Best quality streaming device

[canonj]

Is the newest Nvidia Shield Pro three years old?

Also, how well does the auto frame matching feature work with YouTube and Netflix? I know that Android 12 will support frame matching natively, but does it currently work okay with the Shield Pro, even though it's on an older version of Android?

 

[CurseVox]

Apple TV4K is absolutely the most elegant and quality streaming device out there IMO. Everything about it is just done right.

 

[Judau]

Sorry, I have no real recommendations, but I was wondering...do streaming devices really have an advantage over a TV's built-in apps, in terms of video quality? I figured streaming devices were for older TVs with zero built-in apps. Would these devices have any advantages over a PS5 or Series X|S?

 

[Darknight]

Sorry, I have no real recommendations, but I was wondering...do streaming devices really have an advantage over a TV's built-in apps, in terms of video quality? I figured streaming devices were for older TVs with zero built-in apps. Would these devices have any advantages over a PS5 or Series X|S?

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The idea is to decouple the apps from the TV because TV apps will have a much shorter update lifespan and in the past, updates over time have slowed things down. Keeping on a dedicated media box means you'll continue to get updates and support long after it stops on the TV side and in many cases even get access to apps that your TV never had.

 

[Judau]

The idea is to decouple the apps from the TV because TV apps will have a much shorter update lifespan and in the past, updates over time have slowed things down. Keeping on a dedicated media box means you'll continue to get updates and support long after it stops on the TV side and in many cases even get access to apps that your TV never had.

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Oh right, that makes a lot of sense. I use my Xbox for streaming, so I have no idea whether my TV's apps have been updated at all since I bought it a few years ago.

 

[Ronnie Poncho]

I have both a Chromecast with Google TV (worst name ever) and a Roku Streaming Stick+. Both are very good and good value for money.

Roku running through pihole also cuts out all of the ads.

 

[Fatoy]

It's still the Apple TV 4K, but if you use Netflix a lot, you need to be prepared for how poorly integrated (read: not integrated at all) it is with the universal "up next" queue and the search functions on Apple TV. tvOS can't search Netflix, it can't hook into your Netflix watch history for anything but the most cursory "jump back in" support, and it's a dramatic step-down from how well-integrated other streaming services are.

The rest of the Apple TV experience is terrific, but if Netflix is your primary service you're going to get annoyed with it, fast. Want to find something to watch? You'll have to search in tvOS / Siri, and then search AGAIN in Netflix to see if it's on there.

 

[Disco Infernal]

Is the Apple TV that much of a step up from the native apps on an lg OLED

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No, and in some cases like Netflix and YouTube, it's a step down.

 

[hikarutilmitt]

Even without the price difference as a factor I'd personally go:

1. Chromecast with Google TV (they really need to rebrand this name, so I'm just going to call it the GTV)
2. nvidia Shield
3. AppleTV 4K
4. Roku Ultra
5. FireTV anything

Those last two are only there for the sake of options, because when you do factor in pricing, the GTV wins hands down for usability and speed. The only caveat with it is that it doesn't have as much onboard storage as it could and it starts to slow down a little when that storage gets full. You can add more via an OTG dongle, but it's not always necessary. I personally cannot stand the AppleTV interface because everything takes ages to transition and the remote (older remote, not newer one) is terrible. It also didn't play nice with HDR settings on our TV when we were using it. I don't have a shield but I've used one and rather liked it. All of these devices were upgrades from previous Roku models.

Game Room and Living Room TVs both have Android TV as their default, so I have no need for the GTVs in there since they basically are GTVs and performance is a bit better because they have more powerful hardware (both Sony TVs). My parents are in the same boat: went from Roku devices to Android TVs and they both love how easy they are to use.

 

[Martinski]

I'll Stan for Apple TV .. even with a smart tv with apps like C1 it make it better

 

[Ferda]

Sorry, I have no real recommendations, but I was wondering...do streaming devices really have an advantage over a TV's built-in apps, in terms of video quality? I figured streaming devices were for older TVs with zero built-in apps. Would these devices have any advantages over a PS5 or Series X|S?

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I wondered the same thing but I am amazed and how much quicker and more responsive apps are on the Apple TV4k vs the built in Samsung TV apps.

 

[captive]

I'm personally waiting on an updated Nvidia Shield Pro

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Yea I have the pro, but it came out in 2019. Would like some updated hardware.

