NVIDIA Shield Android TV Review - PAGE 1

NVIDIA teased its new SHIELD Android TV to the world over the course of a few weeks. If you happen to follow the Green Team on Facebook, you were probably subject to a sleek-looking remote asking you to talk to it, or a controller pleading you to push its buttons. The one post that I found best describes what was coming is the NVIDIA SHIELD asserting that it's "your TV's best friend". From a reviewer's perspective, it was very entertaining to read all the comments -and sometimes the way-out-there speculations. The wait is over and the NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV was finally released to the public, in tandem with this year's Google I/O event.

The SHIELD Android TV is NVIDIA's entry to the living room entertainment market. It's a market that's rapidly changing and evolving, yet it seems to be fragmented or lacking a certain standard, if that makes sense. The small Android-based set top boxes available so far are just not powerful enough, yet a full blown HTPC feels a bit overkill for most users. Proprietary boxes are just that, proprietary and limited, although some have a rich list of features. For the last year or so, I personally settled for a mini PC running the full Windows 8.1 OS, which provides great experience although still feels quite out of place in a living room. Things changed drastically with the announcement of Google's Android TV, and a few major manufacturers are releasing products running this new platform.  In an era where users want full control of their media consumption, where 4K is the future, and where TV channels are becoming apps (HBO Now stand-alone streaming and on-demand video service being the perfect example), the NVIDIA SHIELD could be the Holy Grail for digital living room entertaiment.

NVIDIA is joining the Android TV arena with a contender that simply feels overpowered compared to similar solutions. Based on the latest Tegra X1 processor paired with 3GB of system memory, the NVIDIA SHIELD is in a class of its own in terms of hardware. By leveraging the powerful yet energy efficient Maxwell GPU architecture, it's capable of delivering incredible levels of performance never seen before in an Android based TV-box. This little device also offers an extensive list of connectivity options including USB 3.0, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, IR port, and HDMI 2.0 with HDCP 2.2. These base specs will be available in two models: the SHIELD and SHIELD PRO offering 16GB and 500GB of internal storage, respectively.

I spent a few days with the 16GB version of the NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV. In this review, I will try to relate my experiences with its media capabilities and gaming performance. Let's get to it!

Specifications:

Information courtesy of NVIDIA @ http://shield.nvidia.com/android-tv