The NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV Review: A Premium 4K Set Top Box
by Ganesh T S on May 28, 2015 3:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Media Streamer
- Home Theater
- TV
- 4K
- Shield
- NVIDIA
The Android TV Experience
The focus today (coinciding with Google I/O) is obviously on Android TV. Google, having learnt from its previous Google TV initiative, brought forward the Android-based Android TV, a new Smart TV initiative, towards the end of 2014. It delivers a comprehensive app ecosystem across multiple devices - both first screen and second screen.
Google's experience with voice search and personalized recommendations, combined with the users' Google Play movie and music collection, puts many pieces of the puzzle already in place. The success of Chromecast has led to Google Cast - a feature where an Android TV device can also act as a casting sink.
The rich UI used by Android TV is the Leanback Launcher. It is a 10-ft. UI combining large icons with easy and logical navigation options. The game controller supplied with the SHIELD works very well for navigation. Typing in text is a pain, which is why NVIDIA (and Google) are pushing voice search so hard for the platform, with both the Controller and Remote including microphones for that feature. Otherwise the input problem can easily be solved by a wireless keyboard / mouse combo - since Android TV supports any USB device adhering to the standard Android HID specifications.
Voice search can also be used within various apps, depending in part on how developers choose to implement it. In addition, it can also be used for cross-app searches from the Android TV launcher. Cross-app searches are meant to promote an open smart TV ecosystem, and as the name implies allows the Android TV search process to query multiple services for results, something that is especially handy if you want to look for a TV show or movie across several services. Developers do need to enable their participation in this feature, and conversely the end-user has the ability to configure the apps that are part of the search process.
Switching gears to the interface, the Android TV home screen starts with a 'Recommendations' row. End users can prevent certain apps from providing recommendations by turning off their notifications. However, it doesn't seem to be possible to remove the 'Recommendations' row entirely.
In addition to VoD from services such as Google Play Movies, CinemaNow, MubiTV, Netflix, Hulu Plus etc., Android TV also brings in support for live streams of channels using SlingTV and Live Channels. The latter app in particular is an interesting addition to the Android TV ecosystem since it makes Android TV devices (including the SHIELD Android TV) a bonafide TV receiver, takeing TV tuner boxes such as SiliconDust HDHomeRun and interfacing their IP output feed with Live Channels' own unified UI.
Major television networks are also expected to announce their own Android TV apps. Opposite today's launch at Google I/O, Google has announced that HBO, CBS, and FOX are all bringing video services to Android TV, making their content available OTT.
Meanwhile, discussing input a bit more, Google also has an Android app to enable a smartphone or tablet to act as a remote control for an Android TV device. It is obviously compatible with the SHIELD also.
The video above shows the various settings available in the NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV. Subjectively speaking, turning off the Notifications / Recommendations provides a cleaner and more minimalist interface. The cross-app voice search remains available to provide recommendations when the user wants them.
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spinportal - Thursday, May 28, 2015 - link
What is interesting is comparing to the Intel NUCs for a media center hub (or HP Stream Mini) with Windows 10. The CPU power is close to the Intel Celeron 2957U, where a i5-5250U (NUC5i5YH/R) is 50% faster, but the Intel HD graphics is probably 20% slower. Both are fighting for the 4K home theater crowd, but Shield TV is cheaper (barebone NUC is 399 extra SDRAM & mSATA & remote/controller) and baked in 10' UI/UX and easier to maintain for the average user with support for DVR in the future and GRID gaming. Sure Win 10 will have a 10' UI and you can install whatever you want on it to customize to your own content, but higher price to entry and more time needed to tweak. The Intel Stick is cute at $150, but falls short in competition for the checklist of features. If sideloading is easy on the Shield TV, tweakers can rejoice and hope apps will scale properly. If people have an XB1 and enjoy the media apps / services and voice activation, then it's a hard sell. Gamestream is just icing, helping the portability of the Shield TV in a remote location (at home most games would have a big enough screen connected and avoid input lag). It's not a Roku or a Chromecast, so to get customers to make a premium purchase like this, targeting 4K video is the bait.nathanddrews - Thursday, May 28, 2015 - link
"This also means that the SHIELD Android TV will not be doing any HD audio bitstreaming"Stopped reading.
Sivar - Thursday, May 28, 2015 - link
``Consumers need to get their expectations right - the SHIELD Android TV needs consideration only if OTT streaming (4K Netflix, in particular) and gaming credentials are important.''The key feature I need is HEVC compatibility. I have many Blu-rays that I encode with FLAC audio, but with my FireTV, I am unable to use HEVC.
Are you saying that the Shield Android-TV is a poor choice for my requirements?
ganeshts - Thursday, May 28, 2015 - link
If you are savvy enough to encode your Blu-rays with HEVC, then I am sure you understand what I am trying to convey..The typical media library also includes TV programs that are interlaced MPEG-2 (for example). The SHIELD is currently not a good solution for such a case.
I have outlined clearly what works and what doesn't. In your case, I would still suggest waiting for a proper HTPC with HDMI 2.0 / HEVC support unless HEVC-encoded Blu-ray rips are the only media files you plan to play in your setup.