 

[J_ToSaveTheDay]

I use a previous gen Apple TV 4K and it was very obviously better video wise than my CX's internal apps. I'm also an Apple laptop, iPhone, iPad, and AirPods user so it just kinda pulling in the Apple advantages was definitely a strong selling point for me. It even supports AirPods easy syncing like all other Apple devices do if you're an Apple user.

That advantage obviously doesn't exist if you don't use other Apple products so feel free to disregard entirely if you're not in the ecosystem, but it's worth pointing out just in case.

I actually can't comment on sound quality because I have lived in shared spaces and purposefully tried not to make my audio too powerful/disturbing for the neighbors. I wear a headset for gaming and use my AirPods for AppleTV a little over half of the time, and just the built in speakers of my CX at modest volumes otherwise. I do love good audio but I just do not live in a place where it's super viable.

Prior to my switch over to Apple in 2019, I did use a previous model of nVidia Shield Pro and it was also pleasant. Some good gaming options with it, as well -- whether streaming over your local network from a PC or even some of the games you can play locally available on-device from the app store (pretty great ports of the Portal games prior to coming out on Switch earlier this month!). I'll say, my experience with app reliability, stability, and feature updates has been marginally better on Apple TV, though.

 

[digitalrelic]

Fwiw I can't find any confirmation anywhere of Apple capping the bitrate of their Apple TV offerings when played back on non-Apple hardware. This seems like something avsforum and others would be all over.

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The apps on the CX do everything I need, 4k, matching source framerate, atmos, dolby vision, etc. Do you know for a fact that they're providing inferior bitrates? I prefer them to the apps on my ps4/5 or Chromecast w/Google TV.

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None of them. Most UHDs don't even play at that. Might make a difference in the future when people buy their pointless 8K TVs though!
Nah



I'd love to see receipts on this as well. Other than Apple potentially gatekeeping Apple TV+, the rest just seems like justifying a purchase.

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There are plenty of threads by people very knowledgeable in the subject on the AVS forums that have confirmed video streamed from Apple caps at ~17mbps on non Apple TV hardware. This has been known for a while, it's nothing new. Through the Apple TV hardware there isn't a cap, and most content is delivered at ~32mbps+.

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I can't find any of those threads or anything elsewhere on the net. Got any links?

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You can check this yourself on an Apple TV. I've done it myself. You can enable the developer HUD on an ATV with a computer running MacOS and Xcode to see real-time bitrate info. Non-ATV devices like FireTV stick and others come with a Developer Tools app which can be installed and configured to display bitrate info.

Outside of that, Igans316 on Blu-ray.com has tested hundreds of films and found that the Apple TV app on 3rd party devices streams ~10-17 Mbps, and the Apple TV app on Apple hardware streams at ~15-31 Mbps. Many others have chimed in with the same results.

He even keeps an ongoing spreadsheet with well over 1,000 titles logged, showing bitrate information differences between Netflix, Amazon Prime, iTunes, Movies Anywhere, and VUDU. Check out the blu-ray.com forums yourself, in the "Digital Movies" subforum.

 

[OrangeNova]

Nvidia Shield for life, I'll be so sad when I have to replace this thing it's so great.

 

[Nif]

Apple TV4K is absolutely the most elegant and quality streaming device out there IMO. Everything about it is just done right.

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If you're not into the Apple ecosystem and don't have an iPhone, it has a bug or something where it logs you out of the iTunes store and requires you to sign in again constantly. It spams the message asking you to sign in every time I go into the menu. I absolutely hate their single-line on-screen keyboard layout, and the touch remote is terrible if you have that version. Hope you don't have a long password and mistype something along the way, because there's no way to reveal the password to figure out what you got wrong. You'll have to start over instead.

 

[excelsiorlef]

Surprised so many people here are recommending the Nvidia Shield without explaining the caveat that it is filled with ads.

And if you jailbreak it to get rid of ads you lose the AI upscaling which is one of the big features of the Shield.

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What ads?

 

[digitalrelic]

If you're not into the Apple ecosystem and don't have an iPhone, it has a bug or something where it logs you out of the iTunes store and requires you to sign in again constantly. It spams the message asking you to sign in every time I go into the menu. I absolutely hate their single-line on-screen keyboard layout, and the touch remote is terrible if you have that version. Hope you don't have a long password and mistype something along the way, because there's no way to reveal the password to figure out what you got wrong. You'll have to start over instead.

