Nvidia Shield is what I used to replace my WDTV. Plays everything I've thrown at it. Probably the best streamer out there.

Nvidia Shield TV definitely should be one of your options.

It had problems with Samba using Kodi v19.0, everything worked fine with Kodi v18.9 and Kodi v19.1

Years ago when I switched to the Shield, I too was also looking for the same things (except 4K) and also from the WD TV Live.

I've been using my Nvidia Shield TV 2015 without any problem.

I've never used Plex. I also like that I can throw everything to the shield and will be played.

My media it's located in a shared HDD connected to a Raspberry Pi using SMB and also from a proper NAS (Qnap 453-a).

Another vote for the Shield... Over the years I went from a WDTV, to an HTPC, then to a Shield 2017 for my living room, and a 2019 pro for my 4k TV in the basement.

Skip the Shield tube, and get the Pro it has more ram, and has USB ports.

if all you need is local playback then one of those cheap android box with coreelec installed should suffice. Nvidia shield is an overkill for that use case.

The below list is what's available so far, however, SAMBA shares cannot be setup directly in the OS as you used to do with the WDTV, though I only know of two devices where you can do that, the Nvidia Shield and the Formuler GTV, for the rest, you'll need to setup the shares inside apps such as VLC, Kodi, among others.

Transcoding is not bad, it just helps you to enjoy a given media format not supported by a device into another one supported through "on-the-fly" conversion, avoiding the hassle of doing that manually.

Anyway, here's a recommended list of devices:

CERTIFIED ANDROIDTV/GOOGLETV BOXES WITH NETFLIX AND PRIME VIDEO FOR THE UNITED STATES ONLY:

- AirTV Mini (More info at airtv.net/products)

- AT&T TV (More info at http://att.com/tv/device-features )

- Tivo Stream 4K (More info at http://tivo.com/products/stream-4k )

- T-Mobile TVision HUB (More info at http://t-mobile.com/tvision/services/hub )

- Verizon Stream TV (AV1 hardware decoding. More info at http://verizon.com/products/verizon-stream-tv-gen-2 )

CERTIFIED ANDROIDTV/GOOGLETV BOXES WITH NETFLIX AND PRIME VIDEO FOR THE US, EUROPE AND THE REST OF THE WORLD:

- Chromecast with Google TV (more info at http://tv.google )

- Dynalink TV dongle (More info at http://dynalink.life )

- Homatics Box Q (More info at http://homatics.tv/products/homatics-box-q )

- Homatics Dongle Q (More info at http://homatics.tv/products/homatics-dongle-q )

- JBL Link Bar (More info at http://jbl.com/refurbished-home-speakers/JBL+LINK+BAR-.html )

- Mecool KM2 (More info at http://mecoolonline.com where you can get a 10% off with the code "mecoolbox" at checkout)

- Nvidia Shield TV (The most expensive but powerful, recommended for gaming. More info at http://shield.nvidia.com )

- Walmart Onn (More info at http://walmart.com )

CERTIFIED ANDROIDTV/GOOGLETV BOXES WITH ONLY PRIME VIDEO FOR THE US, EUROPE AND THE REST OF THE WORLD:

- Formuler GTV (Gigabit ethernet. Exclusive MYTVOnline2 app for IPTV. More info at http://formuler.tv/gtv )

- Mecool KM6 Classic Edition (AV1 hardware decoding. More info at http://mecoolonline.com where you can get a 10% off with the code "mecoolbox" at checkout)

- Mecool KM6 Deluxe Edition (AV1 hardware decoding. Gigabit ethernet. WiFi 6. 4GB of RAM. More info at http://mecoolonline.com where you can get a 10% off with the code "mecoolbox" at checkout)

- Mecool KT1 (AV1 hardware decoding. DVB-T2/S2/C tuner built-in. More info at http://mecoolonline.com where you can get a 10% off with the code "mecoolbox" at checkout)

- Mecool Now (An Android TV device with a built-in camera and microphone, suitable for videoconferencing. More info at http://mecoolonline.com where you can get a 10% off with the code "mecoolbox" at checkout)

- Mecool KD1 TV Stick (More info at http://mecoolonline.com where you can get a 10% off with the code "mecoolbox" at checkout)

CERTIFIED ANDROID TV BOXES WITH NETFLIX AND PRIME VIDEO CERTIFICATIONS THAT USE THE NOW OLD AMLOGIC S905X SoC:

- Xiaomi Mi Box S (More info at http://mi.com/global/mi-box-s )

- Ematic Jetstream (More info at http://androidtv-guide.com/streaming-gaming/ematic-jetstream-tv-box )

For more info about all certified Android TV devices, head over to www.androidtv-guide.com website.

