Lots of stuff in the upgrade, including this:
"Adds support for latest FireTV (2018) remote. Long press home to initiate Bluetooth pairing with SHIELD"
Order one of those remotes today, fingers crossed it works. The volume slider on the Shield remote is awful.
> AndroidTV Home
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.tvlauncher
I like how the pictures they use still show the old launcher without advertisements.
A clean, simple interface that users rarely complained about.
Yes, button mapper in the appstore. You can also keep the button and let it do other things, but have it require 2 presses or 3 so you don't keep bumping it.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=flar2.homebutton
FitzyTV - Allows you to log in with your TV providers and see a unified program guide with Cloud DVR
​
Bias alert: I'm the developer of FitzyTV
IMO: use something to block urls on your shield... be it a pihole, your router or via dns filter rules.. then block this:
*.androidtvwatsonfe-pa.googleapis.com
Clear cache/data for Android TV and you'll get the generic Youtube and Google Play Store ad to cycle indefinitely.
I use Nextdns.io which has the ability to create a "denylist".. then I use the nextdns app on my shield which forces all the dns traffic thru nextdns.io and thus blocks the above url. Has worked since google enabled the new UI flag.
AdAway Default Blocklist https://adaway.org/hosts.txt
# [googleapis.com]
127.0.0.1
<code>androidtvwatsonfe-pa.googleapis.com</code>
It's already in the default block list?
Strongly recommend looking into getting pihole running on your system. It's a personal DNS server that can filter out (block) certain dns calls according to rules you set (ie, blocking advertisements). If you point your router's dns at the pihole dns server, it will block ads for your entire home
It was designed to run on a raspberry pi, which is a nice cheap way to do it, but will also run well as a docker container or virtual machine
Ignore the popup telling you that you have to buy it, if you just close it the settings still work
There's an app on Shield TV called Refresh Rate: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=mobi.bytearray.refreshrate
It's amazing and more info here (little outdated but you'll figure it out): https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/forums/shield-tv/9/297663/auto-refresh-rate-tool-google-play/
I'm loving FLauncher. Simple, clean, free, open source, active development. I've experienced zero bugs.
Here a direct link to the official build on Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=me.efesser.flauncher
Or even better, use the Google Docs page with all the screensavers in full quality including 4K HDR. Save them to your drive and use the Photo Gallery and Screensaver app. Only worry about the bandwidth once and get the highest quality.
The app listed in the page linked is CONSTANTLY streaming/downloading the videos... fuck that.
No it doesn't come with one. Any HDMI should work just fine for your TV but if you're worried you can just get an HDMI 2.1 cable (shield uses HDMI 2.0b connection) and not have to worry about it.
This is the correct version for Android/Google TV devices: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.apple.atve.androidtv.appletv
The one you're trying to install is for Sony Android TV.
Yeah what everyone else said. Set your picture mode to movie, turn sharpness to 0, turn off "TruMotion", and whatever other picture-enhancing crap your TV has (digital noise reduction, etc.). http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/lcdtvs/turn-off-these-3-features-in-every-tv
On a properly calibrated TV the Shield looks stunning.
They gave up right? There was quite a big of hype a few years ago. But just look at Metal Gear Rising
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nvidia.metalgearrisingrevengeance
It's only got 5,000+ installs. Doom3 has 10k+ and HL2 has 50k+. It's not surprising Nvidia gave up.
Plus now they're not focused on local gaming. It's all cloud. Maybe that's why they continue releasing new Shields with the same chip. Because the extra horsepower won't get used when most people are just streaming.
ES File Explorer is crap.I installed X-plore and it works really well transferring stuff from drives
​
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lonelycatgames.Xplore&hl=en
I also didn't have this option. Turns out you need to have the latest version of Plex Media Server installed. So if you're not seeing it, you don't have the latest version.
To force the latest version go to
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.plexapp.mediaserver.smb&hl=en
Install to SHIELD.
Give it a minute or so to install and then check the Storage & Reset menu again. The "access shield folders from pc" should be there now.
You will want to use this version of XMBC/Kodi. It's a fork of the offical Kodi build, but with way more features added. I'm running this currently on my shield and am able to play 4K mkv's without issue.
Plex also support 4K playback on the shield as well.
$15 more if you want the bundle with the game controller at $155.
The Shield works great for the systems that you're looking to emulate. I recommend http://www.retrox.tv/ if you're looking for an emulation tool that mostly 'just works' with minimal settings.