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FYI, you can switch the keyboard layout from the single-line one to a grid layout. Settings > General > Keyboard, then switch from "Automatic" to "Grid".

 

[Yibby]

Are the 4k movies I can rent on itunes better quality than the same movies on Amazon prime? Or are they the same bitrate just different storefronts?

 

[CreepingFear]

Is the newest Nvidia Shield Pro three years old?

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It is, but its SOC is still more powerful than most of the streamer boxes/sticks. It's the go to player if you want to play ripped 4k UHDs.

 

[Charcoal]

Ah, the monthly thread! The answer is generally always going to be Apple TV.

 

[Carn]

I would avoid the newest Chromecast with Google TV, the hardware just can't keep up. I've had one for a while and it constantly freezes and lags. I've tried resetting to factory settings etc... no joy. Went back to using the built in OS on my Samsung TV for now.

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Thats curious.. I have one as well and I've had zero issues; it has been snappy and so far streamed everything I'm subbed to (Netflix/Prime/HBO/Disney/some other stuff) without problems. Did you install the latest updates? (I had to do that when I got it just a few weeks ago).

 

[Lkr]

I use shield in my media room with my CX since I have an atmos setup in there and stream my uhd rips from my nas. but I use the shield literally just for that. all "official" streaming apps are done on latest gen apple tv 4k
want hulu in 4k HDR with 5.1 on the shield? good luck lol

i'm so in on apple tv in general as a platform I opted to buy another for the living room X95J since built in google tv is trash. the only thing the apple tv can't do is truehd atmos or lossless dtsx, but at least it can do truehd/dtshd if you have infuse

 

[Disco Infernal]

Thats curious.. I have one as well and I've had zero issues; it has been snappy and so far streamed everything I'm subbed to (Netflix/Prime/HBO/Disney/some other stuff) without problems. Did you install the latest updates? (I had to do that when I got it just a few weeks ago).

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Same, not a single issue with it. The interface is so much better than my LG and ATV as well.

 

[secretanchitman]

Apple TV 4K - currently own one and it's a superb device. Clean, fast and responsive UI with no ads or tracking.

Can't go wrong with it! It was $110 on Prime Day but it might be slightly more expensive now. Well worth it in any case!

 

[powersurge]

Thats curious.. I have one as well and I've had zero issues; it has been snappy and so far streamed everything I'm subbed to (Netflix/Prime/HBO/Disney/some other stuff) without problems. Did you install the latest updates? (I had to do that when I got it just a few weeks ago).

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Yep it's been laggy and unresponsive (delay when doing anything in menus or even trying to pause or play content) since I got it. Luckily I didn't pay for it was part of a Youtube TV promo. Tried resetting it to factory default but it didn't help.

 

[the_id]

Apple TV 4K. New releases on the iTunes Store supports Dolby atmos and vision.

The only downside is the poor audio quality.

 

[Carn]

Yep it's been laggy and unresponsive (delay when doing anything in menus or even trying to pause or play content) since I got it. Luckily I didn't pay for it was part of a Youtube TV promo. Tried resetting it to factory default but it didn't help.

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Yes, but did you also check/install the latest updates? It doesnt come with that out of the box (in my experience).

 

[EggShen's6DemonBag]

You can check this yourself on an Apple TV. I've done it myself. You can enable the developer HUD on an ATV with a computer running MacOS and Xcode to see real-time bitrate info. Non-ATV devices like FireTV stick and others come with a Developer Tools app which can be installed and configured to display bitrate info.

Outside of that, Igans316 on Blu-ray.com has tested hundreds of films and found that the Apple TV app on 3rd party devices streams ~10-17 Mbps, and the Apple TV app on Apple hardware streams at ~15-31 Mbps. Many others have chimed in with the same results.

He even keeps an ongoing spreadsheet with well over 1,000 titles logged, showing bitrate information differences between Netflix, Amazon Prime, iTunes, Movies Anywhere, and VUDU. Check out the blu-ray.com forums yourself, in the "Digital Movies" subforum.

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His spreadsheet only has numbers for itunes, not Apple TV, as far as I can tell. He also doesn't seem to provide substantiation for the cap claim, but also that was 2 years ago, maybe ATV boxes just had better wifi than competitors at the time?

