NVIDIA SHIELD TV Review: Cloud GeForce. Review of the NVIDIA Shield TV gaming console

IN WHICH COUNTRIES CAN I BUY NVIDIA SHIELD TV?

SHIELD TV is currently available in the following countries:

• - USA
• - Canada
• - Great Britain
• - Germany
• - France
• - Italy
• - Spain
• - Austria
• - Norway
• - Netherlands
• - Switzerland
• - Russia
• - Poland
• - Czech Republic

WHAT SOFTWARE IS PRE-INSTALLED ON NVIDIA SHIELD TV?

NVIDIA SHIELD TV comes preloaded with Android TV™ and select Google apps, including Google Play, which gives you access to hundreds of apps and a huge selection of streaming content. SHIELD TV also comes pre-installed with:

• Netflix - Watch thousands of Netflix series, movies and shows on your TV in up to 4K HDR resolution.
• Amazon Video - Stream thousands of popular movies and TV shows to your TV in up to 4K HDR.
• PLEX - Stream videos, music and photos from your PC to your TV.
• PLEX Media Server – Access your catalog of digital media content from anywhere in the world.
• NVIDIA Games is a new app that lets you discover and access games on SHIELD TV, including exclusive Android games, GeForce NOW games, and PC games streamed using NVIDIA GameStream technology.
• NVIDIA Share - Stream and stream your favorite games.

WHAT DO I NEED TO DO TO INSTALL NVIDIA SHIELD TV?

All you need is an HDMI-enabled TV with Internet connectivity (Ethernet or Wi-Fi) and an HDMI cable. To connect to a 4K or HDR TV, you will need an HDMI 2.0 compatible cable.

WILL SHIELD TV WORK WITH MY TV?

SHIELD TV works with virtually any HDMI-enabled TV or display. SHIELD TV can be connected directly to your TV or receiver.

Please note: To play 4K Ultra HD or HDR content, your display must support these formats. If you connect SHIELD TV to a 4K HDR-capable TV via an AV receiver or soundbar, it must support HDMI 2.0 (with HDCP 2.2).

HOW TO TURN ON THE SHIELD TV MEDIA PLAYER? DOES IT HAVE A POWER BUTTON?

SHIELD TV turns on immediately after connecting to the included power source and automatically goes into sleep mode to save power consumption. There is no power button on the console.

HOW CAN I UPDATE ON SHIELD TV?

We have made this process simple and fast. All software updates for SHIELD TV are released directly by NVIDIA. You'll receive a notification, found in the Recommended Content section of your home screen, when an update is available. After your confirmation, the system will automatically download and install the update. You can manually check for a software update. To do this, go to Settings > Device > About device > System update.

WHAT ACCESSORIES ARE AVAILABLE FOR SHIELD TV?

At the time of release, the media player has three accessories available for it: additional SHIELD controllers, a proprietary vertical stand and additional SHIELD remote controls (including remote controls with a headset jack). Please note that SHIELD TV comes with one game controller and one remote control.

All additional devices can be purchased from NVIDIA.

CAN I CONNECT THE SHIELD CONTROLLER AS A CONTROLLER TO OTHER ANDROID DEVICES OR GAMING PCs?

Yes. You can connect the new SHIELD controller to other Android devices as a Bluetooth controller. It can also be used as a game controller supporting the Xinput standard with computers equipped with GeForce GTX graphics cards.

WHAT APPS SUPPORT 4K ULTRA HD CONTENT?

4K TVs are becoming very popular, and the volume of 4K content is constantly growing. Below are the most popular apps that support 4K streaming:

• Netflix (series such as House of Cards, Daredevil, Breaking Bad, Marco Polo, and many others)
• Amazon Video (TV shows and series such as The Grand Tour, Bosch, Goliath, and many others)
• YouTube (4K movie trailers and channels like RocketJump, GoPro, Devinsupertramp, and many more)
• Ultraflix
• Vimeo
• Media players such as Plex, Kodi, VLC, MX Player, and pre-installed Photo and Video app

Make sure your subscription plan supports 4K streaming. On Netflix, this requires a subscription with the Premuim plan.

Check out the settings on some standard TVs that need to be enabled to support HDR:

• For Samsung HDR TVs: Menu->Image->Image Options->HDMI UHD Color->Enable->Restart
• For LG HDR TVs: Home->HDMI->Settings->Advanced->Image->HDMI ULTRA DEEP COLOR->Enable->Restart
• For Sony HDR TVs: Home -> Settings -> External input device -> Signal format via HDMI -> HDMI [select SHIELD TV input device] -> Enhanced mode (TV will reboot)

WHAT HDR CONTENT IS AVAILABLE TODAY?

Netflix and Amazon Video have large libraries of HDR-ready content in 4K resolution. On the description page for a movie, TV series, or show, look for the “HDR” icon. On Netflix, this icon will only appear when an HDR-compatible display is detected (also requires a Premium plan subscription). Amazon Video displays this icon whether your TV supports HDR or not.

With NVIDIA GameStream™ technology, HDR-ready games are now also available.

WHAT TVS SUPPORT HDR10?

WHY DOES MY TV OR RECEIVER TURN ON/OFF WHEN I TURN NVIDIA SHIELD TV ON/OFF?