RetroX is a front-end for RetroArch and a few other emulators that helps combine library browsing with emulators that are pre-configured to mostly work from the get go on the Shield. I happily paid for it to avoid having to setup RetroArch + a separate front-end (most of which you have to pay for anyways).
If you configure it right, it's fantastic. Lots of trial & error with Retroarch, but I've got it running every major system you can think of up to and including Dreamcast and PSP.
My advice is this:
Get one of these for your ROMS. Enough for full libraries of everything.
Get the best quality MicroSD card you can find and use it as adoptable storage
Get a simple USB keyboard. Once you have everything setup, you won't need it, but it will save you a LOT of headaches when setting up Retroarch.
Enable network share, remote in with a PC and work on retroarch config files directly. Once you learn how to do it? Works a million times better than using retroarch alone.
If you want things to look really nice, take a look at the reset collection. A fantastic front-end for emulators.
Redream for Dreamcast, PSPP Gold for PSP. Trust me.
my man if you can afford 3 shields you can afford at least one Harmony hub with remote from amazon. Its probably the best remote Ive ever used https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-915-000194-Smartphone-Certified-Refurbished/dp/B00ZYIFXSM/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1541011555&sr=8-9&keywords=harmony+hub+remote
Yup! I’m able to get by on my shield past those for .
You just need a good VPN. I have NordVPN and the app on my shield makes it easy and doesn’t effect the streaming. Do not try and use a free VPN as it will have issue streaming video.
I paid like $100 for 3 years of NordVPN.
Hue Stream will do what you want. Note that it won't work with DRM-protected output such as Netflix, Hulu, et al. It'll work with everything else though, including the Shield UI itself.
You can enable file sharing on your shield, then transfer roms that way or use USB. The engines can be downloaded from within retroarch.
Theres a new screensaver that blows both the stock and (imo) Aerial Dream out of the water called Dreamy. It pulls photos from Unsplash and lets you choose categories or define a search term.
Here's a link to the post the dev made about it on r/androidtv and here it is on the Play Store.
Just set up Nord on your router, here is how you can do it and everything will be fine. I think if you have more questions you should just contact the customer support, they will know better than us. Good luck !
Try side loading this on your shield TV. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ambilight.gboulanger.hue.testhue2 I have had it a few months and it does the trick and you can control it from the shield directly.
I honestly do not like the new home screen at all. I tried living with it for a few days, but this morning I couldn't take it anymore and uninstalled the stock launcher and now I am using TVLauncher instead.
I could see how some people like the new home screen if they are into recommendations. Personally, I feel like it both clutters the screen and often shows content that I am definitely not interested in. And if you have a lot of channels, having to scroll down through a long home screen seems less efficient than just having all of the shortcuts in a grid.
you might be trying to install the wrong version. there's a separate play store listing for the android TV version of the app.
did you install from this page?
If you don't have the option in "Storage & Reset" settings called "Over local network" you need to update your Plex Media Server, which you can do from here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.plexapp.mediaserver.smb
If you have that setting you naturally have to enable it. It will supply you with a username and password (the username you can change), allowing you to setup a connection to it from your PC.
I also believe you need to have "SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support" enabled if you're using Windows. You can check this in Control Panel -> Programs and Features -> Turn Windows features on or off. The problem with this however is that MS will apparently disable it in the next big patch for Windows 10, because it's a security risk (the recent ransomware attacks exploiting it). If you have decent antivirus installed this shouldn't be a problem though. I could be wrong about this (that it's required to have it enabled) though as I haven't done enough testing to fully verify it.
Note that you will not have full write permissions over the network to this drive. Basically the only place you can do stuff is within the "NVIDIA_SHIELD" folder created on the drive, but just setup your folder structure within that and it's all good.
Hope this helps!
I really like BombSquad, a party style game where players use their phones or tablets as controllers.
GTA San Andreas plays great on the box, as does Doom 3.
Awesome, just works and the dev is active.
Its 12.99, if you cant afford it go work any job for an hour or two mowing lawns or something, it will save you more time and frustration than the <2h of work to make 12$
Apparently if you've got a pihole or other ad intercepting device on you network, you can add this to your blocklist, specifically the section that mentions AndroidTV. You still have the top page, but instead of ads it scrolls through some default things like open YouTube, Google Play Movies, and I think the Play Store.
