Could this be the king of the media streaming set-top boxes?
The Android set-top box war may have just been won with the Nvidia Shield TV. Where other Android entertainment units feature one element or another and usually fall down in several more, this rather wonderful box from Nvidia just keeps giving.
To start with, the Nvidia Shield is a surprisingly high powered device, with an impressive Nvidia Tegra X1 processor at its core, an Nvidia custom-made 256-core GPU driving some splendid visuals and 3GB of memory helping to tie everything up and keeping the experience as smooth as possible.
The combination of the Tegra CPU and GPU means that the Shield is 4K ready, with playback of 60fps 4K content and 4K capture at 30fps. It's a staggering amount of processing involved, and this is all coming from a box that measures just 25 x 210 x 130mm and weighs only 650g.
Other connectivity includes gigabit Ethernet, HDMI 2.0, a pair of USB 3.0 ports, a micro-USB 2.0 port, a micro-SD card slot, an IR receiver, 802.1 1 ас 2x2 MIMO dual-band wi-fi and Bluetooth 4.1.
There are two versions available: the standard model with 16GB of flash storage and a Pro version with 500GB of storage and bundled with a Shield stick-remote. All versions feature the same Android 5.1 Lollipop OS, with Android TV and Google Cast.
In addition to Android TV, Nvidia has also included its own Made for Nvidia section, which highlights a number of games that will run perfectly with the system specifications, as well as the included Shield controller.
However good these additions are, the icing on the cake is the fact you can stream all the games on your PC through your home network to the Shield, for play on your TV. You will need a compatible Nvidia graphics card installed in your PC to begin with and your network really needs to be up to scratch - with a wired gigabit network proving to be the best quality. In our tests, the Shield outperformed the Steam Link when it came to the quality and stability of streaming games.
There's also a good selection of TV apps on offer from within the Shield/Android TV Ul. Netflix, BBC iPlayer and a few other catch-up services are there, as well as YouTube and more. And although 4K content may well be thin on the ground at the moment, HD certainly looks great.
The bundled Shield controller makes for a refreshing change too. Rather than opting for touchpads, like the Steam Controller, Nvidia has gone for a more traditional Xbox-like feel, with the D-Pad located above the left stick, the familiar diamond-button arrangement and extras such as voice control and charging via the USB port.
Although the Nvidia Shield TV does cost a little more than the Steam Link, at £149.99 for the 16GB version (via Ebuyer), moving up to £219.99 (Ebuyer) for the 500GB Pro version, it's far better and more useful for game streaming and general entertainment.
It works extremely well, is streamlined enough for placement in a TV unit, and it performs spectacularly. David Hayward
The best Android-based media unit so far.