[snowjim]

Hi,

I have been running Intel NUC´s with Windows in our home for many years now and it have been working Ok. The only complain is that they is a bit loud from time to time.

In our main media room we got a Intel NUC D54250WYKH with 4 GB ram and SSD and this unit is now generating a annoying sound. I have opened it up and cleaned it with the help of compressor but its still a bit loud, maybe its how its always been or it is a bit worn. Now I'm thinking of swapping it for a Nvidia Shield Pro 16 GB but I'm not sure it will be any better?

My Kodi setup consists of 2 Intel NUC connected to a MySQL database on a server where all media is placed. Kodi is running in portable mode to make it easier to update and make changes(set it up kodi files on main computer and then overwrite Kodi folder on Intel Nucs).

We are using Kodi, Disney+, Netflix, Youtube and streaming(Browser) from a couple of random websites.

The main media room have a LG OLED 4K with HDR, the 4K och HDR is unfortunately not used more then for some media on Netflix and Disney+. Im not sure that the current Intel NUC would be able to handle 4K and HDR?

So, Is there any advantages for me to switch to a Nvidia Shield Pro? Will it be easier to run 4K och HDR? Will the updates be easier or at least as easy? And how about noise from the unit? Or should I just stick with the Intel NUC?

Regards

[wrxtasy]

Hi,

I have been running Intel NUC´s with Windows in our home for many years now and it have been working Ok. The only complain is that they is a bit loud from time to time.

In our main media room we got a Intel NUC D54250WYKH with 4 GB ram and SSD and this unit is now generating a annoying sound. I have opened it up and cleaned it with the help of compressor but its still a bit loud, maybe its how its always been or it is a bit worn. Now I'm thinking of swapping it for a Nvidia Shield Pro 16 GB but I'm not sure it will be any better?

That Intel NUC D54250WYKH NUC - has a 4th generation Haswell 4250U processor.

If you want HDR out of Intel you need a 7th gen. Kaby Lake NUC or better - see the Intel paper - HERE (click)

And then you use Kodi v19 Matrix, see HERE (click)

We are using Kodi, Disney+, Netflix, Youtube and streaming(Browser) from a couple of random websites.

You will get a better WebBrowsing experience on Intel hardware vs any ARM (Android) based chipset media player out there.

The main media room have a LG OLED 4K with HDR, the 4K och HDR is unfortunately not used more then for some media on Netflix and Disney+.

Continue to use that for 4K HDR Apps, unless it an old slow LG OLED.
It will be far less hassles using 4K HDR DolbyVision Apps on a modern, premium 4K HDR TV vs anything else.

So, Is there any advantages for me to switch to a Nvidia Shield Pro? Will it be easier to run 4K och HDR? Will the updates be easier or at least as easy? And how about noise from the unit? Or should I just stick with the Intel NUC?

If Apps and WebOS on your LG OLED are unbearably slow, then get a Nvidia Shield, but consider...

Why not just get cheap Gigabit LAN - AMLogic hardware to run 4K HDR & HD audio - CoreELEC Kodi using a G20S or G30S wireless remote.
There are some snappy setups for cheap prices. AND CoreELEC autoupdates with stable OS & Kodi releases once installed.
You can very easily backup your entire Kodi setup as well and grab that backup from over your home network for safe storage.

That CE Kodi combo is so stable now it's boring

[noggin]

I'd recommend an Apple TV 4K over an Nvidia Shield TV if you are using it for streaming - as the frame rate switching on the Apple TV 4K is currently second-to-none.   The Shield TV still suffers in comparison (I have both).  You can run MrMC for near-Kodi experience. Downside is no HD Audio bit streaming - just decoding to PCM 5.1/7.1 (and 23.976 output of 24.000Hz content)

The CPU in the Apple TV 4K is much more capable than the CPU in other ARM-based media players.  Be interesting to see if a new version comes out when the new iPads do - as that could be a real beast.

[snowjim]

Hi,

I have been running Intel NUC´s with Windows in our home for many years now and it have been working Ok. The only complain is that they is a bit loud from time to time.

