NVIDIA Shield

Yup while the price point may be a concern for some (Aussie $300+) and an update would be nice, you do get what you pay for in terms of premium performance and long-term reliability. Apart from the Apple TV (which doesn't support uncompressed audio passthrough), there isn't much else on the market as solid as the Shield TV Pro. I've been using it… Read more

for nearly a decade, and its seamless integration with Plex means I don't use the built in LG apps and related issues!

The SHIELD Pro version specs are still good with NVIDIA Tegra X1+ processor, 256-core GPU and 3 GB RAM does 4K streaming and gaming. The 16 GB of internal storage isn't thrilling but expandable via USB3 to whatever SSD you have. Main reason to buy the "latest" Pro 2019 version is 4K HDR with Dolby Vision and HDR10, and AI-enhanced upscaling to elevate lower-resolution content. On the audio side, it does Dolby Atmos and uncompressed formats DTS-HD MA, Dolby TRUE-HD etc. If you have a small-medium Plex library the built-in Plex Media Server isn't a bad option, GeForce NOW is built in for cloud gaming, Google Assistant voice integration, and Alexa compatibility. Android TV gives you many app options, side loading smart tube is easy enough even for beginners. The remote control is minimal but works really well, I don't think I have used a remote as comfortable as this one. You can re-assign the launch button via ButtonMapper app - overall highly recommend!

They are trying to do to much and heaps of problems – It's garbage. The sound cuts out mid show. No fix or support. Firestick would be a better option and a fraction of the cost.

The most unreliable piece of tech in my home – Ive had this since about 2017 and these are the issues ive had: · Ethernet connection stops working from time to time. · Both controllers costing $80 AUD have failed. Not repairable. (The remote is still working, but every so often doesn't) · Both controllers sometimes had serious lag issues. · "Wrong" clock times caused shield to have no… Read more

internet.

· When I bought it, games were being made and available to buy outright, however since nvidia has launched their game stream services, they stopeed supporting games and forced them off the play store all so they could sell their stupid game stream service, that isnt good and is an ongoing subscription.

· Had issues when memory cards failed, OFTEN, shield is a memory card killer. This meant that because I'd assigned it as storage, (so I could install apps on it) that the entire shield was reset, and all apps lost. I had to start again, and the games id bought (some id paid $20 for) were no longer available to install or recover nor able to be refunded.

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The Best Future-Proof Android TV box out there, with issues – The Nvidia Shield TV is essentially a gaming console... without games, that uses the same CPU/GPU as the Nintendo Switch (Nvidia Tegra X1) . However, it's a formidable and overpriced Android TV, that's capable of running Emulators and streaming games, while most people will be using it for Netflix/Stan/Amazon Prime/Youtube, or watching… Read more

Freeview/Free-to-air if you have that set-up.

The Nvidia Shield has always been expensive, and overpriced for a Smart TV box, there are very few apps that the Shield can't run well, and it's even capable of running some emulator games for Dreamcast/SNES/GameCube, etc.

I have owned both the 2017 and 2019 versions, so It's fair to do a comparison/rundown, they're not too different. As a 4k Ready Smart TV box, it has some problems/issues with HDR and Android TV (no HDMI 2.1, no VP9 profile 2 for Google 4K HDR/Youtube HDR, the 2017 model can't play Dolby Vision, sic.) and most bothersome, it runs Android TV, so any frequent updates tend to break functionality every so often, just because of how badly made Android TV is. You get used to this, but it's still annoying.

These lack of features come from the main issue of the Shield TV being a 2015 device that came out before HDR was finalised, and even the 2017/2019 models have problems (so do most HDR TV's). But it's still the best on the market if you're not bought into the Apple/Google/Sony/Microsoft TV & Movies Ecosystem(s).

If you have bought TV/Movies already, the Shield might not be your best choice.

If you stream content, or If you have local or network stored content, or just occasionally use Netflix, Disney+, Kodi and Plex on the Shield work fantastically, and it's a pleasure to use and browse content. To some degree, this is a device that, head-to-head, beats the 2017 5th Generation Apple TV 4k at it's own game, and has better Movie/TV support than the Xbox One or Playstation 4 does, even though it has 'worse' hardware. YMMV.

