After the release of HotFix #3 I decided to take a chance and allowed it to be installed on one of my Shields. I then transferred Channels DVR from my Media Server back to the updated Shield -- DVR storage is an un-adopted 1TB SSD. It has been running for quite few days now without issue -- as compared to 3-4 crashes per day previously. All recordings have been made and playback of recordings has been uneventful. So at least for me, it appears the problems have been resolved and I'm back to normal.
From here on out, I'll be very cautious about upgrading the Shield until I know it's safe.