r/ShieldAndroidTV • u/oohitztommy • 5d ago
Next best box after shield tv?
I already have 3 shield tv in my house on my good oled tv. I don’t want to spend 200 on a shield for something that I will keep in the garage. What would be the next best box?
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u/Aggressive_Bad_7344 2019 Pro 5d ago
Homatics Box R 4K Plus, Google TV Streamer, Onn 4K Pro 2026, Xiaomi TV Box S 3rd Gen
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u/FizzbuzzAvabanana 5d ago
Yeah Homatics for me. Got a couple of Shields & when I use my Homatics box I don't notice any difference in performance. Prices have shot up though since I got mine.
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u/AakashC2020 5d ago
The Homatics is mostly a better box at present for streaming compared to the Shield Pro...
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u/JeffHiggins 5d ago edited 5d ago
I switched from the Shield to the Homatics Box R 4K Plus recently, very happy with it, I finally have AV1 support without sacrificing TrueHD.
I do find it's responsiveness a little more sluggish than the Shield, but not enough to bother me.
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u/AakashC2020 5d ago
It supports TrueHD for me. I'm using a Sony Bar 9 and use Kodi for Playback. I guess you're missing some settings.
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u/randybaguette 5d ago
Been using the Google TV Streamer 4K and not had any issues. Installing Projectivy made the experience so much better.
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u/Outlaw105 5d ago
Apple TV is supposed to compete with the Shield Pro, I just can't stand to be in their Eco System, although Google ain't much better.
I have a Shield in the living room on an 8k Samsung Panel, and Roku Ultra on an LG C5 in the Master BR.
Wouldn't have it any other way.
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u/Give-Me-Bacon 5d ago
ATV is great, but you end up needing Infuse if you're using Plex to have the playback experience you'd expect. Not sure what the Jellyfin experience is like though. If it's just being used with streaming apps. ATV beats shield hands down in my experience. Also worth mentioning ATV doesn't have the lossless audio support that shield has. Not that I'd expect that to be an issue for a garage set up.
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u/ExpressTumbleweed195 2d ago
Most likely Jellyfin. Unless something has changed, their apps are terrible on everything.
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u/sciencetaco 4d ago
Just to clarify: It does support lossless audio (with Infuse) but it maxes out at lossless 7.1 (no lossless atmos metadata).
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u/advanceyourself 5d ago
Honestly, you already have three shields and you have cohesion and consistency. I understand trying to save a few bucks, but you know you'll be happy with it if you get it.
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u/archer75 5d ago
Depends on your needs. I use Apple TVs in every room for streaming and I use a ugoos amb6+ for my local rips.
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u/Dangerous_Seaweed601 5d ago
I got an android-based (beware of vegaos garbage!) fire tv stick because it was cheap. The cheapest I could find when it was on sale on prime day. Same use case.. a tv I really only occasionally use. ONN would have been a good option until they jacked up the price (at least, where I am they did..)
It's a PITA to set up because Amazon fights you at every turn. But, if you're willing to go through the pain (in particular, blocking initial firmware updates is *critical*).. you can get a solid set up right now considering it's rootable on certain firmwares. No idea how long this will last with regard to new purchases.
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u/rajmahid 5d ago
Shield for my main system, Roku Ultras for the family in 3 other rooms. Everyone’s happy, no issues…they _just_ play everything…including my Plex content.
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u/DeliciousGrowth1869 5d ago
Had a shield. All I do is watch iptv. Have a buzztv classic. Plenty of space, have about 56gb. Works great. Just as good as a the shield, just for TV. And 1/2 price on sale. No problems sideloading.
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u/dapotatopapi 5d ago
https://www.reddit.com/u/dapotatopapi/s/shdcdm2ft0
Probably the Cube if you're talking about a good all in one with out of the box support.
Or some of the various dedicated players like the Vero V if you only want a local media player.
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u/Accomplished-Ear6002 4d ago
I would say an Onn Plus, or the previous Pro. Backlit remote, good handle of apps, sufficient for the garage. Either that, or a Roku stick. Stay away from anything Fire... Too much headache with the new OS. Good luck!
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u/Timmultuous 14h ago
Ugoos am9pro. The best box that can do full Dolby vision with the enhancement layer.
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u/timekiller10687 5d ago
Lol there's nothing better then the shield on the android platform. There may be boxes cheaper but shield remains the gold standard. Anyone arguing that is just looking for an argument.
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u/goober1157 5d ago
I want P7-FEL with all the enhancement layers and HDR10+. Yes, with the Homatics. No with the Shield. Not an argument, just facts.
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u/dane8524 5d ago
What homatic does that ? Interested as well
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u/goober1157 5d ago edited 5d ago
The Homatics r 4K Plus boxes of various brands. Same with the Ugoos boxes. Note that Ugoos boxes can't run Netflix in UHD. Regardless, they all need to be running some variant or other of CorecElec. I personally have two Dune Homatics and one Homatics branded boxes running AVDV Plus R9.
Another bonus is that you can get DV on non-DV capable TVs, like from Samsung.
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u/dane8524 5d ago
I'm not using any streaming services , mostly nuvio, stremio , Tivimate and connect tcl c7k and q990c . But I'm happy to move from the shield as no hdr10+ and other bits missing.
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u/goober1157 5d ago edited 5d ago
If you don't care about streaming, then I'd suggest looking into the Ugoos devices. I'm not as familiar with them, but I know the AM9 Pro uses the next gen processor and is faster/newer. If you go that route, you'll want to make sure the glitches are worked out to your satisfaction and that you run the non-official CoreEelec version that enables DV on Samsung. That is p3i T4c.
If you like the Homatics, don't get the v2 of it. That's a gimped version. There are rumors of a new one coming out soon using the newer chipset. You may want to wait for that one. Regardless, you'll want to run the AVDV Plus R9 or R10 version of CoreElec.
I think I got all of that right.
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u/timekiller10687 5d ago
I have to Nvidia tube for my patio TV, I live in Texas is it's still going strong.
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u/Elf-Lord 5d ago
A Mi-Box 3rd Gen or a new to me Asus TV streaming box, if they are avaiable in your area.
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u/ZeroMissedDays 5d ago
If you don’t need all the features of the Shield, and Apple TV 4K is pretty rock solid.
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u/RonnyDonny_69 5d ago
Have a shield for my main setup and then an ONN 4K Pro for my other room. I don't love the remote but overall it's a snappy device and gets the job done for all of the content I throw at it.
Also have a google streamer which has been good to me. The downside to that device is that some audio types don't pass through.