• Sideloaded Kodi appears immediately on home screen (a plus over Fire TV, which requires re-syncing and/or de-activating/re-activating)
  
• Kodi performance is as fast as with my Chromebox (navigating, snappiness)
  
• Video PQ is very good (but, not as quite good as Chromebox); not sure yet, need to watch some BD rips to decide
  
• Played almost all my test video files I threw at it (full BD rips, high bitrate files)
  
• No issues playing Birds and Jellyfish clips up to 120Mbps (impressive)
  
• MPEG2 1080i & 720p files (saved, and live TV) play fine only if I disable 'Deinterlace Video'. If enabled, whether I choose bob or any other option, video is jittery (especially when there's movement, pans, similar to VC-1 interlaced issue I've noted below)
  
• Even w/o h/w acceleration, VC-1 plays fairly well. 1080p/23.976 (ex: 'Constantine' BD rip) plays well, but 1080i/29.970 not so well (see below)
  
• My camcorder 1080p/30 and 1080p/60 (up to 35Mbps) files play perfectly (Fire TV can't, and neither can HiMedia Q5 4K)
  
• Paired Amazon's bluetooth Fire TV Stick remote to Shield. Took a couple of tries, but works well (need to hold 'Home' button for about 5-10 secs before doing a Bluetooth scan; may need to repeat)
  
• Able to install apps not present in Google Play onto Shield via Google Play via web browser on a PC
  
• Easy to sideload any games or apps (APK's); some work well, some not (as with Fire TV)
  
• Able to install Amazon's app store and download my purchased Fire TV games. But, app won't show on home screen; must go to Settings > Apps to locate and launch. Not all apps/games show up on home screen (some can only be accessed via Settings > Apps)
  
• Gameplay is excellent! Tried Beach Buggy Racing, Asphalt 8 and Cordy 2, which all play better than on Fire TV box and other Android boxes I've tried (including an Amlogic S812 box)
  
• Game controller is excellent; little heavy, but great for gameplay (better than Amazon's controller)
  
• Apps/games can be set to move to microSD automatically (I just have a 16GB mSD for now, but plan to get a 64GB) or USB storage automatically (most can be moved, and this functionality works better than with Fire TV)
  
• My iRainy gyro air-mouse keyboard combo did work (was necessary in Amazon app store app)
  

• VC-1 1080i/29.970 (ex: Eagles Farewell Melbourne content BD rip) plays w/o stutter, but there's judder (almost a strobe-like effect) in camera pans or any movement
  
• No HD audio is a big miss (nVidia is considering this, so hope they add support)
  
• No full 3D support is also disappointing (but, not surprising as nVidia like others are opting for 4K instead); I can only hope an alternate solution for 3D is possible (but not holding my breath)
  
• Android TV UI is so-so (my first experience with it); Fire TV seems better organized, less ackward, more polished
  
• Main UI has 'recommended' content based on your installed apps/usage, which can't be customized (to me, a waste of the best real estate there)
  
• Using included game controller isn't fun for anything that's non-gaming TV experience (and $50 for nVidia's remote is too pricey)
  
• Logitech K400 keyboard/touchpad doesn't work (not recognized)
  
• All my Amazon apps (Leo's Fortune, Badland, Rayman Fiesta Run, Sky News) installed fine on Shield, except Wind-up Knight 2. Wonder why?! Tried twice and install failed both times
  

(2015-05-30, 18:48)Koying Wrote: The test build at http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=228158 do support frame rate switching

(2015-05-31, 04:00)Gustovier Wrote: Hdmkv, is it possible to install Amazon prime instant video app on there?

(2015-05-31, 02:48)hdmkv Wrote: [*]Main UI has 'recommended' content based on your installed apps/usage, which can't be customized (to me, a waste of the best real estate there)

(2015-05-31, 02:48)hdmkv Wrote: I've played around with my nVidia Shield for about 3 hours. It basically feels like a more powerful Fire TV, but with not as nice a UI as it, nor its polished user experience. I'm impressed overall, but there's plenty of room for nVidia to improve this box.

