Roku 3 - sam9s take on the device

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^^ I will give a detailed answer, but just as a start, a good example will be, ability to play media off a Networked Drive/storage, very very limited and handicapped in Roku, as it depends on an "app" that simulates the file read and write, which is so bloody crippled. Roku ain't good as a Media Player as simple as that, and if you will read my review first page I have clearly admitted it as well. Its a good device as far as you are Ok with streaming content off net via "channels" that are available, apart from that Roku is very limited in its usage.
 
sam9s said:
^^ I will give a detailed answer, but just as a start, a good example will be, ability to play media off a Networked Drive/storage, very very limited and handicapped in Roku, as it depends on an "app" that simulates the file read and write, which is so bloody crippled. Roku ain't good as a Media Player as simple as that, and if you will read my review first page I have clearly admitted it as well. Its a good device as far as you are Ok with streaming content off net via "channels" that are available, apart from that Roku is very limited in its usage.
Click to expand...

Got that. But how is Shield superior in this respect?

I created a Plex Server on my MacBook with USB attached. Then I played the movies through the Plex app on Roku. It played pretty well without any stutter or judder, neither did it take too much time to load. However, since I am used to madvr, the picture quality was ordinary. I don't suppose I will be too happy with Shield either unless there is a way to load madvr. And if there would, Shield has just the graphics card to use madVR full pump. On my MAcBook I am limited to superxbr and and cannot use anti-ringing feature due to an inferior NVidia card.
 
well, if a hardware is not able to do a basic media playing off a network drive (which is pretty common and imperative in todays scenario), it aint a Good Media player (infact it aint a Media Player at all)..PERIOD!. So yes Shield IS superior in that respect, also let me emphasize that I am comparing the device as a Media player and a streaming device, not on the capability of the hardware. Roku Ultra might have the hardware to play 4K, HDR blah blah but only as a streaming device with a capability to play 4K HDR of an Internet stream, not a local/networked file (except via plex which is another story all together).

SHIELD is media player capable of playing 4K HDR from an internet stream AND from a local/networked drive as well ....which is what makes it superior. Simple

Coming to plex, when and if you will use SHIELD you will see how superior and amazing the Plex experience is on SHIELD, since it works Both as Server and as a Client (Roku can only act as a client). SO the entire experience is much much better when it comes to PLEX on SHIELD, so again in that respect as well SHIELD is much superior.

Now coming to it being an ANDROID TV and my point being versatile which rests here, you can make SHIELD as your UPnP server, FTP server, Bubble UPnP server (Mind you which is not same as plain UPnP server, though both share similar name), Run Teamviewer, and for people with Synology like me run all Synology apps flawlessly, like DS Photo and DS Audio and DS Video.
Roku only runs DS Video .. that too crap as hell ..lol ....What do you think, which one is superior..?? .. :)

Then you have the master of universe media renderer KODI and SPMC both work like butter on SHIELD, can Roku run it ????... :) ....superiority here..??

Another one, Roku does not bitstream HD audio Roku Ultra as well, and there are a lot of problems with Roku doing surround sound, especially FLAC 5.1, some bug in the firmware.

Source :: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/40148-roku-ultra/

source 2 https://forums.roku.com/viewtopic.php?t=97915

SHIELD Tv Does bit streaming Flawlessly ... Makes it superior I guess doesn't it ... :)

Source .. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb2SLb5819c

Other advantages, it doubles up as Chromecast, so no need for a separate one.

Finally last but not the least ... GAMING .... SHIELD has everything for every segment of gamer, even if you are not at all a gamer, you will agree every one plays Android games, small big you name it, SHIELD has covered this aspect like a BOSS. For casual gamers it has the usual Shield games like dead trigger, all racing games like ASPHALT GT Racing 3 etc etc, for serious gamers it has GRID (GEFORCE NOW), which is like Netflix for games, yes its subscription-based much like Netflix, but it WORKS! bloody works here as well. With a 40mbps Airtel connection ping < 5ms it just flows. You dont need to download install anything, just choose the game and it starts playing. Heavy games I am talking about like BATMAN:Arkham Origins, MAD MAX, DOOM 3, Tomb Raider, etc etc.

