Agreed. I use it for IPTV and I used to have the dreamlink t1 and Nvidia shield is in a different league. While the dreamlink t1 has a specific purpose, but if you want more bang for your buck, the shield will more than cover it. And the Mibox is even a good entry level box for a bedroom and has access to IPTV apps. Have had zero problems. The problem with the T1 was the antiquated operating system and when I did put SPMC on it, it was sluggish. And the free app in the market on it is half functional. Most of the channels don't work or the file will not play. Every one is toting about a new fork of Kodi on it now, but the issue is it's a bandaid on a flesh wound. It's a short term fix. Those trashing the shield is nothing short of laughable. There is no logic on saying a device that has a operating system that is ancient os is better the Shield. Especially for IPTV.

There definitely seems to be a group of people here with a prejudice against watching IPTV via kodi or an android app for whatever reason. That prejudice is contradictory to a ton of people that are perfectly happy with that setup. I am glad I didn't listen to those people and looked for information elsewhere.

For anyone interested this is my setup:

• Intel NUC with Kodi 17.1
• Flirc https://www.flirc.tv/
• Harmony Remote

Kodi works amazing on a NUC and I use Flirc + Harmony Remote to completely use a remote with Kodi. Remote + Flirc really work together to map everything on the remote.

Using Shield TV with Perfect Player works perfectly, highly recommend it.

Plus I don't just use it for IPTV. Use it for emulators, Kodi, Netflix and Nvidia GameStream.

I'd vote Dreamlink T1... And I have every device you've listed. I do believe Vader shines on Kodi though.

What are u using for ur iptv provider? Which app on the nvidia shield are u using? I use a Fire Stick right now and I'm thinking about upgrading. Trying to get opinions on what people use

I have the FireTV, I have the Nvidia Shield and I have a dreamlink.

I honestly love the Nvidia ShieldTV. STBemu does everything on it a dedicated STB would do!

So does the FireTV. I just don't like the UI of STBemu but then you have other options like Perfect Player and Kodi.

I just have one suggestion, go for the FireTV or the MiBox. Nvidia Shield is wayy too much money for what it is and I say this even though it''s my primary streaming device.

here is a good question, whats a good remote u use for nVidiaShield? don't tell me the remote that comes with it, it's bad when it comes to STB Emulator and the fact it doesn't have a mouse pointer is painful

BTW - if you like the nvidia shield, instead of firetv for the $100 price point I recommend the "Mi Box 3". Android TV OS, and better than FireTV in my opinion because you have full access to the google play store.

I think the people that say STB only for IPTV are a bit old school. If you are using the old school providers, like IPGuys, Express(if it ever comes back), Voodoo, Crown, Gold, etc, then the STB like the Dreamlink or the MAG are the way to go. Those services work best with a dedicated box that is designed for the stalker middleware those services are built on.

Can you use an STBEmu and get a similar experience? Maybe, but that seems to be up for serious debate.

However, many of the new players in the IPTV market, like Vaderstreams, Epicstreams, FabIPTV, smoothstreams etc, etc, have begun focusing on the Kodi experience or the dedicated android app experience. In fact, some of these services work far better (or only in the case of smoothstreams) with Kodi, etc, than they do with an STB.

So, to say that an Nvidia Shield, or any android box, "will beat the living daylights of any STB" is just not accurate in my opinion. It depends on the service. If you are running one of these newer, more modernized, services, then the Shield should far outperform the STB. If you are running IPGuys, or Voodoo, or Crown, etc, I'd still take the STB.

Also, if you have kids or a wife who aren't tech savvy, the STB will always be the way to go.

Both devices have their place.

This narrative is being spread by certain people directly or indirectly affiliated with either old school IPTV providers that only work well on STB or STB dealers and importers.

Don't get me wrong, a bug free, polished and reliable STB is a good value for money, cheap as hell and does what it is designated for. It does however most of the time run antiquated software and the hardware is nothing to be pumped about.

