Nvidia Shield TV review – Gaming’s the aim, even if Android TV still isn’t ready for prime time

Android TV

We’ve voiced concerns about Android TV in the UK before, especially around the shortcomings of the spartan app store. The main Google Play Store might be full to the rafters with apps and services, but they aren’t automatically compatible with Android TV devices – developers have to make their mobile or tablet versions available on the big screen before you can use them. The lack of a touchscreen is an obvious hurdle, but translating UI elements to a larger display doesn’t always make the transition a straightforward affair.

^ Google’s apps have been translated perfectly to the big screen, complete with Material UI elements

Here again, as was the case with the Google Nexus Player, lies the Shield Tablet’s greatest shortcoming as a media streamer. Nvidia has developed its own exclusive BBC iPlayer app (with the BBC’s blessing) for its Shield TV devices, but that’s about as far as it gets when it comes to the UK’s terrestrial television catch-up services. There’s no Demand 5, All4 or ITV Player to be seen. While Netflix makes an appearance, there’s no Amazon Instant Video, although the latter might not come as any surprise. However, other apps I would expect, such as Spotify and Twitch, are missing here despite being available on competing devices.  

^ Android TV looks as slick as ever, with large, colourful cards appearing in a carousel

Navigating around the Android TV interface was at least a seamless experience. Everything felt silky-smooth and was well presented, save for the occasional hiccup where preview icons didn’t load. Recent or frequently-accessed content is pulled together from various apps and displayed in the main screen carousel for ease of access, which is useful.

Aside from dedicated Android TV-compatible apps, the Shield TV is also a fully-functional Chromecast, meaning you can cast supported content from a smartphone or tablet to your television. In part, this gets around the lack of some catch-up services and apps, but not all of them. If you want to play media from a home server, Plex remains your best bet and the Plex app for Android TV is arguably much slicker than elsewhere, such as on Roku devices. 

Guide: How to set up a Plex server

Oddly, despite not having an official Android TV app, game streaming service Twitch is fully integrated throughout the operating system. You can hold down the Home button on the remote control or gamepad at any time to begin streaming to Twitch, or take screenshots of your games.

Voice Search

Typing using a remote control and an onscreen keyboard has never been a fluid experience, so voice search is something of a revelation here. You can make voice searches based around content, or make natural language requests, such as “Ocar-winning movies from 2000” or “Who was in Training Day?”. Of course, Google’s own services are well represented, with YouTube, Google Play Music and Google Play Movies & TV results appearing first in any search. 

^ A handy Google Now-style card appears for certain searches, with links to apps – but there’s limited third party integration

However, there are limitations again. Only results from certain apps will appear; you’ll get results from Google Play Movies & TV for film and television requests, trailers through YouTube and even content from your Plex library if you have the app installed, but there’s a noticeable absence of Netflix results. You can’t use voice search within the Netflix app, or iPlayer either. It’s a real shame, as otherwise voice searches and commands could have been a genuinely viable way to interact in a couch-friendly manner. As it is, you’ll need to type out searches for anything that isn’t Google-owned.

I occasionally encountered issues with activating voice searches as well, with the Shield TV seemingly becoming a little confused by my constantly swapping between the gamepad controller and remote control. There would be a delay before the familiar Android voice search tone would emanate from my television speakers, and occasionally it would stop listening for a voice command before I could even make half an utterance.

Netflix and YouTube 4K Streaming

While Amazon might have gotten there first when it comes to 4K support through its new Fire TV, the Shield TV’s coup is its position as the first Android TV-based player with support for 4K streaming through Netflix and YouTube. This is where the Tegra X1’s grunt comes in handy for decoding 4K streams. Your television will need to support HDCP 2.2 to take advantage, however, which could prove a hurdle for some. You’ll also need suitably fast internet, with 10-20MB being the minimum recommended for uninterrupted playback.