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Best media players in Australia

Looking for a media player for your TV or pocket? We've discovered the best options on the market based on hundreds of customer reviews.

Joab Gilroy
Joab Gilroy

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The best media players in Australia

How did we pick this list?

Our editorial team selected the products on this list based on extensive research. We examined hundreds of customer reviews and ratings of physical media players in Australia with a focus on the aforementioned subcategories.

Read more detail on our methodology below.

Best media player overall: Nvidia Shield TV Pro

Pros

  • The most powerful media player on the market
  • Uses AI to upscale SD content to HD resolution

Cons

  • The most expensive available
  • The networking set-up can be quite strict

Specs | Processor: NVIDIA® Tegra® X1+ | Memory: 3GB RAM | Max resolution output: 4K | On-board storage: 16GB

Price (RRP): $349

Buy at Amazon
Buy at Kogan
Buy at eBay

Why we chose it

Rocking a 4.7 out of 5 from 2,526 reviews on Google, the Nvidia Shield TV Pro is our pick for the best media player overall for Australians.

Nvidia's Shield TV Pro is a powerful media player that will do the job for just about anyone. With access to all the most popular streaming platforms and enough oomph to transcode video stored within it on the fly, it's a great choice for anyone who needs to beef up their TV watching experience.

What really sets it apart is its AI upscaling technology, which is capable of taking lower-resolution video and upscaling it for 4K TVs. Reviews rave about how good this makes videos look, and many say it's worth the money for that alone. Some people did knock the Shield TV Pro for its complex networking set-up, although there appear to be many guides available to help.

What users say

While it is a bit pricey compared to other streaming devices, I absolutely think it's worth paying the extra money to have these additional features. If you're considering a streaming player and want something a little more top of the line then the usual, you should seriously consider looking into the Shield Pro.

Best cheap media player: Google Chromecast Ultra

Pros

  • Users love the slick interface
  • Super easy and quick to set up

Cons

  • Not very powerful – can't transcode 4K itself
  • Being phased out by Google

Specs | Processor: ARM Cortex-A53 | Memory: 1GB RAM | Max resolution output: 4K | On-board storage: 2GB

Price (RRP): $79

Buy at Amazon
Buy at Bing Lee
Buy at Kogan

Why we chose it

Cheap but more than up-to-the-task, and earning a score of 4.5 out of 5 from 4,291 reviews on Google, the Google Chromecast Ultra is our pick as the best cheap media player for Australians.

It's being phased out and eventually replaced by a newer model, but it's still available at retailers across Australia, and at a fantastic price too. The Chromecast Ultra lacks the storage capacity and processor to transcode 4K content directly, so you'll need to keep that in mind if you grab it. It also doesn't come with a remote, relegating that control to your phone, which is not ideal if you try to separate your screen times.

Still, reviews raved about the easy to use set-up and interface, the wide range of apps available and how quickly they were able to cast content directly from their own and visitors' phones and other devices to their 4K TVs.

What users say

This is my 2nd chromecast. My first one was a regular Gen 3. And I gotta say the Ultra is way better.

Best midrange media player: Xiaomi Mi TV Box S

Pros

  • USB port allows connection of external hard drives
  • Customisable with different launchers to match your aesthetic

Cons

  • Reviews say it won't set itself to 4K by default
  • Wi-Fi only – no ethernet port

Specs | Processor: Cortex-A53 64bit | Memory: 2GB RAM | Max resolution output: 4K | On-board storage: 8GB

Price (RRP): $189

Buy at Amazon
Buy at Catch

Why we chose it

The Xiaomi Mi TV Box S is a sleek device which has earned a 4.5 out of 5 from 6,015 reviews on Google, and as such it is our choice for the best midrange media player for Australians.

With full Android TV app access, the Xiaomi Mi TV Box S acts as a beefier Google Chromecast Ultra. While its support system and set-up aren't as simple as Google's offering, it does boast more RAM and a slightly higher clocked processor, which allows it to accomplish tasks better than its cheaper peer.

Some reviewers mentioned that they found it wouldn't default to 4K – you need to go into the settings to do that yourself – but outside of that issue complaints are few and far between. It's important to note that it doesn't feature an ethernet port, which means you'll need to use Wi-Fi to connect it to your home network.

What users say

Great Streaming Device at a Reasonable Cost! The Xiaomi Mibox is a fantastic addition to any binge-watcher's home.

Best premium media player: Nvidia Shield TV Pro

Pros

  • Powerful processor – the same as a game console's
  • Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos compatible

Cons

  • People don't like the position of the Netflix button on the remote
  • Can require extra knowledge to work on complex home networks

Specs | Processor: NVIDIA® Tegra® X1+ | Memory: 3GB RAM | Max resolution output: 4K | On-board storage: 16GB

Price (RRP): $349

Buy at Amazon
Buy at Kogan
Buy at eBay

Why we chose it

Expensive but powerful, the Nvidia Shield TV Pro earned itself a 4.7 out of 5 from 2,526 reviews on Google and a spot as our pick for the best premium media player for Australians.