Abhi khanai baki hai, for people who have a gaming PC with that befy GPU, they can stream games from that PC to SHIELD TV and that also works perfect. so you donnt have to connect that extra monitor, infact just keep your PC stuffed somewhere and just stream games from it on you big HDTV. SHIELD OWNS IT ALL, ITS the MOTHER OR MEDIA PLAYER and excels as an ENTERTAINMENT CENTER. No Questions about it..

Hope that is enough to say SHIELD is much much superior than Roku Ultra in every sense....:):)



PS :: DAMM I was keeping all this for my SHIELD Review Thread ... :D :D ...
 
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sam9s said:
well, if a hardware is not able to do a basic media playing off a network drive (which is pretty common and imperative in todays scenario), it aint a Good Media player (infact it aint a Media Player at all)..PERIOD!. So yes Shield IS superior in that respect, also let me emphasize that I am comparing the device as a Media player and a streaming device, not on the capability of the hardware. Roku Ultra might have the hardware to play 4K, HDR blah blah but only as a streaming device with a capability to play 4K HDR of an Internet stream, not a local/networked file (except via plex which is another story all together).

SHIELD is media player capable of playing 4K HDR from an internet stream AND from a local/networked drive as well ....which is what makes it superior. Simple

Coming to plex, when and if you will use SHIELD you will see how superior and amazing the Plex experience is on SHIELD, since it works Both as Server and as a Client (Roku can only act as a client). SO the entire experience is much much better when it comes to PLEX on SHIELD, so again in that respect as well SHIELD is much superior.

Now coming to it being an ANDROID TV and my point being versatile which rests here, you can make SHIELD as your UPnP server, FTP server, Bubble UPnP server (Mind you which is not same as plain UPnP server, though both share similar name), Run Teamviewer, and for people with Synology like me run all Synology apps flawlessly, like DS Photo and DS Audio and DS Video.
Roku only runs DS Video .. that too crap as hell ..lol ....What do you think, which one is superior..?? .. :)

Then you have the master of universe media renderer KODI and SPMC both work like butter on SHIELD, can Roku run it ????... :) ....superiority here..??

Another one, Roku does not bitstream HD audio Roku Ultra as well, and there are a lot of problems with Roku doing surround sound, especially FLAC 5.1, some bug in the firmware.

Source :: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/40148-roku-ultra/

source 2 https://forums.roku.com/viewtopic.php?t=97915

SHIELD Tv Does bit streaming Flawlessly ... Makes it superior I guess doesn't it ... :)

Source .. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb2SLb5819c

Other advantages, it doubles up as Chromecast, so no need for a separate one.

Finally last but not the least ... GAMING .... SHIELD has everything for every segment of gamer, even if you are not at all a gamer, you will agree every one plays Android games, small big you name it, SHIELD has covered this aspect like a BOSS. For casual gamers it has the usual Shield games like dead trigger, all racing games like ASPHALT GT Racing 3 etc etc, for serious gamers it has GRID (GEFORCE NOW), which is like Netflix for games, yes its subscription-based much like Netflix, but it WORKS! bloody works here as well. With a 40mbps Airtel connection ping < 5ms it just flows. You dont need to download install anything, just choose the game and it starts playing. Heavy games I am talking about like BATMAN:Arkham Origins, MAD MAX, DOOM 3, Tomb Raider, etc etc.

Abhi khanai baki hai, for people who have a gaming PC with that befy GPU, they can stream games from that PC to SHIELD TV and that also works perfect. so you donnt have to connect that extra monitor, infact just keep your PC stuffed somewhere and just stream games from it on you big HDTV. SHIELD OWNS IT ALL, ITS the MOTHER OR MEDIA PLAYER and excels as an ENTERTAINMENT CENTER. No Questions about it..

Hope that is enough to say SHIELD is much much superior than Roku Ultra in every sense....:):)



PS :: DAMM I was keeping all this for my SHIELD Review Thread ... :D :D ...
Click to expand...

First off thank you very much for an elaborate answer as this helps me to decide, according to my needs, if I need the Shield at all. I emphasize I.

