The Nvidia Shield TV is way overdue for a refresh and while we don’t know anything about one coming, what would you even want from it?
Last refreshed in 2019, the Nvidia Shield TV line has been among the best-supported Android devices of all time, and also some of the most beloved. The series of Android TV boxes have delivered great performance, excellent features, and even helped to debut some of the platforms biggest features, like Google Assistant.
And, five years since that last update, the Shield TV series is still the best Android TV experience out there, as our Damien Wilde explained this week.
…for those who prioritize top-tier performance, long-term software support, and the freedom to customize their experience, the Nvidia Shield TV still remains arguably the undisputed king of Android TV boxes, even in 2024.
The existing device still runs great down to today. It’s at the heart of my home’s entertainment center in large part because the Shield is just so good at covering niche situations and handling complex setups without giving up a semblance of stability.
Really, it’s hard to complain, and that’s impressive for a 5-year-old device. But, times have changed, and it’d be great to see Nvidia play some catch-up.
First and foremost, the Shield’s Tegra chip inside is pretty old at this point. It’d be great to see that updated if only for the sake of adding a bit of horsepower for local Android games (even though Nvidia’s focus is definitely in the cloud at this point). But that added horsepower would also be handy for something more interesting.
SDR to HDR upscaling.
AI upscaling was the big trick of the Shield’s 2019 generation. Using AI, the box could upscale content from 720p or 1080p up to 4K, and the results are still impressive today.
Something similar with SDR to HDR would make a new version of the Shield TV incredibly compelling, and Nvidia certainly has the experience to make that possible.
But even if the company didn’t deliver that, there are plenty of other places where a refresh would be helpful. At the bare minimum, delivering an updated box with Google TV would go a long way to keeping the device relevant for years to come. I think any Shield TV owner would also agree the remote could be improved.
What about you? What would you like to see in a new Shield TV? Let’s discuss in the comments below!
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