The NVIDIA SHIELD TV is essentially a 4K@60Hz dongle, compatible with Dolby Vision and Google/Android TV 11. But that doesn’t quite do it justice. It’s the Rolls Royce of dongles.
We’ll be reviewing both the NVIDIA SHIELD TV dongle (this review) and the NVIDIA SHIELD TV Pro (coming up), so we expect a lot of similarities with all the relevant information in this review. For now, it’s all about the NVIDIA SHIELD TV and how you can justify its $249.95 price tag over a $99 Google Chromecast 4K TV, both with the latest version of Google TV.
Australian review NVIDIA SHIELD TV Model P4340
WebsiteSHIELD Product Page Priced at $249.95, but shop around as we’ve seen it as low as $188. Caution: If you’re buying second-hand, make sure it’s a 2019 or later P4340 model with Google Android TV 11. The Pro version costs $349.95 from Harvey Norman and many CE and computer stores. Country of origin China. Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), GeForce Now cloud gaming and graphics API software. More news and reviews from CyberShack NVIDIA
We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (exceeds expectations or is class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass+ rating to show that it’s good but falls short of Exceed.
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What is NVIDIA SHIELD TV?
Whether it’s the SHIELD TV “tube” or the Pro console, its main function is to carry all kinds of video and audio content via Wi-Fi 5 AC, Gigabit Ethernet (also NAS), USB (Pro only) or Bluetooth. . It runs on the latest Google/Android TV 11, which means access to thousands of digital streaming channels like Netflix or free-to-air digital versions.
It sends it to a TV via HDMI 2.0b 18Gbps, where it displays the best possible picture for your panel’s capabilities and the sound to your TV’s speakers, soundbar, or AC receiver’s capabilities. This includes Dolby Vision and Atmos, HDR10+ and most video and audio formats. To be clear, if your TV is 1080p or 4K SDR, these are all SHIELD TV outputs, but it will give you the best picture/sound.
It has NVIDIA GeForce Now cloud gaming and you can connect a BT game controller or other BT device.
It is a powerful Android digital media player that focuses on the best video and audio input to a TV.
Why do you need it?
Add the latest Google Android TV 11 to any TV with an HDMI port. At $249.95, it’s not cheap, so you either have to use its added features or just get a Google Chromecast 4K TV dongle for $99.
Essentially (NVIDIA vs. Google)
- Powerful NVIDIA Tegra X1+ processor versus Amlogic S905X3
- 2GB of RAM and 8GB plus microSD storage versus 256kb of flash
- Gigabit Ethernet port and dual-band Wi-Fi 5 AC vs Wi-Fi 5 AC only (optional Ethernet port power adapter)
- Mains power (direct connector) vs. USB-C 5V/1.5A/7.5W
- Control HDMI 2.0b HDCP 2.2 and CEC versus HDMI 2.0
- Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos decoding (requires a compatible TV) compared to the same
- DTS-X surround vs. no
- 24-bit/192kHz Hi-Res Audio over HDMI vs. no
- High-end 4K video vs. no
- 2.0 PCM stereo to 5.1 surround
- SBC, 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) versus SBC and AAC and Dolby (without DTS-X) formats
- Bluetooth 5.0 + LE vs. BT 4.2 BLE
- NVIDIA GeForce Now and Stadia games vs. Google Stadia
- SHIELD Remote with IR and BT and I find my remote compared to similar
While both are great, they serve different purposes. If all you need is Google TV 4K Chromecast, then the $99 dongle is fine. But I can’t go back after using the NVIDIA SHIELD TV for a few weeks – the picture and audio quality is much better.
Essential differences between Nvidia SHIELD TV Model P4340 (tube) and Pro Model P2897
Some reviews call this the 2019 model; technically, the hardware is the same. The OS is now Google/Android TV 11, and the firmware is now 9.1 and offers much more functionality.
FormatTubeConsoleRemoteSameSameRAM/Storage2/8GB/microSD to 512GB 10MBps UHS 1 or faster3/16GB/USB storageProcessor16nm Tegra X1+ works in 32-bit mode (normal for Android 11 TV)Same: works in 64-bit mode GisgaPower, HDMIPower process Ethernet ( mountable network storage) In addition to 2 x USB 3.0 5V/.9A/4.5W, 480MbpsExtra Smart Home functionalitySmart Home Plex or Kodi server expansionVideoHDMI 2.0b 18Gbps compatible with Dolby Vision, HDR10+ 4K@60fpsSameWi-Fi MIMO×24-Fi ACW2.2425 GHz and 5 GHzSameChromecastBT 5.0 + LE 4K ChromecastSame
First impression – Exceed
It is a tube shaped design of 16.5 x 4 cm round x 137 g. At one end is the power supply (240V 2-pin mains supply) and Gigabit Ethernet. At the other end is HDMI 2.0bi microSD. It’s a neat and well-made device.