By default, SHIELD TV is configured to signal your TV or receiver to enter or exit sleep mode. You can disable these features by going to Settings -> Display & Sounds -> Power Management.

WHAT OPPORTUNITIES ARE THERE TO EXPAND YOUR MEMORY?

The new version of SHIELD TV supports external USB flash drives and hard drives. For maximum speed and performance, NVIDIA recommends the drives listed below. You can connect SHIELD TV to your network attached storage (NAS) over the network to access content.

To expand SHIELD TV's internal memory to store games and applications, the USB drive must be installed as internal storage. Go to Settings -> Storage & Factory Reset -> Select the drive name and then click “Set as internal storage”.

NVIDIA recommends using the following USB flash drives for SHIELD TV.

HOW DO I ADJUST THE AUDIO VOLUME ON THE TV OR RECEIVER USING THE SHIELD REMOTE OR SHIELD CONTROLLER?

You can set the SHIELD remote control to send an IR signal to adjust the volume on your AV receiver or TV. Go to Settings->Display and Sound -> Volume Control -> Enable IR Control

• Processor: NVIDIA Tegra X1, 64-bit, 20 nm process, 64-bit, four Cortex-A57 processor cores (with 2 MB L2 cache) and four Cortex-A53
• Graphics: NVIDIA, 256 cores
• Memory: 3 GB RAM, 16 GB internal + external storage
• OS: Android 7.0 (Nougat) based on Android TV and Google Cast (Chromecast technology built-in)
• Network: Wi-Fi b/g/n/ac MiMO, Dual Band, Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth version 4.1, HDMI-CEC 2.0b (HDCP 2.2 + HDR10)
• Sound: Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Atmos 7.1/5.1 Pass-though
• Gaming Features: NVIDIA GeForce NOW™ Game Streaming Service, NVIDIA GameStream™, NVIDIA Share
• Weight and dimensions of the attachment: 250 g, 158x98x9-25
• Controller weight: 260g
• Remote weight: 55 g

Introduction

Not long ago, NVIDIA introduced to the Russian market an advanced set-top box with wide multimedia features: from playing almost any video format in any resolution to streaming games from your PC to your TV screen. In addition, the Shield TV device is equipped with the latest Android operating system, which allows you to use all Google services, be it movies, music, books or games. Among the original things that no other media console can boast of is the ability to play cloud PC games through the GeForce Now service. Moreover, the gadget allows you to control your “smart home”: adjust the lighting level, temperature, turn music on or off, control door locks and much more.

At the moment, there are two versions of the device on our market. One is called Shield TV (on board 16 GB of internal memory and smaller dimensions), the other is Shield TV Pro (500 GB disk and larger dimensions). The first version will cost you 18,000 rubles, and the second – 26,000 rubles.

Contents of delivery

Inside the nice, tight white box there is a set-top box, a Shield controller, a Shield remote control, a network adapter, a UBS-microUSB cable, a European plug, a brief instruction and safety information. Please note that there is no HDMI cable here. Everything is packed securely and efficiently.

The Shield Stand Docking Station must be purchased separately. The device and its accessories will be sold only and exclusively on the NVIDIA website in the “Buy” section.

Appearance of the set-top box, controller and control panel

I had quite a lot of TV set-top boxes in the test, and they all, as a rule, looked the same: either a rectangular box or an oval box like Xiaomi Mi TV. The NVIDIA Shield device took a slightly more original path: the shape can hardly be called regular rectangular, it seems to be visually skewed to the side; consists of individual non-isosceles triangles, which are located somewhere above, somewhere below. The larger triangle has a glossy finish, the rest of the top panel is matte. Under this triangle there is a green insert. When you turn on the gadget, it lights up. It looks very original and cute. The glossy NVIDIA logo is embossed at the bottom right. The side edges are glossy. Frankly speaking, I am against glossy surfaces in such things: one way or another, the surface will quickly become covered with dust and other marks, scratches will be more noticeable, and so on.

The lower part of the device also consists of geometric shapes and is covered with something like soft-touch for stability. There are ventilation holes at the back, the same ones are present on the back of the gadget.

Additionally, you can purchase a special Shield Stand dock so that the console accepts a vertical format. It costs, you won’t believe it, 2,500 rubles.

On the back of the NVIDIA Shield there are the following connectors: power input (very similar to Type-C, but not it, I tried connecting a cable - nothing worked), standard Ethernet for connecting to the Internet, HDMI-CEC 2.0b (support for the digital content protection protocol HDCP 2.2 + HDR10) and two USB ports version 3.0.

The controller looks quite typical for such things, but the texture and relief look like a polygonal mesh, reminding us that the gadget is designed for toys. Despite this appearance, the controller is comfortable to hold and you don’t feel any discomfort. The surface is matte, slightly rough, all the indentations and bulges are made in such a way that the palms precisely grasp the gadget.

The sticks on top are rubberized; buttons, crosses, bumpers and triggers are glossy. Between the two sticks there is a touch-sensitive volume control strip, below it there is “Back”, “Start” and “Home”. The last two buttons also have other functions: “Start” - play/stop music or video, “Home” - launch the broadcast menu (record video from the screen, screenshots).