You could always use a wireless hdmi transmitter
IOGEAR Wireless 4K UHD Ultra-Fast 60GHz HDMI Computer/TV/Projector for Uncompressed Audio/Video Streaming https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NFV2JN1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_7W8ZWRBF3ZZYSZMC3PG7
You need SAI. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aefyr.sai
Install on both phone and Shield. Install Dead cells on the phone. Run SAI and make a backup of the game. Transfer it using x-plore onto the shield and then use sai to install. You will get a black icon in the games section because they didn't make one but it works perfectly.
Install Button Mapper and set it to do nothing:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=flar2.homebutton&hl=en_US
The original Goat Simulator. It's open world and there's no enemies, so it's perfect for younger kids. They can just explore and run amok. There's a few different official Goat Sim games with different themes/worlds available, so some may be more suitable than others.
Hungry Shark Evolution would be another one. The controls are easy to grasp, though it gets challenging if you are trying to advance in the game.
Came across this when looking for options for this today. I am going to see how well it works with Kodi since it does not support DRM content like Netflix/Amazon yet sadly.
This is what I did as well and the remote is absolutely amazing! A perfect complement to the Shield
Two things that were invaluable to me:
You can buy a PS3 Eye Camera for very cheap on Amazon (or used from a local Gamestop) and use the far field mic on it for Assistant. In Shield Experience 7.2.3, the voice button on the Fire TV remote triggers assistant, and then the Eye Camera's mic can be used. It is an equivalent experience to using the stock remote for me.
You can use Button Remapper to remap buttons on the Fire TV remote. The app allows you to remap single, (quick) double, and long presses on buttons. The customization that I chose to do was holding down the menu button for skipping forward entire tracks. The media buttons on the Fire TV are just for seeking within the current media playing, and a skip forward button is all that I personally needed to make the Spotify experience on my Shield perfect. Do note that Button Remapper has an option to do a one time in app purchase to unlock a few more customization options, and customizing the menu button is a part of this (from what I remember).
Borderlands 2 (specifically made for the Shield) is currently on sale if that's your thing.
Assuming you have an Android phone, grab the nVidia Shield TV remote app. Nice during setup to have a keyboard, even if it's just your phone's. You can use any keyboard you have laying around too, any USB (wired or wireless) or Bluetooth will work.
Well, my first piece of advice is don't assume that'll work. Netflix often updates it's blocked list of DNS addresses that it believes are VPNs that let people do what you're looking to do. So, some VPNs will work, others won't (and some will for a bit, and then stop working). Other services don't care as much.
That said, I also have a 1gbps fiber line in my house and use Private Internet Access as my VPN, and I still get absurdly fast speeds. Basically, a good VPN would still offer speeds faster than pretty much anything on your Shield could possibly use.
Netflix tends to ban IPs from most VPNs so it is recommended to use a service that keeps updating their server list with new ones. NordVPN does that, I use it myself and usually the newest servers work with Netflix so that's good enough for me. Other VPNs probably get new servers as well but I can only vouch for Nord.
I recently was choosing between a few VPNs like NordVPN, Express and Private but ultimately went with NordVPN. I found the price adequate but the selling point was that they have an Android TV app which is way easier - no sideloading, no setting it up on a router and etc.
Download ES File Explorer on your Shield.
Download StrongVPN APK on your computer. Copy it to a USB Stick
Plug USB Stick into Shield and open ES File Explorer. There you will find your USB Stick and can install the APK from there.
More then likely you will have to allow Unknown sources in the permissions + Security in the shield settings before starting all of this.
Rinse and repeat for any apps you can't find on the play store on the shield
There are apps that will "clone" another app to install it again as a 2nd & separate install. Parallel Space, for example. Not sure if there are issues running it on Android TV though to be honest.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lbe.parallel.intl&hl=en
App Cloner is another: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.applisto.appcloner&hl=en
I use this app, lets you create screensavers from multiple sources. It even has Aerial shots like the Apple TV.
What you need is download from the play store the app called "WiFi Speed Test" by Zoltan Pallagi . Read the app's info/description in the app listing and download the PC server and have it running on your PC when you do the testing. It tests local network speed and works great for me.
Mine looks exactly the same... Such a shame. I'm going to try a new launcher I saw in some other post, makes it more accessible. This one Edit: it's great, very customisable, and easy to use... Is there a way to make it the default home?
Install this on your SATV:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=news.androidtv.tvapprepo.playstore
"Want to easily launch your non-Leanback sideloaded apps from your homescreen? The Tv App Repo generates Leanback shortcuts and lets you install them. These tiny apps simply redirect you to the actual app."
Yes: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.tv.remote&hl=en_GB
And for iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/android-tv/id1078761166?mt=8
It's not the most reliable, but works well enough for me to ditch a physical remote.
