To those who might stumble upon this: the models that have the Micro SD slots don't have a 128GB limit. It's just that the device was made when 128GB cards were still the biggest thing to have. It's always the case. But the SD XC protocol supports up to 2TB cards, and since that's the protocol the Shield is running - that's how much memory you can have in that slot. That being said there is no limit on the USB side. I have an 8TB HDD connected for my PLEX media files and my home server files, while a 500GB SSD acts as the internal storage. Both drives are also network-mounted to my PC so I can easily add ROMs for emulators, new media, etc.
FYI, there was an update to the firmware regarding your concerns at 8:53 Beginning with the 5.0 firmware for NVIDIA SHIELD, it is possible to write (save content) to attached USB drives and microSD cards when they're mounted as "Removable Storage". This means that it's now possible for Plex to store content on these drives in certain cases. For instance, this could be useful to use the drive to store optimized versions of files (from Media Optimizer), saving DVR recordings, Camera Upload, or more. Note that this does not let you move the Plex Media Server data directory itself. When you have the 5.0 or newer firmware and attach a USB drive or microSD card as "Removable Storage", a new NVIDIA_SHIELD folder is automatically created on the drive (if that folder already exists, the content in the folder will be left alone and the folder will become writable). Only content in that folder (and its sub-folders) will be writable. All other content on the drive will still be read-only.
after various updates of shield firmware and also Plex version updates, I would love to see another video about shield performance as a plex server and Plex media player as well.
Sorry No Video! I have mine set up as a Server, however my main Server is on a 8 TB External Hard Drive with USB 3.0 plug into a Windows 10 Server ( lower-end mid-grade ) Laptop. Using the PLEX App on the Nvidia Shield I got to say the PLEX works very well even when pulling a Stream from someone elses Server ( on my friends list - sharing with each other ). I have Stream from my Own Server while 4 others were streaming from my server 3 from the Internet & 2 from my Home, and my movie played flawless on the Nvidia Shield & the Laptop the Server was on. Since I can see my TV from my Desk, I sometimes use the built in feature Chromecast on the Nvidia Shield & cast it to the plex app built in too. You can use anything as your remote for your Chromecast Plex. Like pretty much anything else that has a Plex App, PLEX has Apps for everything LOL
i've been using the shield as plex server for a month and for the average joe it is more than enough. i didnt need to re-encode anything. here is the setup i recommend: nvidia shield 16gb+ 2 controllers $120 (prime day deal, wait for blackfriday) skip the remote, the controller is good enough sd card 64 or 128gb and mount as part of internal storage.. get the best speed available $20 (also prime day) i wanted to keep my investment to minimum so i bought a 2tb hdd connected via usb. here you go a very capable plex server! more tips: get a free ddns to access your server from anyplace without remembering the ip. you might need to forward some ports from your router. as he mentioned in the video, always always use Ethernet. enjoy!
The Nvidia Shield TV has saved me since moving to Germany. I have the 500GB version and I'm using the Plex media server with a Porsche LeCie 3TB external drive with no less than 600 movies, most BluRay rips. I also loaded Unlimited VPN so that I can watch TH-cam videos with regional limitations. I am am also able to swap my external drive back and forth from the Shield to my PC to add more videos to the drive. Having Kodi available on the Shield has also been a Godsend. I've bee running everything via wifi with no problems other than slow Telekom speeds but that's not a problem with Plex. Thanks Nvidia!
I love my shield i use it more than any current consoles or my pc. I use it for all my media and love having Netflix and youtube in 4k. And I have a 4tb hd hooked up to it full of movies.
Good video. Just an FYI, transcoding is done on the GPU, not the ARM CPU. I wish PLEX would implement GPU based (CUDA or Open CL) transcoding on their Windows/Linux Server. In theory you could run a Celeron with a $100 NVIDIA GTX graphics card and transcode much cheaper and with the same performance of a Core i7.
Hi, instead of 5 "normal" videos I'm dying to see someone testing one single high quality or something with the newest features: very high bitrate, 4K (2160p), 60fps, 10 bits, HDR. What about those? I'd like to meet the ultimate set-top-box. Could this Shield + Plex be that? Thanks!
Well, I dont own a 4k TV, nor do I have any 4k content. Plus, this video was geared for the average user, looking for average usage. Not that it would have been bad to test those out, but without having the setup for it, cant do it.
Love the Shield! I actually have one for each tv in the house. i gotta say it is probably the best set top box on the market. Although I don't use it as my Plex server, I do use it as my cable box with the HDHomerun Prime with their DVR software installed on it. It works great as a DVR. Now when you mentioned cost, the two 16 GB models that i bought actually came with the $50 media remote. Might be a Best Buy exclusive? Dont quote me on that. So if you go that route with a 1 TB usb 3.0 drive, you're looking at probably $270 or $280 with tax. To your point, thats a great price for a Plex Server. Great video man! Looking forward to more videos about your experiences with it!
many retailers often bundle the remote with the shield at the same or lower price, I got mine off Amazon a while back and the bundle with the remote was actually cheaper then the standalone unit that day.
i am looking into the HD HR so what else do you use to run that , i mean do you also use a NAS,? where do you run the HD HR server software on? the sgields or a NAS? or are you going the PC route(i am not interested in doing that) and where does the DVR stuff get stored, on a HDD connected to the the shield or to the NAS and if you are using a NAS what brand and model is good, i a looking to get a NAS and i want tot get one that will be compatible with both plex and HD HR if i decide to get one
I looked high and low to get the server to show up on my PC so I could transfer files, it took me a week to figure out, with an external 4 TB hard drive and to be able to access that drive via Win 10 PC network, no disconnecting required! Needed the access to be able to transfer files to the Shield without setting up an NAS or use a PC always on server..and I did it. Very precise steps, a few reg modifications but finally, I can access the Shield using win file explorer, no other special software required. Will record and setup a tutorial. I initially managed to get to the Shield internal storage...but I wanted access to the whole 4 TB file system...done!
the Biggest issue for me is I could not connect to the internal Shield drive or external drive connected to the shield via the network. I could sometimes, but most times I couldnt find the drives on the network. Making transferring files or managing files impossible most days. Also, you can't delete files from the external drive via a Network connection. You would have to unplug the drive, hook it up to a PC and do deletes. I finally gave up... and I have 2 shields! The media is now on my office computer and a new Plex server there.
The Shield TV has breathed a new life into my library originally with my, poorly matched, Ready NAS 4 bay drive, always struggled especially when trying to access remotely. But no more, connected to the same NAS drive but now using the Plex as my server instead of my PC Should you get it? "If in doubt, just get the credit card out" 500Gb - check 4K TV- check Geoforce Now-check PLEX Server- " Shut up and take my money"
I ran my shield as a Plex Server, and it killed the Shield twice.. no idea why. The Shield was dead and I thought I was screwed.... However the good people on Nvidia Chat told me how to revive it... so posting here just in case any of you have the same problem 1) Unplug all the cables and keep the device off for good 2-3 minutes. 2) Plug the Power cable, controller through USB (Wired) and Ethernet cable to the SHIELD. Do not connect HDMI cable. 3) The device will power on. Keep it idle for about 5 minutes and keep tapping A button on the controller. Continue tapping for about a few seconds. 4) Now leave the device in this state without the HDMI cable for good 15 to 20 minutes and plug the HDMI cable. 5) See if the SHIELD displays any output. This worked for me on 2 occasions, I am not sure what you would do if you don't have the Nvidia controller.. but if it helps one person then I'm happy. But if you don't have a Shield controller I suspect the Nvidia people would tell you to plug in a Xbox or PS controller, but it's worth checking with them, they are pretty helpful (to me at least)
I've been using the Shield as my Plex Media Server successfully for a few months now, but yesterday the Plex Media Server went offline. I went into Plex on the Shield on the Shield and saw it was not running. I click ON but it would not start even after a Shield restart and complete power off and back on. I wen to My Apps and reinstalled the updates then launched Plex again. It booted like it was the first time, creating libraries and "Please wait...". I left it over night and it never did finish the "Please wait...". My next step is to wipe the Shield and start over but wanted your input first. Thanks so much.
I keep going back and fourth on this thing. I really want it. Since a teen when Nvidia pop in on the scene I have always liked them. I look the look and idea behind this box. I just cant justify the purchase. It does what a cheap android box will do basically. I would want it for gaming but there isnt much in native games for it that arent really old and that Ive played through several times.