Below them is a 3.5 mm headphone jack. On the front side there is the NVIDIA logo, which is also a button for activating the voice assistant, and there is a microphone nearby (you can record gameplay on it). On the reverse side there is a microUSB for charging the gamepad. Since I’ve only had the console for about a month, it’s difficult to track how long the controller lasts on a single charge, but it’s definitely more than three weeks (officially about 60 hours).

The gamepad is assembled very high quality, there is nothing to complain about. There is vibration feedback.

The remote control (“friends” the set-top box via Bluetooth) is made of plastic and metal (reverse side). Part of the front panel of the remote control is glossy. The central area is responsible for touch volume control. Frankly speaking, this is the biggest fail, since almost always when I grabbed the remote control, I accidentally increased or decreased the volume.

The remote control does not have the best ergonomics, from my point of view. Firstly, I already described: the volume is accidentally adjusted. Secondly, most often you still need a joystick, and not a large voice assistant button, but in order to reach it, you need to place the remote control in your palm. Thirdly, the shape of the case is not very convenient.

In the lower area there is a slot for two CR2032 3V batteries.

Dimensions of the set-top box compared to Apple iPhone 5

Dimensions of the remote control compared to Apple iPhone 5

Technical component of the console

The new product is powered by an NVIDIA Tegra X1 processor. The announcement of this chip took place back in 2015 at the Consumer Electronics Show, and it was presented by NVIDIA CEO Jen-sen Huang.

The Tegra X1 chip (codenamed NVIDIA Erista) is the sixth generation of the Tegra family and is manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. What is X1: Isolated power rails, fourth-generation switching system, 20 nm, 64-bit process technology, four Cortex-A57 processor cores (with 2 MB L2 cache) and four Cortex-A53.

The NVIDIA Shield TV graphics system has a 256-core GPU with NVIDIA Maxwell architecture, supports DirectX 12, OpenGL 4.5, NVIDIA CUDA, OpenGL ES 3.1, Vulkan API and AEP (Android Extension Pack).

Performance test

The chipset handles 4K video H.265, VP9 and 60 fps frame rate, 4K x 2K at 60 Hz, 1080p at 120 Hz.

Below are two tables with the capabilities of the set-top box and a comparison with its closest competitors:

The device read all the test videos without problems.

Video

• Up to 4K HDR playback at 60 FPS (H.265/HEVC)
• Up to 4K resolution playback at 60 FPS (VP8, VP9, ​​H.264, MPEG1/2)
• Up to 1080p playback at 60 FPS (H.263, MJPEG, MPEG4, WMV9/VC1)
• Supported formats: Xvid/DivX/ASF/AVI/MKV/MOV/M2TS/MPEG-TS/MP4/WEB-M

Sound

• Dolby Atmos multichannel audio and DTS-X surround sound via HDMI
• High-definition audio playback up to 24-bit/192 kHz via HDMI and USB connectors
• Upscale audio up to 24bit/192kHz via USB
• Support: AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, MP3, WAVE, AMR, OGG Vorbis, FLAC, PCM, WMA, WMA-Pro, WMA-Lossless, DD+/DTS (pass-through), Dolby Atmos and Dolby TrueHD (pass-through) , DTS-X and DTS-HD (pass-through)

There are no questions about the speed of the set-top box, everything works quickly, without delays, lags or brakes. Games for Android run easily and naturally :) All run at maximum settings.

Working with the console

The first thing worth noting is the presence of the PLEX application for streaming any video to your TV. This program is available in both TV and TV Pro versions. The idea is very simple: you download content from a PC or Mac to the set-top box and stream it to TV. Everything is simple and clear.

GeForce Now

The next trump card in the NVIDIA Shield device is the GeForce Now function. It is located in the NVIDIA Game section on the main screen. By visiting this section, you will find many different PC games: for example, Just Cause 2, The Witcher 3, Trine, Tomb Raider, Hitman, Doom 3, Resident Evil 5, BorderLands 2, Mad Max, Saint Row, Dead Island, Sniper Elite , Sonic, Star Wars, Portal and such timeless games as Half-life 2 Episode 1 and 2. List of games.

All that remains is to launch it.

I would like to warn you right away that this service will require high-quality fast Internet with a decent router, because all the information will be streamed from different servers. As far as I understand, there are no such servers in Russia yet.

I tested a Samsung SUHD TV 7000 series and a router with 5 GHz support. Under all favorable conditions, almost all toys start very quickly. You choose the resolution in the game itself.

If the network does not slow down and the connection speed is more than 50 Mbit/s, then the detail in the game is quite high. However, in some games I was unable to get a 4K picture, so the image was HD (what this is connected with is not entirely clear, since PC games easily “understood” at least FullHD). As for the lag, there is some, but in most cases you can play without problems, especially in games that do not require quick reactions.

In general, the original GeForce Now function allows you to play PC games at maximum settings (even if not always the latest ones) without a powerful computer (at the time of the test I still had an iMac, you understand, you can’t play much on it).

Screenshots from the game Metro 2033 (GeForce Now technology)

Screenshots from the game MadMax (GeForce Now technology)

The gadget worked very quickly, there were no problems with toys even in 4K resolution and with almost all graphics parameters turned on. Launched Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and, of course, GTA V.

To stream GameStream games, you will need the GeForce Experience app. After installing the application, install the game and add it to GE. Next, the game icon will appear on the console in the GameStream section. You can run it both on a PC and via a set-top box.

