tv pro on another tv and was debating trying that too.
@@lafan023 ahh I see, ya not sure about that.. I just watch UFC and looks great whether using TV apps or apple tv 4k.. can't say i've noticed a difference to date myself
I'm not the biggest fan of the remote, (even the new one) but the Apple TV 4K is just stupid powerful. I don't think I've had any performance hiccups. I get it if you're not a fan of the OS, but the hardware is essentially futureproof. Edit: As mentioned in the video, I too hate the ads that come with other devices. I used to be a big Roku fan but why am I paying $100 for the Ultra to still get ads?
I have the nvidia shield pro at home. And i actually think it sounds and looks better than what it looks from my lg os. Is the apple tv 4k even better in that regard? I mean in picture and sound departement?
The airpods max only have 40-60 ms delay towards the Appletv which makes it the main sellingpoint for me as movies etc are lipsync. All other Bluetooth headphones like the sony xm5 and sonos ace have around 180ms
Shout-out to the Android longevity king the NVIDIA Shield. Thing had only a couple minor HW revisions, but the OG still kicks just about everything else on this video and at nearly 10 years old (2015). NOT 5. Meanwhile Roku releases devices with only a 10MB ethernet port in 2024, when the Shield had a 1GB port in 2015.
@@Ryotsu2112 Yep! The issue is that the premium price is still the same. If they had reduced it by half the price by now, I'd get it. However, for 99% of people it is a waste of money and there are equally as good (if not better) devices on the market.
@@Ryotsu2112showing it's age? The 8-Core CPU roasts every streamer reviewed, except the A15 in the Apple TV 4K, which it closely matches. GPU wise let's not even go there, it's still light years ahead of all of the other streamers. 64bit operating system, most reviewed are only 32bit. Gigabit ethernet, most of the ones reviewed have 100mbps ports. Let's see Hi-Res audio support up to 24/192, the top spot Apple TV 4K cannot even go above 48khz so no Hi-Res. Dolby Vision, HDR10, Dolby ATMOS, and DTS support including lossless codecs and bitstream pass-through. I don't think many of the streamers reviewed offer working audio pass-through. I know Apple TV 4K, Amazon devices, and Roku devices don't for sure. No other streamer comes close in audio support. USB 3.0 ports for expansion. Yeah it was way overbuilt, and the competition is still trying to play catchup.
@@Ryotsu2112 The problem is, all of the other offerings are proprietary locked down garbage that is harvesting your data (Apple says they don't, but they are I used to work for them, and they 100% are). Every set top box or streaming stick I've owned or known about (Apple TV included) has become a paperweight within 4 years. The fact that Nvidia is not slowing down after 5 years shows that everyone else in the game is slowing their devices down over time to make people buy new ones. My 2 year old Roku Ultra now takes 3x longer to wake from sleep, and just navigating through apps feels sluggish. My 4 year old Roku 3 is so fucking slow, like 2-3 second delays between button presses doing anything. I have friends with Apple TV's doing the same things.
I've been using the 2022 Roku Ultra for almost two years now and am quite happy with it. Of course I like it for the ethernet port since my previous 1st generation Fire TV Stick 4K kept losing Wi-Fi reception, but the Roku Channel itself was a big selling point for me. At some point I would not mind trying out the Apple TV 4K.
Hey, I’m having a hard time with my screen stick. I have a SANYOT and I can’t get the remote control pair to the TV so I can put it on the Internet. Can you help me? I don’t have a remote control to the TV.
Hey thanks for the video. As a quick question: I currently have a Sony A95L but have been thinking about buying an Apple TV 4K. I have heard conflicting things saying that the Apple TV would enhance the image processing for 4k streaming but am bot sure if there is a difference that you have noticed? I mostly want it because I’ve noticed the streaming quality on Max is not great on the A95L. Thanks in advance!
Before I switched to Apple I was on my way to getting everything in the Amazon network because I had a tablet and fire TV. The ads really got under my skin though. I still think Amazon provides a great service but you can’t just intrude on where I lay my head and not expect resentment. I started with Apple TV and it was magical… I like uniformity and Apple’s commitment to privacy is unparalleled even when it comes to the exclusive nature of their business model so I started building around their ecosystem. I’m still a huge fan of Amazon’s app and content though. My one gripe is the pcvr limitations of Macs
Open question to the community. I’m primary viewing is Plex how does the Google stream work with Plex and higher codex or would the Apple TV do better?
@1FastGXP ok but none of the rest do, right? I watch a lot of Blu-ray remux files on my NAS on my hometheater. I use a Zidoo Z9X because i need audio pass-through.
@@pr0jectSkyneT from experience the Amazon Fire Stick 4K does not. From research the Apple TV 4K & Roku products do not support proper bitstream pass-through either. I'm not sure about the Google products. I do know the Shield is one of the only streamers to support both bitstream pass-through and every codec from ATMOS to DTS-X including lossless audio. 👌
Shield is the only one that really allows you to turn of Dolby Vision to just use HDR10. Which is better on Sony TVs. I would personally want an Apple TV 4K. If it can easily turn off DV permanently. I am also kind of waiting to see if Apple will release a newer version soon. Maybe with enhanced AI upscaling or something.
I know this video is specific to streaming devices, but how do games consoles compare? Curious to see how using these apps on a PS5 would would hold up against these, and against using the TVs own inbuilt apps (Google TV on a Bravia in my case).
Hey Steve, I just discovered recently that especially on Netflix and prime video, us Sony Bravia users are much better off using the TVs built in google TV OS. 1) It allows the netflix and prime video 'calibrated' modes to work (make sure you turn it on in settings) and 2) the sound you get to your home theatre system for 5.1' content (aka most content which is not dolby atmos) is soooo much better as my Sonos plays it in 'Dolby Digital Plus 5.1' vs the 'multichannel pcm 5.1' which is played when streaming through my apple TV 4K. My Tv is the Sony A95L and I discovered this all last week. Crazy how reviewers don't mention it!
@ thanks for the detailed comment, very helpful! I have noticed Netflix telling me about its calibrated mode after a recent update, but weirdly my TV doesn’t actually having that as an option in my settings 🤷♂️ I do prefer the accessibility of using the built in apps as well, so I’m glad they’re better than having to buy another bit of hardware.
@@jeffwest4325 I'm talking about setup AppleTV -> AVR -> TV. Apple TV in this scenario will convert any incoming audio to 48k PCM, not pass-through it intact to the receiver. I would very much prefer to have audio extracted and sent to AVR without any processing. Also, AppleTV doesn't support DTS - any kind, or lossless Atmos (TrueHD) - or even high-res (above 48k) music, no matter the source.
IIRC the original version of the Nvidia Shield TV Streamer came out almost 10 years ago in 2015 and the main difference compared to the new one is mostly just the smaller version of the Tegra X1 that uses less power than the original one.
From what I've heard that's one area the Apple TV 4K handles fairly well. Their image quality is always very good from what I've ascertained. One caveat is no control or fine tuning of the scaling like the 2019 Shield Pro offers. More importantly audio support, lack of good pass-through, and limited audio capabilities are the bigger issues Apple TV 4K faces.
I've heard that Apple TV apps sometimes stream at higher bitrates than other devices, but I've had a hard time finding definitive confirmation of this (it doesn't help search results when Apple TV is the name of the box AND their streaming service 😅 )
@@bastien- I think Digital Trends said that 1-2 years ago in their comparison of streaming devices, but they don't say that this time. I wonder if anything changed. I don't think AppleTV degraded, but maybe other devices caught up.