I have the original Nvidia Shield TV model, and really loved it, ran Plex (both client and server) on it just fine. But just a couple weeks ago I noticed my media library just disappeared, and the Plex client software says it can't find any media servers. I don't know if it was a recent Android system update to it, but my Plex Server just all of a sudden stopped working, and the Plex client software cannot find it. In the settings, the normal "Media Server" settings have nothing listed next to them. I rolled back the Plex software to the original and in the Advanced settings, I can see the Media Server is "Stopped", but still has the option to start the "Media Server", but when I do it acts like it is trying but after a few seconds still says "Stopped". I can do this all day long and it never starts. I can't do that with the Plex update from Google Play store, as the "Media Server" settings are empty in that release, can't even try to start the server. I understand the newer Nvidia Shield Pro only supports the Plex server now, but I wonder if the software that determines if its not the Shield Pro has detected my original Shield TV is not the "Pro" - although it has same form factor and other specs. Another issue I have is my Nvidia Shield says the wired ethernet connection is only running at 100 Mbps but my router and switches are all gigabit switched, so using it wireless is actually faster than the ethernet? Still troubleshooting why it only says 100 Mbps, but just a couple issues I've had with my Shield, just FYI. Anyhow, giving up on my Shield being a media server now and offloading that duty to a backup PC I have.
I love my Shield TV. I've run three movies simultaneously on Plex with no issues. I have my 2TB HDD and Shield connected to my ASUS router and it works great.
I unfortunately did not have good luck using the shield as a server. It gave a warning it was "not powerful enough to transcode movie" that I was trying to watch in native format (not transcoding) on the shield itself!
The Plex Media Server software stopped working on my WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra. I tried to resolve the issue unsuccessfully and decided to finally use the Plex Media Server on my Nvidia Shield 2017. It plays 4K HDR videos flawlessly! I had no buffering and the videos loaded much faster than the EX2 Ultra. I have an external 6TB hard drive connected and can transfer files from my PC to the drive over my network. I wish I had done this sooner.
Your experience of setting the Shield up seems to have been the same as mine, with the WIFI not connecting for me at all and logging in via the Android TV website also not functioning. I couldn't tie my NVidia and Google accounts together either requiring yet more usernames and passwords. Inputting large usernames and passwords with numbers, special characters and upper/lowercase switches on a gamepad was something I did not enjoy. Maybe they had server issues as it was pretty heavily discounted during the Amazon Prime Day sales and in the UK at least, the 16GB version sold out before the end of the sale. Other than those small issues signing in to things during setup it's been flawless since and the fact it handles that many streams is incredible for the price imo.
If I use a MicroSD card as expandable storage can I then plug in a harddrive with content on to it and connect that to Plex without having to turn it into a Plex-only external harddrive, as I'd still want to be able to unplug it and use it for storage on my PC?
If I already have a 4TB exFat-formatted hard drive with all my media (primarily movies) on it, would I have to reformat another drive via the Nvidia Shield and move them over? Or can I just connect and be good to go without having to reformat?
Thnks for all your information about this product and service. I have a question about the 1 Tb hard drive, Should It partition? And can that speed up the ease of watching the recorded program?
Plex meta-data is stored only on the internal shield drive. Even if I added 500 to the internal storage, plex still doesn't use it. If you go over 8GB's of Plex internal drive space, it will bring Nvidia Shield to it's knees and low on internal memory warnings will keep popping up. I've posed this question to Nvidia support and they still need to get back to me on this
And since you are one of the only (if not the only) youtuber that creates quality content on a diverse amount of plex topics, it is greatly appreciated!
I bought mine and use it in, what could be considered the worst case scenario, wirelessly on a secondary AP via 50m ethernet to a cheap 'ISP router'. So yeah Nvidia Gamestream out and out doesnt work with my network setup, and a wired connection really isnt an option since I rent this house and running wires through walls isnt allowed. However the PLEX transcoder aspect of the shield works great, sometimes seeking through my library can be a bit slow but it will play my 1080p collection to any device in my house at original quality from my hardwired NAS, and allows for ~360p streams remotely (my internet is 8 down 1 up). Im very impressed with this little device I picked up in the Amazon Prime sale for £100 (~us$135). It is allowing me to downsize my NAS from an aging innefficient Athlon PC to a low power ARM unit. I have yet to buy the remote but the gamepad actually works really well as a TV remote. The only addon I have purchased for it was a £25 Samsung Pro 64gb SD card to use as inherited storage which works great even if it was a bit pricey. I have the video icons disabled and so far my ~180movie collection with 10-15 TV series takes up ~15gb in metadata which is a very managable amount. EDIT: Should also mention the SHIELD contains a built in chromecast, meaning I was able to give my chromecast to my parents adding another ~£20 saving.
Does the PLEX Media Server running on a PC have the ability for me to create and maintain a library of SD Video and bulletin board content and schedule the automatic and unattended distribution of that content to a remote Plex PLEX Player (like an NVIDIA SHIELD or Fire Stick)?
hello i have a question i have hooked 8 hardrives to my pc but i can't put anymore hardrive on my pc it won't reconize it anymore is there a way to hook more then 8 hardrive on a pc? i have a good pc an i7 4790k 16 gig ram but i have socket 1150 stil but my motherboard only can have 8 hardrive how can i get around that?
I had to reformat my external hard drive to plug into the nvidia USB?....once formatted to nvidia it couldn't be returned to windows 10?.....since I done all my movie conversions on my PC (windows 10) ,bluray discs to mkv etc,I couldn't use nvidia as my main server!.(with attached hard drive) Unless I done it all wrong 🤔😥
This doesn't sound like a bad way to get a PLEX server without using a power hungry pc. This thing is using a ARM processor. I which he showed how many watts this thing is using at idle and while doing it's thing as a PLEX server. I lucked out and got a ReadyNAS 516 for half price, which still isn't cheap, but has a Intel i3 processor. This allows me to use it as a Good Plex server. Handles Transcoding. But is also running a number of other programs, one one of them is PlexPl which is really needed I think to keep track of who is watching what when. Lots of very useful info and graphs. Really though, a NVidia Shield and a cheap Home NAS with a ARM processor also, I would suggest at least a 4 drive bay version over just 2, and I think It would be a pretty good setup for a lot of people.
Dude. I don't even care about Plex (I'm just investigating the SHIELD in general), but I love this video. Well written and edited, comprehensive and useful info. Kudos!
If you buy the Shield Pro just to stream Kodi would you say not to buy it? Right now I bought the Shield and a Reveal Box. I haven’t opened the Shield yet in cause I want to send it back to Amazon. I also bought the NETGEAR Nighthawk X10. What do I do?
I just bought a shield tv 2017; I like subtitled content but I only found out after I bought that plugins aren't yet supported on the shield. Is this accurate? Is there any way around this limitation in the works or available now? Two of the plugins I'm looking at specifically are the HamaTV/AbsoluteSeriesScanner and SubZero.
I currently have a Synology DS918+ to store my movies (4K) and the Nvidia Shield. Is it better to use the NAS as Plex Media Server or use the Shield as Plex Media Server ? Because I see that I can install Plex on my Synology.
Might be a stupid question, but does the SHIELD need to be connected to a TV at all times to work as a server? My perfect world is one where my SHIELD sits next to my router, connected by ethernet and plugged into the wall. Is that realistic at all?
Hi, it's now August 2018 and i'm thinking buying nvidia shield 16gb + usb3 external drive with media + 2nd usb3 128gb pen as shield internal storage… but i'm wondering how much storage plex server uses for transcoding? i googled and learned plex server stores library metadata (small size) on a folder that can be changed to anywhere (“internal” or “additional external storage” but been unable to understand how much big can transcoding storage be… i know it depends on client, and if original movie pretty much near resolution of my watching device (ex. my 42" tv connected to shield basically), then i guess transcoding is minimum or zero, but how about - imagine- if original is a monster blueray movie 4k, i'd guess plex server will transcode (convert while playing i guess and create a new movie file downgraded to my tv only full-hd resolution? and that could mean some hundreds or megas or few gigas for the new transcoded file? Or am i confusing concepts here and in fact transcoding does not create a new movie file as its a real time process so needed storage is minimum? Thanks so much, this is my last doubt before i buy the setup im thinking :wink: Greetings, Emanuel
If you can't use a dedicated shield usb drive as a regular PC USB drive anymore, how can one add more movies after the fact? Does the shield offer SMB/Network share connections?
