What streamer - ATV, Shield, Roku Ultra

1672 Views 12 Replies 9 Participants Last post by Ph8te, Sep 16, 2019

Mocs123

Discussion Starter · Sep 14, 2019

I’d like to add a streaming device to my theater and want some advice on which one to look for. My projector is 1080p so a 4K signal isn’t needed at this time though I may upgrade in a few years. My uses will be for Nexflix and ESPN for now.

Apple TV 4K? Apple TV HD? Shield? Roku Ultra? I (will soon) have hard wired internet so I want to have an Ethernet connection.

I’m not afraid to buy used either so that’s an option.

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Brian Hampton

· #2 · Sep 14, 2019 (Edited)

I have had Roku 3 and streaming stick and ATV4K.

I prefer the ATV4K... but a Roku 3 has the wired connection and should be uber cheap used. The Roku Express or one of those has analog hookups which you may or may not want.

Actually it's all about how you plan to use it that dictates which one you get unless price is the only factor.

-Brian

p.s. Roku subjects you to more ads. Or rather,... ads.. as the ATV4K doesn't have any depending on how you configure it.

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Ph8te

· #3 · Sep 15, 2019

It’s between Shield and ATV4K IMO. Both have their +/- If you want to bitstream local content then Shield, if you want to stream more ATV4K. Both will do more than your current system can, but will allow you to grow into them.

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lizrussspike

· #4 · Sep 15, 2019

@Mocs123, are you using files from your computer? If so, then a shield would be great. I have a Roku ultra. I like the ease and GUI o the Roku, as it is just simple. I have an older apple tv, but just prefer the Roku. Get what you want to spend $ on. Amazon usually provides free returns. Good luck with your decision.

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Mocs123

Discussion Starter · #5 · Sep 15, 2019

I don't have any blu-ray rips or anything on a NAS server so the bit-steaming of the Shield probably isn't an advantage to me at this time. I didn't know Roku did ads. What about the Apple TV HD? Are there any differences other than the resolution vs. the Apple TV 4K?

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hodgjy

· #6 · Sep 15, 2019

Mocs123 said:
I’d like to add a streaming device to my theater and want some advice on which one to look for. My projector is 1080p so a 4K signal isn’t needed at this time though I may upgrade in a few years. My uses will be for Nexflix and ESPN for now.

Apple TV 4K? Apple TV HD? Shield? Roku Ultra? I (will soon) have hard wired internet so I want to have an Ethernet connection.

I’m not afraid to buy used either so that’s an option.

If you plan on using any TV anywhere apps, like ESPN, be prepared to login often with your cable provider credentials. I had to log in multiple times a month. It was annoying. And all the apps and interfaces are clunky. I had the Premiere+.

Apple is nice, clean, and works. Faster operations, too.

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TriTon464

· #7 · Sep 15, 2019

Unless price is the only factor, both ATV and Shield are in a different class than Roku. They are both just different. Therefore many people own them both. I couldn't pick one for you because it depends on your own preferences. In the end they are equally as "good" they just manage things differently. ATV I am told does tend to have a slightly better picture on Netflix and ESPN but perhaps Shield has better sound. There are always tradeoffs. However Roku Ultra was so bad I put it in the trash. Firestick may be okay for dirt cheap. I don't know. I also do not know if it is plagued with ad's either. Maybe someone else can say. My ATV will be hooked up Tuesday. I am already mostly pleased with the Shield. Nothing as of yet does it all, except a big bucks HTPC perhaps. I honestly think at 1080P either one would satisfy you though. It is when upscaling comes into question that people get picky. That is not an issue for you. Plus the projector does not have the clarity of a top LCD or OLED anyways. Just pick whichever one you can find cheaper I guess. The Shield does let you put a huge hard drive if you want local storage. Although NAS would better served for that IMO.

