Couch Lag

Best Moonlight settings for Android TV, Google TV and NVIDIA SHIELD

Short answer: Moonlight for Android starts at 720p, 60 fps and 10 Mbps, which is conservative for a TV. Raise the resolution to your TV’s (1080p or 4K), raise the bitrate to match, choose a frame pacing mode, and turn on HDR only if your TV and host support it. Moonlight hides options your device or display can’t handle, so a missing 4K or 120 fps choice is expected.

Checked October 30, 2026 against Moonlight PC v6.2.0 and Sunshine v2026.914.233613 (latest stable releases) and their documentation. Sources are listed at the end of the page.

Start here

SettingDefaultSuggested start on a TV
Video resolution720p1080p on a 1080p TV or on Wi-Fi; 4K on a wired 4K setup
Video frame rate60 fps60 fps, unless your TV reports 120 Hz
Video bitrate10 Mbps (moves with resolution)About 20 Mbps at 1080p60, about 80 Mbps at 4K60 on Ethernet. Lower it on Wi-Fi.
Video frame pacingPrefer lowest latencyBalanced, which Moonlight’s FAQ recommends, if you see judder
Change codec settingsAutomaticLeave on Automatic
Enable HDR (Experimental)OffOnly with an HDR10 TV and a host that supports HDR
Show performance stats while streamingOffOn while you tune, then off

The bitrate default follows the same formula as Moonlight PC: it changes when you change resolution or frame rate. See the bitrate table for every combination.

Why an option is missing

  • 4K or 1440p isn’t listed: Moonlight removes resolutions your device’s decoder or display can’t handle.
  • 90 or 120 fps isn’t listed: these only appear when the display reports roughly 90 or 120 Hz or more, unless you turn on Unlock all possible frame rates in Advanced Settings. Moonlight warns that unlocked rates can cause lag or instability on devices that can’t keep up.
  • No HDR option: it’s hidden on Android versions older than 7.0 and on displays that don’t report HDR10. HDR also needs a host GPU with HEVC Main 10 encoding.

Settings that add latency

  • Prefer smoothest video never drops frames and can queue up a lot of latency. Use it only if smoothness matters far more than response.
  • Allow refresh rate reduction (off by default) saves power at the cost of some extra latency.
  • Enable system equalizer support (off by default) lets audio effects work but may add audio latency.

Controllers and remotes

  • Moonlight recommends testing your controller with your device first. PlayStation controllers over Bluetooth in particular can lag or disconnect.
  • The “Xbox 360/One USB gamepad driver” is on by default for devices without native Xbox controller support.
  • No Select or Mode button? Use L1+Start for Select, and Start+Select (or R1+Start) for Mode.
  • NVIDIA SHIELD and devices on Android 8.0 or later support mouse capture without root.

Also on the TV itself

Turn on the TV’s Game Mode (or low-latency mode) for the HDMI input the box is plugged into. See input lag for why. On Wi-Fi, use 5 GHz and keep the gaming PC wired; on Ethernet, a stable stream is much easier at 4K.

FAQ

Why can’t I select 4K in Moonlight on my Android TV box?

Moonlight for Android removes resolutions the device’s video decoder or display can’t support. If 4K is missing, the box or the display it’s connected to doesn’t report 4K support to Moonlight.

How do I get 120 fps in Moonlight on Android?

The 90 and 120 fps options only appear when the display reports roughly 90 or 120 Hz or more. You can force them with “Unlock all possible frame rates”, but Moonlight warns this can cause lag or instability on devices that can’t keep up.

What is the default bitrate in Moonlight for Android?

At the default 720p and 60 fps it is 10 Mbps. It goes up automatically when you raise the resolution or frame rate, using the same formula as Moonlight PC.

Sources

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