He seems to be literally the only person making the claim on that forum and in posts that all seem to be from 2020. I wouldn't advise anyone spend $100 more on a device based on a 2 year old unsubstantiated claim from one poster on one forum.

 

[Dalek]

There's only the scrolling ad at the top of the Home tab.

It's now the standard Android TV interface. The Discovery tab has Google's recommendations based on your inputed preferences and each app may have its recommendations on their little section of the Home tab, but those can be turned off.

Apple TV is definitely cleaner, because it's just app icons.

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There's a streaming device that you pay for and it has scrolling ads on its main menu? Jesus.

 

[digitalrelic]

His spreadsheet only has numbers for itunes, not Apple TV, as far as I can tell. He also doesn't seem to provide substantiation for the cap claim, but also that was 2 years ago, maybe ATV boxes just had better wifi than competitors at the time?

He seems to be literally the only person making the claim on that forum and in posts that all seem to be from 2020. I wouldn't advise anyone spend $100 more on a device based on a 2 year old unsubstantiated claim from one poster on one forum.

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Dig a little further. He isn't the only person making that claim by a long shot, it's been substantiated by others several times over the years.

And iTunes is Apple TV. It's the same thing with a different app frontend. (AppleTV+ is a whole different thing of course)

 

[Aphotic]

TLDR: I recommend the Apple TV 4K for the best overall experience, otherwise Chromecast with Google TV is a great lower-cost option with some nice features.

I dropped cable/satellite years ago and since then I've used Apple TV 4K, Chromecast w/Google TV, Roku Premiere+, and FireTV. Aside from streaming quality, each device has positives and negatives that depend on your use case and preferences. I found it's hard to know those preferences I tried out different options.
My best experience has been with Apple TV 4K, and Chromecast w/GoogleTV is my runner-up. Roku devices certainly aren't bad - it's probably just because I've had them the longest they feel due for an overhaul. Even though I use Alexa extensively the FireTV didn't excel in any particular area. I played around with sideloading Kodi and other apps for a while, but now I no longer use the FireTV. I haven't tried a Shield TV so that's a blind spot.
The Apple TV 4K is premium in every way I want it. As many others will tell you, the interface is fast, sleek, and unobtrusive, and of course it's great if you're in the Apple ecosystem. Playback looks and sounds great, and using AirPods is a real treat if you need to keep things quiet. The latest Apple TV remote is a nice upgrade, and it's really useful when your iPhone automatically prompts you to use the keyboard to type. I prefer to have only one remote, so I'm pleased that I can control TV power separate from stereo volume via the Apple TV remote. I use XSX/PS5 controllers to switch to console inputs via CEC, and the Apple TV remote to switch back. It's faster and more reliable than the Harmony remote system I was using before.
On an older plasma TV that doesn't handle CEC very well I like that the Chromecast w/Google TV remote has a dedicated TV source button that works for switching to game consoles and back. I find the Chromecast interface to be overall snappy and easy to use, and I like the 'Live TV' tab at the top so it feels kinda like having cable if I want to quickly throw on some random background noise.
Side note: I originally bought the Chromecast w/Google TV along with a Nest Video Doorbell, intending to view the doorbell cam from a bedroom TV, but it turns out the two aren't compatible even though both come from Google. I'm still annoyed they don't work together, but I decided to keep the Chromecast and it turns out I really like it otherwise.
One other thing I'm surprised how much I like on the Chromecast w/Google TV is the photo album screen saver. Although Apple TV has more album playback options, I haven't found a setting that I like as much as the way Chromecast does it.
If Apple were to add a dedicated source/input button to their remote (not likely) and update their photo album playback options to allow date/location metadata (hopefully someday) then the Apple TV would be nearly perfect for me. I've read that we could see a new/cheaper Apple TV option revealed this fall, and if that's true I'll probably get one for every TV in my house.

 

[lenovox1]

There's a streaming device that you pay for and it has scrolling ads on its main menu? Jesus.

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It's a continuously scrolling banner of 5 new TV shows or movies from any service that Google's editorial team either chooses or gets paid to promote. Paid promo is indicated.

It's no more distracting than the top of an app store.

 

[powersurge]

Yes, but did you also check/install the latest updates? It doesnt come with that out of the box (in my experience).