In this case, the quality of the picture on TV will depend not only on the network speed, but also on the power of the computer from which the game is transmitted. In the case of the MSI GT62VR there were no problems. Tested GTA V at maximum settings in 4K resolution.

Streaming toys from a PC was, of course, more fun: firstly, you can play any games (well, almost, there’s a list), and secondly, the image is much better than in GeForce Now mode. I didn’t notice any delays, at least I calmly completed several missions in GTA. Yes, I observed lags, but they were isolated. Another question is that I’m not used to using a gamepad, so it was completely unusual to play :)

Example of streaming Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain from MSI GT62VR

Example of GTA V streaming from MSI GT62VR

SHIELD TV runs Android 7.0 in the Android TV shell, running smoothly at 60 frames per second even at 4K resolution. A very simple, but at the same time functional interface contains three rows of large icons - applications, games and recommendations. The latter includes recently launched games or, for example, popular content from YouTube. If necessary, you can prevent each program from individually offering its recommendations.

To navigate the UI, all you need is four directional buttons on the remote or gamepad and the Forward/Back keys. It's just inconvenient to enter text using the on-screen keyboard. SHIELD TV relies on voice commands to do this. At the moment, speech is used only for basic actions (like launching an application) and searching for content. The set-top box recognizes the Russian language without any problems, but has difficulty distinguishing English words in Russian phrases, which makes it almost impossible to launch applications in this way.

In one of the upcoming updates, NVIDIA will add Google Assistant software, which will expand the capabilities of speech communication. The program recognizes the meaning of messages in the context of a conversation, is activated by the command “Okay, Google” and, in addition, learns to understand the user better the more often it is used. Owners of the 2015 SHIELD TV will also not be left out, but they will have to buy a new gamepad, since only it has a constantly working microphone, necessary for Google Assistant.

Along with Google Asistant, there will be a smart home application compatible with various third-party devices - Nest cameras and thermostats, Samsung SmartThings hub, countless lighting lamps, speaker systems, kettles, etc. NVIDIA will also release its own accessory for controlling home devices - the Spot microphone and speaker .

Since SHIELD TV does not have a sensitive screen, most applications created for mobile devices cannot be downloaded to the console from Google Play, although they can be easily installed from .apk files and controlled with the mouse or the right stick of a game controller. And even if you install, for example, the Chrome browser, its interface will be too large for a large screen. However, SHIELD TV can still be turned into a desktop, if there is such a need, using special shells (like Leena Desktop UI) or even installed on an Ubuntu console.

⇡ Audio and video

When looking at SHIELD TV's multimedia capabilities, we'll start by playing local content stored on the built-in ROM, external DAS or NAS. The set-top box supports hardware decoding of all image formats in which films are distributed - MPEG-2, H.264, H.265 (HEVC), AC-1, WMV9 and VP9, ​​but does not have licenses for decoding various Dolby multi-channel audio formats. The latter can be broadcast in “raw” form to an external receiver or DAC via HDMI, USB or an adapter from USB to SP-DIF. To do this, you can use the PLEX program pre-installed on SHIELD TV, or alternative software - for example, Kodi. Finally, Tegra X1 can also handle software audio decoding using VLC Player and other third-party players (the native Android player is still too primitive to use for watching movies).

Streaming video in the opposite direction - from external devices to SHIELD - is provided by Chromecast. Moreover, since this is a cross-platform standard, the source can be a phone or tablet running both Android and iOS, as well as a computer running Windows, MacOS and Linux. However, there is a caveat: Chromecast works differently than VNC and similar remote desktop protocols. Every single program you plan to stream on SHIELD TV must support the Google Cast API.

Finally, the set-top box can display over-the-air television using the Google Live Channels program and a TV tuner with the function of broadcasting over UDP/IP on a local network.

But of course, the main source of content for SHIELD TV is streaming services. Netflix and Amazon Video already offer a collection of films in 4K resolution, in particular with HDR. In addition, you can buy movies and music on Google Play and install applications for individual TV channels, including Russian ones.

⇡ Games

Despite the wide multimedia capabilities of SHIELD TV, let's not forget that first and foremost it is a gaming console. NVIDIA offers three ways to play: Android games, broadcasting from a computer on a local network, and the GeForce NOW online service.

Since the time of the first SHIELD, more “serious” games have appeared on Android, in particular ports of classic or simply successful projects of past years from PC. NVIDIA itself had a hand in some of them (Half-Life 2, Knights of the Old Republic, DOOM 3 BFG Edition, etc.). As a result, games only run on SHIELD devices and are often not compatible even with the SHIELD mobile console, as they use Kepler and Maxwell GPU capabilities. Recent additions to the game library include Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (the original was released in 2014), Metal Gear Solid: Revengeance and The Witness (a rare example of a completely new cross-platform game on Android). A port of Tomb Raider from 2013 is currently being prepared for release. A list of all SHIELD TV compatible games can be found on the NVIDIA website.

Borderlands: TPS and Borderlands 2 have arguably the best graphics SHIELD TV can afford. Even if, compared to the PC version, textures of reduced resolution are noticeable, and the image is displayed on the screen in 720p mode, for a mobile system-on-a-chip the result is amazing. After all, on previous generation consoles (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3) these games look about the same.

