Which Manufacturer is the Best with Android TV Updates

by sword495

Which Android TV manufacturer is the best when it comes to keeping their devices (streaming devices or TV's) up to date with the latest version of Android TV? How many years of updates can I expect?

latinriky78

List of ATV devices from best to worst regarding major Android updates:

  1. Nvidia Shield: its pricetag means they are commited to provide major updates, which they have done ever since the first device was released back in 2015.
  2. Mecool devices: The KM3 and KM9 Pro are now on Android 10.
  3. Ematic Jetstream: Although it was updated to Android 9 after the Mi Box S, the update arrived more stable compared to when it arrived in the Mi Box S.
  4. Tivo Stream 4K: It was released a few months back and they have been very diligent in fixing the problems that were found once users started to test it.
  5. Xiaomi Mi Boxes: Xiaomi has been releasing timely updates, but time has proven its development team is pretty bad at fixing bugs, however, they have been keen at fixing them.
  6. Add any other device missing in this list...
rtechr

Nvidia is very good about updates for the Shield TV. They are still doing both minor and major updates to the original 2015 Shield TV. They also provide access to hotfix and beta images for people who are interested in that.

I do want to point out though that does not necessarily mean running the latest major release of Android TV. Usually Nvidia will be one major release behind because of the testing and time necessary to put out a new certified image. Currently the Shields are on Android TV 9 and the latest official Android TV release is 10.

The major release update is really not as important as the fixes and feature updates that Nvidia does on each release. They don't give release dates ahead of time but several comments by staff sound like a new update will be coming soon. I myself am testing beta and hotfix images and am quite happy with the updates they make.

If money is not a limiting factor, I would recommend a Shield as the first option to anyone who wants an Android TV device that is best supported by the manufacturer, is high powered, will not be outdated or abandoned anytime soon, and has the greatest functionality of any Android TV box.

JoeFCaputo0113

Nvidia (Shield), and it's not even close.

PaleFlyer

Shield 100%. Still gets updates to all the actual boxes, is the most powerful ATV box on the market (unless you build your own with some weird x86 build...)

Is commonly used for a Plex Server, as the pro version has an actual harddrive.