So I've been using Jellyfin for a while now. I have a NAS running with a jellyfin server and I watch stuff on my PC or on my TV. This is concerning the TV... As is often the case with these low-to-mid tier smart TVs, the OS is slow and the UX terrible. The network adapter is also bad. Jellyfin and everything else about the UI and OS in general, is slow. The jellyfin client occasionally crashes, and some files sometimes stutter or otherwise struggle when streamed, despite working just fine when streamed on the same network on my PC (wired both).
I was thinking of doing a bit of a brain transplant on my TV here by running my TV needs through Nvidia Shield or similar.
Now, as I understand it, of the common options, Nvidia Shield is more or less the ultimate option for this. However, it is somewhat expensive, and I don't really care about anything other than having a responsive UI, support for all the usual codecs, HDR, 4K and preferably also Dolby and Atmos. I also want to be able to use my soundbar. I don't need any of the gaming features, storage space etc. that the Shield also markets...
Are there other cheaper alternatives that would do just as well, or should I just get the Shield?
Update in the comments.
I had a similar question recently, and ended up going with the free option as the first thing to try out. I already had a Jellyfin server running on an old laptop. I plugged this into the TV (and actually strapped it to the back of the TV since I was wall-mounting the TV at the same time). I also installed a desktop environment as it was running Ubuntu Server.
Then I installed Kodi, along with the Kodi Jellyfin add on. The add on syncs the Jellyfin database to the Kodi one, so you use the Kodi interface to browse the Jellyfin content. This seems to work great!
I also ordered a PC connected remote control so we can control it with a remote instead of a Kodi app on our phones, but it hasn't arrived yet (ordered from Ali express).
It seems to work well, and there are lots of addons you can install to access your other streaming services through Kodi as well.
The downside with the PC approach is support for other streaming apps. Starting Netflix (or any other) via the browser from a remote is not a nice UX. If this is not a needed use case, an existing pc might be a good choice.
I haven't tested it, but there are Kodi add ones for most streaming apps so I'm hoping it will be smoothly part of the Kodi interface once I get around to setting it up.