Borderlands: the Pre-Sequel

The frame rate is also quite tolerable for the console, although in heavy scenes there are drops down to about 20 FPS. Unfortunately, I had to test it on a subjective basis, since the Android build on SHIELD TV lacks the settings necessary for running applications that measure framerate.

Another game we launched on SHIELD TV, The Witness, has simpler graphics and feels like it delivers at least 60 FPS, although it also runs at 720p.

Be that as it may, AAA games are a rare guest on Android, and considering that the main base of devices running this OS are gadgets with completely different hardware capabilities, you can’t count on active additions to the list. However, the fact that the Nintendo Switch also has an NVIDIA SoC installed inspires some hope.

The priority direction for SHIELD TV is broadcasting games from your home PC and the Internet. Local streaming (GameStream) requires a computer with a GeForce graphics card and GeForce Experience software. Resolutions up to 4K are supported (in the latter case, an accelerator of at least GeForce GTX 1080 is required) and HDR (available only on Pascal architecture GPUs). It is best to connect the set-top box to the router via wire, but Wi-Fi will also work, preferably at a frequency of 5 GHz. It is recommended to use a router from the NVIDIA approved list of devices. As practice has shown, a cheap access point at a frequency of 2.4 GHz does not provide either a high-quality picture or a short response time.

There is virtually no setup required to start playing. The console detects your computer, and then you just need to select the game you want in the NVIDIA Games app. Obstacles in the process can only arise due to the Steam interface or the game “launcher” interrupting the loading process. In such cases, the console displays the Windows desktop on the screen, and the mouse cursor is moved with the right stick of the gamepad. In a large number of games, the SHIELD gamepad is supported out of the box with a ready-made button layout, or at least its basic functions are available. In the worst case scenario, you will have to uncover your keyboard and mouse.

We tested GameStream in Fallout 4 and Rise of the Tomb Raider at 4K resolution, connecting the console to a computer via a 1 Gbps Ethernet link and must admit that the system works flawlessly. The picture looks indistinguishable from what the computer directly displays on the screen, and the latency when controlling the gamepad is more than acceptable. If you use a mouse, the lag is felt even less than in PC games with V-sync enabled. Players with a predominantly console background, where 30 FPS and VSync are the norm, won't have much to complain about. In addition, the higher the resolution, the longer the response time. Playing in 1080p mode is a little more comfortable than in 2160p.

GeForce Experience on PC

In addition to connecting within a local network, GameStream can work over the Internet, provided that you leave the computer turned on when leaving home. Of course, to obtain an image without artifacts and acceptable latency under such conditions, a phenomenally high-quality connection to the global network of both devices is required.

Finally, you can stream games bypassing GeForce Experience using a similar feature on Steam and the Android app. You don't even need a GeForce video card for this.

The most intriguing of the SHIELD gaming features is the GeForce NOW online service, which grew out of the previous NVIDIA GRID project, which we met two years ago on the example of the SHIELD Tablet K1. GeForce NOW is based on the same idea: NVIDIA offers a library of games that run on SHIELD (all three devices are supported - handheld console, tablet and set-top box) in the same way as through GameStream, only from cloud servers.

What has changed is mainly the technical side of the issue. The user has at his disposal computing power equivalent to that of the GeForce GTX 1080, and all the capabilities of the Pascal architecture. In addition to American servers, NVIDIA opened clouds in Europe, East and Southeast Asia. Over time, as a company representative told us, the GeForce NOW server may appear in Russia.

Games are broadcast in 720p or 1080p resolution (with a refresh rate of 30 or 60 Hz), which requires a channel with a bandwidth of 12 and 25 Mbps, respectively, and a ping of no more than 60 ms. Depending on the quality of the connection, the set-top box will select the resolution and refresh rate automatically, but you can also set a fixed value.

The Witcher 3 on GeForce NOW

We had the opportunity to test GeForce NOW for the first time in Munich, where the Central European server is available with a ping of 5 ms. Under such favorable circumstances, the gameplay is practically no different from broadcasting within a local network. In Moscow, the ping already reaches 50 ms, which corresponds to the latency when playing on a PC at a frame rate of 20 FPS, even if you do not spend additional time decoding the video signal. Note that this calculation has nothing to do with the actual frame rate. The picture is of impeccable quality, and the smoothness of the video is only disrupted by the occasional loss of frames. It is the reaction time to player actions that suffers from high ping. But, oddly enough, you can still play, despite some discomfort.

The bigger problem with GeForce NOW is the limitations of its current business model. For a subscription fee of $7.99 per month, the user gets access to more than a hundred games, but about forty of them (naturally, the newest and best) are sold for a fee. Thus, if a copy of the game has already been purchased on Steam, you will have to pay for it again on GeForce NOW. In addition, it is impossible to transfer saves between GeForce NOW and any other platform, and the catalog of games is not that large yet. Luckily, NVIDIA is working on integrating Uplay accounts into GeForce NOW, which will work in a future app update.

NVIDIA will offer a more flexible service for broadcasting games on PC and Mac, early access to which will open in March of this year. The user will receive a dedicated virtual machine with 1 TB of storage, to which they can connect Steam, Uplay, Orign, Battle.Net and GOG accounts and install individual free-to-play games. However, the access fee will be quite large, depending on the performance: $25 for 20 hours of gaming with an analogue GeForce GTX 1060 or 10 hours on a GTX 1080.

