NVIDIA Company has decided to raise the bar of media player capabilities again, announcing today the next generation of SHIELD TV multimedia set-top boxes – the SHIELD TV model itself and the SHIELD TV Pro model.
The presented gadgets are equipped with a new proprietary Tegra X1 + processor, which is 25% faster than its predecessor, and allows you to support Dolby Vision technologies for high-quality images and Dolby Atmos for sound. The computing power of the new processor dramatically improves on-screen image quality by using AI to upscale HD video to 4K.
SHIELD TV is packaged in a compact, small package. This media player is equipped with Gigabit Ethernet and dual-link Wi-Fi interfaces for high-speed data transfer.
The SHIELD TV Pro looks similar to the highly acclaimed legacy model, with more memory and two USB ports for running Plex Media Server and connecting storage devices and other USB devices.
Both new items come with a completely redesigned remote control powered by two AAA batteries, which has backlit buttons with motion sensor, built-in remote search device and microphone for voice search.
Powered by OS Android TV, SHIELD gives you access to over 500,000 movies and shows and over 5,000 apps and games through Google Play. The Google Assistant lets you quickly find entertainment, control smart devices, and get on-screen answers with voice prompts. SHIELD now also supports routine operations – i.e. Google Assistant will perform multiple tasks with a single command.
Dolby Vision makes the picture brighter and more vibrant – with high brightness, contrast, color and detail, the picture in movies becomes deeper and more natural. This technology can reproduce previously unavailable high-contrast colors, where light areas are 40 times lighter and dark areas 10 times darker.
Dolby Atmos technology creates powerful moving sound for precise positioning and movement throughout the room. Instead of sound channels, Dolby Atmos works with sound objects – any sound information accompanied by metadata about its position in three-dimensional space. This allows audio to be reproduced with pinpoint fidelity, delivering amazingly clear, crisp, and versatile sound that fills the entire room.
In addition to the built-in Google Assistant and Amazon Echo, device users will be able to apply AI upscaling to broadcast high-definition content. Deep neural network-trained upscaling technology allows SHIELD owners to watch 720p and 1080p videos in 4K resolution.
Both SHIELD devices allow you to play cutting-edge Android games and support GeForce NOW cloud gaming, available to Russian users through the GFN.RU service. GFN.RU is compatible with popular digital distribution services for PC games and supports more than a hundred popular paid and free games in Russia and the world, including Fortnite, War Thunder, Warface, World of Tanks, Metro: Exodus, etc.
SHIELD TV and SHIELD TV Pro are available from the NVIDIA Online Store. The cost of the SHIELD TV set + remote control will be 13,990 rubles. SHIELD TV Pro kit (3GB of RAM and 16GB of internal memory) with a remote control is available for 17,590 rubles.