The Shield tube does have an SD card slot, which can either be used as system memory or a source of external media for playback. Correct it does not have a USB port of any type. Since my media is all on a DLNA server, that was immaterial to me. I never found any issues with performance using the tube version, including streaming my ripped UHD movies with HDR and TrueHD/Atmos tracks. But I did upgrade to the Pro version and the tube is now on a bedroom TV with no AVR.
Yup… that’s why I’m looking at the Nvidia Shield Pro - Its Android Based.
Roku has failed their clients, 2 years to wait for a player to function is beyond comprehendable.
Tho one must be careful with the generic Android Boxes, many have malware or get flagged by your ISP for having “free internet TV apps”.. and not all support all HDR codex.
Most of the generic Android players don't have Gigabit Ethernet (some are WiFi only), and also not all will passthrough lossless audio bitstreams. So for people with local media (ripped DVDs and BDs, including UHD) that might be a factor.
I've suggested to Roku numerous times over the years they could pick up a significant number of customers with a box that can bitstream lossless audio, display image based captions, and include a Gigabit Ethernet connection. So far, nothing. But I'm ever the optimist. 😄