Finally, we note one more feature of SHIELD TV related to games. The console allows you to record gameplay at 1080p resolution and broadcast it to Twitch at 720p resolution, but in both cases the frame rate is limited to 30 Hz. Simultaneous recording of voice and image from the webcam is possible.

Many of the companies that in years past were known primarily or exclusively as computer component makers have recognized a new rule for success in the consumer electronics market: While the user experience on mobile and desktop PCs is increasingly limited by performance, it's no longer enough to make good hardware. The offer of a finished product built into an ecosystem of software and cloud services looks more convincing in the eyes of buyers.

NVIDIA has consistently integrated elements of this model into its core GPU business, which is now surrounded by a host of related software technologies, from specialized APIs for all GPU-related tasks to the GeForce Experience client software, which is essentially a way to organize gaming functions in a convenient way. console-like interface for the inexperienced user.

With the SHIELD handheld console and then the SHIELD Tablet K1, NVIDIA tested the waters for its next initiative - becoming a provider of dedicated gaming devices and content alongside Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo. And while mobile SHIELD appeals primarily to the geek audience, the SHIELD TV set-top box, the latest addition to this line, has a chance for widespread recognition.

The fate of SHIELD TV lies at the intersection of two functions - streaming 4K video from a LAN and the Internet and games in the format of a full-fledged home console. However, SHIELD TV is not intended to compete with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Even though NVIDIA has all the technical capabilities to take such a step, the company has chosen a different direction. SHIELD TV is designed primarily for broadcasting games from a platform with the best than any console, performance and capabilities - PC. Initially, NVIDIA offered game streaming from a home computer, but now the GeForce NOW cloud service, which grew out of the NVIDIA GRID experimental project, is coming to the fore.

The SHIELD TV set-top box was introduced back in the spring of 2015 and was not officially supplied to Russia. Today we will look at its updated version, available for Russians, and find out what it is - computer games in the cloud.

⇡ Technical characteristics, prices

The set-top box is based on the Tegra X1 chip system, manufactured using the TSMC 20 nm process technology. SHIELD TV is one of the few devices where this SoC has been used, which belongs to a rare power class among ARM chips (Tegra X1 TDP is 15 W), limiting its use to ultra-compact laptops and embedded computers. Other well-known examples are the DRIVE CX/PX car boards from NVIDIA and the Google Pixel C convertible laptop. Finally, we can quite confidently say that it was the Tegra X1 that formed the basis of the Nintendo Switch console.

Considering that Tegra X1 has been around for two years, which is a long time on the consumer market, it is unlikely that we will see it again in any other product, so we will not consider the chip architecture in detail and will limit ourselves to commenting on a few key facts.

It is known that NVIDIA has long been working on its own CPU architecture - Denver. Instead of four or more cores capable of simultaneously executing a small number of instructions (as is common in ARM-licensed architectures), Denver is equipped with two extremely “wide” pipelines (up to seven instructions per clock). This approach, previously proven in the series Apple A6-A10 chips, provides high performance and energy efficiency in both multi-threaded and single-threaded workloads - something that standard Arm cores cannot boast of. However, the Denver architecture matured before its introduction into commercial SoCs only relatively recently (last fall), when NVIDIA released Tegra X2, where Denver is combined with Pascal family GPUs.

Tegra X1, on the other hand, includes eight licensed cores - four high-performance ARM Cortex-A57 cores and four energy-efficient Cortex-A53 cores. This is standard within the big.LITTLE architecture combination, which can be found in many mobile SoCs (for example, Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 or some Samsung Exynos Octa series chips). However, Tegra X1 stands out among similar chips in the way it distributes threads between high-performance and economical core clusters. If other SoCs present the entire set of cores to the OS scheduler (Global Task Scheduling), then when working with Tegra X1, the OS scheduler “sees” only one or another cluster, switching between which occurs automatically. The effectiveness of this approach in the case of Tegra X1 is based on a proprietary interconnect bus that ensures cache coherence.

However, in two years the mobile SoC industry has moved far ahead, and Tegra X1 no longer claims to be the leader in CPU performance in the face of modern competitors (such as Apple A9X, Apple A10, Qualcomm Snapdragon 825), as well as new NVIDIA chips - Tegra X2 and Tegra P1. However, Tegra X1 as part of SHIELD TV has the advantage of a power limit that is not limited by battery size and passive cooling. The TDP of the chip is 15 W, and the Cortex-A57 cores reach frequencies up to 2 GHz.

But the main advantage of Tegra X1 is an extremely powerful graphics processor for this class based on the Maxwell architecture, which, like the following NVIDIA GPU architectures, was created with an emphasis on mobile SoCs. Tegra X1 contains two SMM blocks, identical to those in discrete GPUs of the Maxwell architecture, and at a frequency of 1 GHz it is characterized by a peak performance of 512 GFLOPS. For comparison: this is the level of top gaming video cards from 2006-2008. - GeForce 8800 GTX and GeForce 9800 GT. Moreover, even the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles have slower GPUs (400 and 240 GFLOPS, respectively).