Use the app APK Extractor. It pulls the APK from your device and you can put it up on Google Drive or save it to a usb stick. Personally, I avoid all those APK sites.
This will do it but it would show her notifications on the TV so when you text her the notifications will show on the shield tv, you can set up multiple devices I believe too. Pretty sure you can also whitelust the apps you want notifications from and block the rest
Yes. And BTW, there is no need to side load chrome. You can simply visit https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.android.chrome on your desktop machine and select to install it on the shield ... or just talk to the shield as I've discovered ;)
Try going to the Plex Media Server listing on the Play Store and install it from there. (Even though it's already installed on your SHIELD, installing it from the Play Store listing should force the update)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.plexapp.mediaserver.smb
If you are running an Nvidia graphics card in your PC, you're good to stream. Download the GeForce Experience app on your PC, and then log into GFE and the GeForce Hub on your Shield with the same account. Any games that are supported should show up under GameStream.
For unsupported apps, you can add them in the GFE app by going to Settings, then Shield, and clicking the Add button. However, I've found that some games don't work well this way. It's generally more reliable to launch them through Steam. Steam itself is a supported app, and so should automatically be in your GameStream list. You can add anything you have from outside of Steam as a non-Steam game to get them in there.
As for emulators, I heartily recommend RetroArch. That will cover you for most of the major systems PS1 and below. There is a version of Dolphin for the Shield for Gamecube and Wii games, but it's still in the early stages and has some annoying problems; if you've got a PC to stream from, I'd recommend running it from there instead.
As for other awesome stuff you can do, the Shield has a built in Plex Media Server, which is great if you have a lot of local media (or physical media you're willing to rip). You just have to go into the Plex app to activate it, then you can configure it through the web interface like any other Plex server.
It is on the play store and running on Android, it is only filtered by device to the Shield AT THIS TIME. I have no idea why that doofus decided to make a useless comment like "it's not on Android". He probably thinks squares are not rectangles, too.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nvidia.valvesoftware.halflife2
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=mobi.bytearray.refreshrate
This will do it, I use it to start up moonlight at 1080p60 when my shield is set to 2160p50 as standard
Additionally allows set app startup display mode
You don't need a VPN clamping down on your speed. All of those services use DNS geolocation. So a simple DNS based subscription is fine.
I used https://www.unblock-us.com/ for several years with NHL.tv without many issues. I did recently switch to https://unlocator.com/ though because they are much less expensive and were running a COVID 50% off special on top of already being cheaper.
VPN is WAY overkill and limits your bandwidth and speeds considerably. Just get a smart DNS. No software or apps required. Just set the DNS on the router or device to the service's DNS servers.
I was really annoyed by the sheer volume of Youtube ads in the past few months but couldn't find a solution that worked.
I have a file server on my home network and so I installed pi-hole. It was a bit complicated to get going but blocks 99% of the ads now on the entire network for every device including the Shield. I installed VMWare Player, downloaded Ubuntu, installed it. Then I just followed the pi-hole instructions on their site, set the VM to auto-start at bootup and pointed the static DNS on my router to the IP of the VM.
I should write up a full guide for it, there was a few hoops but man, ad free Youtube is wonderful.
Two ramps to the same highway, Moonlight is just an open source solution to Nvidia's GameStream. Some people insist Moonlight works better, but to me they both work fine.
That said, moonlight has a portable version which saved me when I only had work laptops at my old overnight job.
You can use Moonlight to stream your Nvidia graphics powered PC to pretty much any device. It uses the same GameStream technology but it's much better as it's open source and more streamlined.
Oh god. That is fucking terrible. It's like they went to the Amazon school for terrible UXs. I wouldn't have bought the shield if it had looked like that.
I am using 1Weather on my shield works fine for me, Also tried https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.macropinch.swan and it works fine also
One option is the Button Mapper app. I remapped the Netflix button to be 'next track' and works in Spotify and YouTube. (Btw it might ask you to pay in-app to unlock that feature but I clicked no to the pay and it worked anyway)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=flar2.homebutton
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.plexapp.mediaserver.smb
And sign up for the beta. You need to be the same account that is tied to your shield.
I also signed up for the client beta at the same time, just to mainly avoid any complications
Poweramp (website)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.maxmpz.audioplayer&hl=en
I haven't used this in a while on my Shield tbh, but when I did it worked pretty well with landscape mode.