I sideloaded Kodi for Shield here. ESFileExplorer remote install was first necessary from my computer's web browser to the Shield.

What's Cool:

• Sideloaded Kodi appears immediately on home screen (a plus over Fire TV, which requires re-syncing and/or de-activating/re-activating)
  
• Kodi performance is as fast as with my Chromebox (navigating, snappiness)
  
• Video PQ is very good (but, not as quite good as Chromebox); not sure yet, need to watch some BD rips to decide
  
• Played almost all my test video files I threw at it (full BD rips, high bitrate files)
  
• No issues playing Birds and Jellyfish clips up to 120Mbps (impressive)
  
• MPEG2 1080i & 720p files (saved, and live TV) play fine only if I disable 'Deinterlace Video'. If enabled, whether I choose bob or any other option, video is jittery (especially when there's movement, pans, similar to VC-1 interlaced issue I've noted below)
  
• Even w/o h/w acceleration, VC-1 plays fairly well. 1080p/23.976 (ex: 'Constantine' BD rip) plays well, but 1080i/29.970 not so well (see below)
  
• My camcorder 1080p/30 and 1080p/60 (up to 35Mbps) files play perfectly (Fire TV can't, and neither can HiMedia Q5 4K)
  
• Paired Amazon's bluetooth Fire TV Stick remote to Shield. Took a couple of tries, but works well (need to hold 'Home' button for about 5-10 secs before doing a Bluetooth scan; may need to repeat)
  
• Able to install apps not present in Google Play onto Shield via Google Play via web browser on a PC
  
• Easy to sideload any games or apps (APK's); some work well, some not (as with Fire TV)
  
• Able to install Amazon's app store and download my purchased Fire TV games. But, app won't show on home screen; must go to Settings > Apps to locate and launch. Not all apps/games show up on home screen (some can only be accessed via Settings > Apps)
  
• Gameplay is excellent! Tried Beach Buggy Racing, Asphalt 8 and Cordy 2, which all play better than on Fire TV box and other Android boxes I've tried (including an Amlogic S812 box)
  
• Game controller is excellent; little heavy, but great for gameplay (better than Amazon's controller)
  
• Apps/games can be set to move to microSD automatically (I just have a 16GB mSD for now, but plan to get a 64GB) or USB storage automatically (most can be moved, and this functionality works better than with Fire TV)
  
• My iRainy gyro air-mouse keyboard combo did work (was necessary in Amazon app store app)
  

What Needs Improvement:

• VC-1 1080i/29.970 (ex: Eagles Farewell Melbourne content BD rip) plays w/o stutter, but there's judder (almost a strobe-like effect) in camera pans or any movement
  
• No HD audio is a big miss (nVidia is considering this, so hope they add support)
  
• No full 3D support is also disappointing (but, not surprising as nVidia like others are opting for 4K instead); I can only hope an alternate solution for 3D is possible (but not holding my breath)
  
• Android TV UI is so-so (my first experience with it); Fire TV seems better organized, less ackward, more polished
  
• Main UI has 'recommended' content based on your installed apps/usage, which can't be customized (to me, a waste of the best real estate there)
  
• Using included game controller isn't fun for anything that's non-gaming TV experience (and $50 for nVidia's remote is too pricey)
  
• Logitech K400 keyboard/touchpad doesn't work (not recognized)
  
• All my Amazon apps (Leo's Fortune, Badland, Rayman Fiesta Run, Sky News) installed fine on Shield, except Wind-up Knight 2. Wonder why?! Tried twice and install failed both times
  

More testing necessary, but that's it for now. Does anyone know if there's a way to add installed apps that don't show up on home screen to have them show up on home screen?

(2015-05-31, 09:35)wolfbiker Wrote: In the settings you can choose which apps you want to display recommended content. Turn them all off, or enable only the ones you want to see recommendations from.

(2015-05-31, 04:43)jmcguire525 Wrote: Needs TVHZ app or not?

(2015-05-31, 16:57)jjd-uk Wrote: For apps to be displayed on the home screen the Android App Manifest needs to show support for the Leanback launcher and a few other things I believe.