NVIDIA Tegra X1, GPU

However, the beauty of the unification of GPU building blocks among all NVIDIA chips is not only in performance. Tegra X1 is compatible with both OpenGL ES and more powerful desktop APIs such as OpenGL 4.5, DirectX 12, Vulkan and CUDA, making it easy to port games from PC to Tegra X1 running Android. However, in terms of support for OpenGL and DirectX, NVIDIA chips are no longer unique, since competing SoCs have already acquired such functionality.

Another distinctive feature of Tegra X1, which has recently appeared in discrete GPUs, is its support for the half-precision number format (FP16), operations on which are performed by CUDA cores at twice the speed of FP32. At the same time, a good part of games for Android operate with FP16, and not FP32 - the format standard for shader code of desktop applications.

A special pride of the creators of Tegra X1 is its multimedia unit. The SoC is capable of decoding H.264, HEVC (including 10-bit color) and VP9 formats at resolutions up to 4K and 60 Hz frame rates, as well as encoding all of the above in 4K at 30 Hz. Among other modern SoCs that may end up in TV set-top boxes, perhaps only Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 and higher have comparable capabilities. SHIELD TV's most famous and successful competitor in this capacity, Apple TV, does not support 4K or HEVC at all.

SHIELD TV can not only decode 4K video, but also display it on the screen at 60 Hz via the HDMI 2.0b interface in its full capabilities: color with 10-bit per channel accuracy and 4:4:4 chroma subsampling, high dynamic range (HDR). In addition, Tegra X1 supports HDCP 2.2 content protection, which is a requirement for Netflix and similar 4K streaming services. SHIELD TV outputs sound via an HDMI cable, either to an external sound card with a USB interface, or through an analog connector on the gamepad.

*According to www.nvidia.com.

**According to www.nvidia.ru.

The SHIELD TV set-top box exists in two modifications, differing in price and type of drive: the debut version of 2015, which is now called SHIELD PRO, and the new SHIELD in a smaller case. The PRO version contains a 500 GB hard drive, and “just” SHIELD TV contains 16 GB flash memory. However, in the latter case, there is no question of a full-fledged SSD with a PCI Express bus, since the ROM is connected to Tegra X1 via the eMMC 5.1 interface with a bandwidth of 400 MB/s. Such a limited amount of non-volatile memory reflects the purpose of the device for cloud services, and not for local installation of games. In the latter case, if the games are quite “heavy”, you will have to rely on an external hard drive or flash drive. By the way, external drives can be formatted either in exFAT or NTFS.

Both models have a Gigabit Ethernet connector and support IEEE 802.11ac Wi-Fi with 2x2 MIMO (866 Mbps throughput at 5 GHz).

The devices are sold through the NVIDIA website at prices of $199.99 and $299.99, or 17,990 and 25,990 rubles. This is quite expensive for a TV box. For example, an Apple TV with 64 GB ROM costs $199 or 15,490 rubles. However, SHIELD TV comes with a gamepad, not to mention an incomparably more powerful processor, expansion capabilities and communications.

⇡ Appearance, delivery set

The updated version of the SHIELD TV set-top box is stylistically no different from SHIELD PRO, but thanks to the replacement of the hard drive with an SSD, the dimensions of the case (already compact, since the power supply is external) in the plane were reduced by 30%. The box can be installed both horizontally and vertically using a stand purchased separately for $19.

The mechanics and ergonomics of the controller are still excellent. NVIDIA just made the controller smaller compared to the previous version and replaced the built-in touchpad with a sensitive strip that controls the volume. The mouse cursor, when needed, is moved with the right stick. The gamepad has a built-in DAC/ADC for connecting headphones or a headset, a long-range microphone and an IR port for controlling audio-video equipment.

Also, unlike the earlier gamepads that were included with the 2015 SHIELD TV and SHIELD Tablet K1, the device connects to the set-top box via Bluetooth rather than Wi-Fi Direct. The latter has lower latency, but now the gamepad can be easily connected to a PC via a radio channel, and not just by wire. The set-top box is capable of simultaneously working with four controllers.

If you connect a regular keyboard and mouse (both via USB and Bluetooth), they will work both in Android games and when broadcasting games from the cloud or local network. In the Android TV interface, using a mouse is possible, but not encouraged: in some applications, the pointer either does not appear at all or periodically freezes.

The remote control was also changed in the new edition of the set-top box (the old version is included with SHIELD PRO), removing the mini-jack connector and replacing the non-removable battery with charging from the USB port with a standard coin cell battery. To save energy, the remote control automatically goes to sleep if it is not in the user's hands. Like the gamepad, the remote has a long-range microphone and a sensitive volume control strip.

Although the manipulators are connected to the set-top box via the Bluetooth interface, both the gamepad and the remote control have a universal IR transmitter built in, with which you can adjust the volume of the TV or audio receiver. Or you can do the opposite - control some functions of the set-top box using the remote control of any of the devices in the HDMI chain, provided that the latter support the HDMI-CEC standard.

In addition to native devices, SHIELD TV supports Xbox gamepads (using a USB receiver), a number of other controllers, joysticks and webcams. Many universal remote controls are also compatible with the set-top box, but you must remember that only SHIELD PRO has a built-in IR receiver.

Which TV set-top box should you choose if you are into video games? We understand the market for such devices.

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Although TVs are becoming smarter every year, and their capabilities are not limited to watching cable channels from the nearest provider, set-top boxes are still popular. It’s not even that buying a small box for an old TV is easier and cheaper than buying a new Smart TV, it’s just that set-top boxes allow you to get functionality that smart TVs don’t have and most likely won’t have.