Featuring everything from live-streaming services to home media storage, live encoding and even game streaming, users talk in their reviews about how impressed they are by the variety available from the Nvidia Shield TV Pro. The custom Tegra chipset (very similar to the one used in Nintendo's Switch console) is more than powerful enough to handle any task thrown at it.

Some people found they had trouble getting their networking set up, especially if they had irregular networks set up. And more than a few complained about the position of the Netflix button on the remote. But overall, reviews for this device were glowing.

What users say

I own everything from Sling TV 4k to Roku TVs and have owned every Fire TV device at one point in time, also a few Android boxes. This is by far the most powerful streamer device I have ever owned.

Best media player for TV: Chromecast with Google TV

Pros

  • Features the best support for the Freeview App
  • Compatible with Google Home

Cons

  • People say the new menus need more work
  • Some reviews say the remote feels too small

Specs | Processor: 1.2 GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A53 | Memory: 1GB RAM | Max resolution output: 4K | On-board storage: 2GB

Price (RRP): $99

Buy at The Good Guys

Why we chose it

The Chromecast with Google TV's feature set and score of 4.6 out of 5 from 1,082 reviews on Google earn it the title of best media player for TV for Australians.

The Chromecast with Google TV has fantastic support for the Freeview FV app, which allows it to stream all Australian free-to-air TV over the Internet. That means you can ditch your coaxial cable – provided your Internet is up to the task.

The new UI of the Chromecast with Google TV has earned it some criticism, as did the set-up process in general, but it seems Google is constantly evolving and improving the device over time. Those looking to watch some free-to-air TV alongside their streaming platforms should look no further than the Chromecast with Google TV.

What users say

The Chromecast with Google TV is a marvelous streaming device and can hold its own in the world of streaming devices.

Best portable media player: Samsung Galaxy Tab S7

Pros

  • Features the best support for the Freeview App
  • Compatible with Google Home

Cons

  • People say the new menus need more work
  • Some reviews say the remote feels too small

Specs | Processor: 1.2 GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A53 | Memory: 1GB RAM | Max resolution output: 4K | On-board storage: 2GB

Price (RRP): $1,149

Buy at Amazon
Buy at Kogan
Buy at Catch

Why we chose it

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 scored 4.7 out of 5 from 511 reviews on Google, making it our pick as the best portable media player for Australians.

With an 11-inch, 120hz screen that outputs at 2560x1600, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 is a fantastic device for those wanting to watch media on the go. It has more than enough power to transcode and render 4K videos itself, and it can cast those videos to TVs, although some users say casting to non-Samsung TVs can be a little tricky (though still doable).

It's quite heavy, and it's not something you'd want to hold up for a lengthy commute, even with two hands, but if you can find somewhere to rest it, you're set! Samsung created an Intelligent Battery system for the Tab S7 range, but reviews say it will still only manage about 6 hours of full 4K video play at full brightness – something to consider if you plan on being away from power for longer.

What users say

The clarity and sharpness of the screen itself and graphics is impeccable! I thought I had seen amazing resolution before but nothing like this! Watching my shows on Netflix in 4K feels like it's happening right in front of me.

Best portable media player (option 2): Nvidia Shield TV

Pros

  • Super portable and easy to take with you
  • Reviews love the internal power, some call it "future proof"

Cons

  • Not much internal storage
  • Reviews say the UI is confusing until you know it

Specs | Processor: Tegra® X1+ processor | Memory: 2GB RAM | Max resolution output: 4K | On-board storage: 8GB

Price (RRP): $289

Buy at Amazon
Buy at Kogan

Why we chose it

The Nvidia Shield TV is tiny, has world-class technology at its core and scored a 4.6 out of 5 from 818 reviews on Google, making it our pick for the best portable media player for Australians.

Featuring what reviews describe as a simple set-up process and near-instant access to a wide array of streaming apps and channels, the Nvidia Shield TV is precisely the device you need when you want to make your media viewing portable.

Nvidia's custom-built Tegra® X1+ processor allows this tiny device to not just stream in 4K, but to upscale lower-resolution content to look better on your TV as well. Reviews love the feel of the remote in their hands, saying it feels premium, although some noted that they found the Netflix button inconveniently placed.

While it is more than capable of transcoding video itself, it features just 8GB of internal storage, and some of that is taken up by the software. Fortunately, you can expand its storage with a MicroSD card.

What users say

The AI up-scaling on the device is one of the main reasons I went for it, I have an LG OLED TV and whilst 4k content looks incredible on it anything below 1080p looked terrible...not any more! The AI up-scaling on 1080p content is amazing and it even does a good job with lower resolution content.

Methodology

Methodology

12
Brands considered
20+
Products compared
7
Best products chosen
  • Our editorial team compared media players from brands found in major retailers across Australia as well as online retailers.
  • We carefully examined hundreds of customer reviews and ratings.
  • The products on this list are chosen by our editorial team and are not selected based on commercial relationships.

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