A powerful media player for Plex, Kodi and local files with lossless audio passthrough.
This media player is popular for streaming and local media files. Correct passthrough and a suitable EDID are especially important with Plex, Kodi and files containing Dolby TrueHD, Atmos, DTS-HD or DTS:X.
Arcana extracts audio from the HDMI signal before a TV or projector can restrict it. A compatible soundbar or receiver can therefore receive the best available soundtrack while the video signal continues to the display.
Because Shield outputs a maximum of 4K60, the original Arcana is usually sufficient. Arcana 2 provides additional flexibility with multiple outputs and HDMI audio.
Cable order: NVIDIA Shield TV Pro → Arcana HDMI IN → HDMI OUT to TV/projector + eARC to soundbar
Use this route when 4K60 is sufficient and you need one video output.
Cable order: NVIDIA Shield TV Pro → Arcana 2 HDMI IN → TX0 to TV/projector + eARC to soundbar
Use TX1/HDMI audio when a second display or HDMI receiver is required.
Because Shield outputs a maximum of 4K60, the original Arcana is usually sufficient. Arcana 2 provides additional flexibility with multiple outputs and HDMI audio.
Only use EDID, scaling or lip-sync corrections afterwards when the standard route demonstrably does not work.
The settings above are the starting point. These are the things that most often go wrong on this specific device.
Plex, Kodi and Jellyfin each have their own audio passthrough configuration, and it overrides what Android TV thinks. If the Shield's system settings look right but your receiver still shows PCM, the app is decoding internally. Turn on passthrough for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA inside the player app itself.
Enabling frame-rate matching lets 24p film play at 24p instead of being converted, which removes judder. Like the Apple TV, every switch renegotiates HDMI — a brief black flash is expected.
Still not right? Work through the troubleshooting pages — no Atmos, eARC falling back, lip sync and a black screen at 4K120 are covered there step by step.
Current pricing, availability, payment and European delivery are handled centrally through HDfury.eu.