I'm using a shield and drobo for my Plex server setup, which is in the infancy stages. Is there a BMB video onconverting dvd and blurays to files palyable o Plex?
I'm just now seeing this video from 2016, so please forgive the late to the game questions. I am using the Shield as a PMS with a Scandisk 32GB thumb drive as internal storage and a Samsung T5 500GB external SSD as storage for recirdings from my HD Homerun Prime. I have been removing commercials with the Plex feature as well. When I play back recorded content on my Mecool M8S Pro L android TV box, I often get moments of pixelated picture and/or a shift in audio sync. There have been many times where the show is unwatchable and I have to switch to the network app on the Mecool. The fam is very frustrated as I was the one who pushed for the whole "everything on Plex" set up. I'm using hardware transcoding, but almost all of what we play i at original quality so not a lot of transcoding going on. Plus, we're play content on ONE client at a time. So before I replace the Shiled with an Intel NUC 7 J5005 (@$330 with drive and RAM), ANY help/advice would be GREATLY appreciate. Thanks Jason. P.S. If there's an update video on this I'd be happy to watch it.
I need your help. Several years ago I purchased a Vidabox movie server. It is currently holding over 800 movies and sitting in the living room. Is it possible to use an Nvidia Shield to wirelessly watch those movies in other rooms?
can i stream my pc games from outside home with nvidia shield pro (in my friend's house)? in the same country. what is the connection speed required to be good and optimised? can i connect xbox joystick? so i can play with friends from my pc?
It has less to do with the idea of expandable storage and more to do with the fact that the GPU is whats doing the transcoding. This is pretty big for Plex and it was surprising to not hear you mention this. Plex worked directly with Nvidia to get their GPU transcoding at a level/quality the Plex devs found acceptable. This is STILL NOT an option on our x86 based hardware, but at least points to the idea that GPU transcoding is finally something the Plex devs are looking into with a mind on public usage. This is also a big deal because asking a CPU to transcode H265 or HEVC is basically asking it to shot itself in the face. This is the very reason why my HEVC folder is only shared with some of my friends that are Plex geeks. They know to play these files on compatible players with direct play. I would not be surprised to see this GPU option finally make its way to the X86 based servers soon, and I would also not be surprised to see it be Nvidia only at first.
Apple TV doesn't allow for external storage??? It better have at least SOME form of expandable storage! I mean, I KNOW Apple doesn't believe in putting SD card slots on ANY of their mobile products, but I would hope to hell they support at least an SD card for Apple TV, if not full USB Drive support as ANY decent TV device should...
+Bill Surowiecki Nvidia GPUs can churn through H.265 in real time, at least the 900 and 1000 series can, and IIRC that is the codec used for Nvidia GameStream on the 900/1000 series. The 600 and 700 can do real time H.264 for GameStream. And again IIRC this is why ALL Nvidia GPUS from the 600 series up actually INCLUDE an ARM CPU, something like a Cortex A9 on 600 to 700, and either an A13/17 or A53/57 for the 900 and 1000 series. Considering the Tegra X1 used here has 2 Maxwell SMMs for 256 Maxwell CUDA cores as well as 4x A57 running at 2.2 GHZ and 4x A53 at 1.4 GHZ - IIRC, it REALLY does not surprise me at all that it is an absolute BEAST (for Tablet Harware) at video transcoding!
I'm planning to add my lacie hdd I don't use anymore directly to the nvidia shield and transfer my movies and music thru network to the hdd that is connected to the nvidia shield is this possible or would it be better to turn my raspberry pi 3 into a nas?
Dear Mr. Byte my Bits Right now I am using my pc as a plex media server and I am trying to change it for a nas. I want to be able to turn off my PC! My library is quite big, around 5tb. My question is; should I buy something like the qnap 453 and run plex directly or should I buy the nvidia shield plus a cheaper nas cloud? This addiotional nas should be connected through wifi or usb port? Another question: I have a poor home theater which just one hdmi in input and a projector optoma hd 26 and a tv.....How can I connect the 3 devices to nvidia shield? Is there a way to use a digital audio output from the nvidia to he home theater? Is there a way to keep the tv and the projector simultaneously connected? or should I connect and disconect every time I want to switch ? Thanks a lot for your time and reviews
Looking for a new box. I bought the nvidia shield, but it cannot detect half of my usb hdds. Is this android related or is it based on the box itself. I have like 5 western digital usb 3.0 hdd, and some it reads and some it dont.
I could be wrong, but I don't think transcoding a video file "further" from its default bitrate makes your CPU work any harder. In fact its quite the opposite. A 1080p 12MB/s to a 1080p 10MB/s is going to make the server work much harder than a 1080p 12MB/s to a 720p 4MB/s. Again because its not the further you go away from the stream that matters, its the quality of the newly transcoded stream. I think that if you would have transcoded to 1080p 8MB/s (A common Plex Selection) you would have seen more like 2-3 streams.
Jason, for the last few days my Nvidia Shield Plex Media Server and app are not recognizing my mp4 video files particularly those that are TV shows. Any idea why this is happening? My PC Plex Media Server is having no issues with this situation. Thanks for any response.
Which device can be used to transmit multiple streams in different Headquarters of a company im talking around 11 or 12 locations with the same media im gonna use it like Digital Signage , but will an ordinary Nas or Laptop Handle this simoultenously streams ? ps: ( this are a small 8 min videos about the companies foundation and achievements will be played all day from 8 am till 7pm note aswell i will be using the PLEX plugin from the Smart Tv's Appstore on Each Tv ?? Any Help what you consider ?
do you know how to download torrent files on the nvidia shield directly on the micro sd card or hard rive plugged in the shield and add the torrent not from the shield (because its too hard and need a mouse and keyboard) but instead add it from desktop like the app transmission remote i am used to add torrent on my macbook air through transmission remote and it automatically add it on my transmission torrent server installed on my NAS but since i sold my NAS i would like to do the same with the shield but couldn't find anything that works as a torrent server and compatible with an app on mac to add those torrent
I know this was from last year, but still really good info. So... here's my plan. I'd like to use the nvidia shield as my Plex Media Server only, not media storage. I have a Roku in my family room for the client already. For storage I'd like to use my 2TB WD My Cloud. I am using it now with an old HP laptop running my Plex Media Server, but it's an AMD 1.4 GHz and has a little trouble keeping up sometimes. My question... if the nvidia shield is connected to my network via Ethernet cable, can I continue to use my WD My Cloud for storage of my media and stream Live TV through Plex and record shows with the Plex DVR feature? I do have a 2TB WD My Passport I could use if necessary. I have ripped a dozen DVDs and Blu Rays to MKV. Will that be a problem? 90% of viewing will occur in my house. Not a lot of remote viewing. I welcome any and all advice for this configuration. Thanks so much.
Great question, and I don't have an answer for you. If you're still looking for an answer, however, consider checking the "ShieldAndroidTV" subreddit on reddit. Lots of folks there with plenty of knowledge.
if ones collection was over 1tb in videos, how much addon space is required for the thumbnails?? how many thumbnails/whaetever is stored on the actual shield would the 1tb hdd support?
Honestly I don't think buying the shield just for media is NOT worth the price. You could easily do that with a 40$ android box, install kodi with a wizard like eminence or wookies and stream whatever you want. Buying the shield for gaming is also hard to justify nowadays since the Xbox 1 and ps4 which comes with good clients for plex. Plex should be a 100$ device.
How does the SHIELD Plex server do when using .mkv files? I'm saving up for a setup similar to this one and I'm planning on using MakeMKV to rip my movies. (I used to use HandBrake to get nice, device-friendly .mp4 files of my movies, but a movie using that program takes 45 minutes on my computer. MakeMKV can do it in 15, plus I get the added bonus of subtitle and language options. The file is larger though, and I can't play it easily via Windows Media Player. Luckily, I have a DVD player program that also happens to play .mkv files too)
Plex Newbie Here. So.. not having setup a Plex server yet (researching options).. the NVidia shield and a couple of USB hard drives is all I need to setup my media server?? TIA
I have found the solution to using your existing Plex Database on the Shield. It would work exactly the same as how I am using my Plex Media Server. I point my Plex Media Server to my external harddrive for storing the Plex Database. This is done in Advanced settings of the General settings under the Server tab. This way if I need to use my wifes laptop as the Plex Media Server for any reason, it will use the same Plex Database so all of the watched/unwatched info etc is all there. I can't see why you couldn't do this on the Shield also.