I agree with you 100 %. I like the Apple 4 K Streaming box the best. I didn’t like the price but love it. Love the what to watch list. The Google Chromecast second. I have a KG 4 K 55” TV and the interface is the worst. I didn’t like the interface. Also love all your reviews. I use a Sonos Ray sound bar and sub Mini on one TV and the Sonos Beam and sub Mini on the other TV. I only buy them when they are on sale. Can you do a video when products are on sale? That would be fantastic! Thanks! Happy Holidays and be safe.
I’ve never understood the objections to those ad banners on the Roku home screen. They can be easily ignored and don’t interfere in the slightest with the ability to access and use the apps.
If you have a good sound system (Denon 8500HA in 7.4.1) and a LG OLED TV, I reckon that having the best video and sound quality is the most important. What box or stick do you recommend then? I now have the Chromecast with GoogleTV
I have a Denon AVR-S960H 5.1 system with an SVS SB16-Ultra subwoofer, and an LG 65" E6P 3D OLED 4K TV. The 2019 NVIDIA Shield Pro works perfectly with it from the AI upscaling of non-4k content to the playback of DTS-HD Master audio files. With the simple toggle of a switch the Shield will send untouched bitstream pass-through audio right to your Denon for decoding. 👍 Less chefs in the kitchen, the better tasting the food. 😊 Listening to Dolby ATMOS music through the Tidal app right now, fed to my Denon via the Shield, and it sounds spectacular! 👌
Here's my question, is there any reason to get the Apple device and its expense if don't have other ecosystem devices and don't enough a ton about ads? Sure, ads arent great, but i have ads built into my Vizio and I barley ever notice or see them. You could easily convince me don't have them. Is there another non ecosystem reason to get it?
I have an older Roku in my bedroom. It is not a stick. LT maybe? Has anyone else noticed the remote batteries go dead quickly on it? I don't use it that much but seems like I'm having to replace the batteries much more often than on my Google TV stick which sees a lot of use in the family room.
check the Panasonic Z95A OLED review from a couple days ago, compare the Fire TV OS settings that Caleb features for booting to the last input used, instead of Home screen. See if your Hisense has the same. Its in the first 5 minutes of the video, where he covers Fire TV OS.
Tablo is for recording over-the-air content for people who use an antenna. Roku is a streaming device that you can load apps onto, like UA-cam TV, Netflix, etc.
@@devonmccarroll6509 Thank you. I have used Roku for years but recently heard the two mentioned together. I only have OTA (over the air) tv and would love to have a way to record shows. Thanks again.......😎
I had an Apple TV 4k & gave it away. The big problem is the remote. After 1 year of using it, I could not get use to the rewind & fast forward. I found very frustrating to find an exact spot like on a UA-cam video. Switch to Roku stick & like it a lot more (the only downfall, it uses a lot of AAA batteries).
I use my 4K Firestick with the Ethernet adapter cable and it works great. Was thinking about getting an Amazon Cube but with the Ethernet cable giving me direct wired connection there really is no need.. at least not at the moment.
Though the Nvdia Shield you bought in 2019 still works as well today as most of these devices. Unsure how many 5 year old players can say that, thatwas released in 2019. The one big item, if you want HDR UA-cam, there is only option, the Apple TV 4K.
My nVidia Shield pro I just bought NEW last year does all of that. I also have the Apple tv 4k and it outperforms it in so many ways. Obvious that you do not own both. Caleb is not correct.
Strange to not include the obvious winner in nearly every way, Shield OC, just because it is older!? Which only means it was/is so good, that the competition can't keep up, even with 5 years extra dev time. AND that NVIDIA has to win an extra price for not producing new e-waste every year. And what has the age to do with picture/sound quality, features, aso...???
If you have an iPhone, you can calibrate your Apple TV. In the settings app, you can go to Video and Audio, Color Balance. It’ll prompt your iPhone, though I’ve found the prompting to be a bit finicky. You have your iPhone’s front camera facing the TV and it’ll calibrate your Apple TV for you.
I have both the Nvidia Shield TV Pro and the Apple TV 4K and i can't bring myself to use the Apple TV over the Shield TV as Apple TV doesn't support upscaling - Anything that's not 4K or 4K HDR/DV looks worse on the Apple TV. Till date Apple TV does not support Truehd (dolby atmos lossless) as well as any DTS audio formats. Even if you were to use infuse pro it only supports Dolby Digital Plus (which is a lossy and not lossless format) and DTS gets resampled into PCM which is a stereo and not object-based surround capable format. imo I cannot consider Apple TV 4k as better (or even comparable) to the Shield TV Pro from a feature stand point. Which is why, after all this time, I only have the Shield TV Pro connected to my TV and the Apple TV is just sitting there as a home hub device. I would play down the argument that these are just enthusiast niche features, reason being that if the TVs, soundbars and AV receivers are supporting these formats why should the streaming device be the bottleneck here for providing the best of the best audio formats/features to the consumers. Apple really need to start supporting audio passthrough.
💯 agree.. Your comment aligns so well with a lot of what I said. See my lengthy comment. 😂 The Shield & it's users should not have been spoken of in such a negative, toss away manner.
@@1FastGXP Everybody can have a preference of interface/ecosystem etc... but no way can you say ATV4K is the best (bcos it's just not) and not even given the Shield a proper mention when it's the only regular consumer grade streamer around that supports true to source audio formats.
Caleb talks about taking these around for traveling, ONLY Roku is capable of connecting to Hotel Wifi where you’re required to log into a portal. Otherwise We have roku TVs with appleTV2 boxes attached. Love both depending upon what we’re watching (hate the appletv remote and siri is seriously getting worse).
We purchased a Sony X95K last year and love it, however it came with the Google TV installed that was causing the TV to freeze two or three times a day that required a restart. How do I know it was caused by the Google? By a process of elimination. After trying almost everything from freeing memory by using a thumb drive and moving apps, to getting faster internet, to spending hours on internet forums kooking answers. We finally purchased the new Roku 4K Ultra and the problem went away.
The FireTV 4K Max is not only for people heavily in the Amazon Alexa ecosystem Yes, the interface is not nice, but on sale, it's the cheaper certified device that supports lossless audio like DTS HD MA and Dolby TrueHD I had the Chromecast with Google TV and the FireTV is much snappier and less laggy (even with the Chromecast using Projectivity Launcher)
I bought the Roku Express earlier this year as the apps on my blu-ray player had become outdated. I've had Roku and other Roku players in the past. Love the interface and adding apps is easy but lately I've had issues with my Roku Express. I recently bought the Onn 4K Pro since it was 39 (I got it for 34) and while I'm not the biggest fan of the interface, it is a great player and while I'm still getting used to it, I think it actually has more stuff than the Roku.
This is exactly my experience as well after switching to the Apple TV 4K last week. Everything is just so fast. It's amazing how the Roku now feels like 10-year-old technology.
The prices for the Firestick were a shock. In Australia, from Amazon AU, I paid $75 for my Firestick. And, by the way, I get NO ads on Firestick, apart from Tubi and other channels like that.
I have 3 Apple TVs in the house. And one Google Chromecast with Google TV in my travel bag. Couldn’t agreed more with you Caleb. Thanks for great content.
Me personally a ROKU devices are nice .but they don't fit my need for streaming because you can't sideload apps .from other places besides ROKU streaming store. Firesticks are good ive used Firesticks since 2018 .but with Amazon always putting out updates that i personally don't like .ive moved on to the Walmart onn 4k streaming device first i had the 20 dollar version, and when walmart came out with the Onn 4k pro streaming box i brought a couple. And never looked back. For my streaming needs the Walmart onn 4k pro streaming box is my favorite streaming device.
I have both the Apple tv 4k and an nVidia Shield Pro I bought last year. Both work very well, but the Shield is better in so many different ways as it is totally configurable vs the what you see is what you get with Apple devices and not locked down like them. Apple, like all their products, are aimed at people who just want point and click ( then get frustrated when it doesn't even do that ) devices. HDR10/10+, Dolby Vision and Atmos definatly benefit from the Shield hardware. The Apple tv picture is a little softer and Atmos is at the mercy of HDMI cec's tantrums if you dare to use a PID splitter to go to the tv for video and audio to the amp.