The "toblerone bar" remote control and updated 2019/2020 Shield TV has slight improvements, and it is the one to go for if you have an older 4k TV or 4k Projector, since it can AI enhance and upscale 1080p to 4k, which is common on the High End TV's from LG, Samsung, Sony, etc. There is not much else that's changed, with perhaps the exception that the 2019 version also has the IR transmitter/receiver in the remote control, so you can put your Shield TV in a cupboard or behind the TV now.

And, you can buy the US version for Australia, the power is compatible for the "Tube" and "slab" Non-Pro and Pro versions, it's just waiting for radio certification before it can be sold in Australia.

If 4K and HDR is a necessity, you may find yourself having to do some research on HDR compatibility, and you might also need to get stronger WiFi in your home, since 4k content can and will overload most home WiFi and most people's NBN/DSL connections.

The 'bar' remote on the 2015/2017 model is fun, easy to drop between couch cushions, while the 2019 Toblerone remote is a bit handier, as it also includes an IR transmitter for handling older TV's and soundbars, and has regular batteries to replace if needed. The lack of a volume slider is handy as well, which while convenient, doesn't always work if you pick up the remote, and mute/blast the volume at 80%.

Keep in mind that Android TV is, at it's heart, a broken mess hidden behind working apps and frequent updates that are often flawed, and you have the best hardware for games, stuck behind the Android TV experience.

What makes Android TV work, is the apps, not the OS. As such, you will often fear and dread Shield updates, as previously working hardware, will sometimes stop working, or features that never worked, will start working like they were always there. There is no in-between state, that's just Android TV.

Can't fault it. Great quality – I was going to buy a Chromecast because I couldn't find mine after being in storage. Had a little 32" Sony smart TV with Netflix and YouTube but apps we're old and outdated so sold it and splurged on one of these and the cheapest 55" kogan TV. Still came in cheaper than a smart TV and gets regular updates of apps and firmware as many TV's don't… Read more

while being sluggish and not accessing apps from the playstore. There are limited apps on ATV but everything you need I guess. I don't do games. It would be nice to see a more featuresome Spotify. All the free to air catch up apps are on there now besides 9NOW which I successfully sideloaded. You can also use the Google livetv app with tvirl and get live TV channels streamed with the Kodi url. I really hope development of apps and the platform takes off because it has so much potential. I have always used media centres and the like since windows XP and mythtv etc but this is so nice and easy and for the price I wouldn't bother with much else. Very fluid and stylish.

Amazing piece of hardware – I've had mine for nearly 6 years. Not sure what all the moaners really are about here. After 5 years, this still gets regular updates and it keeps on getting better. I use Kodi, works perfectly. I use the Plex client, works perfectly. I use GeForce Now, works perfectly. The controller stopped holding a charge a while ago, so i bought a new battery… Read more

for it and it's all good now. I did find the remote frustrating, so i bought a 3rd party replacement for cheap, and all is well. If my Shield ever dies, i know i will buy a new one again, no hesitation. Just the fact you get software update for that long is unheard of these days.

no wonder its rated noi 1 – i bought the pro version and i know android very well its easy to see why this unit rated very highly for those who complain i guess just dont understand android its worth the effort u will get so much more out of the shield add the tv channels was a breeze and using plex all my movie content on my nas was quickly recognised 10/10 Show details ·  1

Great product with only one disappointment – All the media you could ever need, Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, and all the free to air channels streaming apps are available The only disappointment is that GeForce (gaming service) now isn't available in Australia Show details

Don't buy this if you plan to use moonlight – Come feb nvidia is removing the function to do local streaming through gfn and moonlight you willbl be forced to use steam link These will become a very expensive paper weight Show details

A monumental piece of garbage – Purchased as there was no other options for streaming certain formats. Use to work well flawlessly years ago. Now it can't play even the simplest file without restarting it a number of times. It'll freeze, stutter, audio out of sync. From nvidia, it's mind-boggling such a product bears their logo. If you want to smash something pricey, this is for you. Show details

Was OK but then the remote stopped working not long after the 12 month warranty expired – I actually quite like the product and it did work well for most of that time. Unfortunately, only 18 months after purchase, the remote has died and the retailer has wiped their hands of it as the warranty is only 12 months. I believe that Australian Consumer Law would consider that an expensive product like this should reasonably have a life of… Read more

more than 12 months but trying to get anyone to accept responsibility is impossible. No Nvidia representatives in Australia and their website is abysmal in terms of consumer support. My only recourse is to swear that I will NEVER buy another Nvidia product ever again because if something goes wrong you are on your own - and this was a premium product.