I would recommend the Nvidia Shield TV

I Have the pro in my living room and the cheaper version in the bedroom. Both are very good.

I have a Nvidia Shield and love it, but it's a bit overkill and pricey IMO for only playing local media. Any of the 8 GB Android TV 4K devices with just Kodi, MrMC, or VLC installed should work fine. Another option to consider is a R Pi or Odroid.

Installing a File Manager on most Android boxes allows you to setup Samba shares, that can be used by VLC etc.

Having owned many media players, including the WDTV Live.

Raspbery Pi 4, imaged with LibreELEC is basically a stripped down version of Linux that boots directly into Kodi, which supports everything you mentioned. There is no need for Plex or any other third party server app, just share out a folder and point Kodi to it.

nVidia Shield will also do this, but really ideal if you want to stream off a SMB Share, as well as have other streaming apps (Netflix, Hulu, etc), but basically you'll install Kodi on the shield and configure just like the Raspberry Pi option.

You can install Kodi onto Windows, give it a try, see if you like the interface before you commit to buying a media player.

As a former owner of the WD TV which I used to connect to my NAS via SMB, I went from Mi Box -> Mi Box 2 -> Chromecast with Google TV -> Nvidia Shield.

All four products work perfectly fine with Kodi and Samba shares.

I use my Shield Pros via SMB on 19.1 without issue?

My path was from WDTV to Kodi on PC, next from PC to Fire TV then to Kodi & Plex with various clients but primarily the Shield for high bitrate 4k.

Of you plan on just using a single device and want high bitrate 4k over the network I can't recommend the 2019 Shield Pro with Kodi highly enough. You sound like someone that wants to buy right the first time. There is no downside that comes to mind for a local media player device for the highest quality files.

How about an Android TV based device like the Walmart Onn 4K streaming dongle ($30), or the Chromecast with Google TV dongle ($50)?

Another 2019 shield pro user here, Kodi great in terms of 4k playback for everything i have thrown at it, and is pretty painless to setup for direct playback off SMB shares. it just works. my partner who isn't all that tech savvy uses it too and doesn't have any problems navigating through Kodi to playback what she wants to watch.

Another option is Zidoo Z9X

Loving my Roku ultra

Nvidia shield tv on 2019 version

Just a few comments and I will echo the Nvidia Shield Pro recommendations:

• the things you listed that you detest are the strong points of the Shield Pro but you don't need to use it and may be app-specific anyways such as Plex and Plex server
• Being able to transcode client-side speaks to how powerful the device is but direct play is preferred and your requirements is a perfect match to the Shield Pro
• All the samba issues you've seen are likely related to updates dropping insecure samba servers/connections. Modern OS's will require you to set up and connect to samba shares in a secure manner, which may require you to do some fiddling
• Again, all your requirements are satisfied by the Shield Pro but the simplicity of your setup is up to you, VLC might be your answer, it can scan a network share and show all the videos in folder and list view. It can get more complex if you explore applications like Kodi, Plex or Emby; especially if you want a Netflix-like experience.
• Lastly, just to reiterate, the Shield is not geared towards Plex nor is it trying to be too smart. It is just a typical modern streaming device that is more capable than most.

The Shield SHOULD be the right choice, but I have learned from some comments that the device is starting to fail at certain formats like HDR + and 10bit files, also no vp9 (is that the right name?) support for protected content.

If I'm right (please confirm what I'm saying) I would recommend to wait for the next nvidia device that should hit the market next year or so.

Have a X88king, supports HDR+ ,USB3 1GB net. 4gb Ram ,1.6ghz Cpu. I got a case fan under it ,keeps it running at 45-55c 4tb Sata HDD . Really stable, I've had all from X96 ,S912x,X96 max . Nvidea Sheild is about 180...X88king 120 ... 60cquid in it . Relying on Devs to update the Rom or Nvidea and their $$$$$...? Nvidea would hold its money i think ... 🤔