@@kriswingert1662 I have two 2022 Apple TVs. I have a Samsung QLED TV as our main TV. The Apple TV does have trouble with HDR content. I’ve had to set the video format to 1080p SDR 60Hz in the Apple TV video settings. If I set it at 4K SDR 60Hz the picture is darker and the resolution isn’t very sharp. The 1080p setting looks pretty good but I’ve often thought about trying the Shield Pro to see if the AI upscaling is as good as advertised. I haven’t purchased the Shield Pro due to some reviews saying it’s not playing nice with Apple TV+ or Hulu. Do you stream Apple TV+ or Paramount+ and if you do, have you had any issues?
When i look up prices for these devices i see something completely different here in the Netherlands. For example Roku streaming stick 4K or ultra are at least double the price that you say they are, too bad they're so expensive here.
Why would there? If there were the 2019 NVIDIA Shield Pro would take top spot for these key reasons: #1- it can handle most audio codecs, more than any other streamer reviewed. From Dolby ATMOS to DTS-X including TrueHD & HD Master Audio lossless technology. #2- It handles Hi-Res audio with bit-match playback. Great for matching the frequency & bitrate of the source material for the truest to the source representation. #3- It has a seamless bitstream pass-through option, with the simple click of a button. Hear your music, movies, TV shows, and whatever media you choose the way the artist intended. Audio track data is sent unaltered, straight to your playback device. The less cooks in the kitchen, the better the meal. 😁 #4- now for video handling. HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision support. 4K playback at 60 FPS (VP9, H265, H264) 4K capture at 30 FPS (H264, H265) Supports: MPEG-2/MPEG-4/Xvid/DivX/WMV9/ASF/AVI/MKV/MOV/M2TS/MPEG-TS/H.263/H.264/H.265/VC-1/VP8/VP9 #5- AI upscaling of non-4K content for all your streaming apps. AI Upscaling can be adjusted for high, medium, or low detail enhancement. In a nutshell this adjusts the confidence level of the neural network for detail prediction in the upscaled video.
I concur, the Apple TV 4K would be my only steaming box if it supported Atmos. When using Plex, I go to my Nvidia Shield. I’d and when this is fixed. Apple TV will be my only streaming box.
I use a cheap laptop and I hide it behind the large screen tv. I use a wireless keyboard & mouse. You can do a lot more, it's easier to use a VPN,etc. I can control privacy more on a browser tab than an app on a device.
We have a Samsung Qled and while the picture is great the software sucks. Added a Roku Ultimate and it has been a great addition for $79. Controls the TV, streamer sound bar. Also like the Chromecast and have a couple of this on other TVs.
I keep 2 streaming devices connected to each of my TVs (living room & bedroom). First, I have the Roku Ultra. I've never tried the Apple TV box, but I have a Samsung phone. The ads on Roku don't bother me. The ads aren't intrusive; they are silent and occasionally useful. The other streaming device I use is a PC. I have kept a PC connected to my TV since before TVs were smart. It is, in my opinion, by far the best way to watch UA-cam. Instead of watching on my phone, I watched this video on my 82" TV and I am typing this comment with a wireless keyboard while sitting on my couch. I put a mouse pad on a clipboard to create a convenient and mobile surface to use my mouse. The other great thing about a connected PC is that it works with every streaming service. However, I prefer the Roku interface and remote for watching most services. So, I use both a Roku and a PC. PCs are more expensive than streaming boxes, but a PC can be something other than high-powered to be useful for streaming. An old laptop or desktop should work perfectly well.
I have a Firestick 4k Max and a PC connected to my TV in the living room. I like having an overpowered PC connected to it. It never hurts to be super responsive and snappy in my opinion. Using a wireless keyboard and mouse, I can use it for regular computer things, play games or play media. It's mainly used for media, though. The other reason I like using it is it works better with my bluetooth headphones. I can use it with the Firestick but they sound a little better with the PC and have much further range. I can go in the furthest spot in my house from the PC and the audio doesn't drop out and the wifi 6 has issues reaching that same area.
I have also used a HTPC that runs via HDMI to my main TV in the family room for many years, besides having Roku and Google devices as well on all my TV's. I use a cheap mini USB keyboard, for watching content from a browser, Kodi, PLEX or a Music app, since the Roku and Google remotes won't work with the HTPC in the other room.
The Chromecast dongle is neat, discreet,easy to use, portable and fits easily in a pocket when travelling.the streamer they have replaced it with is the opposite.
No, unfortunately. I have the newest ATV, Firecube, and shield. The firecubes ‘super resolution’ upscale is hands down the best for 1080p and below. The shield is decent. The Apple has nothing. They need to add this.
I just purchased an Apple tv after years of using a firestick and then an ONN walmart streaming device (actually pretty good for the price). I must say that Apple TV is the best IMO.
The Shield is still popular because there are still people with TVs that only have ARC and since the AppleTV can't do Atmos over ARC, hence the popularity of the Shield
My ps5 and ps5 pro in another room,streaming movies from any app looks amazing,plus with my series x Dolby vision with supported apps looks breathtaking,..console don’t get enough love as streaming devices,plus there uhd Blu-ray players and oh yea,….also play games.I have 85 inch tvs so I would notice any picture quality discrepancies.
You linked to a section about the Fire TV Cube supporting IR commands... nowhere in the video does he seem to talk about audio passthrough for Roku? Do you mean being able to connect headphones to the remote? You can connect any bluetooth headphones to Apple TV, but it is super seamless with AirPods.
@@coder543 the time stamp was accidental, thanks for pointing that out! Audio passthrough gives you the option to send the unprocessed bitstream audio directly to your receiver/audio processor for decoding. It's a nice option that many streaming devices and gaming systems have. It would be a nice option for Apple to include in their future streaming box.
@z1l1m doing some research, I found a statement from Roku support that says “Please be advised that the new streaming device [Ultra] does not support TrueHD/Lossless audio through passthrough. The highest is PCM/MAT which is via passthrough.” So it seems less clear to me that there’s any advantage… Apple TV sends LPCM and Dolby Atmos, maybe more.
@@coder543 I hear you. I have both Apple TV and Roku Ultra. Apple Music is best on the Apple TV because of its ability to process spatial audio. Neither box handles TrueHD mainly because that format isn't being streamed yet. I still prefer to have my outboard DA converter handle the audio signal while streaming movies or video, which the Roku allows, regardless of it only being PCM, Dolby Digital Plus, or Atmos (through the lossy DD+).
@@z1I1mtotally agree about the quality benefits of bitstream pass-through. 👍 That is one of the features I like so much about my NVIDIA Shield Pro. Pass-through coupled with bit-matched playback & DTS-X support. 👌
I returned the Apple tv 4k in favor of just using my Google TV in app mode. The Apple tv is nice and snappy but I felt the quality of the apps on my Google TV looked better than the apple tv and both were wired to my router (not wifi)
If Google TV is your favorite streaming platform, why do you use Apple TV more? They are in different ecosystems which from my point of view makes them incompatible with the opposite. Meaning if you are in a platform you should buy a device from another platform because it would be incompatible with all you services. Is there a way around this that I'm not aware of?
I am not a huge fan of the Nvidia Shield TV or TV Pro but if you're going to ding it for being 5 years old, you have to ding the Chromecast with Google TV as well. It was released in September of 2020 meaning its on its way to being 5 years old. It's very long in the tooth as well. Apple TV all day everyday by the way.
Google TV fan here but yes they should have updated the dongle version as well when they put out the Google TV $100 streamer, which I won't buy til the price drops.