Sir for instance My PMS and my Sony TV as as PMS Client is on the same network connection, Does Plex uses a lot on internet to send to my tv or does my tv uses internet to download what im streaming from the plex server. Ims just wondering if that the cause i dont really have a huge internet and im afraid that i'll blow my data cap allowance. Sir plz comment on my post i really need to understand how plex work.
use this as my main plex client awesome . Use an old i5 with 8gb ram with a 128 ssd and a 6TB drive as a plex server. bk up every 2 week with an ext 8tb wd drive.
Thanks for the video, the shield has been fine for me. I know it’s a year later, but if you update your library through a laptop/computer, the update will be faster.
Captain's brief: Year 2017, Attempts, Many, Mission failed. Hello!!!, I like your channel content very much, congrats, great content here!. So.. I need your advice. Quick question: I need one device that can handle 5.1 / 7.1 Dolby and DTS audio signals HD-MA. PLUS 4K and HDR video. Any recomendation?.. Really, I'm tired to look and seems nothing works ..... I have: -(A year old) Apple TV 4 (only 1080p and sound restrictions) -Brand new (3 months) Roku 4 Ultra, and no success (audio issues, firmware out of date since 3 months ago and nothing in the horizon to be fixed) I thinking on Nvidia Shield because HEVC support and 4k HDR, but seems is not handle the 7.1 in a good way since the last updates... but, I'm not sure. Thank you for any help. Regards!
hey there thanks for the video it helped me alot. just one question, once i sync my external hard drive with the shield [external hardrive is in another room] cant i just stream it from that as i only have the 16gb version of the shield? will that work? sorry for my ignorance hahah
ONLY 176 GB of media files? LMAO! I am sitting at right around 1.1 TB of media files! I don't use any Plex Devices though, don't feel any great need for one, as I have all these files on my internal Seagate Constellation ES.3 4TB HDD for all that data (with 4 SSDs total for 1.1 TB of high speed space for games) THEN - they exist on the 8TB Household NAS, as well as a 3 TB, and 4 TB Seagate USB3 backup drives, and THEN also on a Toshiba 2 TB portable USB3 HDD. Between that, and the fact that there is not a SINGLE display in my house that doesn't have input coming from SOME form of Windows PC - I can very easily and quickly watch ANYTHING I have ANYWHERE! Now, all I need is a 2 TB+ Cloud Storage contract, and I will have access to EVERYTHING even on my Galaxy Tab A, which I am using right now. But I do have a 128 GB SDXC card installed, so I do have a LARGE amount of my media collection on it directly anyway, and if I am leaving my PC for a while and want different movies and shows, I can easily swap them out, as 128 GB is still a LOT OF space for a tablet!
great video. I have ripped bluray movies that were uncompressed and are in mkv's. Will the Nvidia be able to handle transcoding these large files? I wanted my movie files uncompressed due to video and latest audio format (dts-ma hd, dolby true hd, atmos etc) quality. Also, these files are in multiple ext.hard drives. How can I connect all of them if this device if it only has one usb port? thanks and keep up the good work!
Why is my plex so slow on the Shield? I just added two 8tb hard drives to my nvidia shield using the usb ports. I have movies on one 8tb and tv shows on the other 8tb. Plex is very buggy and I have been using Kodi and VLC to play the files. However, I love the beauty of plex art and I like plex's layout. I have the 16gb version of the shield so I am thinking of mounting an sd card to add more storage so it can download the art and metadata correctly. Is the lack of internal storage my Problem?
I had no problems signing in and the set up took less than 3min. Just download Kodi, Plex is not needing. $150 at best buy, it's the best box i have used
What you state at around 9:10 regarding internal storage expansion for the 16GB model is incorrect, PLEX will not use the external storage even when configured as internal storage, instead it will always default to the default internal storage in this case 16GB which quickly become unusable for playing 1080p video as well as storing the PLEX Database. I simply do not understand why PLEX server is even an option for 16GB models, its false advertising until this is fixed, very disappointed with PLEX as i purchased a 16GB model. I wasted a ful day trying to get this to work and had to factory reset my shield losing all my other app configuration in the process because the shield would keep crashing due to insufficient space, the shield OS nor PLEX server was smart enough to stop before reaching the max free space, you would think shield OS would keep a secret free space zone in this extreme cases, nop keep wishing ! Moral of the story? get the 500GB, and if you hate mechanical HD like me, upgrade it to an SSD after (nop a 16GB cannot be upgraded with an SSD as the SATA internface doesnt exist on the motherboard...)
+Jose Chinchilla my nvidia plex was reading my media off my NAS, i think what you are saying is true ONLY when you library is stored on the external usb drive, not a NAS like me
The Nvidia Shield is an exceptional machine - I use it more than my PS4 and Xbox One combined. And it's strange that consoles are sinking ship the moment they are released - hence PC gaming outperforming consoles within months post-release. The Nvidia shield is the only console I've purchased at launch that has become exponentially more robust over time. The fact that I can now use GeForce Now for free and I can play any pc game available via Steam, and play Android games too on top of that, the Shield demolishes other platforms. Also, 5G is shit - and you didn't think to try 2.4Ghz..? And your Plex issues are because of Plex - the shield has dedicated transcoding; if Plex rams everything through the GPU, that's their issue. If you try an app that involves the use of video transcoding of your non-pirated (if any) material, it works rather well. I'm sure Plex will eventually fix their issues with the shield; once that happens, you'll be able to watch all the illegal copies of movies you have without a hitch.
Great setup box, but as a plex server it falls short. You will get "failed to stream" messages. It is not quite powerful enough for server functions. Main reason I purchased the shield. Oh well
Can you make a video about Wester Digitals new My Passport Wireless Pro? I think it would be neat to have a portable and wireless Plex Server on the go. Thanks, your videos are great!!
To those who might stumble upon this: the models that have the Micro SD slots don't have a 128GB limit. It's just that the device was made when 128GB cards were still the biggest thing to have. It's always the case. But the SD XC protocol supports up to 2TB cards, and since that's the protocol the Shield is running - that's how much memory you can have in that slot. That being said there is no limit on the USB side. I have an 8TB HDD connected for my PLEX media files and my home server files, while a 500GB SSD acts as the internal storage. Both drives are also network-mounted to my PC so I can easily add ROMs for emulators, new media, etc.
2021, and the Shield is STILL the best home media device for the typical family.
Is it still in 2024?
FYI, there was an update to the firmware regarding your concerns at 8:53
Beginning with the 5.0 firmware for NVIDIA SHIELD, it is possible to write (save content) to attached USB drives and microSD cards when they're mounted as "Removable Storage". This means that it's now possible for Plex to store content on these drives in certain cases. For instance, this could be useful to use the drive to store optimized versions of files (from Media Optimizer), saving DVR recordings, Camera Upload, or more. Note that this does not let you move the Plex Media Server data directory itself.
When you have the 5.0 or newer firmware and attach a USB drive or microSD card as "Removable Storage", a new NVIDIA_SHIELD folder is automatically created on the drive (if that folder already exists, the content in the folder will be left alone and the folder will become writable). Only content in that folder (and its sub-folders) will be writable. All other content on the drive will still be read-only.
after various updates of shield firmware and also Plex version updates, I would love to see another video about shield performance as a plex server and Plex media player as well.
