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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Morawka - Thursday, May 28, 2015 - link
the chip and the wires (hdmi) have the necessary bandwidth, so shouldn't be a issue.Haydon987 - Thursday, May 28, 2015 - link
Shouldn't be in the case of dozens of currently existing devices, but in every case so far of any publicly available hardware I've seen, all encrypted content comes out 4:2:0 at 4k, so it would be nice for a vendor to acknowledge if it plays 4k hdcp 2.2 at 4:4:4 or just plays unencrypted stuff (like games, menus, ads, etc.) at 4:4:4 at 4k. Until a vendor specifically states it, I have my doubts. Sure all the features are listed to make it sound good to people who don't look too deeply into it, but they don't state when the features are interoperable.It's like a person listing for a spec sheet about themselves:
1. I can run 17 miles per hour
2. I can run 25 miles
This does not mean that this person can run 25 miles at 17 miles per hour. They are just 2 separately listed specs. Chances are they only maintain that speed for a few seconds.
In this case what is most likely:
1. I can play without color compression (4:4:4)
2. I can play protected content at 4k (hdcp 2.2), but I won't tell you if that is compressed or not.
ganeshts - Friday, May 29, 2015 - link
That is definitely an interesting question, but it is somewhat moot.. let me explain:Getting specs out of the way, the SHIELD does support RGB 4:4:4 at 4Kp60 on the HDMI port.
Now, all video content that consumers play back - Netflix or Blu-rays and the like - they are all encoded in 4:2:0 - In this case, the consumer has nothing to gain or lose whether the conversion to 4:4:4 is done on the source side or the sink side. So, HDCP 2.2 with just 4:2:0 support is fine.
On the other hand, for professional applications, where content is processed in 4:2:2 or even 4:4:4 format, it will be a problem - but, it is likely that the workflow process in that case doesn't involve protected content - the protection is applied / needed only on the consumer delivery side.
Again, this is an interesting aspect, and one that I will definitely be questioning HDMI source / sink vendors on. It is just that it doesn't matter for consumer applications.
457R4LDR34DKN07 - Thursday, May 28, 2015 - link
I'm interested in trying this with a hdhomerun prime with the live tv app. Does this android tv device support mpeg 2 decoding?457R4LDR34DKN07 - Thursday, May 28, 2015 - link
"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."Thanks, not for me then
Ryan Smith - Thursday, May 28, 2015 - link
The Live Channels app supports hardware MPEG-2 decoding, including deinterlacing. That functionality just isn't available to other media playback applications, since it was licensed for just the Live Channels app.DanCar - Thursday, May 28, 2015 - link
The recommendation row can be turned off partially or fully in settings -> System Preferences (3rd row) -> home screenYou can select which sources to enable and disable.
ganeshts - Saturday, May 30, 2015 - link
Somehow, I am not able to follow the path you are referring to..Under settings, I have Device > System, and under that nothing about Home Screen.. Do you have a video or set of screenshots showing the path?
I know that it is possible to go into the settings of a particular app and turn off the Notifications for that app - on Android TV, that turns off the 'Recommendations' - this is what I had done for the YouTube video showing the Android TV UI. The Recommendations row doesn't seem to have an option to turn it off completely..
BuddyRich - Thursday, May 28, 2015 - link
I was hoping they spent the money and licensed the codecs but no HD Audio or DTS (or MPEG2 or VC1) is a bummer. At least in the case of the video codecs the CPU is fast enough to decode in software. Will not replace my HTPC. Its funny they license them for their videocards, including their cheapest passive ones but not their premium set-top box. And the box doesn't even have to decode it, just pass it through to a receive, that shouldn't require a license at all.One thing that was unclear in your review though, if I use HDHomerun/Live TV app will it decode and deinterlace MPEG2 via hardware since the app is licensed? If so is this supported on Shield like it is on Nexus Player?
At least they shipped with working Netflix, unlike Razor.
webdoctors - Friday, May 29, 2015 - link
Why is a license needed if its just bit-streaming? If i connect it to my amp and my amp separates the hdmi video from the audio signals, why would the licensing matter on this box?