NVIDIA Shield TV 4K Streaming Media Player

This is an extremely frustrating waste of $150. Do not buy this product. There are numerous competitors that do almost the exact same thing but with a little bonus: they might actually turn on. I've had this device for less than 12 months. At first, all was well, and the video quality looked good and had wide compatibility. At first the Shield refused to turn on every now and then, possibly just to keep me on my toes. I could get around this with a hard reset: unplugging the power cable and waiting a ten count before rebooting. This worked intermittently for a few more months before the device simply bricked. It output no audio and no video, making it only suitable as an extremely expensive and poorly shaped doorstop. Merely figuring this out was itself a chore as ... MoreThis is an extremely frustrating waste of $150. Do not buy this product. There are numerous competitors that do almost the exact same thing but with a little bonus: they might actually turn on. I've had this device for less than 12 months. At first, all was well, and the video quality looked good and had wide compatibility. At first the Shield refused to turn on every now and then, possibly just to keep me on my toes. I could get around this with a hard reset: unplugging the power cable and waiting a ten count before rebooting. This worked intermittently for a few more months before the device simply bricked. It output no audio and no video, making it only suitable as an extremely expensive and poorly shaped doorstop. Merely figuring this out was itself a chore as the Shield has absolutely no external lights, indicators, or otherwise to communicate its status. Once I ruled out the cable (tested) and the TV (tested) only the Shield remained the problem. NVIDIA did send a replacement. This lasted all of 1 month (bringing the total number of months I got out of this $150 purchase to a whooping 10) before dying exactly like its predecessor. Perhaps not "exactly like," as this 2.0 unit skipped the hard reset phase and went straight from operational to bricked. This is a completely unacceptable level of QC or build quality from a $150 product. NVIDIA could - and should - send another, but that would do little to mitigate the immense frustration of an extensive steaming box utterly failing at doing the single most basic tasks for which it was designed. Do not buy this. If you want to get the same experience, turn off your TV and look at the black screen. Burn $150 in a small pile next to you. There you have it.

We have had other streaming devices for years. After months of our Roku having issues, my tech-savvy son recommended we go with the Shield. I'm still getting used to the slight differences in the interface and the remote, but so far it is working up to expectations. Everything is an Android app and is tied to a designated Google Play account. You can customize the home screen, too. One feature we have enjoyed on the home screen is that the Netflix line shows a combination of the most recently watched series and shows they think you'd like. Clicking on the actual show opens up Netflix at the next episode, saving you a few clicks. The teen and young adults in the house have also used it to play games from their computers on the big screen. I suspect this is part of ... MoreWe have had other streaming devices for years. After months of our Roku having issues, my tech-savvy son recommended we go with the Shield. I'm still getting used to the slight differences in the interface and the remote, but so far it is working up to expectations. Everything is an Android app and is tied to a designated Google Play account. You can customize the home screen, too. One feature we have enjoyed on the home screen is that the Netflix line shows a combination of the most recently watched series and shows they think you'd like. Clicking on the actual show opens up Netflix at the next episode, saving you a few clicks. The teen and young adults in the house have also used it to play games from their computers on the big screen. I suspect this is part of what they wanted.

I originally got this to use Nvidia Game Stream, but they announced that they will be discontinuing that feature so there's no point in owning this device if you already have a smart TV. The Device was very buggy as well. I found myself having to manually restart it about once every week or 2. One very annoying "feature" is the Netflix button. I can not tell you how many times that button has been pushed by accident, but I can definetly tell you it's literally never been pushed intentionally... I wish the button didn't exist or was at least some sort of "favorites" button to access your favorite app. All-in-all, the device is just a glorified Roku. The only feature that set it apart from other similar devices was GameStream and that'll be gone soon. Save yourself ... MoreI originally got this to use Nvidia Game Stream, but they announced that they will be discontinuing that feature so there's no point in owning this device if you already have a smart TV. The Device was very buggy as well. I found myself having to manually restart it about once every week or 2. One very annoying "feature" is the Netflix button. I can not tell you how many times that button has been pushed by accident, but I can definetly tell you it's literally never been pushed intentionally... I wish the button didn't exist or was at least some sort of "favorites" button to access your favorite app. All-in-all, the device is just a glorified Roku. The only feature that set it apart from other similar devices was GameStream and that'll be gone soon. Save yourself the headache of this device failing on you and opening Netflix at the worst possible times and just dont buy it.