Sorry No Video! I have mine set up as a Server, however my main Server is on a 8 TB External Hard Drive with USB 3.0 plug into a Windows 10 Server ( lower-end mid-grade ) Laptop. Using the PLEX App on the Nvidia Shield I got to say the PLEX works very well even when pulling a Stream from someone elses Server ( on my friends list - sharing with each other ). I have Stream from my Own Server while 4 others were streaming from my server 3 from the Internet & 2 from my Home, and my movie played flawless on the Nvidia Shield & the Laptop the Server was on. Since I can see my TV from my Desk, I sometimes use the built in feature Chromecast on the Nvidia Shield & cast it to the plex app built in too. You can use anything as your remote for your Chromecast Plex. Like pretty much anything else that has a Plex App, PLEX has Apps for everything LOL
As a note as long as your MKV file has a H.264 avc and ac3 file system in the container you will not need to convert anything.
i've been using the shield as plex server for a month and for the average joe it is more than enough. i didnt need to re-encode anything. here is the setup i recommend:
nvidia shield 16gb+ 2 controllers $120 (prime day deal, wait for blackfriday)
skip the remote, the controller is good enough
sd card 64 or 128gb and mount as part of internal storage.. get the best speed available $20 (also prime day)
i wanted to keep my investment to minimum so i bought a 2tb hdd connected via usb.
here you go a very capable plex server!
more tips:
get a free ddns to access your server from anyplace without remembering the ip. you might need to forward some ports from your router.
as he mentioned in the video, always always use Ethernet.
enjoy!
The Nvidia Shield TV has saved me since moving to Germany. I have the 500GB version and I'm using the Plex media server with a Porsche LeCie 3TB external drive with no less than 600 movies, most BluRay rips. I also loaded Unlimited VPN so that I can watch TH-cam videos with regional limitations. I am am also able to swap my external drive back and forth from the Shield to my PC to add more videos to the drive. Having Kodi available on the Shield has also been a Godsend. I've bee running everything via wifi with no problems other than slow Telekom speeds but that's not a problem with Plex. Thanks Nvidia!
I love my shield i use it more than any current consoles or my pc. I use it for all my media and love having Netflix and youtube in 4k. And I have a 4tb hd hooked up to it full of movies.
I’m trying to figure out how to play rar files for a video game I found
@@kevin2400 did you try VLC player?
Good video. Just an FYI, transcoding is done on the GPU, not the ARM CPU. I wish PLEX would implement GPU based (CUDA or Open CL) transcoding on their Windows/Linux Server. In theory you could run a Celeron with a $100 NVIDIA GTX graphics card and transcode much cheaper and with the same performance of a Core i7.
Hi,
instead of 5 "normal" videos I'm dying to see someone testing one single high quality or something with the newest features: very high bitrate, 4K (2160p), 60fps, 10 bits, HDR. What about those?
I'd like to meet the ultimate set-top-box. Could this Shield + Plex be that?
Thanks!
Well, I dont own a 4k TV, nor do I have any 4k content. Plus, this video was geared for the average user, looking for average usage. Not that it would have been bad to test those out, but without having the setup for it, cant do it.
My Plex server on the shield plays 4k, HDR and Dolby Atmos perfectly.
@@lylelove7275 where do you store this 4k, HDR and DA content? on the shield or on a NAS
Love the Shield! I actually have one for each tv in the house. i gotta say it is probably the best set top box on the market. Although I don't use it as my Plex server, I do use it as my cable box with the HDHomerun Prime with their DVR software installed on it. It works great as a DVR.
Now when you mentioned cost, the two 16 GB models that i bought actually came with the $50 media remote. Might be a Best Buy exclusive? Dont quote me on that. So if you go that route with a 1 TB usb 3.0 drive, you're looking at probably $270 or $280 with tax. To your point, thats a great price for a Plex Server.
Great video man! Looking forward to more videos about your experiences with it!
many retailers often bundle the remote with the shield at the same or lower price, I got mine off Amazon a while back and the bundle with the remote was actually cheaper then the standalone unit that day.
i am looking into the HD HR so what else do you use to run that , i mean do you also use a NAS,? where do you run the HD HR server software on? the sgields or a NAS? or are you going the PC route(i am not interested in doing that) and where does the DVR stuff get stored, on a HDD connected to the the shield or to the NAS and if you are using a NAS what brand and model is good, i a looking to get a NAS and i want tot get one that will be compatible with both plex and HD HR if i decide to get one
Nicholas Cheney m
I looked high and low to get the server to show up on my PC so I could transfer files, it took me a week to figure out, with an external 4 TB hard drive and to be able to access that drive via Win 10 PC network, no disconnecting required! Needed the access to be able to transfer files to the Shield without setting up an NAS or use a PC always on server..and I did it. Very precise steps, a few reg modifications but finally, I can access the Shield using win file explorer, no other special software required. Will record and setup a tutorial. I initially managed to get to the Shield internal storage...but I wanted access to the whole 4 TB file system...done!
the Biggest issue for me is I could not connect to the internal Shield drive or external drive connected to the shield via the network. I could sometimes, but most times I couldnt find the drives on the network. Making transferring files or managing files impossible most days. Also, you can't delete files from the external drive via a Network connection. You would have to unplug the drive, hook it up to a PC and do deletes. I finally gave up... and I have 2 shields! The media is now on my office computer and a new Plex server there.
The Shield TV has breathed a new life into my library originally with my, poorly matched, Ready NAS 4 bay drive, always struggled especially when trying to access remotely. But no more, connected to the same NAS drive but now using the Plex as my server instead of my PC
Should you get it? "If in doubt, just get the credit card out"
500Gb - check
4K TV- check
Geoforce Now-check
PLEX Server-
" Shut up and take my money"
I ran my shield as a Plex Server, and it killed the Shield twice.. no idea why. The Shield was dead and I thought I was screwed.... However the good people on Nvidia Chat told me how to revive it... so posting here just in case any of you have the same problem
1) Unplug all the cables and keep the device off for good 2-3 minutes.
2) Plug the Power cable, controller through USB (Wired) and Ethernet cable to the SHIELD. Do not connect HDMI cable.
3) The device will power on. Keep it idle for about 5 minutes and keep tapping A button on the controller. Continue tapping for about a few seconds.
4) Now leave the device in this state without the HDMI cable for good 15 to 20 minutes and plug the HDMI cable.
5) See if the SHIELD displays any output.
This worked for me on 2 occasions, I am not sure what you would do if you don't have the Nvidia controller.. but if it helps one person then I'm happy.
But if you don't have a Shield controller I suspect the Nvidia people would tell you to plug in a Xbox or PS controller, but it's worth checking with them, they are pretty helpful (to me at least)
Good tip
I've been using the Shield as my Plex Media Server successfully for a few months now, but yesterday the Plex Media Server went offline. I went into Plex on the Shield on the Shield and saw it was not running. I click ON but it would not start even after a Shield restart and complete power off and back on. I wen to My Apps and reinstalled the updates then launched Plex again. It booted like it was the first time, creating libraries and "Please wait...". I left it over night and it never did finish the "Please wait...". My next step is to wipe the Shield and start over but wanted your input first. Thanks so much.
I keep going back and fourth on this thing. I really want it. Since a teen when Nvidia pop in on the scene I have always liked them. I look the look and idea behind this box. I just cant justify the purchase. It does what a cheap android box will do basically. I would want it for gaming but there isnt much in native games for it that arent really old and that Ive played through several times.
can this play 4k 80-100gb rips or at least 50gb blu ray rips with atmos sound?
I have the original Nvidia Shield TV model, and really loved it, ran Plex (both client and server) on it just fine. But just a couple weeks ago I noticed my media library just disappeared, and the Plex client software says it can't find any media servers. I don't know if it was a recent Android system update to it, but my Plex Server just all of a sudden stopped working, and the Plex client software cannot find it. In the settings, the normal "Media Server" settings have nothing listed next to them. I rolled back the Plex software to the original and in the Advanced settings, I can see the Media Server is "Stopped", but still has the option to start the "Media Server", but when I do it acts like it is trying but after a few seconds still says "Stopped". I can do this all day long and it never starts. I can't do that with the Plex update from Google Play store, as the "Media Server" settings are empty in that release, can't even try to start the server.
I understand the newer Nvidia Shield Pro only supports the Plex server now, but I wonder if the software that determines if its not the Shield Pro has detected my original Shield TV is not the "Pro" - although it has same form factor and other specs.
Another issue I have is my Nvidia Shield says the wired ethernet connection is only running at 100 Mbps but my router and switches are all gigabit switched, so using it wireless is actually faster than the ethernet? Still troubleshooting why it only says 100 Mbps, but just a couple issues I've had with my Shield, just FYI.
Anyhow, giving up on my Shield being a media server now and offloading that duty to a backup PC I have.
I love my Shield TV.
I've run three movies simultaneously on Plex with no issues.
I have my 2TB HDD and Shield connected to my ASUS router and it works great.