I was looking at Shield if it can provide a superior way to play movies I own, I realise it cannot, better than madVr MPC-HC, and I am not sure there's a way to implement Kodi DSPlayer onto the shield. If it can, then we are talking. Kodi or Plex to me is at best a terrific filing system when not with DSPlayer. Though I would pine for the heavy shoulders of the Shield graphics card. Though I admit, those who have not experienced madVR+LAV+Reclock or Sanear, its a good deal for video. Aggregation as well as playing. And yes, it goes out of home too on your phone and stuff, which I am totally not into.

Apart from the graphics card, I think the fact that Shield can be both client and server is absolutely great. Since I don't own a NAS, despite coming close to buying it a couple of times and then realising I don't need it, I think I can safely not miss the Shield. Though I have seen no glitch when playing with Plex but then I probably played DD+ and DTS. Does not bother me though, since Shield cannot suffice for the quality of visual upscaling that I am looking for in movies.

For pure audio, I would avoid both Roku and Shield, as playing music through HDMI doesn't sound compelling at all. Or is there another way on Shield?

And I am not a gamer.

Hence, Shield right now is looking to me like that feature rich product, that often gets utilised for a feature or two. And now that I have already bought Roku Ultra, and I must admit, at the suggestions from here not in a distant past, I may avoid buying Shield. But without question, and especially after your explanation, if I was looking for one right now, I would go for the Shield.

That said, maybe anybody investing in Shield for watching movies primarily may want to try out some of the apparatus I am using. Its free and superior to Roku, Shield or any other, by far. Just make sure you have a decent graphics card, as madVR can be heavy like that. This might help: http://lifehacker.com/how-to-get-better-picture-quality-from-your-home-theate-1700412363
 
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^^ Brother the discussion and point was to compare between SHIELD Tv and Roku ultra, and you have cleverly shifted the focus to MAD Vr and MPC-HC. :) You are now venturing into the realms of an HTPC, which in all possibility will always be ahead of any Media Player/Device/Streamer.

If you were looking at Shield if it can provide a superior way to play movies, then compare it with Roku Ultra naaa, (which was the original discussion) not with an HTPC weapon, and in that comparison SHIELD wins hands down.

Coming to other points, even if you do not own a NAS, playing off a Networked Device is a must these days (you might want to play from your Phone or notebook connected to your home network if not a NAS) for any media player. Roku cannt even match the durability of a media player, playing off a connected HDD. Its "app" to play back media content is very limited in all aspects to say the least. You need to understand Roku is a Streaming Device ONLY, and it excels in that no doubt, (coz of the sheer number of channels it offers) but SHIELD is a streaming device, a Media Player, an ANDROID TV, a Chromecast, a PLEX server a Gaming Platform and much, much more ALL IN ONE, there is no question about it being superior than Roku. And if you are just trying to justify otherwise coz you "own" Roku Ultra, then my friend you are being nothing but Naive.

I bought a Roku 3 as well, and in my review I clearly admitted its drawback, its an amazing streaming device and that is what it should be accounted and accepted for..:)
 
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sam9s said:
^^ Brother the discussion and point was to compare between SHIELD Tv and Roku ultra, and you have cleverly shifted the focus to MAD Vr and MPC-HC. :) You are now venturing into the realms of an HTPC, which in all possibility will always be ahead of any Media Player/Device/Streamer.

If you were looking at Shield if it can provide a superior way to play movies, then compare it with Roku Ultra naaa, (which was the original discussion) not with an HTPC weapon, and in that comparison SHIELD wins hands down.

Coming to other points, even if you do not own a NAS, playing off a Networked Device is a must these days (you might want to play from your Phone or notebook connected to your home network if not a NAS) for any media player. Roku cannt even match the durability of a media player, playing off a connected HDD. Its "app" to play back media content is very limited in all aspects to say the least. You need to understand Roku is a Streaming Device ONLY, and it excels in that no doubt, (coz of the sheer number of channels it offers) but SHIELD is a streaming device, a Media Player, an ANDROID TV, a Chromecast, a PLEX server a Gaming Platform and much, much more ALL IN ONE, there is no question about it being superior than Roku. And if you are just trying to justify otherwise coz you "own" Roku Ultra, then my friend you are being nothing but Naive.

