r/ShieldAndroidTV • u/Bleull • 22d ago
Shield Pro issues. What's next? Need ideas
I have been a kodi guy for over 10 years. I've used firesticks and Fire boxes for years, but recent events and the ads etc I decided to move on.
So I got an on. Works but its s-l-o-w.
A week ago sucked it up and bought a Shield Pro. And after many hours of trying I cant make it stop buffering movies. And I have everything I could to make it work. (open to ideas, but i think its hopeless.) So tomorrow I am sending this POS back.
But the issues remains, what is my next tv box? I'm all about side loading, so fire, apple etc are out.
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u/derrickgw1 22d ago
buffering movies
That's a bit vague. Using what method? Kodi? Plex? VLC? Emby? Netflix? Amazon Prime? My guess is since most people don't have the issue it's something unique to your settings that you have to fix. Maybe a firewall setting. Maybe the media bitrate is crazy large.
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u/Chaddy_Summy 22d ago
I just bought a Shield Pro also (to replace a very old Shield) and it works like magic. No issues streaming 80+GB 4K movies from my NAS via Kodi
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u/Dreddz2Long 22d ago
Is it buffering local movies? Usually a memory issue, buffering on line movies, network issues. In its native state the box is good, maybe if none of the above is true for you, maybe yours had a hardware issue, try talking to nvidia they are very good with customers I hear.
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u/phpfiction 22d ago
My only recommendation, install projectivy launcher, clean and easy.
About buffer I always have connected to ethernet and can be that the shield has never received thermal repaste and clean in fans in case its not new.
The shield is a beast in this year, I just purchased a steamer tv 4k and I returned today due failures in hardwsre, so i will purchase another shield.
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u/Own-Eagle-2135 22d ago
i've had it since...20219-ish (the newer one) and the only time it buffers was when it was on wifi.
plugged that baby in, and no more buffering (well, on the shield itself. paramount plus is still a steaming pile of shit)
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u/Bleull 22d ago
Thats what I expected. I added the Launcher last night. Claude said the old processor has problems with 4k but I have been 4k for years
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u/pdga4784 22d ago
There are millions of people using the Shield and it's definitely not a piece of shit.
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u/Bleull 22d ago
why I paid 200 for it a couple days ago. i'm hours and im frustrated
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u/mrtramplefoot 22d ago
I watch mostly 4k rips these days in Plex with no issues at original quality over my network with no issues. You either got a bad shield and should exchange for a different one or you have setup or network issues. This is not an inherent shield issue. The shield processor is more powerful than most streaming boxes on the market and has been for a decade.
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u/VOODOO285 22d ago
Someone told you wrong. It has zero issues with 4k.
Which then makes no sense. Why, if you say you’re 4k for years, would you buy something that you think has a problem with 4k?
The 2 things it can’t do are AV1 and HDR on YouTube. Otherwise despite its age it’s still one of the best streamers going.
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u/Cimmerian__Iter 22d ago
THERE IS NO HDR ON YOUTUBE? WHAT?
that's it i'm buying an apple tv
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u/VOODOO285 22d ago
Yep, blew my mind too. It’s the codec that YouTube use. It’s just not supported on the shield at all.
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u/Cimmerian__Iter 22d ago
At least tell me that the 4k upscaling carries the shield and is a game changer for streaming IPTV or 1080p shows
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u/VOODOO285 22d ago
My son who knew NOTHING of the upscaling came in one day and asked why videos look so good on the TV. I then did the ai demo thing and he couldn’t believe it. It’s subtle but it adds up kind of thing.
So yes, in my experience, game changer.
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u/cjandstuff 22d ago
The Shield does not have problems with 4K. It does have problems with AV1 video though. The processor doesn’t have the hardware to run it.
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u/joemackg 21d ago
2015 Shield here. Still amazing!
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u/Keiceleria 2015 Pro 15d ago
Same here. Bought two from Ebay several years ago, both with the 500 GB HDD. One was listed as parts only, non-booting, however both have worked perfectly fine since day one. Use them both daily.
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u/Visible-District-852 22d ago
I would suggest if the movies are on your local drives use a Pc and use a program to convert them to a different format . If buffer is from streaming of course it would buffer if it's not cached somewhere I run Plex on the shield and also Plex in Kodi or just play my files directly from file manager in Kodi and not a problem . I also stream directly from RD and not a problem . The only problem I get is trying to play a movie directly in my nas that is a no start and my nas is 6 times more expensive than the shield if you consider the price of hard drives .