This player supports MilkDrop visualizations (!!!), and has lots of settings for audio preferences (i.e. removes gaps). Highly recommended, both for mobile phones and other devices. It also works really well with external devices such as a USB DAC.
Most importantly is that you can choose not to use the library mode (indexing), and just browse/play folders directly.
I did a bit of googling, and found this to get Ubuntu running on the Shield: https://forums.dolphin-emu.org/Thread-how-to-boot-ubuntu-16-04-on-the-shield-tv-with-x1-gpu-drivers
If you just want Steam Link on there, though, you don't need to switch to Linux for that. Valve has a Steam Link app for Android now, and it works well on the Shield. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.valvesoftware.steamlink
for those looking for an easy link instead of searching https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.philo.philo.google&hl=en_US&fbclid=IwAR0KDdzy43QfW1553jORY4u_QhUOAmzFGdjIccTJCIdgy2o7EIL62b0M75I
I created a games row with an app called "Sideload Channels". It works pretty well, only downside is that it's a static row. I'd love to find an app that creates a dynamic row that shows my last played games. I even thought about buying ARC browser (to combine it with retro gaming) but the price is too high for me
I've never seen that banner, been on the Shield TV since launch. What screen is this on, the home page? Or the idle screen?
I use Photo Gallery and Screensaver to rotate a collection of 4K wallpapers when idle. Perhaps that will do the trick?
This is not the right solution for your problem, but there is a new App on the Play Store from Nvidia which gives you a Touch Pad for a Virtual Mouse on the Shield so with that you could open that.
Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nvidia.shield.remote
You can clone the app. I did it when trying to get around the internal storage media server debacle without success. For your use it would be fine.
This is the app I used https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.applisto.appcloner
In case you're looking to use airplay with your ShieldTV, this app seems to be working just fine, https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.waxrain.airplaydmr2&hl=en
My wife uses it to airplay videos from her iPhone to the ShieldTV. And while the video airplays you maintain some level of video playback control using your ShieldTV remote.
I just tried it and it worked!!... CDkeys is having a summer sale...many of the titles work with Steam/Sheild.. grapbbed a couple for 5 bucks !!..
See thread below https://slickdeals.net/f/11777443-pc-digital-downloads-mortal-kombat-x-premium-batman-arkham-vr-4-each-much-more?src=SiteSearchV2_SearchBarV2Algo1
It should automatically wake when trying to access it. Note, however, that a Plex Media Server on a Shield TV can really only handle 2.. maybe 3.. simultaneous users doing transcodes.
When you get home, you'll want to make sure everything looks good via the web interface under Settings/Remote Access.
It should say: "Fully accessible outside your network. You can access this server from signed-in Plex apps or in a browser at https://plex.tv/web."
Nothing particularly special about PMS on the Shield. It's port 32400 by default. Try going to plex.tv to manage your server. Go to Settings -> Remote Access and click Advanced. I had better results by checking Manually specify remote port and and entering 32400.
Here is a good place to start:
https://www.reddit.com/r/EmulationOnAndroid/wiki/index
Emulation is something the SATV does very well, but it's a bit more do-it-yourself than the other options. Basically you need to install an emulator app (usually from the play store) and load ROMs via a usb stick or something like that.
Also give this a look:
I haven't used it myself, but tons of people recommend it.
No problem. Google is your friend.
http://m.aptoide.com/installer-aptoide-tv?lang=en
Use a web browser such as Google Chrome, available in the Google Play Store. Or as another poster suggested download it to your computer then transfer it your Shield. There is an app available in the Play Store called WiFi Explorer that makes the process very simple.
DiskGenius (formerly PartitionGuru) can resize exFAT partitions without any data loss (assuming your partitions are healthy of course). I'd run another CHKDSK on it first and then use DiskGenius to resize.
Actually the Geforce Experience software will do that but only for games currently installed that appear on their official supported games list: https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/geforce-experience/games/
However, there are a ton of other games that work just fine, you just need to manually add them which is where I appear to be running into a limit.
I don't know if the limit I am experiencing is just for manually added games for or for a combination of officially supported games and manually added ones. I currently have 48 official games and 78 manually added. 126 is a strange number to have as a hard limit.
Same thing happened to me so now I'm using Emby (and enjoying it so far).
There's an emby server for android now: https://emby.media/community/index.php?/topic/53944-emby-server-for-android/ (you need to manually install the apk but it works pretty damn well)
I would suggest looking into jellyfin, which is the opensource fork of emby and actively maintained. Apparently a big update for the jellyfin androidtv client is coming soon.
