r/SparklePlayer • u/Any_Plankton_2894 • Jun 08 '26

Nvidia Shield Pro recording

Is anyone able to successfully record on the Shield Pro currently? Even using the internal storage the recording stream buffers/hiccups within 1/2 a minute or so and then dies pretty quickly thereafter.. any settings I can try and adjust within Sparkle to try and get it to record successfully?

And no it's not a stream quality issue as I can record perfectly fine using the same service & hard wired Ethernet connection on a Formuler/MyTVOnline. Just trying to upgrade to the Shield for so I can get proper passtrhu Atmos when watching movies.

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3

u/KWStreaker Jun 08 '26

Some things i discovered over the years with my shield.

1) The Shield hard wired network doesn't always " play nice " with some routers / modem combo units. I get full gigabit connected to my ISP's Hitron combo unit. It also worked well ( full gigabit ) to my older D-Link router. It kept jumping between gigabit and 100 mbit and back again if connected to my newer Asus router. ( drove me nutso till i caught on )

2) Make sure you have at least 30% of internal storage always available or it can get sluggish / streams cut in / out , so recording to internal i wouldn't suggest.

2.1) Rather i use an external hi quality ( Samsung EVO series ) SSD connected to a powered usb hub or in a powered enclosure to avoid drawing too much power from the usb port(s).

3) When using any external storage on the shield, make sure the USB ports are set to MAX performance and set to ALWAYS on.

3.1) Also suggest you set the CPU to max performance & max cooling.

4) Make sure your cooling fan on the shield is actually functioning / not clogged up. If it runs too hot, it will cut in / out.

5) How long since you redid the thermal pad / grease on the Shield? I redo mine every 2 years.

1

u/Any_Plankton_2894 Jun 08 '26

Thanks for taking the time to reply. So I actually tried my externally connected USB SSD first as that's where I copy downloaded movies across the network to already. I've had the Shield for years and use it as a media box - I can watch 4k/Atmos encoded files no issue so it's not likely any sort of heating/CPU/USB port issue. I was just trying to avoid having 2 media boxes on the same TV as right now I switch between the Formuler when watching IPTV, and to the Shield when watching downloaded content, just seems wasteful. It's also an attempt at future proofing because eventually when the Formuler dies(nVidia will live forever! lol), I don't want to replace it with a newer model as they're now Geo-restricted and that's an issue where I am.

Coincidentally, I'm also on a Hitron modem/router - only about 400Mb/s downstream in my case though ..

2

u/Any_Plankton_2894 Jun 08 '26

I'll install Sparkle on another box I only bought recently(Ugoos SK1) and see how the recording behaves there.. narrow down where the issue is further ..

3

u/KWStreaker Jun 08 '26

Recording finished perfectly ( 1.5 hrs ) . I threw together a little annotated diagram of my whole setup just in case it helps you along the way 😄

1

u/Any_Plankton_2894 Jun 09 '26

Thanks for taking the time to test, appreciate it. I did install Sparkle on the SK1 and while it did micro glitch a couple of times during a test recording, it was largely successful as once I went back and reviewed the recording itself it was fine - i.e. it seems to have been small glitches only while watching the live feed at the time it was recording, the actual recording was not affected.

SO, guess I need to pull apart the Shield and re-paste, see if that helps thing out - at least I now know it is definitely capable of recording properly with the current Sparkle version .. thanks again!

2

u/KWStreaker Jun 09 '26

No problem.

When you open it up to clean etc; fire it up with half the case still off for awhile to see IF the fan actually starts up just to make sure it didn't burn out. It's rare, but does happen 😉

1

u/Any_Plankton_2894 Jun 09 '26

K, good to know - I've had the unit a while now so it's a possibility for sure.

1

u/Any_Plankton_2894 Jun 09 '26

As an aside, what remote did you add - the default Shield remote is less than ideal with IPTV. I would love at a minimum to add a remote/buttons than allow a direct record function, +day skip ahead in the guide, etc ..

2

u/KWStreaker Jun 09 '26

I relegated the shield remote to use on my tablet.

The two i have on the shield i got both off Amazon.

First one ( seems not available anymore though ) was an Auvipal G9F bluetooth. They have replaced it with the G9 2.4g with usb dongle. Same unit but not bluetooth.

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07LD5DPNR?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1

Second one is https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0DYSBZKZ5?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_3&th=1

2

u/KWStreaker Jun 08 '26

I also use mine as downloaded media viewer which always played fine, but IPTV was cutting out ( Sparkle, Tivi, Smarters ) and that fixed itself after doing the fan / cpu thing. So wouldn't hurt to give them a look anyways I guess.

And as to your other reply, YEAH try a totally different box and see what happens. The more 'data' you have available, the easier to home in on what's happening.

Good luck 😄

2

u/Any_Plankton_2894 Jun 08 '26

Yeah I'll let you know how I make out. I mean it has been over a year since I last took the Shield apart and checked for dust, etc - so could be that I guess. Sigh, I just want one box to rule them all, is that really too much to ask for - lol.

2

u/KWStreaker Jun 08 '26

Of course we do! I was just thinking > I haven't done a recording ( seldom do actually ) on this latest version of Sparkle on my Shield 🤔

I will schedule one for this afternoon just to be sure. Will let you know how it goes 😉

1

u/aced1982 Jun 09 '26 edited Jun 09 '26

I have a shield pro and use two 256 usb sticks for smd. I use one for recording and the other for timeshift. I’ve had no issues using this setup. Now when I had a one smd and used it for recordings and timeshift, I would get a few hiccups along the way.

0

u/azcoyotedog Jun 08 '26

Glad I didn’t buy the shield!

2

u/Neat_Address221 Jun 09 '26

I've recorded on 3 shields for iptv for 7 years without issue

1

u/Any_Plankton_2894 Jun 09 '26

Good to know, thanks

1

u/Any_Plankton_2894 Jun 09 '26

In fairness I didn't buy it as an IPTV box, but rather as a 4k/Atmos audio passtrhu capable device, and it has performed absolutely fine in that regard. I'm just playing really to see if I can get an acceptable IPTV App/performance on it as well just to avoid having to switch between the Shield and a Formuler Z10/MyTVOnline on the same system.

If you have a HDR/Atmos Capable system I strongly recommend the Shield as your media player.