TheJian - Friday, May 29, 2015 - link
Being savvy enough to check a few boxes doesn't mean you know everything about formats. You can muddle through handbrake without doing much more than selecting a profile for your device. The person states they are wanting FLAC+HEVC yet you tell him wait for HTPC. HE was clear in what he needed, so you should just say yes it plays what you need, or no it doesn't instead of a flippant response :( He likely has other players for other formats already hence his main feature desired is what he inquired about.But still you're acting as if mpeg2 interlaced is all anyone wants and a reason to NOT buy it, when I'd suggest it's not many people (that can’t get that some other way until this unit CAN do it, like a dvd player or bluray player in your rack already) and most would want all the other stuff this thing can play NOT just bluray HEVC encoded stuff. IE, anything in mkv/mp4 with dolby etc in h264/x264 (which is most libraries of current content and mostly what people rip bluray to also as you even note in the review). This thing plays a LOT more than hevc. IF you're only going to use the NATIVE Android Tv player then it's somewhat limited, but you're not stuck with that and can choose a dozen or more others (paid or free). 3rd party stuff can easily be had to get around it all if not now then at some point most likely. IE you mention kodi can play mpeg2 without license in software. You also mention Deinterlacing might be added soon to Kodi. So your problem with the device here just a software fix away anyway (and only the interlaced part is a problem correct?)? There are many free apps that can deinterlace already on PC for conversion even if players that do it on android don’t exist…but wait for it…
Just check googleplay store: BSplayer, MX player Pro, KMplayer, vlc, etc (not saying which does the job just noting a bunch):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSBG13gknoA
1080i mpeg 2 on mxplayer without transcoding. Appears this would solve your combo problem, and this is really old version of the software from 2013 post running on nexus 2013. I’m thinking your excuse for not buying is dead already. You can use de-interlacing option in MX player > settings > decoder. Considering you MENTIONED MX Player in your review, you can’t be this ignorant right or am I missing something? Unlike the OP who may NOT know about all this stuff, you definitely DO know about MX player yet seem to be unable to pass the chance to find some reason to KNOCK an nvidia product even when you know what I just showed fixes it. Typical Anandtech BIAS against Nvidia stuff (**cough AMD portal cough**) here or what?
From your last sentence it almost seems as you're acting like HEVC encoded blurays is all it does, which is categorically false (even though that is what the guy said he wanted to play as a main feature).
Worse you even state most people do the following (which it plays fine):
"The SHIELD Android TV / Kodi combination has absolutely no trouble with the vanilla H.264 files that people usually rip their Blu-rays to."
But no ignore that, it doesn't play mpeg2 interlaced stuff (yet, at least out of the box, but seems to with at least mxplayer as shown which you know about) so it sucks...LOL. OK...Whatever. With 100million-500million installs I think most know about this app (free with ads, $6 without) yet you avoid using it for testing. 2.8million reviews too...LOL. That has to be one of the MOST KNOWN apps on android as most use videos on mobile. How well it works on a TV who knows (10 foot interface? Not sure) but that isn't the point. Worst case you just use it for specific vids with issues. .ts files play fine on mx player also. It seems to have many multiples of the installs of kodi (or xbmc if you like). Kodi on the other hand is only available to the handful of people that can find it (not directly on googleplay so to speak).
http://www.androidpolice.com/2015/04/03/kodi-forme...
You can follow how to get to it above I guess if desired (from googleplay & not sideloaded). Maybe this will help it gain popularity ;)
http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=160720&...
Instructions here too I guess.
MX Player features (among other stuff):
"Plays almost every movie files including .3gp .avi .divx .f4v .flv .mkv .mp4 .mpeg .mov .vob .wmv .webm .xvid and many more."
Either I'm missing something here, or don't really get the complaints you're making nor your flippant response to the OP. Are you saying MX Player with deinterlacing checked won't work for mpeg2 as shown in the supplied youtube video? That guy is testing 1080i mpeg2 on it. I'm confused.
Adding-Color - Thursday, May 28, 2015 - link
My ibothsion is that it will play hevc/h.265 content with hardware acceleration and flac should have no licensing issues and doesn't need hardware acceleration, software acceleration should very well be possible on such a beefy SOC. I don't know if there's yet a software avaible that combines both though.Adding-Color - Thursday, May 28, 2015 - link
My impression ...Aegrum - Thursday, May 28, 2015 - link
Perhaps I missed it, but to me the killer feature is streaming my steam library to my TV from my GTX 680 desktop. Why didn't you cover that? I couldn't care less about the android games. Being able to plop down on my couch and stream Witcher 3 from my PC is worth the price of admission, as it nullifies any desire for a steambox, if it works well.jjj - Thursday, May 28, 2015 - link
The 50$ Sream Link should do that in a few months. If it works well enough , getting this just for that feature is excessive.Aegrum - Friday, May 29, 2015 - link
Sadly that price doesn't include the Steam controller, which is likely to be at least $50. I'm also in need of a streaming device for the television, so while yes, a steam link + controller + chromecast would be ~$135, I think the extra capabilities of this device for $200 is a fair price. Plus it's 4K ready for once I get a 4K TV, and all on one HDMI input that I don't have to switch between. And plays more than just what I have in Steam, though unconfirmed whether Steam link will play non-steam titles or not.I like the Steam link, especially for the price, but for me I think the Shield console is a better fit.