Google TV (GTV) or Nvidia Shield Pro (NSP)

by dhar100

Having cut the cord and installed a QNAP NAS for my media, now I want to get Android TV, so would like to ask for pro/con for either Google TV or NVIDIA Shield Pro

I know GTV is cheaper but still required an external adapter to get Ethernet connections and other USB ports.

I also know NSP has better transcoding for video. Is it worth the extra $100 (assuming the adapter costs $25-$40)

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Am I missing any thing else? Comments and suggestions?

bobniborg1

If you want a real good experience, get the shield. If you are willing to get by with little things here and there, get the cheaper google tv

serpentxx

The GTV ethernet is only 100mb, shield is gigabit.

Typically this doesnt matter for most streaming services as they have compression and dont hit that bandwith limit, but depending on what videos you run from your nas, you might need the gigabit ethernet.

I have a shield and a gtv, both devices are great and for day to day stuff, both do the job the same for me.

mrmcc1

Shield all the way. I have both.

nickm_27

I have both and the shield is definitely the preferred experience (which is why it costs more) but for a simple and inexpensive experience Google TV is also great

fivechickens

Having tested both and ultimately returning the CCGTV:

Shield Pro(s) ;-):

  • Shield Pro supports Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA uncompressed audio streams in Plex.
  • The Shield will tonemap HDR to SDR.
  • The Shield Pro does 4k60 AI upscaling (it works really well on crappy youtube videos and 720p content).
  • Shield has gigabit built-in.
  • Shield has a much faster GPU if you plan to install emulators or native android apps.
  • Shield supports Nvidia gamestream natively.
  • Shield has full-size USB ports and a microSD card slot without a USB-C hub.
  • You can install Plex Server with hardware transcoding on a Shield.
  • The Shield triangle remote feels excellent in the hand.
  • Long term update support from Nvidia, will get Google TV eventually.

Shield Negatives:

  • Shield will not do HDR in Youtube.
  • Kind of expensive for what it does.

CCGTV Pros:

  • Its cheap, put one on every *other* tv in the house that doesn't have a native smart interface.
  • You can add a USB-C hub.

CCGTV Cons:

  • The CCGTV does not support anything higher than Dolby Digital+ or standard DTS.
  • The CCGTV does not tone map HDR to SDR content if your TV does not support HDR.
  • Forgot to test if the CCGTV will do HDR in Youtube or not.
  • The CCGTV remote is tiny and slippery and clicky.
Love_at_First_Cut

I have both the Shield Pro and CCGTV, the Chromecast Google TV is ok for a secondary TV but the storage is a drawback, sure you could add dongle/USB thumb drive/replace power brick but here's a kicker, it couldn't read external storage or MicroSD/SD card, only thumb drive. It take CCGTV about 30 seconds to wake up from idle while the Shield Pro only took about 7-10 seconds.

Nyankawaii

do you want external storage? if so, know that files over 4gigs wont run from it on the chromecast as it needs to be fat32, as i am on a budget i got the mibox s wich, even with an old porcessor, suits my needs ( and also has usb a port built in without adapters!)