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Ph8te

· #8 · Sep 15, 2019

Mocs123 said:
I don't have any blu-ray rips or anything on a NAS server so the bit-steaming of the Shield probably isn't an advantage to me at this time. I didn't know Roku did ads. What about the Apple TV HD? Are there any differences other than the resolution vs. the Apple TV 4K?

Better processor for ATV4K, so if you’re going to get one get the 4K even if you won’t be using everything it does.

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Mocs123

Discussion Starter · #9 · Sep 15, 2019

It sounds like an Apple TV 4K is what I want. Surely one of the Shield guys don't want one anymore

or one of the Apple guys wants the new version they are going to announce in a month.

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Stephen Hopkins

· #10 · Sep 15, 2019

ATV4K is also the choice if you want Atmost from Netflix. It's currently the only stand-alone streaming device to offer it.

I'm a proponent of the Shield in general, but if you don't need it as a Plex Server and aren't streaming local media with HD audio, a lot of its strengths are negated.

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psuKinger

· #11 · Sep 16, 2019 (Edited)

Mocs123 said:
I don't have any blu-ray rips or anything on a NAS server so the bit-steaming of the Shield probably isn't an advantage to me at this time. I didn't know Roku did ads. What about the Apple TV HD? Are there any differences other than the resolution vs. the Apple TV 4K?

I have both an AppleTV and a couple of Shields. I like both. We use both weekly if not daily in my house.

Without regard for ecosystems and personal preferences on IOS-vs-Android, I think the things that I prefer about the Shield over the ATV are:
-the ability to bitstream the lossless audio to my AVR for my Blu Ray and 4K blu ray rips.
- the ability to support a wider variety of DIY DVR apps/plug-ins, including the one I'm currently using (HDHR DVR), many of which aren't supported within Apple iTunes.
- Gaming. Mostly for my son, but occassionally I join him. We log in using Steam credentials and play on NVidia's cloud computers. We play locally over the intranet using a 1060 GPU in my house. We've bought a few Android games that came out of NVidia's "Lightspeed Studios" just for Shield.

Without regard for ecosystems and personal preferences on IOS-vs-Android, I think the things that I prefer about the ATV over the Shield are:
- Superior upscaling of 1080p to 2160p when using a 4K TV
- Dolby Vision support for 4K HDR streaming content (Netflix for us).

From what you've described, I don't think any of those 5 things apply to you. Therefore, I'd recommend you make the decision based on what ecosystem you prefer and/or what pricing you can find...

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Jbhur212

· #12 · Sep 16, 2019

It's from Nov. 2017 but still a good comparison article: https://www.tomsguide.com/us/roku-ultra-vs-apple-tv-4k-vs-nvidia-shield,review-4863.html

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Ph8te

· #13 · Sep 16, 2019

psuKinger said:
I have both an AppleTV and a couple of Shields. I like both. We use both weekly if not daily in my house.

Without regard for ecosystems and personal preferences on IOS-vs-Android, I think the things that I prefer about the Shield over the ATV are:
-the ability to bitstream the lossless audio to my AVR for my Blu Ray and 4K blu ray rips.
- the ability to support a wider variety of DIY DVR apps/plug-ins, including the one I'm currently using (HDHR DVR), many of which aren't supported within Apple iTunes.
- Gaming. Mostly for my son, but occassionally I join him. We log in using Steam credentials and play on NVidia's cloud computers. We play locally over the intranet using a 1060 GPU in my house. We've bought a few Android games that came out of NVidia's "Lightspeed Studios" just for Shield.

Without regard for ecosystems and personal preferences on IOS-vs-Android, I think the things that I prefer about the ATV over the Shield are:
- Superior upscaling of 1080p to 2160p when using a 4K TV
- Dolby Vision support for 4K HDR streaming content (Netflix for us).

From what you've described, I don't think any of those 5 things apply to you. Therefore, I'd recommend you make the decision based on what ecosystem you prefer and/or what pricing you can find...

Just as a small correction you can use the Channels app with HDHomeRun and DVR to a local NAS (it’s something I’ve done for a while now). There are more apps available for this on Android However.

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