What a great little device – Turns my TV into a full Android TV I can even play games that's on the play store it comes with a remote control and a game controller. Very fast as fast as my note s20 ultra Show details

Worst tech product I've used in 25 years – I absolutely HATE the Nvidia shield. I've owned three of them. I keep getting rid of them but I keep coming back because there is no other way to stream lossless dolby atmos. But I long for the day Apple TV will do this so I can smash my Shield to pieces. Literally every single time I try to use it and I actually mean literally here, not the… Read more

modern usage where people say literally but mean figuritively, literally every time I try to use it there's some bug: it won't boot and needs to be un/replugged; Plex app won't load; Plex app can't find plex server; Plex app can't find library; attached storage not found; Shield crashes playing high-res content, PC can't connect to Shield, PC can't find attached storage, latest update has bricked multiple features. I just do not understand how this buggy piece of trash is even a viable product.

Was good a few years ago – Doesn't have an internal app to play music or video off your HDD. Have to install VLC or similar, then has to synchronise all the data for menu. Takes days to complete if you're lucky without a corruption somewhere along the line. Can't get it to work smoothly anymore. Remote keeps disconnecting. Lastly 12 GB internal memory is pathetic. Keep… Read more

getting critical low memory message no matter what I do. Impossible to get an external SSD or USB drive to act as additional memory.

always something – Every time they update software takes about 3 day to resolve you can not tell if it is on as it has no lights make trouble shooting more difficult. I have a 6 month old TCL TV always having issues with resolution . I have to plug into a monitor change setting to connect back to TV . told me HDMI cable was fault 3 months old works fine on every… Read more

other gadget in the house not the shield . I recommend not to buy . I have tried to write reviews on other pages this is the only one I have found I can .

Good when it works – Ended up buying Shield after talking with a salesperson and initially it was very good with many features. Biggest fault is that it doesn't always work. It may be working fine then it doesn't turn on at all. Not sure if the issue is with the remote or the device itself. Because of this I cannot recommend. Show details

Remote stops working within a year – I purchased this player last year knowing this is the most advanced & expensive player there is. But I want a player that has a Ethernet jack and expandable memory slot. If you add all the extra functionality to Google Chromecast, then you still are looking at the same price range. Besides I got a really good deal on this purchase. Below are my… Read more

experiences with this player: 1) Shield TV is as fast & advanced as advertised. The speed/responsiveness & GUI friendless is way ahead of FireTV stick which I also purchased at around the same time. Google voice search is so much better than Amazon Alexa.....

2) The only gripe I have against this player is its remote! It is too small & narrow to feel handy when trying to press a button. A remote needs to have a flat enough surface so your fingers can comfortably touch & search for the right button to operate it. Shield TV instead gives you a stick that is easy to hold on to, but difficult to touch and sense for the right button to press. FireTV remote, on the other hand, is very handy and can be learned to operate by touch very quickly.

3) 9 Months after the purchase, the remote stop working. After writing email to support, it took five days for them to answer my first email. One of the URL they send you to read online documents is broken for Australia users (I think a URL redirection was not set up properly for Australia users). I have to google around to find the right documents.

After a few rounds of troubleshooting according their instructions, it was determined the remote is dead and an replacement is being arranged to send to me.

4) How would I rate the Nvidia technical support performance? a) It took way too long to answer my initial question. b) Support staff is very technical and I can see what they are trying to achieve (being technical myself). But their communication is very technical and I doubt average consumers can understand it. For example, they will ask to pair "another remote" with your Shield TV. I am technical enough to understand that this test is meant for ensure Shield TV player is still working properly. So I use a Bluetooth mouse instead. IMHO, the support staff could have point to another online document which can explain this step a bit better.

5) Knowing how flimsy Shield TV remote is now, I kind of regret my initial purchase. I just hope my replacement remote arrive in time and will last a long time..... as my warranty is about to run out in a few months.

Plays videos but – This is a great looking box. It plays videos really well and has a nice Netflix interface, BUT 1. Why push all the advertising crap down our throat. Or at least give a simple way to disable it. 2. Why are not all apps available from the playstore. I should not have to side load my favourite music app because NVIDIA don't like it. All apps should… Read more

be available. This is an Android box. 3. Don't advertise that you can control the TV and amplifier by IR control for volume and power if you can't control EVERY device. Make it programmable or editable. I love the remote and it turns on my TV, but it can't control my amplifier. That means either I need to use a second remote or buy an additional IR receiver and a programmable/Universal remote.

