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NVIDIA Shield (Android TV set-top box) - Printable Version

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RE: NVIDIA Shield (Android TV set-top box) - nickr - 2015-06-20

(2015-06-19, 10:38)mdfwrestler Wrote: All my equipment is in a central hub with my main 4k TV 30 meters away.
Really? It is a digital signal!

Even if that is an issue, between your post and mine there are references to active cables too.


RE: NVIDIA Shield (Android TV set-top box) - wesk05 - 2015-06-20

(2015-06-20, 07:52)kenofstephen Wrote: Not really, to meet the HDMI 2.0 standard the cable has to be really nice with thicker wires and good EMI shielding.
Cheaper cables may not handle it properly.
BUT, it doesn't cost more than US$5 to make a 100%-capable HDMI 2.0 cable.
HDMI.org doesn't have any separate testing standards for HDMI 2.0 cables. If any manufacturer is saying otherwise, it is nothing, but to mislead/confuse/fool buyers. In all probability, a cheap high speed cable that worked fine before will continue to work fine with HDMI 2.0.


RE: NVIDIA Shield (Android TV set-top box) - noggin - 2015-06-20

Yes - HDMI 2.0 includes modes with higher clock speeds than HDMI 1.4 - which will demand better electrical performance (in analogue terms) to carry a signal without it degrading to the point at which it can't be properly digitally decoded.

A very poor quality, in electrical terms, cable may not carry HDMI 2.0 signals without errors even though it may be able to carry an earlier version of HDMI, with lower clock speeds, without errors. However if the signal is carried without errors, it is carried without errors. Picture quality is not altered by cable if the signal arrives with no errors.


RE: NVIDIA Shield (Android TV set-top box) - mdfwrestler - 2015-06-21

(2015-06-20, 08:16)nickr Wrote:
(2015-06-19, 10:38)mdfwrestler Wrote: All my equipment is in a central hub with my main 4k TV 30 meters away.
Really? It is a digital signal!

Even if that is an issue, between your post and mine there are references to active cables too.

That's with a 30mtr active cable - unless some cables are more active than others? it's running my HTPC fine with 1080p content, i7 4970k Intel HD4600 GPU try switching to 4K60Hz and nothing....move HTPC next to TV and bingo 4K60Hz - but defeats the objective of the hub - unless I can slide the Android TV behind the telly (audio being the issue then back my receiver in the hub - only 1 HDMI on the Nvidia box).


RE: NVIDIA Shield (Android TV set-top box) - noggin - 2015-06-21

Not all active cables are equal.

AIUI some (most?) active cables only support HDMI 1.4 modes and below - and don't support the new, higher clock rate, HDMI 2.0 modes that are required for 4:2:2 and 4:4:4 2160/60p. If you are using an Active cable solution you'll need to upgrade to one that supports HDMI 2.0 modes. Active cables are the exception when it comes to cables supporting HDMI 1.4 vs HDMI 2.0. That's because they aren't really cables - they are HDMI sources and sinks.

(HDMI 1.1-1.3 ran with a max clock rate of 165MHz, HDMI 1.4 moved this to 340MHz and HDMI 2.0 now has a max clock rate of 600MHz.)


RE: NVIDIA Shield (Android TV set-top box) - mdfwrestler - 2015-06-21

(2015-06-21, 00:23)noggin Wrote: Not all active cables are equal.

AIUI some (most?) active cables only support HDMI 1.4 modes and below - and don't support the new, higher clock rate, HDMI 2.0 modes that are required for 4:2:2 and 4:4:4 2160/60p. If you are using an Active cable solution you'll need to upgrade to one that supports HDMI 2.0 modes. Active cables are the exception when it comes to cables supporting HDMI 1.4 vs HDMI 2.0. That's because they aren't really cables - they are HDMI sources and sinks.

(HDMI 1.1-1.3 ran with a max clock rate of 165MHz, HDMI 1.4 moved this to 340MHz and HDMI 2.0 now has a max clock rate of 600MHz.)

Cheers noggin, another option to research, only if I successfully replace my HDMI cable to HDMI 2.0 standard I could carry on with my HTPC - or just ditch it for a 4K60Hz receiver + Nvidia box Big Grin


Re: NVIDIA Shield (Android TV set-top box) - nickr - 2015-06-21

What about shield behind the tv, HDMI splutter and send the audio back to the hub via the existing cable?


RE: NVIDIA Shield (Android TV set-top box) - mdfwrestler - 2015-06-21

(2015-06-21, 00:39)nickr Wrote: What about shield behind the tv, HDMI splutter and send the audio back to the hub via the existing cable?

That was my original thought nickr, but doubtful of the quality of these splitters interfering with the video content. I have noticed however that gefen have an active HDMI (2.0) 1:2 device for around £180. I just desperately want the Nvidia Android TV option to work out but with my setup it’s not looking feasible especially as I already have a powerful HTPC running Kodi.