Currently I use jellyfin as the backend with a plugin for kodi, because I prefer the Kodi frontend to jellyfin, but that might change with the update. I never had any problems with this combination.
How fast is your internet?
If it is under 30Mbps, it could be that the Ultra was starting at 1080p and upping to 4K when it buffered enough. The Shield might not be doing that and wanting to start at 4K.
Also network traffic can futz things up at peak times.
Tried contacting their support? They should help you. Don't know about other providers, but Nordvpn on Nvidia works easily for me. If sometime you'll decide to change your provider, you can check for directions here.
I use RealDebrid and Kodi w/ an add-on. I just watch movies and shows, and it's always been pretty seamless. There's plenty of guides on how to set up an add-on (like The Crew) and then how to embed RealDebrid within that add-on. Takes about 15 mins if even that then you are good to go until you have to renew your RD subscription, in which case reauthorization takes only a minute. I've been enjoying 4k streams and it works great.
As everyone else says... USE A VPN. I've been using Private Internet Access, but according to another user I spoke with, it is now owned by some Chinese company (from what I remember), so I'm likely to do some research and switch in the near future. If you or anyone else has a good recommendation/replacement, please let me know.
Hope this helps and happy streaming!
Ok, ... what will be updated specifically? Only the launcher? Can't we use a different launcher if this happens? I have this one: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=dxidev.sideloadchannel2 But so far I only use it to create custom launcher rows and entries for the stock launcher.
i have 2 shields. both remotes crapped out and dont charge anymore (and prior to that i'd always have to hard reset them). 1 controller crapped out as well, i'm guessing the other is fucked too. i dont even bother trying with these PoS's anymore.
bought an nvidia replacement remote...crapped out after 6 months.
bought a couple of these $12 cheapo remotes and they've lasted 2 years so far with no issues:
If you are going to try a third-party launcher, you may want to take a look at the [List of alternative launchers for Android TV](/r/AndroidTV/comments/nkboqd/list_of_alternative_launchers_for_android_tv/) that I posted over on /r/AndroidTV.
I plugged a generic USB sound card -- like the Syba model here -- into the back of my older model Shield and was pleased to see that the menu clicks were coming out of the headphones, now!
There didn't seem to be any notifications, and I'm not sure you could change the routing back without unplugging it, but... at the very least, a generic USB to 3.5mm adapter appears to work.
Yes, you should absolutely use a VPN if you are getting stuff from the getting place. Lots of VPNs out there but take a look at Private Internet Access. You can use it on your main computer to get stuff AND you can put the android app on your shield in case you need to access content that may not be available in your country.
You could look into the ad-blocking options that some vpn providers offer, like NordVPN or SurfShark. Not sure if they would block the kind of ads you describe here. I have Youtube Premium so no ads for me.
You're arguing things you don't understand in most of this thread and it almost makes me not want to help you.
The tube has a USB type-c port that at the moment you're using as a simple power delivery system. That doesn't mean that's all it's capable of. Get something like this. You attach a power supply to this and it'll pass power to the tube and also provide you with additional USB ports that the tube will recognize.
One hitch is you might need a stronger power block since you'll need to be powering the web cam and the tube.
Unmolested link to Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/NVIDIA-Shield-Streaming-Media-Player/dp/B075RXV2VR/
OP is a link spammer. Attn Mods: /u/jamesking420 and /u/ButtaJones
I bought one of these a few months ago to use in an identical situation as you:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078DZZ6HL/
The reviews on Amazon for it are not great, but it's worked well enough for me.
I get compressed 5.1 to my AVR and I can send 4K/HDR/60fps signals to my TV without issue.
The only limitation will be that you cannot send uncompressed surround audio to your AVR. That means no Dolby TrueHD and no DTS Master Audio.
If I'm being honest with you, my real advise would be to ditch the old AVR. Try to recoup some money by selling it. Buy a new AVR with HDMI 2.0 and HCDP 2.2. You will find some pretty decent sales during the holiday time
You could try Fake GPS location https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lexa.fakegps
You need to enable developer settings and once done you can change your GPS provider to the Fake GPS app. Can't say for sure if it will work for your situation though. You may also need to sideload this app if it's not available in the play store for Android TV
I have it working with the latest patch but I had to use SAI https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aefyr.sai
I think the easiest way to get SAI on the Shield is through F-Droid (so you can update it easily).
You need to use SAI on your phone to export it and then use SAI on your Shield to import. Once it's installed it works pretty much like any console version (except no split screen)