These are really simple things that make a great product really bad. No happy with the purchase. Money wasted.

Would I recommend this product. Absolutely NO.

Good but unreliable – What I like about the NVIDIA Shield is it has lots of features and can be customised a lot. The AI upscaling is a little bit better than some other devices. The voice commands work well and save some time. I had no trouble finding apps for the different streaming services I use. However, it wasn't reliable. Sometimes when I turned it off then it… Read more

didn't turn off the TV. Other times when I turned it on then the image was distorted and I had to restart it. And every now and then the video playback started stuttering and dropping frames. Changing the volume had some bugs too.

So I don't think it's worth it because when I want to watch something, then I just want to turn it on and play it without the device getting in the way.

Nice product. Even better service – It's a nice small unit that I use mainly for plex and attaching a HDD to for local playback of huge media files. Also great that it is an android box so access to apps from there. Last week it just refused to start up though. Nvidia replaced it out of warranty which was great. The reason for only 4 stars is that it is a little pricey and getting… Read more

hold of helpdesk is very tedious in that there was no number to call but had to painfully troubleshoot with a chat.

Biggest Con sold in Australia as far as gaming is concerned – Cannot use Geforce Games not available for Australia. If all I wanted was a media player I know the MI 4K S TV BOX blows Nvidia out of the water for $90. Show details

Great Media Player That Plays Everything – This is a great Android media player that can play anything you throw at it. Coupled with Kodi, it can play 4K HDR content with Dolby Atmos. It's losing one star due to its prive and it not being able to auto switch resolution to match the content. You can get around this by installing a third party app. Show details

Nvida shiled tv – This product is great love it interface need to be improved little bit other than that its good This product is good will buy again in future if the add something new.

Absolute trash – This device is borderline useless. Where to start. Netflix just doesn’t work, throws a “this service is not available right now” error, “please try again later” Hint: it doesn’t work if you try again later. It’s been the same through 2 software updates and one firmware revision. It just doesn’t work. GeForce now throws error “not available” … Read more

The controller regularly loses synch and you need to plug it back into USB and go through the synch process again, about once every 3 days

PLEX can’t play 1080p movies without needing to stop and buffer every 5 mins (this is playing movies stored on the local HD , over wifi it’s even worse.) File transfers is limited to SMB 1.0 so if you transfer files to this from your PC you are leaving yourself open to the Wannacry virus.

You can’t cast to it from chrome cast. Again throws an error

Seamlink works though and that’s kinda cool..

Best Android TV streaming box out there – Such a great product, I've used a number of streaming boxes and this one is by far the best, it's lightning fast due to the processing power, and it uses your original TV remote so when you turn your TV on/off the Nvidia Sheild turns on/off. Well worth the extra money over a Roku or other similar device. I use it for , Netflix,Disney +, Prime Video, Kayo and Kodi. Show details

Fantastic device. Can't fault it – A great alternative to an Apple TV or Roku or Telstra TV. Does everything I wanted it to do and more. I use it mainly for the following: Plex Netflix Stan Nvidia Game Stream from my PC Google Play Games Spotify Google Assistant YouTube Chromecast I've also mounted a network drive to it via my LAN so that it has more storage space and can operate… Read more

as a Plex media server.

The game graphics for google games is good and there is zero noticeable latency while playing games streamed from my PC (LAN only).

It is replacing a Telstra (Roku) TV that was good but this is far better.

Brilliant device and brilliant service – The box arrived earlier than scheduled so the experience started off even better than anticipated! The box comes beautifully packed and booted instantly. The setup was intuitive and rapidly accomplished. Loving the apps and the smoothness of the output!

Great TV box – I bought this to replace my old TV box, the system is obviously fast including running Kodi. There are many other apps are available can be downloaded and installed on Shield TV. The only problem probably is the remote control I'm not get used to it keep mis-pressed the button, luckily my TV remote control can be paired with Shield TV so I use the TV remote control which is much easier Show details

An excellent streaming box – I've got a lot of tech on hand to cope with various media, but nothing in my arsenal provided one single simple device to view all my media - until now that is. The Chromecast came reasonably close, but didn't handle certain things well. I was originally going to get a Minix Neo u9-h, but after reading several reviews decided on the Shield (remote… Read more

only) instead. I don't use it to play games, so cannot comment on that, but for content and media streaming it's an absolute gem. I cannot find too many things to criticise. It's small, powerful and reasonably good value for money. I think the only thing better would be a NUC, but that comes with a more comprehensive price tag.