In our main media room we got a Intel NUC D54250WYKH with 4 GB ram and SSD and this unit is now generating a annoying sound. I have opened it up and cleaned it with the help of compressor but its still a bit loud, maybe its how its always been or it is a bit worn. Now I'm thinking of swapping it for a Nvidia Shield Pro 16 GB but I'm not sure it will be any better?

That Intel NUC D54250WYKH NUC - has a 4th generation Haswell 4250U processor.

If you want HDR out of Intel you need a 7th gen. Kaby Lake NUC or better - see the Intel paper - HERE (click)

And then you use Kodi v19 Matrix, see HERE (click)

 

Good to know

 

We are using Kodi, Disney+, Netflix, Youtube and streaming(Browser) from a couple of random websites.

You will get a better WebBrowsing experience on Intel hardware vs any ARM (Android) based chipset media player out there.

Okay, so the TV streamers that are missing an Android app could be a problem then? Better look into if the webBrowsing streams might have Android apps instead.
 

The main media room have a LG OLED 4K with HDR, the 4K och HDR is unfortunately not used more then for some media on Netflix and Disney+.

Continue to use that for 4K HDR Apps, unless it an old slow LG OLED.
It will be far less hassles using 4K HDR DolbyVision Apps on a modern, premium 4K HDR TV vs anything else.

The OLED TV is 2-3 years so Netflix and Disney+ do still work great but its probably just a matter of time before I will have to use a secondary media box for it.

So running 4K HDR Kodi in a Nvidia Shield box is more hassle?
 

So, Is there any advantages for me to switch to a Nvidia Shield Pro? Will it be easier to run 4K och HDR? Will the updates be easier or at least as easy? And how about noise from the unit? Or should I just stick with the Intel NUC?

If Apps and WebOS on your LG OLED are unbearably slow, then get a Nvidia Shield, but consider...

Why not just get cheap Gigabit LAN - AMLogic hardware to run 4K HDR & HD audio - CoreELEC Kodi using a G20S or G30S wireless remote.
There are some snappy setups for cheap prices. AND CoreELEC autoupdates with stable OS & Kodi releases once installed.
You can very easily backup your entire Kodi setup as well and grab that backup from over your home network for safe storage.

That CE Kodi combo is so stable now it's boring

I am looking for a out of box solution more or less, no special, special, it tends to get messy after a while when it needs to be changed in any way.

[snowjim]

I'd recommend an Apple TV 4K over an Nvidia Shield TV if you are using it for streaming - as the frame rate switching on the Apple TV 4K is currently second-to-none.   The Shield TV still suffers in comparison (I have both).  You can run MrMC for near-Kodi experience. Downside is no HD Audio bit streaming - just decoding to PCM 5.1/7.1 (and 23.976 output of 24.000Hz content)

The CPU in the Apple TV 4K is much more capable than the CPU in other ARM-based media players.  Be interesting to see if a new version comes out when the new iPads do - as that could be a real beast.

I have left everything Apple far behind me. Even if they got great hardware there is always something that will not really works as you want it to. Often I have been forced to jailbreak and even if that is not that complicated(most of the time) it usually ends up in a mess after a while.

[snowjim]

I have heard that Nvidia have a method to upscale 1080p to 4K, is this something the Shield can do?

Will the shield generate about the same noise as a Intel NUC?

[noggin]

I have heard that Nvidia have a method to upscale 1080p to 4K, is this something the Shield can do?

Yes - nVidia have an implementation of their AI Scaling on the Shield TV. The jury is very much out over how good it is though - some think it just artificially sharpens the picture - rather than really creating new, realistic detail.

Will the shield generate about the same noise as a Intel NUC?

The Shield TV is fanless, and effectively silent. Standard NUCs have small fans I believe - certainly my Haswell i5 NUC I used to have had audible fan noise. The Shield TV is likely to be quieter.

However a NUC with a decent Intel CPU in it is likely to be a lot faster in doing CPU-intensive operations than the Shield TV, so it may feel snappier even with the heaviest skin.  On the other hand - 4K HDR output and HD Audio bit streaming just work on the Shield TV - whereas for Intel NUCs they still seem to require a bit more effort?