I unfortunately did not have good luck using the shield as a server. It gave a warning it was "not powerful enough to transcode movie" that I was trying to watch in native format (not transcoding) on the shield itself!
The Plex Media Server software stopped working on my WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra. I tried to resolve the issue unsuccessfully and decided to finally use the Plex Media Server on my Nvidia Shield 2017. It plays 4K HDR videos flawlessly! I had no buffering and the videos loaded much faster than the EX2 Ultra. I have an external 6TB hard drive connected and can transfer files from my PC to the drive over my network. I wish I had done this sooner.
Your experience of setting the Shield up seems to have been the same as mine, with the WIFI not connecting for me at all and logging in via the Android TV website also not functioning. I couldn't tie my NVidia and Google accounts together either requiring yet more usernames and passwords. Inputting large usernames and passwords with numbers, special characters and upper/lowercase switches on a gamepad was something I did not enjoy. Maybe they had server issues as it was pretty heavily discounted during the Amazon Prime Day sales and in the UK at least, the 16GB version sold out before the end of the sale.
Other than those small issues signing in to things during setup it's been flawless since and the fact it handles that many streams is incredible for the price imo.
If I use a MicroSD card as expandable storage can I then plug in a harddrive with content on to it and connect that to Plex without having to turn it into a Plex-only external harddrive, as I'd still want to be able to unplug it and use it for storage on my PC?
If I already have a 4TB exFat-formatted hard drive with all my media (primarily movies) on it, would I have to reformat another drive via the Nvidia Shield and move them over? Or can I just connect and be good to go without having to reformat?
Could you please make a full video walkthrough of setting up the 2019 Pro version as a Plex Server
Thnks for all your information about this product and service. I have a question about the 1 Tb hard drive, Should It partition? And can that speed up the ease of watching the recorded program?
Are there better options at the same price point?
Plex meta-data is stored only on the internal shield drive. Even if I added 500 to the internal storage, plex still doesn't use it. If you go over 8GB's of Plex internal drive space, it will bring Nvidia Shield to it's knees and low on internal memory warnings will keep popping up. I've posed this question to Nvidia support and they still need to get back to me on this
How is the Shield playing straight off the PC with a different Media Server such as PS3 Media Server or Windows?
Is this dudes channel just one big advert for Plex?
Just a Plex addict who shares his passion. :)
And since you are one of the only (if not the only) youtuber that creates quality content on a diverse amount of plex topics, it is greatly appreciated!
I bought mine and use it in, what could be considered the worst case scenario, wirelessly on a secondary AP via 50m ethernet to a cheap 'ISP router'. So yeah Nvidia Gamestream out and out doesnt work with my network setup, and a wired connection really isnt an option since I rent this house and running wires through walls isnt allowed.
However the PLEX transcoder aspect of the shield works great, sometimes seeking through my library can be a bit slow but it will play my 1080p collection to any device in my house at original quality from my hardwired NAS, and allows for ~360p streams remotely (my internet is 8 down 1 up). Im very impressed with this little device I picked up in the Amazon Prime sale for £100 (~us$135). It is allowing me to downsize my NAS from an aging innefficient Athlon PC to a low power ARM unit. I have yet to buy the remote but the gamepad actually works really well as a TV remote. The only addon I have purchased for it was a £25 Samsung Pro 64gb SD card to use as inherited storage which works great even if it was a bit pricey. I have the video icons disabled and so far my ~180movie collection with 10-15 TV series takes up ~15gb in metadata which is a very managable amount.
EDIT: Should also mention the SHIELD contains a built in chromecast, meaning I was able to give my chromecast to my parents adding another ~£20 saving.
Look into Powerline Adapters. There are videos all over TH-cam on how they work. Trust me, you won't regret it.
Would prefer wireless too one of those laggy, RF interference generating, pieces of shit.
Why aren't more reviews as in depth as yours!? thanks so much saved me a bunch of time!
What is the size limit for a SD card?? It seems to vary per specific device.
Could I run my movie library just off a 1tb hard drive attached to the shield ?
cant you expand the dinky 16gb onboard drive with an external?
or does plex not talk to the shield's attached memory
Does the PLEX Media Server running on a PC have the ability for me to create and maintain a library of SD Video and bulletin board content and schedule the automatic and unattended distribution of that content to a remote Plex PLEX Player (like an NVIDIA SHIELD or Fire Stick)?
I got the nvidia shield pro 2 and it is not good.every app in siteload keep caching or sluggish. I hate it an returning it tomorow.
hello i have a question i have hooked 8 hardrives to my pc but i can't put anymore hardrive on my pc it won't reconize it anymore is there a way to hook more then 8 hardrive on a pc? i have a good pc an i7 4790k 16 gig ram but i have socket 1150 stil but my motherboard only can have 8 hardrive how can i get around that?
where do you buy your movies for compatible with flex ?
I had to reformat my external hard drive to plug into the nvidia USB?....once formatted to nvidia it couldn't be returned to windows 10?.....since I done all my movie conversions on my PC (windows 10) ,bluray discs to mkv etc,I couldn't use nvidia as my main server!.(with attached hard drive)
Unless I done it all wrong 🤔😥
This doesn't sound like a bad way to get a PLEX server without using a power hungry pc. This thing is using a ARM processor. I which he showed how many watts this thing is using at idle and while doing it's thing as a PLEX server.
I lucked out and got a ReadyNAS 516 for half price, which still isn't cheap, but has a Intel i3 processor. This allows me to use it as a Good Plex server. Handles Transcoding. But is also running a number of other programs, one one of them is PlexPl which is really needed I think to keep track of who is watching what when. Lots of very useful info and graphs.
Really though, a NVidia Shield and a cheap Home NAS with a ARM processor also, I would suggest at least a 4 drive bay version over just 2, and I think It would be a pretty good setup for a lot of people.
Dude. I don't even care about Plex (I'm just investigating the SHIELD in general), but I love this video. Well written and edited, comprehensive and useful info. Kudos!
If you buy the Shield Pro just to stream Kodi would you say not to buy it? Right now I bought the Shield and a Reveal Box. I haven’t opened the Shield yet in cause I want to send it back to Amazon. I also bought the NETGEAR Nighthawk X10. What do I do?
I got my 2tb plex library information on my nvidia shield in 30minutes, what u talking about??
will it work well with a external Hdd connected to it and have itself be the server? intead of having another device running it?
I just bought a shield tv 2017; I like subtitled content but I only found out after I bought that plugins aren't yet supported on the shield. Is this accurate? Is there any way around this limitation in the works or available now? Two of the plugins I'm looking at specifically are the HamaTV/AbsoluteSeriesScanner and SubZero.
I currently have a Synology DS918+ to store my movies (4K) and the Nvidia Shield. Is it better to use the NAS as Plex Media Server or use the Shield as Plex Media Server ? Because I see that I can install Plex on my Synology.
Might be a stupid question, but does the SHIELD need to be connected to a TV at all times to work as a server? My perfect world is one where my SHIELD sits next to my router, connected by ethernet and plugged into the wall. Is that realistic at all?
nope. Only need tv to use it as a player
Then it's looking like this might just become my Plex solution - thanks for your great video!
Hi, it's now August 2018 and i'm thinking buying nvidia shield 16gb + usb3 external drive with media + 2nd usb3 128gb pen as shield internal storage… but i'm wondering how much storage plex server uses for transcoding? i googled and learned plex server stores library metadata (small size) on a folder that can be changed to anywhere (“internal” or “additional external storage” but been unable to understand how much big can transcoding storage be… i know it depends on client, and if original movie pretty much near resolution of my watching device (ex. my 42" tv connected to shield basically), then i guess transcoding is minimum or zero, but how about - imagine- if original is a monster blueray movie 4k, i'd guess plex server will transcode (convert while playing i guess and create a new movie file downgraded to my tv only full-hd resolution? and that could mean some hundreds or megas or few gigas for the new transcoded file?
Or am i confusing concepts here and in fact transcoding does not create a new movie file as its a real time process so needed storage is minimum?
Thanks so much, this is my last doubt before i buy the setup im thinking :wink:
Greetings,
Emanuel
If you can't use a dedicated shield usb drive as a regular PC USB drive anymore, how can one add more movies after the fact? Does the shield offer SMB/Network share connections?
I'm using a shield and drobo for my Plex server setup, which is in the infancy stages. Is there a BMB video onconverting dvd and blurays to files palyable o Plex?
