2. home-theater
  3. 156859-133829

Getting the most out of streamed video: Netflix and Plex (with NVIDIA Shield Pro?)

For those of you running audiophile grade surround sound setups, I'm wondering what your approach is to achieving HQ results from either
  • Netflix, which will naturally be compressed, lossy 
  • or Plex, which streams local network media.  Depending on your source can be blu-ray equivalent.
For example, when using a smart TV to stream both of these you have 2 choices for connecting audio to your A/V processor:
  1. HDMI ARC (audio return channel) with limited audio bandwidth support
  2. Optical with even less audio bandwidth support.
The verdict:  Smart TV streaming = bad

The solution: Use an external box to stream the services, which has full HDMI output to A/V processor.  Then A/V processor distributes to rest of your system.

Have any of you found a suitable box to stream Plex/Netflix in this way?  

On the short list is NVIDIA Shield Pro.  Although skeptical due to tiny form factor.  comments?

irave

Showing 3 responses by irave

irave OP
17 posts
 
Shield Pro is no doubt ahead in regards to feature set.  For example, it has Dolby Vision where the other premium choices don't.

Both the Zidoo and Shield are android based, so I'm assuming the Netflix/Plex experience would be very similar.  

I see advantages for the Zidoo for the high end power supply and other parts.  In the end, not sure how much better this will make the Zidoo sound ?  

Zidoo is apparently heavily geared towards playback using its internal storage.  Is there any benefit to using internal storage vs streaming from another PC on the network (via DLNA/Plex) ?  Seems to me this may be just another step - copying stuff to the box.
irave OP
17 posts
 
millercarbon, I'm sure your 2-ch setup is stellar, would love to hear it.  I have a setup with separate 2-ch side and surround side, where front L/R are always powered by 2-ch pre/amp.  Surround equipment can remain off when playing music.

auxinput, the Zidoo looks great - first I've heard of it.  

Previously I was considering something like  Sony UBP-X800M2, which provides 4k blu-ray + streaming, but apparently they are drawing back on their app support, which includes the dropping of Plex.  

It seems to be a challenge to find something that supports good 4k blu-ray and Plex/Netflix at the same time.

I've been using Plex for a long time - find it great for tracking what episode you've watched.  You're right, it's not a streaming service like Netflix but it is still network streaming (DLNA style).  Essentially DLNA with a better UI.

Have you found anything specifically that can do  4k blu-ray+Plex/Netflix?

Quarantinewhile, I'll look into the 3 brands you mentioned. Thanks

irave OP
17 posts
 
Just to report back some of my research...

The Zidoo (and other similar players) are purposely designed with local storage and a native menu for playing media.

So to get the most of these devices, you would copy media directly to it, then play. And the quality is supposed to be superior to even the Nvidia Shield for pic + audio.

However, support for other apps is limited and possibly clunky. For example, they currently dont have licensing from Netflix therefore you will only get 480 SD (NOT HD) quality when streaming.

I’m not sure what the limitations are for Plex, but then again, the Zidoo is a replacement for Plex for local network play via ethernet. i.e. it has a nice poster wall for displaying remote media.

Conclusion: for streaming services like Netflix, top choice seems to be Nvidia Shield TV Pro 2019. For local media, the Zidoo, Dune and Zappiti are ideal.
More to discover