Nvidia Shield TV: A Top-Tier Streaming Experience for Techies and Beyond
Introduction
The Nvidia Shield TV has established itself as the go-to streaming video player for tech enthusiasts over the past four years. While it lacked the polish of competitors like Apple TV, Fire TV, and Roku, it offered unique features for advanced users, such as Plex server capabilities and smart home hub functionality.
Now, Nvidia has unveiled a refreshed Shield TV with a new design, a lower starting price, a vastly improved remote, and a remarkable AI upscaling feature that sharpens HD videos on 4K TVs. At $150, it remains a premium media streamer, but these enhancements make it appealing to a broader audience.
Design and Features
The new Nvidia Shield TV comes in two forms:
- Tube Model: $150, tubular design for discreet placement, 8GB storage, 2GB RAM
- Pro Model: $200, rectangular design with USB ports, 16GB storage, 3GB RAM
Both models feature the updated Nvidia Tegra X1+ CPU, which provides a 25% performance boost. They support 4K HDR streaming with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos decoding.
AI Upscaling: The Game-Changer
One of the most impressive features of the new Shield TV is its AI upscaling. This technology solves a common issue with streaming video: most content is still available in 1080p or 720p, failing to fully utilize the capabilities of 4K TVs.
The Shield TV employs a deep learning model to analyze the difference between upscaled and genuine 4K content. It then applies this knowledge in real-time to enhance the quality of non-4K videos.
The result is visible improvements in edge sharpness, facial details, and hair strands. Nvidia proudly showcases this feature with a "demo mode" that allows users to toggle AI upscaling and compare it to traditional upscaling.
Currently, AI upscaling is limited to 30-frames-per-second video and does not convert SDR content to HDR.
Remote Control: A Major Upgrade
The new Shield TV boasts a redesigned remote control that addresses the shortcomings of its predecessor. The slim profile has been replaced with a comfortable triangular design, and the frustrating touch-sensitive volume strip has been replaced with physical buttons.
Additional features include dedicated fast-forward and rewind keys, a programmable button, backlit buttons for low-light use, and raised ridges on essential buttons for tactile feedback.
Software Experience: Room for Improvement
While the new Shield TV provides the best Android TV experience, it still faces some software polish issues. Users may need to manually enable Dolby Vision HDR and infrared control for TV volume and power.
Android TV has improved over the years, but it still has inconsistencies. Certain apps, such as Pluto TV and Channels DVR, do not fully utilize its features. The "Play Next" row often remains empty, and voice control support varies across streaming services.
For voice control, Google Assistant works well for genre searches, smart home control, and in-app content launching, but Amazon Alexa covers more services. Hands-free voice commands from Google Home speakers are still unreliable.
Gaming and Other Features
For gaming enthusiasts, the Shield TV is a solid choice. It supports Nvidia’s GeForce Now streaming service, PC-to-Shield streaming, and a range of downloadable games.
Other features include a multitasking menu for quick app switching, Alexa-powered smart speaker control for basic playback, and a remote control app for Android phones with a trackpad for sideloaded app control.
Conclusion
The Nvidia Shield TV remains a top-tier streaming player for techies, especially with the $200 Pro model. However, it has also evolved into an exemplary high-end streaming device for a wider audience.
Despite lingering software issues, the new Shield TV offers blazing-fast performance, impressive 4K upscaling, robust HDR support, object-based soundtrack capabilities, and a remote that sets the standard for streaming players.
Overall, if you seek an Android TV device that combines speed, performance, and advanced features, the Nvidia Shield TV is an outstanding choice.
