The Nvidia Shield TV (Shield Android TV or just Nvidia Shield) is an

Android TV Android TV is a smart TV operating system based on Android (operating system), Android and developed by Google for television sets, digital media players, set-top boxes, and soundbars. A successor to Google TV (operating system), Google TV, it fe ...

-based digital media player produced by

Nvidia Nvidia CorporationOfficially written as NVIDIA and stylized in its logo as VIDIA with the lowercase "n" the same height as the uppercase "VIDIA"; formerly stylized as VIDIA with a large italicized lowercase "n" on products from the mid 1990s to ...

as part of its Shield brand of Android devices. First released in May 2015, the Shield was initially marketed by Nvidia as a

microconsole A microconsole is a home video game console that is typically powered by low-cost computing hardware, making the console lower-priced compared to other home consoles on the market. The majority of microconsoles, with a few exceptions such as t ...

, emphasizing its ability to play downloaded games and stream games from a compatible PC on a local network, or via the

GeForce Now GeForce Now (stylized as GeForce NOW) is the brand used by Nvidia for its cloud gaming service. The Nvidia Shield version of GeForce Now, formerly known as Nvidia Grid, launched in beta in 2013, with Nvidia officially unveiling its name on Sep ...

subscription service. As with all other Android TV devices, it can also stream content from various sources using apps, and also supports 4K resolution video. It is produced in two models, with the second Shield TV Pro model distinguished primarily by increased internal storage. In 2017, Nvidia released a refreshed version of the 16 GB Shield, which has a smaller form factor that drops MicroSD and infrared support, comes with an updated controller, and is otherwise identical in hardware to the original model. In 2019, Nvidia refreshed the Shield TV lineup with upgraded processors, and revised the base model with a smaller form factor and less internal storage.

Specifications

The Shield utilizes Nvidia's

Tegra X1 Tegra is a system on a chip (SoC) series developed by Nvidia for mobile devices such as smartphones, personal digital assistants, and mobile Internet devices. The Tegra integrates an ARM architecture central processing unit (CPU), graphics proc ...

system-on-chip, based on the

ARM Cortex-A57 The ARM Cortex-A57 is a central processing unit implementing the ARMv8-A 64-bit instruction set designed by ARM Holdings. The Cortex-A57 is an out-of-order superscalar pipeline. It is available as SIP core to licensees, and its design makes it ...

CPU and Nvidia's Maxwell microarchitecture GPU, with 3 GB of RAM. The device supports 4K resolution output at 60 FPS over an HDMI 2.0 output, with support for

HEVC High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), also known as H.265 and MPEG-H Part 2, is a video compression standard designed as part of the MPEG-H project as a successor to the widely used Advanced Video Coding (AVC, H.264, or MPEG-4 Part 10). In compar ...

-encoded video. The Shield can either contain 16 GB of internal flash storage or a 500 GB hard drive, expandable via microSD card or removable storage. 2015 and 2017 Shield models with a 500 GB hard drive are branded as ''Shield Pro''. It contains two USB ports. For internet connections, it supports gigabit Ethernet and 802.11ac Wi-Fi. The console ships with one wireless controller; a wireless micro-USB-rechargeable remote with voice control and a headphone jack is sold separately but is no longer available from official channels. The Shield runs

; games optimized and ported for the device are offered through a separate Shield Store app. The device can also stream games through Nvidia's on-demand subscription cloud gaming service,

(formerly Nvidia GRID), and from a local computer using the GameStream function of supported Nvidia graphics cards via the GeForce Experience application. In addition to native Android gaming and game streaming, retro gaming emulation is popular on the Nvidia Shield TV. On January 16, 2017, Nvidia announced Shield Experience Upgrade 5.0, which is based on Android 7.0 "Nougat". It adds software features from the updated 2017 model, including HDR support for 4K video, new apps (including

Amazon Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service of Amazon offered as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Prime subscription. The service pr ...

SmartThings SmartThings Inc. is an American home automation company headquartered in Mountain View, California with a software development center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded in 2012, it focuses on the development of eponymous automation software and a ...

integration,

Google Assistant Google Assistant is a virtual assistant software application developed by Google that is primarily available on mobile and home automation devices. Based on artificial intelligence, Google Assistant can engage in two-way conversations, unlike t ...

support, and a new Nvidia Games interface. Google Assistant support requires a new iteration of the Shield Controller. In June 2018, Nvidia released an update to Android 8.0 "Oreo". On June 23 2021, an update of Android TV to Google TV made

Google Stadia Stadia is a cloud gaming service developed and operated by Google. Known in development as Project Stream, the service debuted through a closed beta in October 2018, and publicly launched in November 2019. The service was to compete with Sony' ...

available for the 2019 versions of Nvidia Shield TV and Nvidia Shield TV Pro.

2017 version

On January 16, 2017, Nvidia unveiled a refreshed version of the 16 GB Shield. It has a revised form factor with a smaller size but no microSD slot, and is supplied with Shield Experience Upgrade 5.0. A revised Bluetooth remote control with no headphone jack and replaceable CR2032 battery is now bundled, as well as an updated controller with an always-on microphone. The 2017 model contains the same Tegra X1 system-on-chip as the 2015 model. The 2017 Shield replaced the original 16 GB version. Nvidia continues to market the larger, 500 GB Shield Pro model.

2019 version

On October 28, 2019, Nvidia unveiled two new Shield TV models. Both models use the Tegra X1+ system-on-chip, ship with Android 9.0 "Pie", support

Dolby Atmos Dolby Atmos is a surround sound technology developed by Dolby Laboratories. It expands on existing surround sound systems by adding height channels, allowing sounds to be interpreted as three-dimensional objects with neither horizontal, nor verti ...

and

Dolby Vision Dolby Vision is a set of technologies developed by Dolby Laboratories for high dynamic range (HDR) video. It covers content creation, distribution, and playback. It includes dynamic metadata that are used to adjust and optimize each frame of the ...

, and include an updated remote control, and a new "AI-enhanced" upscaling system that can upscale high-definition video to 4K resolution. The new base model uses a cylindrical form factor rather than a set-top box style, and has 2 GB of RAM and 8 GB of flash storage, expandable via MicroSD card (in place of USB ports). The Shield TV Pro uses the same set-top box form factor as the previous model, and includes 3 GB of RAM, 16 GB of flash storage, and two full-size

USB 3.0 USB 3.0, released in November 2008, is the third major version of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) standard for interfacing computers and electronic devices. Among other improvements, USB 3.0 adds the new transfer rate referred to as '' ...

ports. A gamepad is no longer included.

Models

References

External links