According to a announcement from Nvidia two new versions of the Shield TV Android media player are now available. Thanks to the new Tegra X1+ chip, the upgrade promises not only 25 percent more computing power, but also Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision and HDR 10. The media players can also upscale full HD media to 4K resolution.
The basic version for 160 Euro has been given a new design reminiscent of a power bank. It is connected via HDMI cable. Direct plugging into the TV is not possible due to the 17 centimeter long housing. The only 8 GB internal memory, which is partly occupied by the operating system, can be expanded via microSD card. In addition to WLAN (802.11ac standard) and Bluetooth 5.0, image sources can also be connected via Gigabit LAN.
Alternatively Nvidia offers the Shield TV Pro version for 220 Euro, which offers 3 GB RAM instead of 2 GB RAM. The internal memory is also significantly larger with 16 GB . It can be expanded via an external hard disk or via a microSD card. In addition, the Shield TV Pro also has two USB ports to which a keyboard can be connected, for example.
The operating system is Android 9.0 Pie with Android TV. Chromecast 4K is also supported. The control of the Mediaplayer is alternatively over the new remote control, which has illuminated keys, or over voice commands by Google Assistant possible. Thanks to access to the Google Play Store, numerous apps can be installed later. In addition to Android games, Nvidia’s cloud gaming service GeForce Now can also be accessed via Shield TV devices.
