The battle in the TV set-top box market continues. While two Chinese brands Beelink and UGOOS have been competing, the American company nVidia has introduced its unique creation. The TV box nVidia Shield TV Pro 2019, along with functionality for viewing video content in perfect quality, aims to create competition for gaming consoles.
The cool Technozon channel posted a wonderful video review. It covers the initial impressions, a brief overview of the device, and performance testing (network, games, video content). All links to the Technozon channel (reviews and stores) are, as always, published at the bottom of the page.
TV Box nVidia Shield TV Pro 2019: Specifications
To make it easier for the reader to understand how the new product differs from top Chinese solutions, we will create a comparative table. Perhaps this will help future buyers choose a TV box that suits their needs.
| Feature | nVidia Shield TV Pro 2019 | Beelink GT-King PRO | UGOOS AM6 Pro |
| Chipset | Tegra X1+ | Amlogic S922X | Amlogic S922X |
| Processor | 4x Cortex-A53 @ 2.00 GHz
4x Cortex-A57 @ 2.00 GHz |
4x Cortex-A73 @ 2.21 GHz 2x Cortex-A53 @ 1.8 GHz | 4x Cortex-A73 @ 1.71 GHz 2x Cortex-A53 @ 1.80 GHz |
| Video Adapter | GeForce 6 ULP (GM20B), 256 CUDA cores | GPU Mali-G52 MP6 (850MHz, 6.8 Gbps) | GPU Mali-G52 MP6 (850MHz, 6.8 Gbps) |
| RAM | 3 GB (LPDDR4 3200 MHz) | 4 GB (LPDDR4 3200 MHz) | 4 GB (LPDDR4, 2800MHz) |
| Storage | 16 GB (3D EMMC) | 64GB, SLC NAND eMMC 5.0 | 64 GB (3D EMMC) |
| Storage Expansion | Yes, USB Flash | Yes, microSD cards up to 32 GB | Yes, microSD cards up to 32 GB |
| Operating System | Android 9.0 | Android 9.0 | Android 9.0 |
| Wired Connection | Yes, RJ-45, 1Gbit/s | Yes, RJ-45, 1Gbit/s | Yes, 1 Gbit/s RJ-45 port (802.3IEEE 10/100/1000) |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4GHz/5GHz (2×2 MIMO) | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac: 2.4 + 5.8 GHz (MIMO 2T2R) | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4GHz/5GHz (2×2 MIMO) |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.0 with LE Technology | Bluetooth 4.1 + EDR | Bluetooth 5.0 with LE Technology |
| Wi-Fi Signal Booster | No | No | Yes, 2 antennas of 5dB each |
| Interfaces | HDMI, 2x USB 3.0, LAN, DC | HDMI, Audio Out (3.5mm), MIC, 4x USB 3.0, SD (up to 32 GB), LAN, RS232, DC | AV-out, AUX-in, microSD, LAN, 1x USB 3.0, 3x USB 2.0, HDMI 2.0, SPDIF, DC/12V |
| Memory Cards | No | Any SD cards | microSD 2.x/3.x/4.x, eMMC ver 5.0 |
| 4K Support | Yes. 4Kx2K@60FPS, HDR | Yes. 4Kx2K@60FPS, HDR+ | Yes. 4Kx2K@60FPS, HDR |
| Price | $240-250 | $140-150 | $140-150 |
TV Set-top Box or Console?
Initially, the TV box nVidia Shield TV Pro 2019 is positioned as a gaming console on the Android platform. All hardware is aimed at maximum gaming performance. Interestingly, the console is not limited to Android applications. The main feature is that the TV box can easily run nVidia Games at maximum settings. Yes, those very games that gamers are used to playing on a personal computer or laptop. More details are provided by Babl in his one-hour review (video above).
Regarding the Shield TV Pro’s capabilities for playing video content in 4K format, everything is perfect here. No throttling (active cooling), support for all kinds of video codecs, decoding licensed audio into a convenient format. And many other settings that will be useful for the user in operating the console. The only thing to pay attention to is the price of the TV box. If the buyer does not plan to “use” the advanced nVidia games and dreams of an all-in-one device for a 4K TV, then there is no point in buying the Shield TV Pro.
