#1 — NVIDIA Shield TV Pro (~$200)
Best overall
The Shield has held the top spot for years and still earns it. It direct plays H.265 without breaking a sweat, outputs 4K Dolby Vision and Atmos, and uniquely, it can also run Plex Media Server — so one box handles both server and client. The AI upscaling that bumps 1080p to 4K is genuinely impressive on older library content. If you want one box that handles everything and never makes you think about transcoding, this is it.
Pros: Full Dolby Vision + Atmos, Gigabit Ethernet, runs Plex Server, AI upscaling Cons: Most expensive option, bulkier than a stick
#2 — Apple TV 4K, 3rd Gen (~$129)
Best for Apple users
Excellent Plex app, fast hardware, and the best subtitle controls of any box. Direct plays H.265 and outputs Dolby Vision beautifully. The catch: ripped Atmos tracks from your own Blu-ray collection don’t fully pass through — a licensing limitation. If your library is standard H.265 encodes with 5.1 audio, you’ll never notice. If you have TrueHD Atmos rips, you will.
Pros: Great Plex app, beautiful interface, reliable playback position memory Cons: No lossless Atmos from rips, Wi-Fi only (no Ethernet), can stutter on 60fps 4K
#3 — Google TV Streamer 4K (~$99)
Best mid-range pick
Google’s replacement for the Chromecast with Google TV is a meaningful step up: 4GB RAM, 32GB storage, Gigabit Ethernet, AV1 decoding, and Dolby Vision + Atmos support. It direct plays H.265 and handles most Plex libraries well. A few caveats worth knowing: lossless audio passthrough (TrueHD, DTS-HD) is not supported, Dolby Vision profile 7 — used in many UHD Blu-ray rips — falls back to HDR10 in Plex, and frame rate matching only works on Netflix among streaming apps, which can cause stuttering on other content. It’s a solid all-rounder but not as polished as the Shield or Apple TV for demanding Plex use.
Pros: Gigabit Ethernet, 4GB RAM, Dolby Vision, AV1, clean Google TV UI Cons: No lossless audio, DV profile 7 falls back to HDR10 in Plex, frame rate matching limited to Netflix
#4 — Amazon Fire TV Cube, 3rd Gen (~$140)
Best audio passthrough
A solid Plex client with one meaningful advantage over the Apple TV: it passes through lossless audio — Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA. If you have a proper AV receiver and a library of Blu-ray rips, that matters. Supports Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and has an Ethernet port. Fire OS is more ad-forward than Android TV or Google TV, but it doesn’t interfere with Plex.
Pros: TrueHD + DTS-HD passthrough, Ethernet, Alexa + IR blaster Cons: Fire OS home screen is ad-heavy, pricier than Chromecast
#5 — Roku Ultra (~$100)
Easiest to set up
The simplest streaming device you can buy, and a capable Plex client. Dolby Vision, HDR10+, Ethernet port, microSD slot. The Plex app has improved a lot and reliably direct plays H.265. The hard limit: no lossless audio passthrough. TrueHD, DTS-HD, and DTS:X all get downmixed or converted. Fine for most people; a dealbreaker if you care about audio.
Pros: Simplest interface, Dolby Vision + Ethernet + microSD, broad app support Cons: No lossless audio passthrough at all
Quick Comparison
| Device | H.265 Direct Play | Dolby Vision | Lossless Audio | Ethernet | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shield TV Pro | ✓ | ✓ | Partial | ✓ | ~$200 |
| Apple TV 4K | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ (rips) | ✗ | ~$129 |
| Google TV Streamer | ✓ | ✓* | ✗ | ✓ | ~$99 |
| Fire TV Cube | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ~$140 |
| Roku Ultra | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ~$100 |
The short answer for most people: grab the Shield TV Pro if you want zero compromises, or the Google TV Streamer if you want a solid mid-range option with Ethernet and a proper app store. Either one will make your TV’s built-in Plex app look embarrassing by comparison.
✓ = Dolby Vision supported, but profile 7 (UHD Blu-ray rips) falls back to HDR10 in Plex.