The ‘Toblerone’-shaped remote is almost as long and has a Google Assistant microphone button, motion-activated backlit buttons, BT and IR connectivity and a programmable button. It takes two AAA batteries and is CEC compatible, so you can control volume, power and playback.
Note: This device only glows if you have a Dolby Vision/Atmos 4K compatible TV and soundbar. Otherwise, it’s a Rolls Royce for shopping.
Settings – Exceed
It’s about setting up Google TV; the process is painless if you have an Android smartphone. Or you can enter your Wi-Fi and Google account details manually. If you have an Android smartphone, your privacy rights will already be closed.
Once set up, you have a clean Google TV (NVIDIA app, but no junk or bloatware) and go to the Google Play store for Android TV apps like digital TV channels, etc.
I hasten to add that this review took several days of use to discover and discover its many features and options.
Google TV – Android 11 – Exceed
Google TV is smarter, faster, and can make recommendations based on what you see and what Google knows about you. So when you use Google Assistant to find content (there’s a microphone button on the remote), the massive AI cloud delivers. It also has around 5,000 apps on Google Play.
better use
Warning: NVIDIA SHIELD TV cannot add Dolby Vision/Atmos or HDR10/+ to a TV that is not capable of playing it. But it can decode the metadata and give you the best possible picture on any TV.
If you have a recent 4K Smart TV with an OS like Samsung Tizen (has HDR10+ and plays Dolby Vision/Atmos in HDR10), LG WebOS, Hisense VIDAA, Roku TV and other proprietary TV OS, this is for you Add the ever-ubiquitous Google/Android TV 11 and the wealth of apps and streaming services. And we note that most TVs never get OS updates or security patches; the NVIDIA SHIELD TV does. It will generally deliver better video and audio than your TV.
If you have an older Android TV 4K, this updates it and adds its processing power to the TV.
If you have an older 1080p TV, the video will be presented to the maximum of the panel’s capabilities, adding all those new apps and streaming channels.
Note that it uses the internet and you’ll need 50Mbps (or more) of unlimited download to get the most out of it.
NVIDIA Video Upscaling vs Inexpensive TV Upscaling (or Google TV Dongle) – Exceeding
Most low-cost 4K TVs and dongles wrap 9/4 of the pixels of the same color around the original 720/1080p frame image (linear scaling). The best TVs like LG use AI (formatted on millions of images) to analyze each frame and insert what it thinks will be next. The AI looks for objects such as human faces (skin tones), high-detail parts of the screen or in-focus areas, and fills in the blanks for a more natural 4K image.
NVIDIA status
We use a convolutional neural network (CNN) to predict the residual (difference) between a regular linear scale video and a high resolution 4K ground truth video (reference quality). After training the CNN with tons of video content, it gets good at predicting the difference between the two videos. Then, when only the lower-scale video content is fed, it can apply the prediction and produce near-4K results. It does this in real time on the device.
NVIDIA can upscale 720/1080p to 4K@24/30fps using AI upscaling and even does a creditable job on older 480p footage.
Upscaling from 720p to 4K
Dolby Vision content – Exceeded
Requires Dolby Vision/Atmos
- Dolby Vision uses a licensed chip/processor with peak brightness of up to 10,000 nits (typically 1,000), 12-bit color (68.7 billion, but typically maps it to a 10-bit 1.07 billion display), and dynamic data processing , on a frame-by-frame basis. It’s an HDR superset (it can play everything).
- Dolby Vision compatible TV with an HDMI 2.0b/2.1 HDCP 2.2 port or later: Connect SHIELD directly to the TV, not through a sound bar.
- Soundbar compatible with Dolby Atmos 5.1.2 (or higher) over HDMI eARC/ARC because TV sound won’t give you a DA experience
- Premium High Speed 18 Gbps or Ultra High Speed 48 Gbps HDMI cable (Read HDMI cables are not all created equal. Which one do you need? (guide)
- Dolby Vision/Atmos content (preferably MKV Ripped) streams to the SHIELD via Wi-Fi or Ethernet via apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Plex, NAS, etc.
- Plays best at 4K@24/30/50fps (Australian power is 50Hz)
We tested a range of ripped Dolby Vision MKV content with an LG 2022 G2 OLED evo (1000 nits and infinite contrast: black-white difference) and the results were excellent. Read LG G2 Evo Gallery Edition: OLED just gets better (review)
- Netflix 4K Dolby Atmos – Pass
- Netflix 4K HDR/10: Approved
- Prime 4K HDR10+ mixed to HDR10 on the G2 – Pass
- YouTube 4K SDR/HDR: Yes/No
- 480 to 4K MP4 and MKV video – Passed
- Note that it also supports DTS-X audio decoding and passes it to the TV/Soundbar
Left: SDR and Dolby Vision right