(By the way - the nVidia Shield is/was a gaming tablet, the Shield TV is the media player product)

[snowjim]

Sounds like I should try a Nvidia Shield then.

I have been running my Kodi setup as portable. This makes it easy for me to just install it on my main computer, set it up and then copy/replace the files on my 2 Mediacenter boxes, so no dubble work. How will this work in the Shield? Handling versions? Handling file Shares? Handling plugins? Handling settings?

I really don't want to set it all up multiple times.

[snowjim]

Is there any problems to play HDR 4K on Nvidia Shield TV Pro? Any extra software that needs to be installed or configurated?

[noggin]

Is there any problems to play HDR 4K on Nvidia Shield TV Pro? Any extra software that needs to be installed or configurated?

The Shield TV Pro plays HDR10 content with no issues within Kodi.

You will probably want to enable colour space/gamut switching in the Shield TV settings, and chose a Rec 2020 HDMI output mode, to ensure Rec 709 content is output as Rec 709 (which is the colour gamut/space used for HD content like HD TV and Blu-ray) and Rec 2020 is output as Rec 2020 (which is the colour gamut used for UHD HDR Blu-ray, UHD HDR Netflix/Prime etc.).

If you don't enable gamut/colour space/format switching then your Shield TV will output all content as Rec 2020, and do an internal Rec 709->Rec 2020 gamut map.  The Shield TV does this well BUT as all mainstream Rec 709 content is SDR, and some TVs don't display SDR Rec 2020 as people would like, the mapping results are not to everyone's taste, and differ to how a TV would display Rec 709 SDR content fed direct.

[snowjim]

That sounds great. 

I do infact already got a Nvidia Shield 2015 16 GB in the kids room, may this be up to the task or should I get a 2019 version?

[snowjim]

Is there any problems to play HDR 4K on Nvidia Shield TV Pro? Any extra software that needs to be installed or configurated?

The Shield TV Pro plays HDR10 content with no issues within Kodi.

You will probably want to enable colour space/gamut switching in the Shield TV settings, and chose a Rec 2020 HDMI output mode, to ensure Rec 709 content is output as Rec 709 (which is the colour gamut/space used for HD content like HD TV and Blu-ray) and Rec 2020 is output as Rec 2020 (which is the colour gamut used for UHD HDR Blu-ray, UHD HDR Netflix/Prime etc.).

If you don't enable gamut/colour space/format switching then your Shield TV will output all content as Rec 2020, and do an internal Rec 709->Rec 2020 gamut map.  The Shield TV does this well BUT as all mainstream Rec 709 content is SDR, and some TVs don't display SDR Rec 2020 as people would like, the mapping results are not to everyone's taste, and differ to how a TV would display Rec 709 SDR content fed direct.

After ALOT of work(and problems) I finally got Kodi running on the Shield against the MySQL server and SMB file shares.

I also hade to connect the shield direcly to the TV becouse the VA do not handle HDR.

I have set the Shield to auto swtich between Rec 2020 and Rec 709. I also set the resolution to 4K 10 bit 420, 59hz is this correct settings?

[noggin]

Is there any problems to play HDR 4K on Nvidia Shield TV Pro? Any extra software that needs to be installed or configurated?

The Shield TV Pro plays HDR10 content with no issues within Kodi.

You will probably want to enable colour space/gamut switching in the Shield TV settings, and chose a Rec 2020 HDMI output mode, to ensure Rec 709 content is output as Rec 709 (which is the colour gamut/space used for HD content like HD TV and Blu-ray) and Rec 2020 is output as Rec 2020 (which is the colour gamut used for UHD HDR Blu-ray, UHD HDR Netflix/Prime etc.).

If you don't enable gamut/colour space/format switching then your Shield TV will output all content as Rec 2020, and do an internal Rec 709->Rec 2020 gamut map.  The Shield TV does this well BUT as all mainstream Rec 709 content is SDR, and some TVs don't display SDR Rec 2020 as people would like, the mapping results are not to everyone's taste, and differ to how a TV would display Rec 709 SDR content fed direct.

After ALOT of work(and problems) I finally got Kodi running on the Shield against the MySQL server and SMB file shares.

I also hade to connect the shield direcly to the TV becouse the VA do not handle HDR.