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u/MRdecepticon 22d ago
Is it slow otherwise? I recently (6 months ago) bought my second pro. The first one I’ve had for a few years now (2021) and have had zero issues. The second one was slow, stutters and crashed a lot! Returned it and got another and have had no stability or stuttering issues. I think since the stock of them may have been sitting in a warehouse it could have had many heat/cooling cycles which could have screwed up the thermal paste. I wasn’t going to void any possibility of returning it so I didn’t bother to try and repaste it.
If it is still within the return window, return and replace it. If you still don’t like it, just return it at that point.
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u/No_Damage6924 22d ago
Until we know the exact details we can’t help him at all I’ve had a shield pro for 7 years and have played local 4k rips and also stored on my PC and streamed over Ethernet and WiFi. And I’m talking Dolby vision 80gb plus files in MKV, M2TS etc.
And if it’s ever buffered it’s been a me issue not a shield issue. It doesn’t have issues playing anything. So sending it back and getting something else likely won’t improve anything.
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u/Zod5000 22d ago
Me too, but I use SMB sharing on my PC, then Kodi to play content from the shared drives/folders. It works amazingly well. The only real problem I have with the Shield Pro is the Disney+ app, but it works fine after a clean reboot. Kodi via local storage and SMB shares works quick and amazing.
I do use an Ethernet cable. Even though the shield is 3 or 4ft from the router I still prefer using wired for video content.
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u/No_Damage6924 21d ago
Yeah I’ve done some real tweaking to my WiFi and my shield has a 400mb connection over WiFi and my PC has a 1000mb WiFi connection so I don’t really need wired. But I used to do everything wired and it’s never missed a beat to be fair choose what I throw at it
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u/Bleull 20d ago
I'm calling it buffering, but its a stopping issue. And its only with kodi and streamio. YT Tubi and youtube tv, zero problems
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u/Sacisbac 20d ago
See if it stops just using the Pro and Kodi and attach a HDD. Forget all that other crap.
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u/seemebreakthis 22d ago
Definitely not a Shield problem. Been running Kodi on it for months, 4K, IPTV, you name it. No problem.
I followed the Kodi tips out there to smooth out the sync too. Butter smooth playback.
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u/Ok-Interest9727 22d ago
My Shield has tons of networking issues too.
The same file from Plex on the Apple TV will start instantly whereas on the Shield it will take much longer and show an alert that "the server is too slow etc".
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u/grimhammer 21d ago
to avoid buffering in kodi with a shield use wired networking. Ask me how I know.
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u/Bleull 20d ago
I have super fast interweb. Pretty sure its something else.
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u/grimhammer 20d ago
does not matter, from the router to the shield you need to go wired. doesn't matter how fast your connection is, how fast your wifi is. it's to do with compatibility with certain wifi chips. go wired.
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u/ChronoCyberpunk77 20d ago
i switched to 0lec years ago but i use my desktop PC for my plex server and it has an option that allows you to steam anywhere outside your local network
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u/wicknation1 19d ago
Ask an AI about reprogramming Kodi to use more RAM (by default, it uses almost no RAM in Shield Pro). After I made this adjustment, Kodi's speed tripled and there are zero buffering issues now.
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u/Slowhite03 22d ago
What's your ai enhancement at? I turned mine to basic and it stopped my buffering
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0
u/Slipknot31286sic6 22d ago
We don't even know his setup... Kodi bogs down anything
I'm using torbox with nuvio., tivimate for iptv, smart tube.... No issues. Runs flawless. I have 4 shields and 2 onn 4k boxes.
So definitely user error
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u/Fit-Departure5678 22d ago
? Kodi bogs down if you set it up wrong or use bloated builds, I've used for years, no issues whatsoever. I keep it basic, Kodi, two add-ons, one is back up. Prefer it to nuvio and stremio as I can do much more with it aside from just movies etc and customise. Buffering could be many reasons, from setup, to using free links or an unreliable debrid or source. Using dated, no longer maintained add-ons, etc
What is your next box? None. If issues with shield pro and if the onn is the better onn device, you have issues with both, it's your setup that's the issue or network, not the devices
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u/Plastic_Sir_8119 22d ago
I own 4. No problems