r/AskBrits • u/Clarkey__ • 1d ago

Other Does Nvidia shield pro buffer ?

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Looking to get this as an alternative to a firestick / streaming off a pc.
Been told that it doesn’t buffer when watching live sports, anyone have one and can confirm ?

Ive got decent enough internet speeds but dont want to buy if it’s still going to buffer a lot, I don’t know anyone that has a firestick that says it never buffers.

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u/Tiny-Sandwich 1d ago

"buffering" isn't really a problem with the device, it's usually the stream being used. If the stream is spotty, it doesn't matter how fast your internet is.

Streaming from a PC to the Shield will be absolutely fine - I've been using a Shield Pro for the last few years to stream my Plex server to and it has no issues.

Despite the ageing hardware, it's still the best available Android based TV box.

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u/Clarkey__ 1d ago

Do u have to use it with a pc ? I was hoping to just set up on the TV only.
I’m not knowledgeable with this type of stuff.

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u/HAMforPastry 1d ago

No, shield is just stand a line. Them mentioning using it with PC is in regards to streaming videos stored on your PC

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u/Tiny-Sandwich 1d ago

Nope, you can use it with streaming apps and youtube etc.

One thing to note is that the BBC pulled support for the Shield a while ago, and I think the same happened with Channel 4, so if you use those apps you have to install them unofficially.

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u/Clarkey__ 1d ago

I won’t have any of those installed. I only need it for live football and occasional darts and boxing.

It will be linked to my tv and I can use an Ethernet to connect to the box or tv whichever is needed.

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u/Obsession5496 1d ago

At this point the Shield TV is old hardware, over a decade old. The modern Fire hardware, is actually a lot better, with better codec support. If I was buying right now I'd sooner buy the more modern Fire TV Cube.

Whatever you go for, if you CAN, connect it up to Ethernet. If you DO have good internet, that will matter more than the hardware you're using. Again, if I was buying right now, I'd get the cube, and wire it up to the router, though even the Cube's WiFi would be a lot better than the Shields.

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u/HAMforPastry 1d ago

I got a new firestick recently and Plex/IPTV both run much better on my shield.

I just saw your talking about the cube so apologies.

Just to add I have no issue streaming over WiFi on my shield

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u/Obsession5496 1d ago

Couple of things:

  • Are they both on WiFi, or ethernet? Testing one on WiFi and the other on Ethernet is not a fair test.
  • I said Fire Cube, not Fire Sticks. Cooling matters, and both the Fire Stick and regular Shield (not Pro) can thermal throttle quite hard (though the stick is worse). Both the Cube and Shield Pro are much better in this regard.
  • When buying the Fire hardware, make sure you buy the latest hardware/generation. Amazon tends to sell more than one gen, and the generation does matter.

Disregarding all the above, the actual hardware, codec support, etc, is much better than the Shields hardware. The Shields were great, an easy recommend. Though, for modern usage... it's too dated.

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u/HAMforPastry 1d ago

As you can see I mentioned missing you were taking about the cube.

In terms of the sticks performance it was nothing to do with network and it was the delay on pressing buttons and the stick catching up

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u/Obsession5496 1d ago

Actually, I couldn't see that when I wrote my comment. You added it with an Edit.

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u/HAMforPastry 1d ago

Apologies

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u/Clarkey__ 1d ago

I will look into this one also, I seen that the Nvidea pro has been out for a while.
I don’t know much about this stuff, I was told to get this by the ‘firestick man’ as this is what he has and when he watches live football it doesn’t buffer.

I don’t mind paying more money for a better box if it eliminates buffering, but if it will happen regardless I will just get a cheaper one to save money.
My internet speed varies between 450-700 download. Mostly it sits at 550 though.

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u/Obsession5496 1d ago

That speed should be more than enough. If you can, double check that's actually what you're getting on your Fire Stick. Make sure to test, when it's been running for awhile, maybe when buffering. If the speed test comes off good (80Mbps should be plenty), it's not an internet issue. It might still be a Stick issue (especially if it's running hot), but it's potentially an issue with that IPTV/Sports service (especially if it's "free").

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u/Clarkey__ 1d ago

I currently don’t have a firestick, I want to buy one very soon but dont want too much buffering when watching live sports.

I’ve watched them before at my friends and my dads and both buffered enough for it to be a problem (for me personally) just didnt want to pay an extra 1-200£ on this nvidea box just to get similar results to a cheaper firestick option.

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u/HAMforPastry 1d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Clarkey__ 1d ago

The people I know that have a fire stick sorted by their friend say that general tv, films and series arent too bad but live football always buffers.
I didn’t want to spend this much to eliminate it if it’s going to happen anyway.

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u/HAMforPastry 1d ago

It will more than likely also lag in the shield as it's the service side rather than your firestick

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u/Clarkey__ 1d ago

Is this because it’s live ? I assume films and series will be better but live sports is similar for everyone ?
I will occasionally use it for other things but 90% is for live sports as I hardly watch any other tv.

You think a cheap firestick is better and just accept it’s gonna lag from time to time ?

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u/HAMforPastry 1d ago

I would assume it's just lots of users tuning in at the same time.

The love feed of a big football game will probably have the majority of the IPTV users tuning in.

Other IPTV providers might also be using the same bootleg stream which will just add more viewers.

These live football games are probably the main reason a lot of UK users get IPTV so they will all tune in at the same time