I have set the Shield to auto swtich between Rec 2020 and Rec 709. I also set the resolution to 4K 10 bit 420, 59hz is this correct settings?

If your TV supports 4:2:2 (which would be 12 bit as there is no 10 bit option for 4:2:2 2160p60) then I'd select that over 4:2:0 - and if you mainly watch 50Hz content then I'd select 50Hz as the UI default - but yes - Rec 2020 2160p50 or 59.94Hz in 4:2:2 or 4:2:0 are sensible.

The 2015 Shield TV has very similar video functionality to the 2019 models in Kodi terms - outside of Kodi you gain Dolby Vision support and the SoC is a bit faster (so UI rendering may be a bit snappier - but only by a relatively small amount)

[snowjim]

The Shield TV Pro plays HDR10 content with no issues within Kodi.

You will probably want to enable colour space/gamut switching in the Shield TV settings, and chose a Rec 2020 HDMI output mode, to ensure Rec 709 content is output as Rec 709 (which is the colour gamut/space used for HD content like HD TV and Blu-ray) and Rec 2020 is output as Rec 2020 (which is the colour gamut used for UHD HDR Blu-ray, UHD HDR Netflix/Prime etc.).

If you don't enable gamut/colour space/format switching then your Shield TV will output all content as Rec 2020, and do an internal Rec 709->Rec 2020 gamut map.  The Shield TV does this well BUT as all mainstream Rec 709 content is SDR, and some TVs don't display SDR Rec 2020 as people would like, the mapping results are not to everyone's taste, and differ to how a TV would display Rec 709 SDR content fed direct.

After ALOT of work(and problems) I finally got Kodi running on the Shield against the MySQL server and SMB file shares.

I also hade to connect the shield direcly to the TV becouse the VA do not handle HDR.

I have set the Shield to auto swtich between Rec 2020 and Rec 709. I also set the resolution to 4K 10 bit 420, 59hz is this correct settings?

If your TV supports 4:2:2 (which would be 12 bit as there is no 10 bit option for 4:2:2 2160p60) then I'd select that over 4:2:0 - and if you mainly watch 50Hz content then I'd select 50Hz as the UI default - but yes - Rec 2020 2160p50 or 59.94Hz in 4:2:2 or 4:2:0 are sensible.

The 2015 Shield TV has very similar video functionality to the 2019 models in Kodi terms - outside of Kodi you gain Dolby Vision support and the SoC is a bit faster (so UI rendering may be a bit snappier - but only by a relatively small amount)

I could not find a 422 settings, only 420 so I suppose LG OLED65C8 do not support 420.

[noggin]

After ALOT of work(and problems) I finally got Kodi running on the Shield against the MySQL server and SMB file shares.

I also hade to connect the shield direcly to the TV becouse the VA do not handle HDR.

I have set the Shield to auto swtich between Rec 2020 and Rec 709. I also set the resolution to 4K 10 bit 420, 59hz is this correct settings?

If your TV supports 4:2:2 (which would be 12 bit as there is no 10 bit option for 4:2:2 2160p60) then I'd select that over 4:2:0 - and if you mainly watch 50Hz content then I'd select 50Hz as the UI default - but yes - Rec 2020 2160p50 or 59.94Hz in 4:2:2 or 4:2:0 are sensible.

The 2015 Shield TV has very similar video functionality to the 2019 models in Kodi terms - outside of Kodi you gain Dolby Vision support and the SoC is a bit faster (so UI rendering may be a bit snappier - but only by a relatively small amount)

I could not find a 422 settings, only 420 so I suppose LG OLED65C8 do not support 420.

Yes - either that or you need to enable 'Enhanced HDMI' in your TV, or try a different HDMI input.

Some TVs only have 4:2:2 2160p50/59.94 support on one or two of their HDMI inputs (My Sony is 4:2:0 for HDMI 1 and 4, and 4:2:2 for HDMI 2 and 3 - and I need to enable 'Enhanced HDMI' to enable it on HDMI 2 and 3 - otherwise they signal just 4:2:0 support).  4:2:0 is lower bandwidth so will often work over lower-bandwidth quality cables too.