Agree it’s the best but it annoys me that a few popular streaming companies don’t support its features fully. Peacock doesn’t support Match Content, Fox Sports app doesn’t support HDR on the ATV, and Prime Thursday Night Football HDR not supported on ATV.
Caleb, I really enjoy your content, but can you please stop with the background music? It’s annoying and distracting. Thanks. And I agree with you about the Apple TV 4K.
It can be installed directly on the Google devices from the play store, it can be sideloaded on firetv devices also. No support for roku or apple tv though.
I'm currently trying both the Apple TV and Roku Ultra and so far I'm leaning towards keeping the Roku. Ads are not a problem for me, there's basically one I see on the home screen. The backlit remote, included HDMI and charging cable and lower prices are all huge advantages for the Roku.
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Sad not to see the ONN 4k Pro on here. It's basically the Google TV box at half the price. Had mine over 6 months and going strong.
You are correct. I bought one for my sluggish Sony x930e and it turned it into a new tv. Plus I enjoy the google interface and the remote controls everything. Super cheap too. As for as Apple TV is concerned I didn’t care for it and returned mine. I’m not anti Apple as I own an IPhone and a IPad. The no ad argument for the Apple TV is silly to me. When using my Onn device I pay no attention to the few ads there. All the apps are lined up in a row and that’s what I look at. You would think you have to flip through tons of ads to get to your apps the way Caleb and others describe it. You don’t.
Could it be because its only available in the US? All the other items are availible in the UK and Europe.
@@mhoobag1 Yeah I have NEVER seen the Onn streamer here in Canada.
Came here to comment this same thing. $50 for the Onn 4k Pro is a steal in comparison to pretty much any other device on this list.
Same. I've only used Roku devices over the years and switched to this one recently. I'm still getting used to the interface but overall I'm satisfied with it
I use both the NVIDIA shield and Apple TV 4K. The shield (as far as I’m aware) is the only streamer that supports audio pass through on plex which allows me to play lossless audio from files. Apple TV 4K is used for everything else
The DuneHD Homatics Box R 4K does the same thing, has newer hardware, and runs on a newer version of Android TV.
Yeah, that is a big miss on his comments as it is a show stopper for anyone who wants uncompromised audio from things like their ripped discs via Plex.
I have the ROKU Ultra 4K and have been extremely satisfied with it. No complaints.
Nvidia Shield TV🐐 My original 2015 Shield has still been receiving OS updates for over 8 years now. It can even side loads apps etc. How many of the other streaming devices on Digital Trend's list have that longevity support?
My Nvidia shield has Chrome in it so that I can stream web videos that don't have an app. I love the shield!
I’ve read on forums and product reviews that the Nvidia Shield is having issues streaming Hulu and AppleTV+ content.
I had to laugh when he said "it's five years old". This sort of mentality leads to e-waste and to unnecessary consumerist spending just to get "new" even though the new device may be more shoddily built, unnecessarily overpowered and lead to the old device becoming e-waste for no reason at all. Disappointed that Caleb would not come up with an actual reason based on facts other than "it is 5 years old" when he knows the kind of power and influence he wields.
Yes, it has been but he is recommending for the future, not for someone who is able to buy something 8 years ago. The Shield is not the best recommendation at this point because it is so old and showing its age. If they release a new one, then you can use the past model's age as possible reason as to why you would buy the new one as it might be supported for just as long.
@@Belbog1977Because it’s just not smart to recommend tech that old when newer and equal/better devices are on the market. You run into the chance that support will end for older tech and newer apps won’t run properly. I doubt it was him being malicious… rather making sure his audience doesn’t get screwed over in the near future.
I have a shield pro. If you play remuxes via plex and want the best possible audio, it does that. Unsure if the competitors can do that still.
My Apple TV and firecube both play remuxes (up to 80 gigs) just fine
@ShotgunSandwichENT are those boxes able to do audio pass-through (ie. DTS-X, Dolby TrueHD Atmos) for receivers?
@@pr0jectSkyneT nope. one of the biggest (only) drawback of the ATV. No true passthrough. Decodes it on the box before sending it to your receiver.
@@ChillzIlz yeah that's no bueno for me. Sticking to my Zidoo Z9X cuz I play a lot of 4k Blu-ray remux files from my TrueNAS server to my home theater setup.
Is there something wrong with the audio?
Is audio different in this video?
Sounds worse / lower quality and at first i thought its slightly out of sync?
@@MKR3238 seems some kind of noise reduction tool is used and voice became artificial
I noticed this as well.
The one point you missed IMO with this review is whilst the Nvidia Shield is indeed old, its the only streaming box that allows Passthrough Audio, which is important for people with soundbars and Amps, as you get pure Dolby Atmos/DTS and not Dolby MAT or PCM!
That is why the NVidia Shield is still King.
Firestick max can do this with the new Kodi build and it's cheaper, f aster. Only thing it can't do is DV profile 7 which is pretty damn good. Shield also has some codecs it can't fully pass through
@@allanalvarenga1500sorry but you are just as confused about the NVIDIA Shield Pro specs as Digital Trends. The Shield Pro has an 8 Core CPU faster than the Fire Stick 4K Max 4 Core CPU. The Shield Pro has 3GB of 64bit LPDDR4 memory versus 2GB on Amazon's offering. The Shield Pro also has a 64bit o/s, and allows apps to be side-loaded. Amazon only has 32bit kernel support with a very restrictive app policy. Also, per Amazon their devices support Dolby ATMOS audio only, no DTS mention at all. Also, I own a Fire Stick 4K, the baby brother of the MAX, and it doesn't offer any audio pass-through at all. Not sure how you're getting that feature. You are right about one thing. There are certain codecs the Shield doesn't have support for i.e AV1 & vp9 profile 2, the later being the biggest let down. When you consider all the boxes it does check, it's easy to overlook not watching a few UA-cam videos in HDR.
I agree, went to Apple TV 4K and not going back. At least for the main tv! It’s pretty expensive.
Apple TV for main TV , Roku for all my other tv's
I have both the 2019 Nvidia shield pro and that same year’s Apple TV 4k. The shield has been too slow for the past two years now, and the Apple tv is still in perfect use. I bought the latest apple tv only because we added a new tv to the house so both apple tvs are daily drivers.
@@notmayo I have both and agree, my ATV4K is my preferred streaming box too. But try resetting your Shield and installing Projectivy Launcher on it, it'll give the Shield a new lease of life and speed it up a fair bit.
My Apple TV 4K has constant issues with matching content and with playing many codecs from Plex and Emby. I finally gave up on it and went back to the Nvidia Shield. Everything now works as it should. Most consumers out there apparently don't care they have HDR shoved in their faces when it was not meant to be, but "HDR" screams sells units, necessary or not.
@@Belbog1977 I've had multiple 4k apple tv boxes and never had any issues with any plex content. While the 2 Roku boxes I've tried are unable to stream Plex, local or remote, transcoded or original quality.
Love the ATV4K. Just super snappy, quick, works with HDR and Atmos without issue, no ads, looks clean and expensive. Also the app integration is better than most other devices. There are certain things id like for it to add, like DTS:X which android has on Disney Plus. Yet Atmos works like a charm.
Fire TV has become untenable with the sheer amount of ads and low quality suggested content cluttering up literally the entire user interface. It's messy, clunky, slow, and buggy. I've been using a 4K Max for a while and the experience has gone down hill, so I'm switching to Apple TV. I'm tired of being inundated by advertising while also not having the performance to make it worth putting up with.
I literally dumped the fire box after 6 years when my tv started blaring an ad when I'd turn it on everyday. Apple 4k TV has way better video and audio.