In this article we will compare TV set-top boxes from well-known manufacturers that officially supply their devices to Russia. Of course, taking into account the specifics of the site, we will also consider the gaming capabilities of the devices.

Apple TV 4K

In September 2017 Apple announced a new TV set-top box Apple TV 4K, which supports 4K resolution and high dynamic range (HDR). Unlike most other similar devices, the media player received the proprietary tvOS operating system. Starting from the fourth generation (Apple TV 4K is the fifth), the set-top box supports the installation of adapted applications from the App Store, including games.

In addition to the set-top box itself, the Apple TV 4K comes with a user manual, a network cable, a remote control and a Lightning cable for charging it. There is no HDMI cable included, you will have to purchase one. Apple TV 4K uses the A10X Fusion processor (like the iPad Pro), which ensures fast playback of any content and good performance of games. The manufacturer offers models with 32 and 64 GB of memory, however, when purchasing a set-top box, you must remember that it will no longer be possible to increase the internal storage capacity.

Of course, the main advantage of Apple TV 4K over its competitors is the ability to work with the company’s proprietary services - iCloud, iTunes and the App Store. Users accustomed to the Apple ecosystem are unlikely to exchange it for anything else. Apple TV 4K supports streaming music, video, and desktop from other Apple devices using AirPlay technology. As for the standard capabilities for any TV set-top box, the Apple TV 4K is in no way inferior to Android devices, providing support for many content formats and the ability to work with a lot of streaming services.

NVIDIA Shield TV

TV set-top box NVIDIA Shield TV built on the Tegra X1 SoC, which includes four Cortex A57 and Cortex A53 computing cores. Thanks to this chip, the set-top box works noticeably faster than similar Android devices like Amazon Fire TV(not officially sold in Russia).

The NVIDIA Shield TV Remote only comes with a power supply, remote control and user manual. In addition, you can buy a set with a wireless gamepad, but it costs 3,900 rubles more. If necessary, the controller can be purchased separately, as well as some accessories - for example, a stand for vertical positioning of the console.

NVIDIA Shield TV supports many video formats and content transfer from Russian and foreign streaming services, and can also work with 4K and HDR formats. The TV set-top box has a voice control function, the ability to work with USB drives and Google Cast technology, which can transfer images from all compatible devices to the TV without a wired connection.

But the main advantage of NVIDIA Shield TV is its gaming capabilities! The set-top box supports GeForce Now technology for streaming from the NVIDIA cloud service, which allows you to enjoy many computer games without installing them and, importantly, even without a computer. Among other hits on the list are The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, BioShock 2 Remastered, Outlast 2, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Thief and other worthy projects. Those who have a powerful computer at home will be more pleased with the ability to stream games from a PC to a TV set-top box using GameStream technology. Finally, it is worth mentioning the ports for Android, adapted for NVIDIA Shield TV by the studio NVIDIA Lightspeed Studios. Here and Metal Gear Solid 3, And Super Meat Boy, And Half-Life 2: Episode Two. In general, it will definitely be enough for the first time.

Xiaomi Mi TV Box

In our review Xiaomi Mi TV Box not only the most compact and lightweight, but also the most affordable TV set-top box. Of course, Xiaomi Mi TV Box is even cheaper in Chinese online stores, but there is a risk that you will then have to carefully study third-party sites and find out all the nuances regarding flashing the device.

The Xiaomi Mi TV Box comes with a power supply, remote control, HDMI cable and user manual. The AMlogic S905 processor with four Cortex-A53 cores and a Mali-450 graphics subsystem is roughly equivalent to the MediaTek MT6737 in tests, which makes it not the most suitable solution for high-performance games, but in many cases it is quite enough. As for playing video in 4K resolution, the Xiaomi Mi TV Box copes without problems.

GS Gamekit

Their own set-top boxes are produced not only by well-known hardware manufacturers, but also by satellite television operators. Eg, "Tricolor TV" offers a device called GS Gamekit, which the company calls a gaming console with the function of receiving digital satellite television.

Compared to other TV set-top boxes, GS Gamekit looks quite modest. It is designed to work with Tricolor TV services and cannot even offer support for 4K resolution, not to mention any additional functionality. As for the gaming component, Tricolor TV promises more than seven dozen games in the catalog, including applications for two gamepads, which cannot be compared with the App Store or Google Play.

If we consider the purchase of a TV set-top box from the point of view of a gamer, then the NVIDIA Shield TV is definitely the best choice. In this case, take the version with a wireless controller. Of course, NVIDIA Shield TV is more expensive than its competitors, but for this amount you will get not only a hybrid of a TV set-top box and a powerful Android console, but also the ability to play computer games without a computer or stream them from a PC to the set-top box wirelessly. You just need to remember that for GeForce Now you will need a fast Internet connection, and for GameStream you will need a powerful computer with a GeForce graphics card.

Apple TV 4K will be chosen by those who are already accustomed to the Apple ecosystem and actively use other gadgets from this manufacturer. The Xiaomi Mi TV Box is perfect for getting all the features of a Smart TV without having to buy a new TV. As for the GS Gamekit, the purchase of this TV set-top box looks dubious from any point of view.