We’ve been hearing rumours and leaks for some time now that NVIDIA was preparing to launch two new Shield TV devices. Well, now they’re official. Meet the NVIDIA Shield and NVIDIA Shield Pro Android TV powered media streaming set-top boxes/ cylinders!
As expected the two models include the Shield TV Pro that looks very similar to the first two generations and the new Shield TV that has been shrunk down to a small cylinder but still packs all the power most users will want.
Both devices feature a Tegra X1+ processor packing 25% more performance than the last generation SOC. The X1+ is capable of delivering Dolby Vision in 4K, Dolby ATMOS for ultimate surround sound, on-device AI-enhanced 4K up-scaling and of course, the Google Assistant built-in.
NVIDIA Shield TV (2019)
The Shield TV has a Gigabit LAN, Dual Band WiFi, a Micro SD card reader, 2 GB of RAM paired with 8 GB of on-board storage. The Shield TV will retail for $149 USD which means it should sell for around $230 AUD if it hits Australian Shores.
NVIDIA Shield TV Pro (2019)
The Shield TV Pro has all the same features as the smaller Shield TV and ups the RAM to 3 GB with 1 6GB of on-board storage and includes 2 USB A ports for attaching external HDD and accessories. The Shield TV Pro is selling for $299 USD giving us a local retail cost of around $450 AUD.
The new Shield remote has a triangular design, a designated Netflix button, replaceable AAA batteries, Google Assistant button, motion-activated backlit buttons (eg they light up when you pick it up) and a “find my remote” feature using the NVIDIA Shield app meaning no more searching for your remote. They should have integrated the find my remote feature with the Google Assistant, that would have been awesome.
While neither device ship with a Shield Controller you can still buy them for $89 AUD each or bring your old controller over if you’re upgrading.
Overall the 2019 Shield range seems to be an improvement across the board, better processors, greatly improved video and audio capabilities, On-device AI for up-scaling and all of the other features we’ve come to expect from NVIDIA Shield, Android TV and the Google Assistant all in one well-priced device.
We still think that the NVIDIA Shield Pro is missing 1 ‘pro’ feature, and that’s a coaxial input. So much of the world still rely on antenna tuners that including a Digital Tuner on the device would make the Shield TV Pro perfect.
Honestly, the NVIDIA shield devices may just be the best value consumer technology devices on the market. With their history of longevity and support, and relatively low entry price to start with the NVIDIA Shied is outstanding value. We have reached out to NVIDIA Australia to enquire on local availability, the Shield TV and Shield TV pro will launch initially in U.S., Canada and select European countries
