The Chromecast with Google TV was easy to recommend when it launched last year at just $50, and it’s still a good device now. However, I’ve been on the hunt for a more powerful streaming box—something that can handle uncompressed audio and whatever video formats I throw at it. There’s really only one game in town that gets close, and that’s the Nvidia Shield. It has all the streaming prowess of the more expensive Pro box but at a much lower $150 price. However, the Shield is on a rare sale this Black Friday for $129, and I couldn’t resist.
I like a lot of things about the Chromecast, and I still strongly recommend it for most people. It’s great if you just want to stream some Netflix or HBO Max, and the remote is easy to use. I’m not most people, though. I’ve seen the Chromecast get slower over the past year—it’s not unbearable, but I don’t love using it as much as I once did. The promise of Google’s “For you” screen has also fallen by the wayside. Now, it’s just as likely to show ads as content that I already own. The Chromecast remote has also ended up being not the most sturdy piece of hardware. The buttons began yellowing after about six months, and then a few months later it stopped working. I ended up buying a replacement remote, which was almost 50% the cost of a new Chromecast.
Even ignoring the Google dongle’s foibles, it was never powerful enough to do everything I want out of a streaming device. For example, the Chromecast can’t handle the uncompressed audio and video formats in many Blu-ray rips, and that’s important to me. The base model Shield, however, can decode everything under the sun without breaking a sweat. This version of the Shield runs a 32-bit OS because of its smaller RAM capacity, but that isn’t a problem for any of the apps I need it to use. I also appreciate the inclusion of an Ethernet port for more reliable connectivity. And I know it’s just going to sit behind my TV, but I also think the Shield tube has a neat design. Not attractive, mind you. Just neat.
Nvidia launched a redesigned remote with the 2019 Shields, and it’s a luxurious upgrade over the Chromecast remote. It doesn’t skimp on buttons like the Chromecast, and they’re backlit. Pick up the remote, and it illuminates, which is a very nice touch. Because it has regular batteries inside, there’s no long wait while the remote wakes up from sleep mode like the previous Shield models, either. And the responsiveness! The Chromecast regularly lags and ignores button presses, but the Shield is refreshingly snappy, and it has usable multitasking.
I hope Nvidia keeps making Shield hardware—no one else is really prioritizing high-quality A/V in a streaming dongle like this. While I don’t think most people need to spend $129 on a streaming stick, those who demand the best performance should pick up the Shield. And this is a good time to do it.
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