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Yep first thing I tried. As well as unplugging it/replugging it, etc... It just feels like the hardware can't keep up. Menus are very hurky jerky.

Using the Samsung TV OS for now but the Apple TV does sound interesting as I already use iOS for mobile devices/airpods and folks seem to always comment on how snappy it is. Kind of waiting around to see if a new/refreshed one gets announced at the fall event though.

 

[Carn]

Yep first thing I tried. As well as unplugging it/replugging it, etc... It just feels like the hardware can't keep up. Menus are very hurky jerky.

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Then I can only guess that you somehow have a crappy unit or something; the few CGTVs I've used (including my own) have been smooth and snappy (unless I'm trying to do some crazy quick browsing in a few apps, but I think its more probably to run into the actual limits of some of the apps that try to download the necessary data to display and not necessisarily the CGTV hardware itself)

 

[deimosmasque]

I basically swear by Roku to the point that both of my tvs and my "travel" streaming device are all Roku devices. But I will admit that I don't know if it's the best.

 

[404Ender]

Apple TV + Infuse + 4K UHD rips + NAS has been my setup for a while and it's superb

 

[dose]

Surprised so many people here are recommending the Nvidia Shield without explaining the caveat that it is filled with ads.

And if you jailbreak it to get rid of ads you lose the AI upscaling which is one of the big features of the Shield.

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The Shield is not 'filled with ads' at all. There's a carousel at the top of the Home screen showing around 3 promoted shows/films, that's it.

 

[Darknight]

The Shield is not 'filled with ads' at all. There's a carousel at the top of the Home screen showing around 3 promoted shows/films, that's it.

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Plus if you change launchers, you never have to see them at all too.

 

[nampad]

Can't go wrong with both AppleTV and Nvidia Shield TV, which one depends on what is more important to you.

One big reason to go Shield, lots of community made replacement apps. For example this app replaces youtube and lets you set all kinds of filters to skip ads, in-video ads, sponsor breaks, animation intros, non-relevant bits, etc. So much better than youtube on any other device.

GitHub - yuliskov/SmartTube: SmartTube - an advanced player for set-top boxes and tvs running Android OS

SmartTube - an advanced player for set-top boxes and tvs running Android OS - yuliskov/SmartTube

github.com

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I am quite heavily in the Apple ecosystem but this is one of the reasons I went with the Nvidia Shield Pro 2019. Those apps are just great, especially Smarttubenext. There is also a fan made xCloud app.

Geforce Now is the other reason and it just runs superb, graphics quality wise it just runs circles around my PS5 and the input lag is negligible (see Digital Foundry video).

It's so great I got my parents a cheap 2017 and myself another cheap 2015 model.

 

[MamaSpaghetti]

Can't go wrong with both AppleTV and Nvidia Shield TV, which one depends on what is more important to you.



I am quite heavily in the Apple ecosystem but this is one of the reasons I went with the Nvidia Shield Pro 2019. Those apps are just great, especially Smarttubenext. There is also a fan made xCloud app.

Geforce Now is the other reason and it just runs superb, graphics quality wise it just runs circles around my PS5 and the input lag is negligible (see Digital Foundry video).

It's so great I got my parents a cheap 2017 and myself another cheap 2015 model.

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Yep, it is the definitive way to watch youtube at this point.

 

[Primal Sage]

While I would definetely recommend just using the LG apps as they are great it is worth noting that if you're considering buying an Apple TV to wait a bit.

Apple is expected to launch their 3rd gen of the ATV with the same processor as the iPhone 12 this year. Overkill for streaming but very nice for gaming. A reduced price is also rumoured.

 

[GreenMonkey]

I don't think the AppleTV is worth the money for upgrading an LG OLED. I like WebOS a lot. I have an e6 upstairs (with Overwatch burned in, it is the kids' gaming TV now) and a replacement CX.

Now, I don't like Apple stuff at all. My day-to-day work laptop is a 2016 Macbook Pro and 6+ yrs in I still don't like MacOS. But...

I *did* buy the AppleTV because I have Plex running on a Synology NAS and it and the old Roku Ultra were struggling with anime ASS subtitles.

It serves video to the TV in the wife's living room (my old 50" GT25 Panny plasma).