The Shield on the other hand is on a whole different league. You can't really compare it as it does so many things and it does them well. It gets updated almost every three months, supports Kodi perfectly, you can play and stream games on it, you can Plex on it, both client and server (!), you can cast to it via its built in chromecast.
I get it when people are saying that someone might not need all these features and lots more. I also get it when they say it is way too pricey for just IPTV.
But you can't really keep saying that a beast machine as the Shiled is worse as an stb than a cheap, outdated, sluggish actual stb. StbEmu is a fine app that does a good job in emulating a STB. It may not look the same, it may not feel the same, you don't really have a dedicated remote control for your STB BUT in no way is the Shield limiting the stb experience due to the software it is running or the hardware it is wearing. Having personally tried a dreamlink T1, a mag box and of course the Shield, if anything the Shield is faster in loading the portal, switching channels etc. Just imagine, if a timid box like the Mag 250 can handle IPTV well, then how the hell would the Shield have any technical issues doing so? Simple as that.

Having said all that, i would still urge people to buy STB's but if they love gadgets or aren't on a tight budget or Kodi is a must for them, you can't go wrong with the Shield, no matter what functionality you have in mind.

And kodi is the only platform where you can build your own EPG that doesn't suck. So you don't rely on a shitty epg from your provider. I love my rpi3 with kodi 17 because I customised everything and it works even better than an STB imo. I also bought a Bluetooth remote control and it's brilliant.

I'm new to this sub and to IPTV so I cannot really comment on how IPTV services work on the Shield. I am using the trial on the setvnow and it works fine on the Shield.

I absolutely love the Shield for everything I do. Netflix, Amazon, Kodi, gaming, browsing, Android apps....it does it all for me and does it really well. Maybe it's not so great for IPTV. I really don't know but so far with the one service I've tried I think it's great.

The whole problem with this is you don't even state if you have even used a dedicated box so already your opinion seems biased. Also there are very distinct differences I can promise you, as someone with both available to me, and have run both at the same time simultaneously on the exact same channel there are differences. But again all this is mute. It's about what works for you. And that's great that the shield works great for you! 😊

Wow. Aggressive mate. Just adding to the conversation no need to get like that.

i agree.... bought a dreamlink t1 about month and half ago and used it a few times and the EPG was terrible. Went back to SHIELD TV 2005 box

Honestly I'm quite disappointed with the Mag254 so far.

I have had televisions, satellite receivers, digital receivers etc. and I'm always able to tune stations to whichever numbers I prefer.

With the Mag254 this is impossible. You cannot renumber any channels. At least I cannot find a way to do so. I would expect this to be a minimum requirement, especially for a box costing over £70.

Interesting, I feel really hesitant to buy a STB after reading this; considering I'm thinking of buying a shield TV I don't see any point in buying a STB if most people are happy with the shield

I think it all depends as it always does. I just bought a Dreamlink T1 Plus and I love the interface. It also has PVR functionality which is interesting. I use ACE IPTV and it works together flawlessly. Channels load in a couple seconds and I like that there is a visual VOD section. I can't find exactly the same experience through STBEmu or Perfect Player or Smart IPTV etc. The T1 Plus has the Google playstore, Aptoide and their marketplace which includes Kodi 17. The specs are just fine for an Android box; could use a better remote but pretty much every Android box needs a better remote. I have little interest in Kodi (tried multtiple setups in the past but usually find it...cumbersome and unreliable) and more interest in stable, reliable (or directly streamed) media sources (iStreamItAll, Amazon Prime Video (4K), Netflix (4K), personal Plex server, etc.). I also have a 4K TV and most of the chinese boxes claim to have 4K support but can you find media to stream in 4K through Kodi? Not reliably without paying for access to a hosting site. Anyway, big long post to say, I use the Dreamlink for IPTV and my Roku Ultras for the rest because I love the Roku interface. I've never used the Shield because of the price and honestly, I've done just fine with an AirMouse through an S905x type Android box with a moderate amount of RAM if I want to mess with a higher powered box. I get though, why others would choose the Shield. It seems to have a lot of things going for it, again, depending on what you're looking for.