BEST ANDROID MEDIA PLAYER 2017 ANDROID

The idea behind Android TV is to combine all the phone control features of a Chromecast with a proper on-screen menu system and a physical remote, while also leaning on Google Assistant for powerful voice controls. The Nvidia Shield TV is one of a handful of streaming boxes that run Google’s Android TV software. The Nvidia Shield TV, running Android 8.0. Example-setting software Jared Newman / TechHive If you need a Toslink connection, you’ll have to use an HDMI splitter. It does not, however, offer Atmos support in Netflix, and the box itself has no optical audio output.

BEST ANDROID MEDIA PLAYER 2017 FULL

(Check out our full SmartThings Link review for more details.)Īs for audio, the Nvidia Shield does offer pass-through over HDMI for Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD, DD+/DTS, DTS-X, and DTS-HD. You can then control those devices via a phone, smart speaker, or the Shield’s voice remote. You can also bundle the Shield with a SmartThings Link dongle for $220, letting you connect light bulbs, motion sensors, and other smart home devices to your network over the ZigBee or Z-Wave protocols. Nvidia has since discontinued the Shield Pro and added a remote-only bundle for $180. (It also maintained the original Shield’s larger figure and MicroSD slot.) When we first reviewed the second-generation Shield two years ago, it came in two configurations: A $200 bundle included the Shield, a traditional remote control, and a game controller, while the $300 Shield Pro had a built-in 500 GB hybrid drive instead of 16 GB of flash storage. While cheap 4K streaming devices have gotten faster over the last two years, the Shield TV still holds a noticeable edge. The Shield TV’s X1 processor still tears through apps that can induce long load times and choppiness on other devices-it offers one of the speediest PlayStation Vue experience you’ll find outside of Sony’s own PS4 console, for instance-and it never skips a beat when you’re switching between apps. The main difference is a smaller enclosure that no longer includes a MicroSD card slot.

It has the same Tegra X1 processor, 16GB of storage, 3GB of RAM, dual USB 3.0 ports, gigabit ethernet, and an 802.11ac Wi-Fi adapter. The latest Nvidia Shield TV hardware isn’t much different than the first-generation version from 2015.

Best android media player 2017