I'm not a fan of the slidy circle pad thingie on the remote,.but the wife seems to have gotten used to it.

It is one of the only streaming gadgets that handles ASS subtitles.

If you are doing Plex and you like foreign films/anime you might want to consider it for that. I think it lacks some of the HD audio decoding though.

 

[Kabalcage]

I have seemingly collected all of these devices except for the Apple TV. I honestly like and detest all these devices, they seemingly all have problems.

My overall favorite is the Nvidia Shield Pro 2019 (have the tube non-pro too but I think it kind of sucks/buggy) but my biggest complaint is the odd stutter here and there. Stuttering is worse on the non-pro. Color me interested in a new refreshed hdmi 2.1 4k120 version of the Shield whenever that happens.

likes:
Android app ecosytem
ability to use vpn app for things like nba league pass and other apps
moonlight streaming of my desktop gaming pc, this works really well and is almost like I'm connecting my desktop to my projector directly with hdmi. I'm impressed how well this works and I don't know if I could tell the difference if I had a direct connection.

wishlist:
4k120 hdr hdmi 2.1 support, would be super to have this in Moonlight gaming sessions. I think another bottleneck is 30 series GPU cap out at 4k90 on the encoder so might need new GPU to make 4k120 streaming feasible.
vrr support
rumble Support for gaming controllers- it's bizarre this doesn't exist on a modern device
more intuitive remote, I wish they just copied the Roku remote. Shield Tv is not intuitive, I need to look what I'm clicking. The shield remote sometimes lights up during heavy base, so I need to face it downwards so it's not a distraction.

 

[Lashes.541]

Counterpoint: I have fire stick, fire stick 4k, and fire stick 4k max, going back to 2015, and have bought them for family and recommended them to friends, and there has never been a single problem with any of them.

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That's interesting, my fire stick 4k is slow but works, my fiancée has a normal fire stick from 2018 that apps freeze on unless it's restarted, not like every once in a while, every single day at least once. My moms fire stick is four years old and is so slow you push a button and it takes two seconds before it moves on screen. Like I said, all been factory refreshed. Not a massive amount of apps on them, I checked the memory and cache and it's not full, I believe you, but it's either I have the worst luck ever? Or you have the best luck ever? 🤣 oh and my fire cube stoped being able to do HDR.

 

[EggShen's6DemonBag]

That's interesting, my fire stick 4k is slow but works, my fiancée has a normal fire stick from 2018 that apps freeze on unless it's restarted, not like every once in a while, every single day at least once. My moms fire stick is four years old and is so slow you push a button and it takes two seconds before it moves on screen. Like I said, all been factory refreshed. Not a massive amount of apps on them, I checked the memory and cache and it's not full, I believe you, but it's either I have the worst luck ever? Or you have the best luck ever? 🤣 oh and my fire cube stoped being able to do HDR.

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I mean there's no moving parts....unless it's so old that it's just too underpowered/underRAM'd for what it's being used for, why would it stop working?

 

[404Ender]

I mean there's no moving parts....unless it's so old that it's just too underpowered/underRAM'd for what it's being used for, why would it stop working?

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Because a lot of the content is dynamic and loaded over a web API rather than totally static assets stored on the device. Also apps might stop receiving software updates as frequently (or at all).

Same reason why older computers/phones/etc sometimes start struggling with modern websites (even if the exact same sites worked great years ago when the device was purchased).

 

[Theorry]

Thanks all for the info. Is it worth it to go for gen 2 apple tv? Or will Gen 1 still will do for now? I am not in the US so no prime deal or anything here.
I probably will not use the remote tho. I like to have one remote so probably will use the magic remote from my lgcx

 

[digitalrelic]

Thanks all for the info. Is it worth it to go for gen 2 apple tv? Or will Gen 1 still will do for now? I am not in the US so no prime deal or anything here.
I probably will not use the remote tho. I like to have one remote so probably will use the magic remote from my lgcx

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There's really virtually no difference between the Gen 1 and Gen 2 if you're not planning on using the remote and not planning to use your Apple TV for gaming. Gen 2 will likely receive software updates for longer though.

 

[kurahador]

If you're watching something from Apple TV+ or itunes with subtitles, you absolutely need Apple TV device. Because in my experience, ATV+ subs is very sluggish on other device. Personally tested it and it happen on Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast with Google tv and PS4.