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NVIDIA Shield 2017
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It’s been about three years since I purchased The Mi Box and it was just time I needed to upgrade the device.
I know the trend right now are Micro PCs, but I don’t think it’s an elegant solution, since Windows 10’s fonts are tiny, sitting 10 feet away - and not to mention that you still have to use a mouse and keyboard to navigate.
Android TV (which includes Amazon’s limited version called Fire TV), Roku, and Apple TV, are basically the main three competitors in this streaming box market. I have own all three types and I love and hate them all. Many of you already have one of these boxes, and they’re fine for most of you. I just find that Roku and Apple are very limited in what you can actually do with their boxes.
I wanted the best of the best Android TV, and eventually just bought the Nvidia Shield when they had a sale. I was holding out for a new model of this device (since the internal hardware had not been changed since its launch in 2015), but I eventually gave in.
The new smaller 2017 version (with new redesigned controller) is the model I bought, and to be perfectly honest, it’s still a very good streaming box, thanks to the Tegra X1 chip (with 3GB of RAM). It’s fast enough to run any Android software and seems to handle 4k content better than most TV devices of its kind.
Overall, I’m still very happy with the Nvidia Shield and it’s the only device that I use regularly on my TV.
Pros:
The best, fastest, most updated Android TV on the market
4k/HDR/Dolby Atmos 7.1 support
Voice Control and Google Assistant
NVIDIA GeForce Now (currently FREE)
The only Android TV device that can officially run Amazon Prime Videos (Amazon and Google
Game controller is the best I’ve used on any streaming box
Ability to control Shield with Google Home Hub
Can run Dolphin Emulator (other devices on the market are not fast enough to run this software)
Official Google Play store apps, like Kodi, MAME4droid, Snes9x EX+
Supports Google Music and Amazon Music!
Ability to sideload any APK applications, such as Morpheus TV, StopAds, Adblocker
Shield exclusive games, like Doom 3, Tomb Raider, Half-Life 2
Cons:
The most expensive Android TV on the market
No Micro SD reader (found in the original 2015 model, but not in the latest model)
Small storage (only 16GB)
Short battery life on the game controller
Remote controller does not have volume control
Remote controller is flimsy
Remote controller’s batteries are not rechargeable
Needs a special base to stand the Shield upright
The Shield will unwantedly turn on (or off) the TV
I actually hated the remote controller that came with the Shield … so I’m using the game controller for everything and may be the reason why I’m complaining about the controller’s battery life. I find myself recharging it every other day, and it’s a little annoying.
The small storage and lack of SD card reader isn’t really a deal breaker, because you can address this with a rather large USB stick or USB Harddrive. For most people looking to just stream their content, 16GB will be fine for them.
As for the Shield turning on and off the TV, you can disable this “feature” under CEC power management, so it’s not a big deal.
I know the trend right now are Micro PCs, but I don’t think it’s an elegant solution, since Windows 10’s fonts are tiny, sitting 10 feet away - and not to mention that you still have to use a mouse and keyboard to navigate.
Android TV (which includes Amazon’s limited version called Fire TV), Roku, and Apple TV, are basically the main three competitors in this streaming box market. I have own all three types and I love and hate them all. Many of you already have one of these boxes, and they’re fine for most of you. I just find that Roku and Apple are very limited in what you can actually do with their boxes.
I wanted the best of the best Android TV, and eventually just bought the Nvidia Shield when they had a sale. I was holding out for a new model of this device (since the internal hardware had not been changed since its launch in 2015), but I eventually gave in.
The new smaller 2017 version (with new redesigned controller) is the model I bought, and to be perfectly honest, it’s still a very good streaming box, thanks to the Tegra X1 chip (with 3GB of RAM). It’s fast enough to run any Android software and seems to handle 4k content better than most TV devices of its kind.
Overall, I’m still very happy with the Nvidia Shield and it’s the only device that I use regularly on my TV.
Pros:
Cons:
I actually hated the remote controller that came with the Shield … so I’m using the game controller for everything and may be the reason why I’m complaining about the controller’s battery life. I find myself recharging it every other day, and it’s a little annoying.
The small storage and lack of SD card reader isn’t really a deal breaker, because you can address this with a rather large USB stick or USB Harddrive. For most people looking to just stream their content, 16GB will be fine for them.
As for the Shield turning on and off the TV, you can disable this “feature” under CEC power management, so it’s not a big deal.
Nvidia Shield is great but too expensive for me...
https://thecomputergeeks.org/the-best-android-tv-box-in-2020/
Posted by: Bruno Brozovic | 03/24/2020 at 08:13 AM