SHIELD Android TV Pro Streaming Media Player; 4K HDR movies, live sports, Dolby Vision-Atmos, AI-enhanced upscaling, GeForce NOW cloud gaming, Google Assistant Built-In, Works with Alexa

Brilliant, so much better than the firestick

Once again, buy a good brand and get a fantastic quality product packed full of features.

We all know this is old now, but it's still pretty quick. Android TV imo needs a new front end, if for nothing else but to get rid of the adverts. Luckily the Shield is more than happy to accept one. Instantly better. What is odd is that the Shield won't play android games from the store, admittedly this could be cheap SSD I added as extra internal storage, so I am going to test that with a better one when it turns up. Edit: yup, certainly was the cheap ssd hard drive, I got a Samsung SSD and it. Is. Glorious. Talking of which, extra expenses: 1. You will need an SSD to expand the memory, 16gb including space for the OS is frankly a joke. 2. A decent hdmi lead. 3. The possibility of needing a high speed hdmi splitter if your TV wasn't made yesterday. My TV has four 4k hdmi ports but only two super high speed, one of which is arc. That's fine, but the arc is taken up by my fancy soundbar and the other super high speed port is taken up by my Xbox. This means the shield can currently only go into a normal 4k port and that means no Dolby Vision or HDR10 etc. And really this box needs those settings as it's just a bit lack lustre without them. 4. You might also need to consider buying a powered USB 3(+) hub. There isn't a massive amount of power to spare in the Shield and obvs running the usb takes up some of it. So to avoid digital drudgery, extra power might help. CEC is tricky to set up as it appears to conflict slightly with the rather nice IR settings you can tweak. I'm not yet savvy enough with the system to figure all this out yet, but I have hopefully stopped it randomly shutting down the Shield and my TV which was just annoying. My intention is to run this as a retro gaming/TV box. It's not the easiest thing to set up, but after a few days of nerdling around I think it has potential... it's just slightly out of my grasp so far. Edit: mostly got everything sorted for emulation. It's fiddly and it's a fine line between shaders and a CTD! Oh and the remote is very cool, if a little bit sensitive. Edit: all other controllers now feel old fashioned!

Does not work with Alexa.

Ships with US two pin power adapter.

Dont buy in 2026 as its so laggy now and apps like disney plus just crash when you try to play anything.plex used to work flawlessly but that too crashes randomly.now tv on this doesnt support ultra boost and theres no bbc iplayer.theres no 24p mode on prime video or netflix.i used to love this box but now its so old its showing its age.nvidia needs to release a new nvidia shield tv box.

The Bottom Line: YES—Buy it. It is the only streamer that doesn't feel like a toy, even in 2026. If you are tired of "budget" lag and being forced to look at Amazon's adverts, this is your exit ramp. The "Agreement Trigger": The Button You’ll Hate Let’s address the elephant in the room: The Netflix Button. To get certification, NVIDIA included a massive, unmissable dedicated button. Because of the remote’s triangular "Toblerone" shape, you will accidentally press this once a week, killing whatever movie you were actually watching. The Fix: Don’t let it ruin the experience. Download a "Button Mapper" app immediately and disable it. It’s a small "tax" to pay for the best hardware on the market. The "Real World" Test: Reclaiming Your UI While Apple and Amazon are busy locking home screens into giant billboards, the Shield remains a playground. I spent 20 minutes stripping away the "Suggested Content" bloat and installing a clean third-party launcher. The result? A personalized, lightning-fast interface that makes a £2,000 Sony Smart TV feel like it’s running on a 10-year-old phone. It is the only box that respects your time. Who This Is For vs. Who Should Skip • BUY THIS IF: You own a high-end OLED or a dedicated 5.1/7.1 sound system. The AI Upscaling is the only one in the industry that makes 1080p content look like native 4K without looking "shimmery" or fake. • SKIP THIS IF: You just want to watch YouTube in bed. A £40 Firestick is fine for casual viewing; the Shield is for enthusiasts who care about bitrates and zero-lag navigation. Quick-Scan Scorecard • Speed: Instant. No "loading" circles or menu lag. • AI Upscaling: Industry-leading. Makes old Plex libraries look modern. • Customization: Total. You own the box; the box doesn't own you. • The Remote: Mixed. Backlighting is a godsend; the Netflix button is a curse. The Enthusiast Edge The real reason to buy the "Pro" over the cheaper "Tube" version is the full 64-bit architecture. This isn't just a player; it’s a server. If you have a large library of local media (Plex/Kodi), this handles high-bitrate 4K HDR files that make an Apple TV stutter and crash. Note on Purchase: I originally bought this as part of a bundle that is no longer listed, but the hardware in this standalone Pro unit is identical and remains the gold standard for 2026.

Been out a few years but still the best device of its type on the market. I bought to replace my fire stick which didn't have enough memory to buffer my Iptv. With this I can watch all the football games with no buffering or lag. Well worth the price.