Web User - UK (2020-02-05)

Nvidia Shield TV Pro Product Test

Do you agree? Let us know at [email protected] 5 - 18 February 2020 23

TheNvidiaShieldTVPro

offers the full media-

streaming package – it lets

you stream 4K HDR

content, manage your

personal media library and

play games in a multitude

of ways. But unless you’re

after a media hub that can

emulate consoles, stream

the latest games and run

your own Plex server, you

may find the Shield TV Pro

suplus to requirements.

If you own a previous

generationofShieldTV,

there’snotenoughnew

heretorecommend

upgrading.Insomeways

• such as the reduction of
  storage and lack of game
  controller – it actually
  provides less value for
  money than before.

AppleTV4K,£179

bit.ly/apple494

RokuPremiere,£39

bit.ly/roku494

absent, however.
The Shield TV Pro’s video
capabilities are exceedingly
good. 4K HDR content can be
streamed at up to 60fps and
it offers 4K-upscaling from
720p upwards at 30fps. Our
test TV wasn’t Dolby Vision-
capable but we were able to
enjoy Attenborough’s Seven
Worlds, One Planet and Our
Planet in stunning 4K HDR on
BBC iPlayer and Netflix,
respectively.
Audio features are excellent,
too, if you’ve got the
surround-sound system to
make use of them. The Shield
TV Pro supports the full Dolby
audio suite, including Dolby
Atmos, plus DTS-X surround
sound and high-res audio
playback at up to 24-bit/192
kHz over HDMI.
There are numerous
upscaling settings available
but, to get the most out of the
Nvidia’s processing power, you
should select “AI-Enhanced”.
There’s a handy demo mode
that lets you apply an
upscaling slider across the
screen during video playback
and observe the difference
between AI-upscaled and
standard upscaled content
simultaneously. The improved
clarity and vibrancy of the
AI-enhanced images is plain to

see. The only downside is that

the upscaling works solely for

video content and not games.

Versatile gaming

Gaming is surely this device’s

biggest draw. From the

Android TV Play Store and

the Nvidia Games channel,

there are countless free

games you can download,

many of which can be played

using the remote. However,

you’ll need a console

controller for more complex

games, so it’s a shame that

Nvidia doesn’t provide one in

the box, though the unit is

compatible with Xbox One

and PS4 gamepads.

Using the preinstalled

GeForce Now service (bit.ly/

gefnow494), players can go

far beyond the realms of

standard Android TV gaming

apps. GeForce Now is Nvidia’s

forthcoming live premium-

subscription gaming service,

similar to Google Stadia

(stadia.google.com), though

it’s currently still in its free

beta phase. Once launched, it

will let players access PC

games through the Shield TV

Pro and stream them to a TV

via the cloud, with detail

settings and frame rates

comparable to playing on a

high-end desktop PC (as long

as your internet connection is

up to it). Unfortunately, we

were unable to access the

beta test so haven’t tried it

out first hand. PC gaming

enthusiasts may still prefer to

use SteamLink (bit.ly/

steamlk494), which connects

the Shield TV Pro to PCs on

your network and streams

games from there.

Finally, the Shield TV Pro

serves as a robust platform on

which to play countless classic

games. Unlike a plug-and-play

retro console such as the

PlayStation Classic or SNES

Mini, the Shield TV Pro runs

emulators for a wide range of

classic consoles, while

front-end launchers such as

the RetroArch and Dig apps

(found in the Google Play

store) let you organise and

play all your games from one

hub. You’ll have to supply all

the games yourself, of course.

PRODUCT INFO

Nvidia

Shield TV Pro

Price: £199

Buy from Nvidia:

bit.ly/nvid494

SPECIFICATIONS

Q Nvidia Tegra X1+ processor

(quad-core, ARM Cortex A-53) with

Maxwell-based 256-core GPU

Q 3GB of memory

Q 16GB of storage (expandable via

USB memory drive or external hard

drive)

Q 4K HDR-ready, AI-enhanced

upscaling

Q Dolby Audio Support

(Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus,

Dolby Atmos), DTS-X surround sound

over HDMI

Q Dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi

Q Bluetooth 5

Q 159 x 98 x 25.9mm

Q 250g

Q Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa

QAndroid9.0Pieoperatingsystem

FOR

 Now with Dolby Vision

 An excellent all-round gaming

hub

 Impressive AI-Enhanced 4K

upscaling

AGAINST

 Setup can be frustrating

 Only 16GB of internal storage

 No gamepad or HDMI cable

included

OUR VERDICT ++++++++

MORE

STORAGE

MORE

AFFORDABLE

FEATURES + + + +++++++

PERFORMANCE + + + + ++++++

EASEOFUSE + + + + ++++++

VALUE FOR MONEY + + + +++++++

There are countless free games you

can download, many of which can be

played using the remote