@@CaBdosdos Yeah, it goes straight to a banner ad now as soon as you turn it on, that you have to navigate away from. Sometimes it's suggested content, sometimes it's a truck or a sandwich, every time it's annoying.
Or worse, as in November, it's exactly the political content (read: literally any at all) I'm trying to escape from in the first place. Honestly, the amount of political nonsense covering the interface last month is one of the heaviest of the last straws.
There are videos on UA-cam discussing how to turn all this stuff off.
Yep I just made the switch to Apple TV 4K last week. Having Ethernet again has been great. The interface is cleaner. Performance and experience has been so much better the last couple of days. Feels like I’m fully enjoying my 4K TV again. Wish I’d done this years ago now.
Does a streaming device provide better upscaling than a high-end TV apps?
I have a Bravia 9 85", would I be better off with the built-in apps with Sony's upscaling?
Even with using a streaming device the TV would still upscale.
hey black mamba! I just discovered recently that especially on Netflix and prime video, us Sony Bravia users are much better off using the TVs built in google TV OS. 1) It allows the netflix and prime video 'calibrated' modes to work (make sure you turn it on in settings) and 2) the sound you get to your home theatre system for 5.1' content (aka most content which is not dolby atmos) is soooo much better as my Sonos plays it in 'Dolby Digital Plus 5.1' vs the 'multichannel pcm 5.1' which is played when streaming through my apple TV 4K. My Tv is the Sony A95L and I discovered this all last week. Crazy how reviewers don't mention it!
@@seifbuys Yes, I like the calibrated modes for most Netflix and Prime content. I was predominantly wondering on upscaling for live sports. Sometimes the internal apps are better and sometimes the Apple TV 4K. I have an NVidia shield tv pro on another tv and was debating trying that too.
@@lafan023 ahh I see, ya not sure about that.. I just watch UFC and looks great whether using TV apps or apple tv 4k.. can't say i've noticed a difference to date myself
I'm not the biggest fan of the remote, (even the new one) but the Apple TV 4K is just stupid powerful. I don't think I've had any performance hiccups. I get it if you're not a fan of the OS, but the hardware is essentially futureproof.
Edit: As mentioned in the video, I too hate the ads that come with other devices. I used to be a big Roku fan but why am I paying $100 for the Ultra to still get ads?
I have the nvidia shield pro at home. And i actually think it sounds and looks better than what it looks from my lg os. Is the apple tv 4k even better in that regard? I mean in picture and sound departement?
Hi Sir
If you can suggest which is best to connect to AV receiver for a home theatre
The airpods max only have 40-60 ms delay towards the Appletv which makes it the main sellingpoint for me as movies etc are lipsync. All other Bluetooth headphones like the sony xm5 and sonos ace have around 180ms
Shout-out to the Android longevity king the NVIDIA Shield. Thing had only a couple minor HW revisions, but the OG still kicks just about everything else on this video and at nearly 10 years old (2015). NOT 5.
Meanwhile Roku releases devices with only a 10MB ethernet port in 2024, when the Shield had a 1GB port in 2015.
The fact that it has held up doesn’t mean it’s better than a lot of the others presented here. It was great back in the day, but it’s showing its age.
@@Ryotsu2112 Yep! The issue is that the premium price is still the same. If they had reduced it by half the price by now, I'd get it.
However, for 99% of people it is a waste of money and there are equally as good (if not better) devices on the market.
@@Ryotsu2112showing it's age? The 8-Core CPU roasts every streamer reviewed, except the A15 in the Apple TV 4K, which it closely matches. GPU wise let's not even go there, it's still light years ahead of all of the other streamers. 64bit operating system, most reviewed are only 32bit. Gigabit ethernet, most of the ones reviewed have 100mbps ports. Let's see Hi-Res audio support up to 24/192, the top spot Apple TV 4K cannot even go above 48khz so no Hi-Res. Dolby Vision, HDR10, Dolby ATMOS, and DTS support including lossless codecs and bitstream pass-through. I don't think many of the streamers reviewed offer working audio pass-through. I know Apple TV 4K, Amazon devices, and Roku devices don't for sure. No other streamer comes close in audio support. USB 3.0 ports for expansion. Yeah it was way overbuilt, and the competition is still trying to play catchup.
@@Ryotsu2112 The problem is, all of the other offerings are proprietary locked down garbage that is harvesting your data (Apple says they don't, but they are I used to work for them, and they 100% are). Every set top box or streaming stick I've owned or known about (Apple TV included) has become a paperweight within 4 years. The fact that Nvidia is not slowing down after 5 years shows that everyone else in the game is slowing their devices down over time to make people buy new ones. My 2 year old Roku Ultra now takes 3x longer to wake from sleep, and just navigating through apps feels sluggish. My 4 year old Roku 3 is so fucking slow, like 2-3 second delays between button presses doing anything. I have friends with Apple TV's doing the same things.
I've been using the 2022 Roku Ultra for almost two years now and am quite happy with it. Of course I like it for the ethernet port since my previous 1st generation Fire TV Stick 4K kept losing Wi-Fi reception, but the Roku Channel itself was a big selling point for me. At some point I would not mind trying out the Apple TV 4K.
The roku channel app is available on fire tv also
@Brian-xi3kz Thanks, I was wondering about that after hearing rumors about it coming to other platforms some time ago.
What you think about Chromecast ultra?
Hey, I’m having a hard time with my screen stick. I have a SANYOT and I can’t get the remote control pair to the TV so I can put it on the Internet. Can you help me? I don’t have a remote control to the TV.
Hey thanks for the video. As a quick question: I currently have a Sony A95L but have been thinking about buying an Apple TV 4K. I have heard conflicting things saying that the Apple TV would enhance the image processing for 4k streaming but am bot sure if there is a difference that you have noticed? I mostly want it because I’ve noticed the streaming quality on Max is not great on the A95L. Thanks in advance!
Before I switched to Apple I was on my way to getting everything in the Amazon network because I had a tablet and fire TV. The ads really got under my skin though. I still think Amazon provides a great service but you can’t just intrude on where I lay my head and not expect resentment. I started with Apple TV and it was magical… I like uniformity and Apple’s commitment to privacy is unparalleled even when it comes to the exclusive nature of their business model so I started building around their ecosystem. I’m still a huge fan of Amazon’s app and content though. My one gripe is the pcvr limitations of Macs
Do any of these upscale sports programming on UA-cam TV to 4k?
Open question to the community. I’m primary viewing is Plex how does the Google stream work with Plex and higher codex or would the Apple TV do better?
I had the Amazon fire tv box and had a bunch of issues with it. I ended up going back to the Amazon fire stick Max and it works perfectly.
Do these boxes support Audio pass-through (ie. DTS-X, Dolby TrueHD Atmos) for receivers?
The NVIDIA Shield does & bit-match audio playback. 👍
@1FastGXP ok but none of the rest do, right? I watch a lot of Blu-ray remux files on my NAS on my hometheater. I use a Zidoo Z9X because i need audio pass-through.
@@pr0jectSkyneT from experience the Amazon Fire Stick 4K does not. From research the Apple TV 4K & Roku products do not support proper bitstream pass-through either. I'm not sure about the Google products. I do know the Shield is one of the only streamers to support both bitstream pass-through and every codec from ATMOS to DTS-X including lossless audio. 👌
@@1FastGXP thanks. That was my suspicion.
Shield is the only one that really allows you to turn of Dolby Vision to just use HDR10. Which is better on Sony TVs. I would personally want an Apple TV 4K. If it can easily turn off DV permanently. I am also kind of waiting to see if Apple will release a newer version soon. Maybe with enhanced AI upscaling or something.
I know this video is specific to streaming devices, but how do games consoles compare? Curious to see how using these apps on a PS5 would would hold up against these, and against using the TVs own inbuilt apps (Google TV on a Bravia in my case).
