Looking for the ultimate hardware client...advice needed

[Revv23]

Only the no name Chinese Android boxes have the malware that is being widely reported. The Nvidia Shield is a frequently recommended Android TV client for Jellyfin. I've had good experiences with my Chromecast with Google TV 4K. Either of these come with a controller.

I said Spyware - not Malware. The Shield specifically has completely filled it's reddit sub with questions on how to fix the home screen back to how it used to be before they loaded it down with bloat & ads. I dont anticipate offbrand versions to be much better?

I haven't used a chrome cast before - does it have all the same features as the desktop client?

i wish there were an 'ultimate' device but sadly, everything has a downside so far as i have discovered

i primarily use a FireTV Cube Gen3

pros
supports almost all video formats including profile 5,7,8 of dolby vision (not VC1 but what does?)
support audio passthrough on TrueHD+EAC3 Atmos

cons
it has an issue with DTS Audio where the sink gets stuck and freezes so i have to transcode to EAC3 (which sounds fine on my not high end audio equipment)
wireless can have issues at times
ads on the home screen (unless you root and use ATVLauncher)
USB is 2.0 only so basically useless unless you use it for a wireless controller or some such


i have also used a Rocktek G2 which is just 1 variant of SEI hardware, there are more such as a Nokia and a Homatics but same boards

pros
supports all audio formats including audio passthrough on TrueHD+EAC3 Atmos, DTS:X

cons
does not support Dolby Vision profile 7


and i have also used an HTPC

pros
supports just about everything except Dolby Vision

cons
does not support Dolby Vision
requires additional hardware such as a universal remote
no widevine streaming for Hulu, Disney+ or Netflix so you will still need another device to play those


with using android i can avoid changing sources on my devices, which eliminates a universal remote and everything runs via HDMI-CEC on the device's remote
that plus the streaming plus dolby vision is why i choose android

Thank you for your analysis, at the end of your post you say that you choose android. What hardware are you running?