I see that there are tons of IPTV boxes on the market so I didn’t know if they had any upper hand on the Nvidia Shield or even a FireTV device. Would I be able to use the same client for look and fee across the board if I mixed and matched devices?
I am very new to the IPTV scene so I appreciate any help understanding all of this :)
The downfall of cheap android boxes is that they eventually fail due to lack of firmware options. I've had a few and usually within a year or two they just become completely unusable.
You can watch IPTV on firestick or Nvidia Shield, all you need is an IPTV app and a subscription to whatever service you want.
The advantage of Nvidia Shield is that it has regular firmware upgrades and it won't fail like cheap generic android TV boxes. I also have not had any problems with the firestick.
Just be aware what they are selling you. You most likely can probably get the same box yourself for better price. If all you need is something for IPTV, something as simple as Fire TV stick would do the trick as well. Shield is more powerful, and is more future-proofed, but not necessarily for just IPTV. If you can get a use of all the other features and money is not an issue, Shield would definitely be the best choice. My main app to use is Perfect player, and I have it on different devices.
shield is only needed for serious gaming and/or ota tuner dvr stuff.
fire4k is more than enough if you mostly stream video/audio content.
most iptv boxes are a waste because they lack the credentials to
stream netflix hd and youtube 4k, which is now a drm standard.
best advice is get a fire4k stick while it's on sale for $25 each
learn how to sideload apks, and if you still need more abilities
then revisit this question later once you are better informed.
I don't think so. I'll take my Shield, iMPlayer, TiViMate and OTT Navigator any day!
Ok, once you found the device you will use to run the apps,what app would you use foe movies on demand?
formuler or dreamlink FTW
Beelink GT King with the AML S922 is the best I've used. Unless you game it is a solid, supported box. It will support gaming but not quite as well as Nvidia.
I would say if it's only for kodi/iptv don't get the shield, It's complete overkill.
A cheap android box wil suffice, for the price compared to the shield you could but 3 or 4 of them over a couple of years for the same price.
That being said if you pick up a 4k firestick during black friday it's happy days.
The only issue with stick is no USB port so you'll have to learn how to sideload, it's not that hard though.
There's something nobody ever mentions about the Shield compared to all these other cheap Chinese boxes.
The Nvidia Shield uses Android TV as opposed to standard Android. What this means is that you will have access to installing android apps designed for TV and remote control in mind. For example; Youtube on Nvidia has a much easier interface you can navigate with a remote. But on a Chinese box you'll have to use a mouse mostly to scroll though the menus and videos.
what i dont understand is why people buy those cheap boxes and they may only last you a year or so...with no updates.....you might as well just flush your money right down the toilet....i had my 2 shields since 2015 and they still get updates.....shield all the way
can you get remotes like the formuler remote for the shield? I like the tv style remote.
Buy on your own to just ensure malware and other apps aren’t downloaded onto your device
i would think getting a dreamlink box would be the best. (surprised no one mentioned that)
Shield all the way as it is simply the best Android box in the market & worth every penny.
I have the 2017 version and use it for iptv, nvidia gaming & retro gaming from roms I've downloaded.
If cost is an issue, go for a 4k firestick / 2nd gen firestick if 4k isn't a requirement as Amazon keep the firmware upto date and they are easy to work with for adding IPTV players to them.
I also have a Formuler Z8 and will be selling that as I only wanted it for the mytvonline 2 player that is built into its software, but now ImPlayer is available the Z8 is no longer a requirement as ImPlayer is built on mytvonline 2, but is streets ahead now due to a proactive dev.
Other apps I would recommend are Perfect Player then Tivimate.
As already said by others, stay away from Chinese boxes as they soon become old technology.