Oh yeeahhh! Nvidia Shield is back with two new versions and they're both looking fantastic - perfect for streaming all our favourite shows and more.
These latest versions, which released late 2019 in USA, have finally made their NZ release debut - and they're both great devices, ready for 4K HDR content from Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ and pretty much whatever you want to watch!
Before we jump into the differences between the two versions, let's take a quick look at the features shared between the two models which both operate on the Android 9.0 (Pie) OS powered by Android TV™ with Chromecast 4K built-in.
Video Features:
- 4K HDR Ready
- Dolby Vision HDR and HDR10
- AI-enhanced upscaling for 720p/1080p to 4K up to 30 FPS
- Up to 4K HDR playback at 60 FPS (H.265/HEVC)
- Up to 4K playback at 60 FPS (VP8, VP9, H.264, MPEG1/2)
- Up to 1080p playback at 60 FPS (H.263, MJPEG, MPEG4, WMV9/VC1)
- Format/Container support: Xvid/ DivX/ASF/AVI/MKV/MOV/M2TS/MPEG-TS/MP4/WEB-M
Audio Features:
- Dolby Audio (Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Atmos)
- DTS-X surround sound (pass-through) over HDMI
- High-resolution audio playback up to 24-bit/192 kHz over HDMI and USB
- High-resolution audio up-sample to 24-bit/192 kHz over USB
- Audio support: AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, MP3, WAVE, AMR, OGG Vorbis, FLAC, PCM, WMA, WMA-Pro, WMA-Lossless, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD (pass-through), DTS-X (pass-through), and DTS-HD (pass-through)
And they both include the awesome new remote which has a nifty Netflix button!
Starting off with the smaller option, named NVIDIA SHIELD TV, the cylinder shape is compact, stealthy, and designed to disappear behind your TV along with your cables.
Although smaller, it's powered by the same NVIDIA Tegra X1+ processor as the PRO version below, and with it, you can still enjoy a cinematic experience with stunning visuals brought to you by Dolby Vision HDR, and immersive audio with Dolby Atmos surround sound!
SHIELD TV Essentials:
- 8GB Storage
- 2GB RAM
- 1x MicroSD Card Slot
- 802.11ac Dual Band MIMO WiFi
- Bluetooth 5.0 + LE
- Gigabyte Ethernet
- Remote Controller is Bluetooth and takes 2x AAA Batteries (included!)
Moving onto the NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV Pro, we have a high-performance 4K HDR streaming media player that works with Alexa, and is ready to work with Google Assistant too, though this hasn't been confirmed for NZ yet.
Beautifully designed to be the perfect addition to your entertainment hub, enjoy a cinematic experience with stunning visuals brought to you by Dolby Vision HDR, and immersive audio with Dolby Atmos surround sound.
Now powered by the latest NVIDIA Tegra X1+ processor, SHIELD TV is faster with two USB 3.0 ports for expandability (storage expansion, USB cameras, USB keyboards and controllers, TV tuners, and more).
SHIELD TV PRO Essentials:
- 16GB Storage
- 3GB RAM
- 2x USB 3.0
- 802.11ac Dual Band MIMO WiFi
- Bluetooth 5.0 + LE
- Gigabyte Ethernet
- Remote Controller (same as version above!)
Looking for a top tier streaming device? Check out the latest Nvidia Shield TV & Nvidia Shield TV PRO today!