Shield plays Atmos and DoVi from UHD rips perfectly. Apple TV doesn't. Who cares about cached thumbs then?
Praise
Home Entertainment
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Streaming Devices
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14 mentions · 5 threadslast mention Dec 20247.6/ 10
ClearPick Score
Decent
Score informed by 14 owner mentions across 5 Reddit threads · see every quote ↓
7 positive7 mixed0 negative
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Streaming Devices
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Every mention, sourced
Real comments from Reddit, linked to the original thread. Nothing paraphrased.
No TrueHD Atmos passthrough means the Apple TV will always take second place in my home theater. For living room viewing with TV sound I agree the Apple TV is a great device
Comparison
I have both as well, and really enjoy the shield! ... And for me the shield has been amazing with playing most audio and video formats, my Xbox and ps5 were just straight up bad and constantly buffered, crashed, took forever to load.
Praise
I personally think that both are not ideal in 2024. But if you have a Shield there is almost no reason to get the Google. The Google streamer would have been amazing if they had gone the extra mile and added a better processor and rather basic stuff like Wifi 6.
Comparison
The Dolby Vision support and advanced audio support will keep me with my Shield TV for the foreseeable future. Plus, I have no Apple products in my house either, so no advantage to using any of their products.
Praise
Was using Apple 4K TV, but the lack of true HD audio passthrough is a hard no for me. Shield Pro 2019 is the only device that will do DV AND TrueHD/Lossless Atmos/DTS-X passthrough.
Praise
My recommendation is Shield if you are playing lossless audio blueray rips using Plex/Jellyfin. Or AppleTV if you are not doing that. I do playback lossless audio so I have a shield but I found the shield to be poor at playing Netflix and Hulu so I also have an ATV plugged into my AVR.
Comparison
I will always say yes. Yes I am biased. But yes, the shield is the best device out there; period.
Praise
Yep. Every time I see someone praising an Apple TV I take a peek to see if they've got lossless Atmos sorted out. Always come back to my Shields (2015 and 2019 Pro).
Praise
I own both an Apple TV and an NVIDIA Shield and I'll just add that the Apple TV user interface is way better than the Shield's. Unless there is a very specific feature you need from the Shield which Apple TV doesn't support (such as lossless audio), then Apple TV is a much better choice.
Comparison
Probably not, and wouldn't know for sure until people actually start to receive the streamer. From what there has been posted, the Google Streamer still lacks some features that the Shield already has.
Comparison
Other people are gonna pop up in this thread and tell you that the ATV doesn't support lossless audio passthrough (and likely never will) so your Shield is *still* technically the best device for playback of local rips. I use my 2019 Shield for playback of local rips, and my ATV for every streaming service.
Comparison
It's not. It has features missing from the shield and features the shield is missing. You would have to decide what features you want. As for me, I like DTS and truehd pass through so I look for that.
Comparison
Shield works perfectly fine ! I'm watching 4k Dolby Vision videos with TrueHD audio no hickups.
Praise
✅ What Works
- Best-in-class for lossless audio (TrueHD/DTS-X) and Dolby Vision passthrough on local Plex/Jellyfin rips
- Owners repeatedly say there's "no reason" to switch once you have one for local media playback
- Strong gaming performance versus consoles in some owners' experience
⚠️ Worth Knowing
- Interface reportedly trails the Apple TV's in usability
- Some owners find streaming apps like Netflix and Hulu perform worse on Shield than on other devices
- Best suited to owners already running a local Plex/Jellyfin library rather than pure streaming use
ClearPick Verdict
Owners are enthusiastic about the Shield's core strength but split on everything else. Of 14 mentions, 7 are positive and 7 mixed — with zero outright negative reports, though the mixed comments carry real caveats. The Shield remains, by owner consensus, the best device for lossless audio and Dolby Vision passthrough on local Plex/Jellyfin rips, a niche where several say "there is almost no reason" to consider alternatives. But multiple owners note the interface trails the Apple TV, and more than one keeps a Shield specifically for local playback while switching to another device for Netflix and Hulu, which reportedly perform worse on the Shield. Best for households running a serious local media/Plex server who want best-in-class audio passthrough; if you mainly stream via apps, a device with a cleaner interface may suit you better.