Hey Steve, I just discovered recently that especially on Netflix and prime video, us Sony Bravia users are much better off using the TVs built in google TV OS. 1) It allows the netflix and prime video 'calibrated' modes to work (make sure you turn it on in settings) and 2) the sound you get to your home theatre system for 5.1' content (aka most content which is not dolby atmos) is soooo much better as my Sonos plays it in 'Dolby Digital Plus 5.1' vs the 'multichannel pcm 5.1' which is played when streaming through my apple TV 4K. My Tv is the Sony A95L and I discovered this all last week. Crazy how reviewers don't mention it!
@ thanks for the detailed comment, very helpful! I have noticed Netflix telling me about its calibrated mode after a recent update, but weirdly my TV doesn’t actually having that as an option in my settings 🤷♂️
I do prefer the accessibility of using the built in apps as well, so I’m glad they’re better than having to buy another bit of hardware.
If Apple TV would have audio passthrough, DTS /X support and proper handling of Atmos (not via MAT) - it would be pretty close to an ideal device.
I am hooked up via eARC and get Atmos, Dolby Digital, or stereo depending on source. Why do you think it is not “pass through “?
@@jeffwest4325 I'm talking about setup AppleTV -> AVR -> TV. Apple TV in this scenario will convert any incoming audio to 48k PCM, not pass-through it intact to the receiver. I would very much prefer to have audio extracted and sent to AVR without any processing. Also, AppleTV doesn't support DTS - any kind, or lossless Atmos (TrueHD) - or even high-res (above 48k) music, no matter the source.
IIRC the original version of the Nvidia Shield TV Streamer came out almost 10 years ago in 2015 and the main difference compared to the new one is mostly just the smaller version of the Tegra X1 that uses less power than the original one.
Any of them support 21:9 Ultrawide ?
I no longer need a tv, but sometimes check in just to hear what you have to say :)
How is the upscaling on the Apple TV 4K?
From what I've heard that's one area the Apple TV 4K handles fairly well. Their image quality is always very good from what I've ascertained. One caveat is no control or fine tuning of the scaling like the 2019 Shield Pro offers. More importantly audio support, lack of good pass-through, and limited audio capabilities are the bigger issues Apple TV 4K faces.
@@1FastGXP thank you. I really appreciate this.
Does picture and streaming quality vary between those devices (assuming we match non-4K or 4K)?
I've heard that Apple TV apps sometimes stream at higher bitrates than other devices, but I've had a hard time finding definitive confirmation of this (it doesn't help search results when Apple TV is the name of the box AND their streaming service 😅 )
@@bastien- I think Digital Trends said that 1-2 years ago in their comparison of streaming devices, but they don't say that this time. I wonder if anything changed. I don't think AppleTV degraded, but maybe other devices caught up.
Sony A95K has Google TV is an Apple TV still better to use with it?
I agree with you 100 %. I like the Apple 4 K Streaming box the best. I didn’t like the price but love it. Love the what to watch list. The Google Chromecast second. I have a KG 4 K 55” TV and the interface is the worst. I didn’t like the interface. Also love all your reviews. I use a Sonos Ray sound bar and sub Mini on one TV and the Sonos Beam and sub Mini on the other TV. I only buy them when they are on sale. Can you do a video when products are on sale? That would be fantastic! Thanks! Happy Holidays and be safe.
I’ve never understood the objections to those ad banners on the Roku home screen. They can be easily ignored and don’t interfere in the slightest with the ability to access and use the apps.
So is this better or Smart TV with built in Google TV or Firetv better?
Any day, an external streaming device is better. Easy upgrades. Better software support.
@supriyasou3722 So I should just buy smart TV but with no Google TV and all
If you have a good sound system (Denon 8500HA in 7.4.1) and a LG OLED TV, I reckon that having the best video and sound quality is the most important.
What box or stick do you recommend then?
I now have the Chromecast with GoogleTV
I have a Denon AVR-S960H 5.1 system with an SVS SB16-Ultra subwoofer, and an LG 65" E6P 3D OLED 4K TV. The 2019 NVIDIA Shield Pro works perfectly with it from the AI upscaling of non-4k content to the playback of DTS-HD Master audio files. With the simple toggle of a switch the Shield will send untouched bitstream pass-through audio right to your Denon for decoding. 👍 Less chefs in the kitchen, the better tasting the food. 😊 Listening to Dolby ATMOS music through the Tidal app right now, fed to my Denon via the Shield, and it sounds spectacular! 👌
Caleb your voice sounds very different than usual, new microphone?
Here's my question, is there any reason to get the Apple device and its expense if don't have other ecosystem devices and don't enough a ton about ads? Sure, ads arent great, but i have ads built into my Vizio and I barley ever notice or see them. You could easily convince me don't have them. Is there another non ecosystem reason to get it?
Shocked you did give an honorable mention to the ONN streamIng devices.
Besides that, great list. Thanks Caleb.
I have an older Roku in my bedroom. It is not a stick. LT maybe? Has anyone else noticed the remote batteries go dead quickly on it? I don't use it that much but seems like I'm having to replace the batteries much more often than on my Google TV stick which sees a lot of use in the family room.
Is there any way to force HiSense QD6 to boot with a HDMI port instead of FireTV?
check the Panasonic Z95A OLED review from a couple days ago, compare the Fire TV OS settings that Caleb features for booting to the last input used, instead of Home screen. See if your Hisense has the same. Its in the first 5 minutes of the video, where he covers Fire TV OS.
@@ColJonSquall1 Thanks for taking the time. That did the trick!
Can you explain Tablo, and how it differs from Roku?😮
Tablo is for recording over-the-air content for people who use an antenna. Roku is a streaming device that you can load apps onto, like UA-cam TV, Netflix, etc.
@@devonmccarroll6509 Thank you. I have used Roku for years but recently
heard the two mentioned together. I only have OTA (over the air) tv and would love to have a way to record shows. Thanks again.......😎
I had an Apple TV 4k & gave it away. The big problem is the remote. After 1 year of using it, I could not get use to the rewind & fast forward. I found very frustrating to find an exact spot like on a UA-cam video. Switch to Roku stick & like it a lot more (the only downfall, it uses a lot of AAA batteries).
Can you please do a review of streaming services/apps, especially for quality (least amount of compression, treatment of older content, etc).
I use my 4K Firestick with the Ethernet adapter cable and it works great. Was thinking about getting an Amazon Cube but with the Ethernet cable giving me direct wired connection there really is no need.. at least not at the moment.
Though the Nvdia Shield you bought in 2019 still works as well today as most of these devices. Unsure how many 5 year old players can say that, thatwas released in 2019. The one big item, if you want HDR UA-cam, there is only option, the Apple TV 4K.
My nVidia Shield pro I just bought NEW last year does all of that. I also have the Apple tv 4k and it outperforms it in so many ways. Obvious that you do not own both.
Caleb is not correct.
My Roku Ultra does UA-cam 4k HDR. Wish the Shield would too, as well as playback speed
I get HDR no problem in UA-cam on my 2022 Roku Ultra.
@ I wasn't aware that device did UA-cam HDR.
@@kriswingert1662 I own five Nvidia Shield TV and three Apple TV, including two 4K versions. They both have their strengths and weaknesses
Strange to not include the obvious winner in nearly every way, Shield OC, just because it is older!? Which only means it was/is so good, that the competition can't keep up, even with 5 years extra dev time. AND that NVIDIA has to win an extra price for not producing new e-waste every year. And what has the age to do with picture/sound quality, features, aso...???
Best movie settings for apple 4k tv?
If you have an iPhone, you can calibrate your Apple TV. In the settings app, you can go to Video and Audio, Color Balance. It’ll prompt your iPhone, though I’ve found the prompting to be a bit finicky. You have your iPhone’s front camera facing the TV and it’ll calibrate your Apple TV for you.