I'm just now seeing this video from 2016, so please forgive the late to the game questions. I am using the Shield as a PMS with a Scandisk 32GB thumb drive as internal storage and a Samsung T5 500GB external SSD as storage for recirdings from my HD Homerun Prime. I have been removing commercials with the Plex feature as well. When I play back recorded content on my Mecool M8S Pro L android TV box, I often get moments of pixelated picture and/or a shift in audio sync. There have been many times where the show is unwatchable and I have to switch to the network app on the Mecool. The fam is very frustrated as I was the one who pushed for the whole "everything on Plex" set up. I'm using hardware transcoding, but almost all of what we play i at original quality so not a lot of transcoding going on. Plus, we're play content on ONE client at a time. So before I replace the Shiled with an Intel NUC 7 J5005 (@$330 with drive and RAM), ANY help/advice would be GREATLY appreciate. Thanks Jason. P.S. If there's an update video on this I'd be happy to watch it.
I need your help. Several years ago I purchased a Vidabox movie server. It is currently holding over 800 movies and sitting in the living room.
Is it possible to use an Nvidia Shield to wirelessly watch those movies in other rooms?
can i stream my pc games from outside home with nvidia shield pro (in my friend's house)? in the same country.
what is the connection speed required to be good and optimised?
can i connect xbox joystick? so i can play with friends from my pc?
you think they'll ever do this to the amazon fire tv or apple tv?
hard to say what they have planned. But I think it has a lot to do with how expandable the storage is and what process it takes to get apps approved.
Byte My Bits oh ok then damn doubt they'll have it on amazon fire tv anytime soon. i heard its hard to get the apps approved on the fire tv
It has less to do with the idea of expandable storage and more to do with the fact that the GPU is whats doing the transcoding. This is pretty big for Plex and it was surprising to not hear you mention this.
Plex worked directly with Nvidia to get their GPU transcoding at a level/quality the Plex devs found acceptable.
This is STILL NOT an option on our x86 based hardware, but at least points to the idea that GPU transcoding is finally something the Plex devs are looking into with a mind on public usage.
This is also a big deal because asking a CPU to transcode H265 or HEVC is basically asking it to shot itself in the face. This is the very reason why my HEVC folder is only shared with some of my friends that are Plex geeks. They know to play these files on compatible players with direct play.
I would not be surprised to see this GPU option finally make its way to the X86 based servers soon, and I would also not be surprised to see it be Nvidia only at first.
Apple TV doesn't allow for external storage??? It better have at least SOME form of expandable storage!
I mean, I KNOW Apple doesn't believe in putting SD card slots on ANY of their mobile products, but I would hope to hell they support at least an SD card for Apple TV, if not full USB Drive support as ANY decent TV device should...
+Bill Surowiecki Nvidia GPUs can churn through H.265 in real time, at least the 900 and 1000 series can, and IIRC that is the codec used for Nvidia GameStream on the 900/1000 series. The 600 and 700 can do real time H.264 for GameStream. And again IIRC this is why ALL Nvidia GPUS from the 600 series up actually INCLUDE an ARM CPU, something like a Cortex A9 on 600 to 700, and either an A13/17 or A53/57 for the 900 and 1000 series.
Considering the Tegra X1 used here has 2 Maxwell SMMs for 256 Maxwell CUDA cores as well as 4x A57 running at 2.2 GHZ and 4x A53 at 1.4 GHZ - IIRC, it REALLY does not surprise me at all that it is an absolute BEAST (for Tablet Harware) at video transcoding!
I'm planning to add my lacie hdd I don't use anymore directly to the nvidia shield and transfer my movies and music thru network to the hdd that is connected to the nvidia shield is this possible or would it be better to turn my raspberry pi 3 into a nas?
Dear Mr. Byte my Bits
Right now I am using my pc as a plex media server and I am trying to change it for a nas. I want to be able to turn off my PC! My library is quite big, around 5tb.
My question is; should I buy something like the qnap 453 and run plex directly or should I buy the nvidia shield plus a cheaper nas cloud? This addiotional nas should be connected through wifi or usb port?
Another question: I have a poor home theater which just one hdmi in input and a projector optoma hd 26 and a tv.....How can I connect the 3 devices to nvidia shield? Is there a way to use a digital audio output from the nvidia to he home theater? Is there a way to keep the tv and the projector simultaneously connected? or should I connect and disconect every time I want to switch ?
Thanks a lot for your time and reviews
Looking for a new box. I bought the nvidia shield, but it cannot detect half of my usb hdds. Is this android related or is it based on the box itself. I have like 5 western digital usb 3.0 hdd, and some it reads and some it dont.
I could be wrong, but I don't think transcoding a video file "further" from its default bitrate makes your CPU work any harder. In fact its quite the opposite. A 1080p 12MB/s to a 1080p 10MB/s is going to make the server work much harder than a 1080p 12MB/s to a 720p 4MB/s. Again because its not the further you go away from the stream that matters, its the quality of the newly transcoded stream. I think that if you would have transcoded to 1080p 8MB/s (A common Plex Selection) you would have seen more like 2-3 streams.
Jason, for the last few days my Nvidia Shield Plex Media Server and app are not recognizing my mp4 video files particularly those that are TV shows. Any idea why this is happening? My PC Plex Media Server is having no issues with this situation. Thanks for any response.
Which device can be used to transmit multiple streams in different Headquarters of a company im talking around 11 or 12 locations with the same media im gonna use it like Digital Signage , but will an ordinary Nas or Laptop Handle this simoultenously streams ? ps: ( this are a small 8 min videos about the companies foundation and achievements will be played all day from 8 am till 7pm note aswell i will be using the PLEX plugin from the Smart Tv's Appstore on Each Tv ?? Any Help what you consider ?
do you know how to download torrent files on the nvidia shield directly on the micro sd card or hard rive plugged in the shield and add the torrent not from the shield (because its too hard and need a mouse and keyboard) but instead add it from desktop like the app transmission remote
i am used to add torrent on my macbook air through transmission remote and it automatically add it on my transmission torrent server installed on my NAS but since i sold my NAS i would like to do the same with the shield but couldn't find anything that works as a torrent server and compatible with an app on mac to add those torrent
how can u add a iptv bundle to your shield. i already have it on my pc?
I know this was from last year, but still really good info. So... here's my plan. I'd like to use the nvidia shield as my Plex Media Server only, not media storage. I have a Roku in my family room for the client already. For storage I'd like to use my 2TB WD My Cloud. I am using it now with an old HP laptop running my Plex Media Server, but it's an AMD 1.4 GHz and has a little trouble keeping up sometimes. My question... if the nvidia shield is connected to my network via Ethernet cable, can I continue to use my WD My Cloud for storage of my media and stream Live TV through Plex and record shows with the Plex DVR feature? I do have a 2TB WD My Passport I could use if necessary. I have ripped a dozen DVDs and Blu Rays to MKV. Will that be a problem? 90% of viewing will occur in my house. Not a lot of remote viewing. I welcome any and all advice for this configuration. Thanks so much.
Great question, and I don't have an answer for you. If you're still looking for an answer, however, consider checking the "ShieldAndroidTV" subreddit on reddit. Lots of folks there with plenty of knowledge.
LonTV talks about that
8:30 Why did you spell MPEG instead of saying m-peg?
if ones collection was over 1tb in videos, how much addon space is required for the thumbnails?? how many thumbnails/whaetever is stored on the actual shield would the 1tb hdd support?
Hey Jason, I know this is review of shield. However have you been able to get thumbnails to work on fire tv?
Honestly I don't think buying the shield just for media is NOT worth the price. You could easily do that with a 40$ android box, install kodi with a wizard like eminence or wookies and stream whatever you want. Buying the shield for gaming is also hard to justify nowadays since the Xbox 1 and ps4 which comes with good clients for plex. Plex should be a 100$ device.
Is it possible to run an iptv app through Plex to share with other devices in the home
what wrapper did you put the h.264 files in? MKV?
How does the SHIELD Plex server do when using .mkv files? I'm saving up for a setup similar to this one and I'm planning on using MakeMKV to rip my movies.
(I used to use HandBrake to get nice, device-friendly .mp4 files of my movies, but a movie using that program takes 45 minutes on my computer. MakeMKV can do it in 15, plus I get the added bonus of subtitle and language options. The file is larger though, and I can't play it easily via Windows Media Player. Luckily, I have a DVD player program that also happens to play .mkv files too)
It works great. that's why I bought it. I play them via Plex or Kodi or any other app.