I bought a Roku 3 as well, and in my review I clearly admitted its drawback, its an amazing streaming device and that is what it should be accounted and accepted for..:)
Click to expand...



Don't get me wrong. I am not comparing as I have bought in to your argument already. And like I said I am looking to see if I need it additionally. It seems I do not. But wanted to give a reason, you'll agree it gives a better perspective to others who read too. Instead of an abject 'no I dont need it'. Anyway I bought the Roku on advice from here and on its merit for being a good streaming device, think you too were a part of that discussion. I have also stated the gaming point as well. And I ended by saying if I was to buy today I would buy the shield. Anyway, I would buy something that does one thing better than the rest. If I was gamer I would go for Shield even now but I am not. So Roku Ultra works for me for streaming. Hence your explanation in the previous post has just helped me save 18k. So thank you and goodnight.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
sam9s said:
Nope didnt work .. Says Service Area Restriction. Your amazon account is set to country where amazon video app for android isnt supported. BUMMER.

Guess OTA is the only hope left.
Click to expand...

Create amazon.com account for the same email ID and see if it works. I loaded this version on my Mi TV box(Official Android TV), I was able to see Indian content. When I clicked on a title, it said there is some issue. I am seeing this error because I side loaded shield version on Mi TV box. Since you are using shield gen 1, you should be able to see the Indian content.

I know it sounds weird that amazon.com to be created to see Indian content but it is worth trying. I have a feeling that during the first login it checks whether you have an account in Amazon Video supported area(I am not talking about Prime Video here but Amazon Video). If not, it is throwing that error.

Just to clarify, Amazon Video and Prime Video are actually different. Amazon Video is supported only in US, UK, Germany, Austria and Japan. Prime Video is there for those countries where Amazon Video is not present. However, Amazon Video supported countries can also access PrimeVideo.com
 
^^ I deleted the app now, its ok I will wait for official OTA update. I can wait for 1-2 weeks, thats not a problem .... :)
 
Ladies and Gentlemen ...Finally the update arrived, on my SHIELD TV and boy or boy changed a whole lot of things, but best part AMAZON PRIME VIDEO arrived and works GREAT!!! check out few below snaps ..... :)

2mf174k.jpg


10h3uv7.jpg
 
HI,

Kindly help me with the steps to install AMAZON PRIME on ROKU3. I have just not been able to find how to do it.

Please Please

Thank you

Anirban
 
Managed to update the Amazon Prime Video App on Roku 3 yesterday and logged into the Prime Section. Wow! What a fantastic collection of movies, series and channels? Now spoilt for choice between Netflix and APV:licklips:
 
anirban3 said:
HI,

Kindly help me with the steps to install AMAZON PRIME on ROKU3. I have just not been able to find how to do it.

Please Please

Thank you

Anirban
Click to expand...

Search for APV app and load it. Also go to the system menu in Roku 3 and press update to refresh all apps.
 
Can you one of you please confirm if Amazon Prime videos work on Roku 3 or NVidia Shield or Fire TV from India?

The key word here is from India. When I asked Amazon customer service they directed me to a page where none of these devices are listed as supported. Only a few Smart TVs were listed.
 
APV on Roku 3 only loads US content and not India as far as I can tell, as this is what happened with my Roku. Fire TV I have no idea.
on nVidia Shield it works perfectly, loads India content as well, BUT you need to do some tweaks on the shield itself in order to get the app work (search sam9s thread on nvidia shield forums) once tweaked it works absolutely fine.

The below thread will help all the shield owners looking for APV

https://forums.geforce.com/default/...ot-and-if-you-can-use-it-with-the-shield-app/
 
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Fire TV amazon video app doesn't work. It gives error. But if you have an android phone, your can cast the content to the Fire TV and it works well.
 
skoka123 said:
Can you one of you please confirm if Amazon Prime videos work on Roku 3 or NVidia Shield or Fire TV from India?

The key word here is from India. When I asked Amazon customer service they directed me to a page where none of these devices are listed as supported. Only a few Smart TVs were listed.
Click to expand...
I am using Nvidia shield ,APV INDIA works flawlessly .No need tweak
 
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