RE: NVIDIA Shield (Android TV set-top box) - wesk05 - 2015-06-21

(2015-06-21, 01:05)mdfwrestler Wrote: I have noticed however that gefen have an active HDMI (2.0) 1:2 device for around £180.

None of these splitters/extenders seem to support 4K 60Hz 4:4:4. There is no option on the SHIELD to select a specific resolution. It is auto-detect. There is also no word whether the SHIELD supports 4K 60Hz 4:2:0. nVIDIA release notes for 1.1 update states that 8-bit 4:2:0 4K 60 support has been added.


RE: NVIDIA Shield (Android TV set-top box) - artou - 2015-06-21

Can anybody please confirm if Nvidia Shield plays in 3D, SBS and HOU files? I want to get rid of a VidOn box but couldn't find any reference to 3D at Nvidia site


RE: NVIDIA Shield (Android TV set-top box) - noggin - 2015-06-21

(2015-06-21, 01:20)wesk05 Wrote:
(2015-06-21, 01:05)mdfwrestler Wrote: I have noticed however that gefen have an active HDMI (2.0) 1:2 device for around £180.

None of these splitters/extenders seem to support 4K 60Hz 4:4:4. There is no option on the SHIELD to select a specific resolution. It is auto-detect. There is also no word whether the SHIELD supports 4K 60Hz 4:2:0. It is likely that you will only get 4K 30Hz resolution when you use the splitter.

I'd be disappointed if the Shield didn't support 4:2:0 2160/60p and 50p - it's the only 2160/50p and 60p mode that quite a few HDMI 2.0 UHD TVs support - including mainstream Sony (and I think Samsung) models. They don't support 4:4:4 or 4:2:2 at 2160/60p or 50p. (Presumably because they are only support the HDMI 2.0 4:2:0 mode which fits into HDMI 1.4 bandwidth limits? nVidia support 4:2:0 2160/50p and 60p on their otherwise-HDMI 1.4a Kepler/Maxwell based video cards with recent Windows and Linux drivers so that may be hopeful.)


RE: NVIDIA Shield (Android TV set-top box) - noggin - 2015-06-21

(2015-06-21, 01:36)artou Wrote: Can anybody please confirm if Nvidia Shield plays in 3D, SBS and HOU files? I want to get rid of a VidOn box but couldn't find any reference to 3D at Nvidia site

Full res SBS or half-res? Half-res SBS is identical to 2D 1080p so as long as the UI renders properly in Kodi (which is a function of Kodi) I'd expect HSBS stuff to play fine (to the player hardware it's identical to 2D 1080p content)


RE: NVIDIA Shield (Android TV set-top box) - wesk05 - 2015-06-21

(2015-06-21, 02:02)noggin Wrote: I'd be disappointed if the Shield didn't support 4:2:0 2160/60p and 50p - it's the only 2160/50p and 60p mode that quite a few HDMI 2.0 UHD TVs support - including mainstream Sony (and I think Samsung) models. They don't support 4:4:4 or 4:2:2 at 2160/60p or 50p. (Presumably because they are only support the HDMI 2.0 4:2:0 mode which fits into HDMI 1.4 bandwidth limits? nVidia support 4:2:0 2160/50p and 60p on their otherwise-HDMI 1.4a Kepler/Maxwell based video cards with recent Windows and Linux drivers so that may be hopeful.)
Kodi Wiki for the SHIELD states that it does support 4:2:0 chroma subsampling. It is also mentioned in the release notes for 1.1 update. So, it looks like there shouldn't be any problem using the splitters. One another point that I overlooked is UHD Blu-ray spec is actually only 4:2:0. That is likely to be the source for more than 90% of 4K content.

Several 2015 Samsung 4K TVs have 4K 60Hz 4:4:4. Some Panasonic models also have it. None of the Sony models support 4:4:4.


RE: NVIDIA Shield (Android TV set-top box) - artou - 2015-06-21

(2015-06-21, 02:03)noggin Wrote:
(2015-06-21, 01:36)artou Wrote: Can anybody please confirm if Nvidia Shield plays in 3D, SBS and HOU files? I want to get rid of a VidOn box but couldn't find any reference to 3D at Nvidia site

Full res SBS or half-res? Half-res SBS is identical to 2D 1080p so as long as the UI renders properly in Kodi (which is a function of Kodi) I'd expect HSBS stuff to play fine (to the player hardware it's identical to 2D 1080p content)

Half will be Ok already as it put Shield at same lever of other boxes. I would expect it to play HSBS/HOU too but no mention about 3D capabilities is kind of strange coming from Nvidia


RE: NVIDIA Shield (Android TV set-top box) - nickr - 2015-06-21

Anything that can play 1920x1080 can play HSBS or HOU/HTAB. The HSBS/HOU/HTAB is simply a 1920x1080 file.