I'm running Plex on a Samsung N130 anyNet netbook I bought in 2010. 1080p video @ 60 fps is no problem for the little guy.
Plex Newbie Here. So.. not having setup a Plex server yet (researching options).. the NVidia shield and a couple of USB hard drives is all I need to setup my media server?? TIA
Yes
Hi , Could you share if Dolby atmos is achieved if I use plex on NVidia shield?
I have found the solution to using your existing Plex Database on the Shield. It would work exactly the same as how I am using my Plex Media Server. I point my Plex Media Server to my external harddrive for storing the Plex Database. This is done in Advanced settings of the General settings under the Server tab. This way if I need to use my wifes laptop as the Plex Media Server for any reason, it will use the same Plex Database so all of the watched/unwatched info etc is all there. I can't see why you couldn't do this on the Shield also.
Great video. You should be hired by Plex to do their videos.
Sir for instance My PMS and my Sony TV as as PMS Client is on the same network connection, Does Plex uses a lot on internet to send to my tv or does my tv uses internet to download what im streaming from the plex server. Ims just wondering if that the cause i dont really have a huge internet and im afraid that i'll blow my data cap allowance. Sir plz comment on my post i really need to understand how plex work.
use this as my main plex client awesome . Use an old i5 with 8gb ram with a 128 ssd and a 6TB drive as a plex server. bk up every 2 week with an ext 8tb wd drive.
Would you recomend using a simple WD My Cloud NAS with the Nvida Shield to use plex?
I have a WD NAS and am considering the Shield - did you end up getting one?
Thanks for the video, the shield has been fine for me. I know it’s a year later, but if you update your library through a laptop/computer, the update will be faster.
does it do dts sound transcoding
Okay. Can I connect my tablet to my network drive and run a plex server off of the tablet? If so how do I map the network drive on Android to do this?
Captain's brief:
Year 2017, Attempts, Many, Mission failed.
Hello!!!, I like your channel content very much, congrats, great content here!. So.. I need your advice. Quick question: I need one device that can handle 5.1 / 7.1 Dolby and DTS audio signals HD-MA. PLUS 4K and HDR video. Any recomendation?.. Really, I'm tired to look and seems nothing works .....
I have:
-(A year old) Apple TV 4 (only 1080p and sound restrictions)
-Brand new (3 months) Roku 4 Ultra, and no success (audio issues, firmware out of date since 3 months ago and nothing in the horizon to be fixed)
I thinking on Nvidia Shield because HEVC support and 4k HDR, but seems is not handle the 7.1 in a good way since the last updates... but, I'm not sure. Thank you for any help. Regards!
Update with the new Shield models?
hey there thanks for the video it helped me alot. just one question, once i sync my external hard drive with the shield [external hardrive is in another room] cant i just stream it from that as i only have the 16gb version of the shield? will that work?
sorry for my ignorance hahah
ONLY 176 GB of media files? LMAO!
I am sitting at right around 1.1 TB of media files!
I don't use any Plex Devices though, don't feel any great need for one, as I have all these files on my internal Seagate Constellation ES.3 4TB HDD for all that data (with 4 SSDs total for 1.1 TB of high speed space for games)
THEN - they exist on the 8TB Household NAS, as well as a 3 TB, and 4 TB Seagate USB3 backup drives, and THEN also on a Toshiba 2 TB portable USB3 HDD.
Between that, and the fact that there is not a SINGLE display in my house that doesn't have input coming from SOME form of Windows PC - I can very easily and quickly watch ANYTHING I have ANYWHERE!
Now, all I need is a 2 TB+ Cloud Storage contract, and I will have access to EVERYTHING even on my Galaxy Tab A, which I am using right now. But I do have a 128 GB SDXC card installed, so I do have a LARGE amount of my media collection on it directly anyway, and if I am leaving my PC for a while and want different movies and shows, I can easily swap them out, as 128 GB is still a LOT OF space for a tablet!
Of my 1.1 TB, over 750 GB is encoded to either H.264 or H.265 (HEVC) - and of those 99% are .MKV format (Matroska)
176gb is his metadata and thumbnails associated with his media. He has much more than 1.1TB if that's what you want to compare.....
great video. I have ripped bluray movies that were uncompressed and are in mkv's. Will the Nvidia be able to handle transcoding these large files? I wanted my movie files uncompressed due to video and latest audio format (dts-ma hd, dolby true hd, atmos etc) quality. Also, these files are in multiple ext.hard drives. How can I connect all of them if this device if it only has one usb port? thanks and keep up the good work!
Jojit23 C. Lon from LonTV uses his shield to run all his ripped full file bluerays
how about transcode sub in to the movic ? There has My synology 1813+ the problem it can't not do That
Why is my plex so slow on the Shield? I just added two 8tb hard drives to my nvidia shield using the usb ports. I have movies on one 8tb and tv shows on the other 8tb. Plex is very buggy and I have been using Kodi and VLC to play the files. However, I love the beauty of plex art and I like plex's layout. I have the 16gb version of the shield so I am thinking of mounting an sd card to add more storage so it can download the art and metadata correctly. Is the lack of internal storage my Problem?
Yes, according to support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/221099648-Limitations-When-Running-Plex-Media-Server-on-NVIDIA-SHIELD
what this video ?? adv for Plex or for how use shield ?? or what exactly
Testing the Shields abilities..
This video probably needs to be updated
This did come out 4 years ago.
My IP address is not UK can I still access UK TV?
I had no problems signing in and the set up took less than 3min. Just download Kodi, Plex is not needing. $150 at best buy, it's the best box i have used
will they update the shield soon?
What you state at around 9:10 regarding internal storage expansion for the 16GB model is incorrect, PLEX will not use the external storage even when configured as internal storage, instead it will always default to the default internal storage in this case 16GB which quickly become unusable for playing 1080p video as well as storing the PLEX Database. I simply do not understand why PLEX server is even an option for 16GB models, its false advertising until this is fixed, very disappointed with PLEX as i purchased a 16GB model. I wasted a ful day trying to get this to work and had to factory reset my shield losing all my other app configuration in the process because the shield would keep crashing due to insufficient space, the shield OS nor PLEX server was smart enough to stop before reaching the max free space, you would think shield OS would keep a secret free space zone in this extreme cases, nop keep wishing !
Moral of the story? get the 500GB, and if you hate mechanical HD like me, upgrade it to an SSD after (nop a 16GB cannot be upgraded with an SSD as the SATA internface doesnt exist on the motherboard...)
You need to mount it as an external drive , I have a 2 TB hard drive connected to my shield and my plex server runs fine
+Jose Chinchilla my nvidia plex was reading my media off my NAS, i think what you are saying is true ONLY when you library is stored on the external usb drive, not a NAS like me
+Mathieu Bouvier Interesting, it does take some messing around with
Actually you can use it as internal or external, but you have to configure you plex libraries from the Web to point to the correct folders.
Mathieu did you find a solution to this issue ? Did barndogusn reply help ?
The Nvidia Shield is an exceptional machine - I use it more than my PS4 and Xbox One combined.
And it's strange that consoles are sinking ship the moment they are released - hence PC gaming outperforming consoles within months post-release. The Nvidia shield is the only console I've purchased at launch that has become exponentially more robust over time.
The fact that I can now use GeForce Now for free and I can play any pc game available via Steam, and play Android games too on top of that, the Shield demolishes other platforms.
Also, 5G is shit - and you didn't think to try 2.4Ghz..? And your Plex issues are because of Plex - the shield has dedicated transcoding; if Plex rams everything through the GPU, that's their issue.
If you try an app that involves the use of video transcoding of your non-pirated (if any) material, it works rather well. I'm sure Plex will eventually fix their issues with the shield; once that happens, you'll be able to watch all the illegal copies of movies you have without a hitch.
Only 42 mins for all that artwork doesn't sound too bad considering...
Great setup box, but as a plex server it falls short. You will get "failed to stream" messages. It is not quite powerful enough for server functions. Main reason I purchased the shield. Oh well
Can you make a video about Wester Digitals new My Passport Wireless Pro? I think it would be neat to have a portable and wireless Plex Server on the go. Thanks, your videos are great!!