Dolby Atmos didn't work through Kodi (even on pass-through), but it did work in Plex - so no real issue. I was also expecting to have to wire it into the network but the WIFI on the box works superbly. On 5GHz the Shield hasn't even pretended to stutter streaming high bitrate content, which surprised me because I've had issues with other devices - even computers.

In terms of app support, you get everything you need from the Android store with all the usual suspects such as Kodi, Plex TV streaming apps etc. I was initially worried about the remote, but even that I can't find too many faults with. It's simple and yes, the touch-volume slider isn't the best, but at least you can link it to your AVR or soundbar. HDMI link control works a treat as well - I've got this running in a media room and one button on the remote fires up Amp and projector quickly and easily. The phone app caters for better keyboard input and the inbuilt microphone does the voice recognition duties if you need to.

As long as the reliability doesn't become an issue, this is definitely a device I'll recommend to others.

Simply the best Android TV media streamer box available – I have tried many different Android based media streamer boxes from various Chinese manufactures at various price points. Some were dual core, quad core and even octo (8) core cpu units which claim to be the best around. All end up driving me up the wall with slow response, needing constant reboots or resets and clunky non responsive remote… Read more

controls. In the end they all went on gumtree or straight in the bin. Then i tried the Nvida Sheild TV player. Yes, these things do cost a bit more than the cheap no name Chinese boxes, but the overall build quality, superior design and function of them means they actually do exactly what you want them to do and are more than makes up for the extra cost. Especially considering these actually work, unlike the others! They stream effortless video from pretty much any source you can through at it, be it internet, usb, hard disk or NAS. I'm yet to find a video format the Shield can't play actually. I love these things so much i have 3 of them around the house. Even on current 'Smart TVs' these things are far superior to the built in smarts of the TVs. Best of all, they are so easy to use and require basically no setup out of the box. My new favorite entertainment device! Highly recommended!! AAAA+++++++

Nvidia....Garbage – I got a nvidia shield for an Xmas gift. Worst gift ever. Unhooked my firestick to use my new gift. Now the firestick is hooked back up and will stay that way. I would NOT recommend this product to anyone. Absolute trash waste of time. Buy anything else and avoid disappointment.  Show details

Perfect for centralising media – Great little media box. Has all the features I could want. Can load Kodi on to it to play a multitude of media files. Now comes with ABC Iview as well. Great user interface, very clean and easy to use. The main page channels are a great way to keep up to date with what you are watching. The remote is lightweight and easy to use, doesn't chew through the batteries like many others.  Show details

Awesome customisable 4K streaming device!! – Starting streaming with the original 'WD TV live' but now the Shield TV has overtaken it as the primary media streaming device.. Not the actual cheapest device by today's standards but definitely has some grunt under the hood!! Good quality build but there sometimes can be sudden app dropouts when using streaming services.. Able to play my 4k… Read more

and various other lower quality content without a blink from my NAS without needing to transcode media.. also able to sideload android apps to customise this device to suit simply by putting apk's on google drive and install apps from there easily and simply..

2 usb ports make storage expansion a breeze, the remote is quite sensitive to use for controlling sound but feels nice in the hand.. also comes with an app to also control the shield aswell.. can be used with keyboard/mouse combo also..

streamlined design that looks good and nice responsive software..

Love it ! – Loving this unit Purchased from centercom approx 1 month ago for $180 on special Very fast streaming device. Good remote too so far very reliable ! Avoid all the other crap off ebay . I had purchased another cheaper device but had to send it back as it was total rubbish  Show details

The best and fasted TV streamer! – I purchased a unit a couple of months ago as our smart TV became slower and slower. We had a look at various options such as Telstra TV, Apple TV and new Google Cromecast. I did not want to be locked into a narrow range of available services and I wanted something which would provide fast reliable streaming for Stan and Netflix and Amazon Prime. I… Read more

also wanted something which could be used for streaming content from the phone or computer. I found the ability to use it handsfree and play games also very useful. I feel that the NVIDIA Shield enabled me to avoid buying a new TV, update my Chromecast and buying a gaming console. Software (Android) is updated frequently and streaming is FAST!! I am extremely happy with the product and the purchase exceeded my best expectations. I bought the NVIDIA Shield, the SHIELD controller and the SHIELD remote together. The NVIDIA Shield can also be controlled from a phone or tablet via a free app.