NVIDIA Shield TV – Stream Movies, TV Shows, Music, and Play Games

The NVIDIA Shield TV is also known as Shield Android TV or Shield Console. It is the Android TV-based digital media player produced by the NVIDIA as a part of its Shield brand of Android devices. First released in May 2015, the Shield is marketed by NVIDIA as the micro-console, emphasizing the ability to play the downloaded games and stream the games from compatible PC on a local network. or through the GeForce Now Subscription service. As with all the other Android TV devices, it can even stream content from different sources using apps, and also supports the 4K resolution video.

NVIDIA Shield TV has been distributed in the models with 16GB of flash storage or 500GB hard drive, the latter branded as Shield Pro. In 2017, NVIDIA has released a refreshed version of the 16GB Shield, which has a smaller form factor and updated controller but it is otherwise identical in the hardware to the original model. The box offered the top-end hardware and a variety of video applications, 4K streaming, plus access to the NVIDIA GeForce Now gaming library. This made a compelling choice for anyone looking for an affordable entertainment hub. With the latest version, the NVIDIA has a more customizable interface with the Android Oreo.

NVIDIA Shield TV is one of the most popular smart devices in the Android Ecosystem. The reason behind this is that the device has been out for the past 3 years now and it is still receiving the updates from the manufacturer. You can get all the Movies, TV Shows, Games and Music that you will ever need. It is the only platform with a voice search and 360-degree viewing on Youtube. Exclusive NVIDIA-powered gaming, on-demand from the cloud or cast from the PC to your TV. It has Google’s innovative voice search that enables you to easily find the entertainment and price-compare across your favorite apps. The Shield utilizes the system on chip-based the ARM Cortex-A57 CPU and NVIDIA’s Maxwell microarchitecture GPU, with the 3GB of RAM. It also supports 4K resolution output at 60 FPS over the HDMI 2.0 output, with the support for HEVC-encoded video. The shield contains 16GB of internal flash storage or 500GB hard drive, expandable through the microSD card or removable storage.

Related: What is Terrarium TV?

NVIDIA Shield TV Pro

NVIDIA Shield TV Pro is for the hardcore home theatre and gaming lovers. It has 500GB of storage, which is a must for big-time media watchers, and the included remote offers the private listening over the headphone jack. But it is $120 more than the base model for those few features. Both models offer a great set-top box experience, with the 4K HDR support and tons of power to stream and game all day. The NVIDIA Shield TV Pro has the massive storage for all of your media and games, the game controller also included. The remote has a headphone jack for private listening. The IR port of the NVIDIA Shield TV pro allows the control from universal remotes. With these features, the NVIDIA Shield TV Pro is very expensive. It also has a larger case than the previous generation. It also requires you to recharge the remote often.

The following are the some of the main differences between NVIDIA Shield TV and NVIDIA Shield TV Pro:

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Specs	NVIDIA Shield TV	NVIDIA Shield TV Pro
Storage	16GB	500GB
Expandable	USB	USB MicroSD card
Infrared control	No	Yes
Bluetooth	Yes	Yes
Ports	USB-A (2)	USB-A (2) Micro-USB
Remote	Coin cell battery No headphone jack	Rechargeable battery Headphone jack
Game controller	Optional	Standard

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Related: NVIDIA GameStream

NVIDIA Shield TV Specs

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Processor	NVIDIA® Tegra® X1 processor with a 256-core GPU and 3 GB RAM
Video Features	4K HDR ready Up to 4K HDR playback at 60 FPS (H.265/HEVC) Up to 4K playback at 60 FPS (VP8, VP9, H.264, MPEG1/2) Up to 1080p playback at 60 FPS (H.263, MJPEG, MPEG4, WMV9/VC1) Format/Container support: Xvid/ DivX/ASF/AVI/MKV/MOV/M2TS/MPEG-TS/MP4/WEB-M
Audio	Dolby Atmos (pass-through) and DTS-X surround sound (pass-through) over HDMI High-resolution audio playback up to 24-bit/192 kHz over HDMI and USB High-resolution audio up-sample to 24-bit/192 kHz over USB Audio support: AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, MP3, WAVE, AMR, OGG Vorbis, FLAC, PCM, WMA, WMA-Pro, WMA-Lossless, DD+/DTS (pass-through), Dolby Atmos (pass-through), Dolby TrueHD (pass-through), DTS-X, and DTS-HD (pass-through)
Storage	16 GB (Note: the portion of storage occupied by system software). NVIDIA recommends these USB 3.0 flash drives for best performance and compatibility on SHIELD TV:
Wireless	802.11ac 2×2 MIMO 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi Bluetooth 4.1/BLE Captive Portal support
Interfaces	Gigabit Ethernet HDMI 2.0b with HDCP 2.2 and CEC supportTwo USB 3.0 (Type A)
Weight & Size	Weight: 8.8 oz / 250 g Height: 3.858 in / 9.800 cm Width: 6.26 in / 15.900 cm Depth: 1.02 in / 2.593 cm
Operating System	Android 7.0 (Nougat) powered by Android TV™ and Google Cast™ (Chromecast built-in)
Software Updates	SHIELD software upgrades directly from NVIDIA
Power	40 W power adapter (5-10 W typical consumption)
Gaming Features	NVIDIA GeForce NOW game streaming service NVIDIA GameStream
Included Accessories	SHIELD Controller – Mic for voice search – Hands-free voice support – Headset jack for private listening – Dual vibration feedback – IR blaster for TV volume & power control – 60+ hour gaming battery lifeSHIELD Remote – Mic for voice search – IR blaster for TV volume and power control
Included Apps	NVIDIA Games Netflix Amazon Video YouTube Google Play Store Google Play Movies & TV Google Play Music VUDU PLEX Photos and Videos

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Related: Google Chromecast

Features of Nvidia Shield TV

Multiple Entertainment Options

The Nvidia Shield TV with Controller and Remote has access to Google Play Store, that enables you to quickly open several media services, such as YouTube, Netflix, 7Plus, and Google Play Movies & TV, as well as access different Android apps/games and cast from your mobile device.

Stay in Control

The Shield TV enables you to immediately start playing the video games through the included controller and remote or You can manage your media library. For added convenience, the controller and remote both have the built-in mics for voice search and the IR blasters for TV volume and power control.

Play Your Favourite Games

Incorporating NVIDIA GameStream technology, the media streamer also takes advantage of your PC’s GeForce GTX graphics card and it cast games to your compatible TV in the 4K HDR. You can even play various Android games available only on the shield.

Search Using Your Voice

It also has an integrated Voice Search function, the Nvidia Shield TV streamer enables you to search the content without typing. You can quickly select the media sources, shuffle your playlist and more using your own voice.

Related: Amazon Firestick

Convenience via Google Assistant

NVIDIA Shield TV is highly compatible with the Google Assistant, that can seamlessly work together with other connected smart home devices, with Google Assistant support to easily address varying needs, including displaying the front door camera’s video feed or quickly adjusting the thermostat.

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