I have both the Nvidia Shield TV Pro and the Apple TV 4K and i can't bring myself to use the Apple TV over the Shield TV as Apple TV doesn't support upscaling - Anything that's not 4K or 4K HDR/DV looks worse on the Apple TV. Till date Apple TV does not support Truehd (dolby atmos lossless) as well as any DTS audio formats. Even if you were to use infuse pro it only supports Dolby Digital Plus (which is a lossy and not lossless format) and DTS gets resampled into PCM which is a stereo and not object-based surround capable format. imo I cannot consider Apple TV 4k as better (or even comparable) to the Shield TV Pro from a feature stand point. Which is why, after all this time, I only have the Shield TV Pro connected to my TV and the Apple TV is just sitting there as a home hub device. I would play down the argument that these are just enthusiast niche features, reason being that if the TVs, soundbars and AV receivers are supporting these formats why should the streaming device be the bottleneck here for providing the best of the best audio formats/features to the consumers. Apple really need to start supporting audio passthrough.
💯 agree.. Your comment aligns so well with a lot of what I said. See my lengthy comment. 😂 The Shield & it's users should not have been spoken of in such a negative, toss away manner.
@@1FastGXP Everybody can have a preference of interface/ecosystem etc... but no way can you say ATV4K is the best (bcos it's just not) and not even given the Shield a proper mention when it's the only regular consumer grade streamer around that supports true to source audio formats.
@@aaronchan_thereal TVOS sucks. Too much clicks and searching to find something to watch. Zero live tv in the interface.
Caleb talks about taking these around for traveling, ONLY Roku is capable of connecting to Hotel Wifi where you’re required to log into a portal. Otherwise We have roku TVs with appleTV2 boxes attached. Love both depending upon what we’re watching (hate the appletv remote and siri is seriously getting worse).
What about the tivo stream??
We purchased a Sony X95K last year and love it, however it came with the Google TV installed that was causing the TV to freeze two or three times a day that required a restart. How do I know it was caused by the Google? By a process of elimination. After trying almost everything from freeing memory by using a thumb drive and moving apps, to getting faster internet, to spending hours on internet forums kooking answers. We finally purchased the new Roku 4K Ultra and the problem went away.
The FireTV 4K Max is not only for people heavily in the Amazon Alexa ecosystem
Yes, the interface is not nice, but on sale, it's the cheaper certified device that supports lossless audio like DTS HD MA and Dolby TrueHD
I had the Chromecast with Google TV and the FireTV is much snappier and less laggy (even with the Chromecast using Projectivity Launcher)
I bought the Roku Express earlier this year as the apps on my blu-ray player had become outdated. I've had Roku and other Roku players in the past. Love the interface and adding apps is easy but lately I've had issues with my Roku Express.
I recently bought the Onn 4K Pro since it was 39 (I got it for 34) and while I'm not the biggest fan of the interface, it is a great player and while I'm still getting used to it, I think it actually has more stuff than the Roku.
where is sonos arc ultra sound system review?
I used a Roku for years and swore I’d never try anything else. Then I got an Apple TV 4K. I will never not have it. I love everything about it!
@@RockinDaBoombox so you're into Apple eco system
This is exactly my experience as well after switching to the Apple TV 4K last week. Everything is just so fast. It's amazing how the Roku now feels like 10-year-old technology.
@@jaredj1911 I own all streaming devices and TVOS is horrible. Unbearable at times. Almost as bad as ROKU
The prices for the Firestick were a shock. In Australia, from Amazon AU, I paid $75 for my Firestick. And, by the way, I get NO ads on Firestick, apart from Tubi and other channels like that.
I have 3 Apple TVs in the house. And one Google Chromecast with Google TV in my travel bag. Couldn’t agreed more with you Caleb.
Thanks for great content.
Me personally a ROKU devices are nice .but they don't fit my need for streaming because you can't sideload apps .from other places besides ROKU streaming store. Firesticks are good ive used Firesticks since 2018 .but with Amazon always putting out updates that i personally don't like .ive moved on to the Walmart onn 4k streaming device first i had the 20 dollar version, and when walmart came out with the Onn 4k pro streaming box i brought a couple. And never looked back. For my streaming needs the Walmart onn 4k pro streaming box is my favorite streaming device.
Roku Ultra all day! I have one to update my 2019 TV.
Not having any of the three ONN google devices is super strange.
Yep it is.
Probably didn’t get the $$ from them
In Canada Roku doesn't offer Sportsnet which covers all BluJays baseball and most of the NHL hockey
I have both the Apple tv 4k and an nVidia Shield Pro I bought last year. Both work very well, but the Shield is better in so many different ways as it is totally configurable vs the what you see is what you get with Apple devices and not locked down like them. Apple, like all their products, are aimed at people who just want point and click ( then get frustrated when it doesn't even do that ) devices. HDR10/10+, Dolby Vision and Atmos definatly benefit from the Shield hardware. The Apple tv picture is a little softer and Atmos is at the mercy of HDMI cec's tantrums if you dare to use a PID splitter to go to the tv for video and audio to the amp.
@@kriswingert1662 I have two 2022 Apple TVs. I have a Samsung QLED TV as our main TV. The Apple TV does have trouble with HDR content. I’ve had to set the video format to 1080p SDR 60Hz in the Apple TV video settings. If I set it at 4K SDR 60Hz the picture is darker and the resolution isn’t very sharp. The 1080p setting looks pretty good but I’ve often thought about trying the Shield Pro to see if the AI upscaling is as good as advertised. I haven’t purchased the Shield Pro due to some reviews saying it’s not playing nice with Apple TV+ or Hulu. Do you stream Apple TV+ or Paramount+ and if you do, have you had any issues?
Can Apple TV 4K Wi-Fi (3rd Generation) do UA-cam in 4k 60fps?
Yes
When i look up prices for these devices i see something completely different here in the Netherlands.
For example Roku streaming stick 4K or ultra are at least double the price that you say they are, too bad they're so expensive here.
I’m surprised there was no discussion about video and audio quality
Why would there? If there were the 2019 NVIDIA Shield Pro would take top spot for these key reasons:
#1- it can handle most audio codecs, more than any other streamer reviewed. From Dolby ATMOS to DTS-X including TrueHD & HD Master Audio lossless technology.
#2- It handles Hi-Res audio with bit-match playback. Great for matching the frequency & bitrate of the source material for the truest to the source representation.
#3- It has a seamless bitstream pass-through option, with the simple click of a button. Hear your music, movies, TV shows, and whatever media you choose the way the artist intended. Audio track data is sent unaltered, straight to your playback device. The less cooks in the kitchen, the better the meal. 😁
#4- now for video handling. HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision support. 4K playback at 60 FPS (VP9, H265, H264)
4K capture at 30 FPS (H264, H265)
Supports: MPEG-2/MPEG-4/Xvid/DivX/WMV9/ASF/AVI/MKV/MOV/M2TS/MPEG-TS/H.263/H.264/H.265/VC-1/VP8/VP9
#5- AI upscaling of non-4K content for all your streaming apps. AI Upscaling can be adjusted for high, medium, or low detail enhancement. In a nutshell this adjusts the confidence level of the neural network for detail prediction in the upscaled video.
I love my Apple TV!!!
I concur, the Apple TV 4K would be my only steaming box if it supported Atmos. When using Plex, I go to my Nvidia Shield. I’d and when this is fixed. Apple TV will be my only streaming box.
Any word on when the new Apple will come out?
I use a cheap laptop and I hide it behind the large screen tv. I use a wireless keyboard & mouse. You can do a lot more, it's easier to use a VPN,etc. I can control privacy more on a browser tab than an app on a device.
