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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hero4hire - Monday, June 1, 2015 - link
The question is not a matter of capablability but of utility. A $20-$30 chromecast does most of the functions. A smart TV by itself can do some. The Shield is a luxury device. Using nothing or a Roku on bottom to a ps4 or a htpc on top. Fitting in the middle and attacking a niche is this product.What does the more capable processor provide I've alternatives and am I willing to pay a little more for significantly more capability? That's the value question.
Yojimbo - Thursday, May 28, 2015 - link
"Though it’s a bit of circular logic to say that NVIDIA is intending to exploit these same advantage in the SoC space as they have the desktop space – after all, Maxwell was designed for SoCs first – Maxwell’s capabilities are clearly established at this point."There's a difference between circular logic and redundancy (much like there is a difference between circular logic and a tautology). To say that NVIDIA is intending to exploit the power-efficiency in the SOC space is simply redundant after you already said that NVIDIA designed the architecture that way in the first place. The citing of power efficiency in desktop products is simply giving evidence of power-efficiency. There's no implication of EXTRA power efficiency more than what was originally designed in the architecture by moving from desktop GPUs to the SOC GPUs. How can circular logic appear when no implication is being made?
testbug00 - Thursday, May 28, 2015 - link
"Ultimately it’s clear that the SHIELD Android TV is heavily overspeced compared to other Android TV devices – no one else is pursuing this premium market..."Perhaps because the market isn't large enough to justify a product aimed solely at it? Nvidia can leverage their streaming GPU stuff and a bunch of other stuff no other players really have.
Even with that, I don't think the market is large enough to support one player.
UltraWide - Thursday, May 28, 2015 - link
If I use a receiver and send the audio via bitstream to the receiver, will it play or not? I don't see why bitstreaming of audio requires a license? I thought the license is only required to actually decode the audio on the device and play some downmixed version of it.ganeshts - Thursday, May 28, 2015 - link
Try convincing Dolby, DTS and NVIDIA together :) I am with you on this one, but NVIDIA says licensing is the issue.cfenton - Thursday, May 28, 2015 - link
How does it handle external storage of apps? Android has typically been OK about reading media from an SD card, but it's recently been more and more restrictive about how apps can interact with external storage. Does Android TV (or some Nvidia custom magic) solve that problem? With only 16GB internal (and surely less user accessible) it will quickly run out of room if you want to install games. Recent experience with an Xperia Z3 and Nvidia Shield Tablet have not been promising on this front, at least without root access. The Xperia will copy some data to the external storage device, but still leave some on the internal, and the Shield Tablet is really picky about what games it will transfer to external storage. I'd want to just plug a 2TB portable drive into this thing, have it install everything there, and never think about it again, but based on past experience I'm worried that won't work.I know they want people to use GRID, but until data caps go away that won't be practical in many places.
Ryan Smith - Thursday, May 28, 2015 - link
The SATV can handle apps on SD cards. In fact it has a feature to automatically move newly downloaded apps to the SD card in order to better utilize the space it provides.docbones - Thursday, May 28, 2015 - link
Application support is going to be the biggest item. Will it be updated to run current Amazon Prime, Max Go, HBO Go, CW streaming, etc.Currently none of the Android TV type devices have parity to the number of streaming video apps that my phone does.
chizow - Thursday, May 28, 2015 - link
I didn't have much interest in this product or any of the previous Shield products, but with Windows Media Center's impending doom with Win10 and the prospect of Silicon Dust's HD HomeRun DVR as a viable replacement, I may have to look into getting one.It certainly seems to pack a lot of value and possibilities into a very small price tag of $200. I'm just not sure on the naming/branding, but I guess they think the Android TV aspect may have a higher demand than some of the gaming initiatives they are slowly building upon.
testbug00 - Thursday, May 28, 2015 - link
they really should make a $150 version that is just the console. Probably would increase sales quite a bit... Although, the controller and stuff is probably well under $50 to make however.