I would have added the Tablo device, as it adds in OTA (over the air) recording.
We have a Samsung Qled and while the picture is great the software sucks. Added a Roku Ultimate and it has been a great addition for $79. Controls the TV, streamer sound bar. Also like the Chromecast and have a couple of this on other TVs.
I guess I'm a Roku fan boy. Started with the Roku XD in 2013 then upgraded to the Roku 3, then Roku 4 and since 2016 the Roku Ultra.
Your reasonn for your top pick resonates.
I keep 2 streaming devices connected to each of my TVs (living room & bedroom). First, I have the Roku Ultra. I've never tried the Apple TV box, but I have a Samsung phone. The ads on Roku don't bother me. The ads aren't intrusive; they are silent and occasionally useful. The other streaming device I use is a PC. I have kept a PC connected to my TV since before TVs were smart. It is, in my opinion, by far the best way to watch UA-cam. Instead of watching on my phone, I watched this video on my 82" TV and I am typing this comment with a wireless keyboard while sitting on my couch. I put a mouse pad on a clipboard to create a convenient and mobile surface to use my mouse. The other great thing about a connected PC is that it works with every streaming service. However, I prefer the Roku interface and remote for watching most services. So, I use both a Roku and a PC.
PCs are more expensive than streaming boxes, but a PC can be something other than high-powered to be useful for streaming. An old laptop or desktop should work perfectly well.
I have a Firestick 4k Max and a PC connected to my TV in the living room. I like having an overpowered PC connected to it. It never hurts to be super responsive and snappy in my opinion. Using a wireless keyboard and mouse, I can use it for regular computer things, play games or play media. It's mainly used for media, though. The other reason I like using it is it works better with my bluetooth headphones. I can use it with the Firestick but they sound a little better with the PC and have much further range. I can go in the furthest spot in my house from the PC and the audio doesn't drop out and the wifi 6 has issues reaching that same area.
I have also used a HTPC that runs via HDMI to my main TV in the family room for many years, besides having Roku and Google devices as well on all my TV's.
I use a cheap mini USB keyboard, for watching content from a browser, Kodi, PLEX or a Music app, since the Roku and Google remotes won't work with the HTPC in the other room.
The Chromecast dongle is neat, discreet,easy to use, portable and fits easily in a pocket when travelling.the streamer they have replaced it with is the opposite.
Does ATV support AI upscaling? That is why I am a Shield user.
No, unfortunately. I have the newest ATV, Firecube, and shield. The firecubes ‘super resolution’ upscale is hands down the best for 1080p and below. The shield is decent. The Apple has nothing. They need to add this.
Nvidia Shield TV Pro 🛡
best ai-upscaler for a plasma with isp trotring 👌
Putting the ‘Continue Watching’ at the top of the AppleTv interface makes it absolutely the most usable device IMO.
Has anyone tried Dune HD Homatics?
I just purchased an Apple tv after years of using a firestick and then an ONN walmart streaming device (actually pretty good for the price). I must say that Apple TV is the best IMO.
What is the best streaming device for outdoor space?
For me Nvidia Shield TV is the best. I can play Dolby True HD movies from my Plex server which Apple TV cannot do.
The Shield is still popular because there are still people with TVs that only have ARC and since the AppleTV can't do Atmos over ARC, hence the popularity of the Shield
I have the the Amazon fire stick max Roku stick, and apple tv 4k .... roku stick and apple tv 4k to me they are both smoother than the Amazon 4k max
thnaks
My ps5 and ps5 pro in another room,streaming movies from any app looks amazing,plus with my series x Dolby vision with supported apps looks breathtaking,..console don’t get enough love as streaming devices,plus there uhd Blu-ray players and oh yea,….also play games.I have 85 inch tvs so I would notice any picture quality discrepancies.
With Apple you pay the price in dollars, with others you pay the price with your personal data
What personal data? Like what shows Im watching??
@@gigavolt yes, the google & roku boxes sell your viewing data to 3rd parties, it's not yet known if apple also does
@@kryptonitecb then what price am I paying because they know what movies I'm watching?
I hope Apple includes an audio passthrough option in their next box as Roku does.
You linked to a section about the Fire TV Cube supporting IR commands... nowhere in the video does he seem to talk about audio passthrough for Roku? Do you mean being able to connect headphones to the remote? You can connect any bluetooth headphones to Apple TV, but it is super seamless with AirPods.
@@coder543 the time stamp was accidental, thanks for pointing that out! Audio passthrough gives you the option to send the unprocessed bitstream audio directly to your receiver/audio processor for decoding. It's a nice option that many streaming devices and gaming systems have. It would be a nice option for Apple to include in their future streaming box.
@z1l1m doing some research, I found a statement from Roku support that says “Please be advised that the new streaming device [Ultra] does not support TrueHD/Lossless audio through passthrough. The highest is PCM/MAT which is via passthrough.”
So it seems less clear to me that there’s any advantage… Apple TV sends LPCM and Dolby Atmos, maybe more.
@@coder543 I hear you. I have both Apple TV and Roku Ultra. Apple Music is best on the Apple TV because of its ability to process spatial audio. Neither box handles TrueHD mainly because that format isn't being streamed yet. I still prefer to have my outboard DA converter handle the audio signal while streaming movies or video, which the Roku allows, regardless of it only being PCM, Dolby Digital Plus, or Atmos (through the lossy DD+).
@@z1I1mtotally agree about the quality benefits of bitstream pass-through. 👍 That is one of the features I like so much about my NVIDIA Shield Pro. Pass-through coupled with bit-matched playback & DTS-X support. 👌
I've had Roku sticks for years now. Love them.
I returned the Apple tv 4k in favor of just using my Google TV in app mode. The Apple tv is nice and snappy but I felt the quality of the apps on my Google TV looked better than the apple tv and both were wired to my router (not wifi)
If Google TV is your favorite streaming platform, why do you use Apple TV more? They are in different ecosystems which from my point of view makes them incompatible with the opposite. Meaning if you are in a platform you should buy a device from another platform because it would be incompatible with all you services. Is there a way around this that I'm not aware of?
Apple TV 4K media box is the best.
Yep, it's not even a question. The author agrees at 7:15.
Yep
Do they now allow pass through of audio to an AVR?
@@andrewsimkins As long as your AVR has in+out HDMI ports, or your AVR supports eARC, then this has always been possible.
Not even a heavy apple user, and we have one. Best experience hands down
I am not a huge fan of the Nvidia Shield TV or TV Pro but if you're going to ding it for being 5 years old, you have to ding the Chromecast with Google TV as well. It was released in September of 2020 meaning its on its way to being 5 years old. It's very long in the tooth as well.
Apple TV all day everyday by the way.
Google TV fan here but yes they should have updated the dongle version as well when they put out the Google TV $100 streamer, which I won't buy til the price drops.
Agree it’s the best but it annoys me that a few popular streaming companies don’t support its features fully. Peacock doesn’t support Match Content, Fox Sports app doesn’t support HDR on the ATV, and Prime Thursday Night Football HDR not supported on ATV.
Caleb, I really enjoy your content, but can you please stop with the background music? It’s annoying and distracting. Thanks. And I agree with you about the Apple TV 4K.
Can you put kodi on any of these? Cheers
It can be installed directly on the Google devices from the play store, it can be sideloaded on firetv devices also. No support for roku or apple tv though.
@ Thank you 👍
I'm currently trying both the Apple TV and Roku Ultra and so far I'm leaning towards keeping the Roku. Ads are not a problem for me, there's basically one I see on the home screen. The backlit remote, included HDMI and charging cable and lower prices are all huge advantages for the Roku.
Also, USB port on the Roku to watch movies from a hard drive. Missing from the Apple completely.