Nvidia Shield TV sits pretty much as one of the best streaming devices for Android TV out here in the grand scheme of things.
In fact, on so many website lists, it is possible to see them rank it first, and yes, this device is worth it.
Initially, at the birth of digital streaming, purchasing streaming devices were quite hard. However, we have so many options.
Nevertheless, when you look at the excellent features Nvidia Shield brings to the table, you’ll understand that for a device to be called its “alternative”, it has to go over the top to prove itself, so this article features the best Nvidia Shield alternative that we think are worthy
Among many other juicy features, Nvidia is a device that allows its users to stream movies and television series and gives them room to stream music and game.
You can comfortably link your PC games to your Television. We also recognize its game controller that takes a page from the renowned Xbox and PS4 controllers. Nvidia Shield’s hardware is something to reckon with; it has a 1.9GHz quad-core Nvidia Tegra CPU alongside a 256-core GPU plus its 3 GB Ram. These features offer a bulk load of speed. When compared to other basic industry players, Nvidia Shield is miles ahead.
Beat Nvidia Shield alternatives
One of the primary reasons we often go for its alternative is its price or just for a change. Nvidia Shield is quite pricey and also isn’t available everywhere. Below are a collection of Nvidia Shield alternatives.
1. Xiaomi Mi Box S
The Xiaomi Mi Box S is a perfect cheap Nvidia Shield alternative. You can find many features in Nvidia Shield that you can’t find in the Mi box S, but we can agree it is a worthy alternative on a closer look. The Xiaomi Mi Box S is the successor to the Mi Box and comes a bit revamped.
Offering a basic design, you’ll be met with a rectangular plastic box; this design gives it enough room to dissipate heat from its internal hardware. The device has different ports for audio-out, power, and USB drive. You can also find a HDMI 2.0a port there.
It lacks an Ethernet port; however, it uses a WiFi ac 2×2 MIMO module, which wouldn’t disappoint you. The Hardware aspect of Mi Box S is partly characterized by 2GB RAM and 8GB internal storage. Although it streams 4k visual content, it isn’t completely perfect in this domain, as you may notice some lapses.
To make use of the Chromecast functionality, you need to put ON the box, which most users don’t fancy doing. We can’t leave out the excellent remote this device comes packed with. The remote has buttons for Netflix and to call up Google Assistant. The voice command part of this device is an excellent feature. In general, the Xiaomi Mi Box S is a great alternative.
Price: $52
Pros
- Awesome remote with dedicated buttons for various services.
- Streams 1080p content perfectly well
- Compatible with Android TV 8.1
- It comes equipped with Chromecast and Google Assistant
Cons
- Not perfect for 4k streaming
- A bit stressful to turn on Cast
2. Amazon Fire TV Stick 4k
Another honorable mention is Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4k. Just like you must have guessed, this device is equipped to handle pretty high video resolutions. A complete package comes with a remote that can control your TV and your Fire TV Stick with buttons to link you up with Amazon Alexa.
You can enjoy 4K UHD, Dolby Vision, HDR, HDR10+, and Dolby Atmos on the Fire TV Stick 4k; with access to these resolutions, you are getting almost every content out there. The device has resources to accommodate Bluetooth connections. You can have your visual content without the need to wake others up; it uses Bluetooth 5.0 + BLE, which is pretty high.
The Fire TV Stick 4k is made of a 1.7GHz quad-core CPU alongside an 8GB memory. Its WiFi connectivity is superb as it features a MIMO 802.11a/b/g/n/ac. In the price range, it is pretty affordable, more than 50% less than Nvidia Shield.
Amazon purposely didn’t add an Ethernet adapter, a sacrifice necessary for the speed, size, and performance it dishes out. If you find it too big to plug into your TV, then you can take advantage of the HDMI extender included in its box.
Price: $50
Pros
- Access to Amazon Alexa
- Its remote can control both the stick and your TV.
- Awesome Bluetooth capabilities
- Perfect for 4K HDR contents
- Delivers Dolby contents perfectly
Cons
- May require a dongle to connect to your TV
- No Ethernet adapter
3. Kodi
It is popularly known as Xbox Media Centre (XBMC), an open-source home media that offers you so many options all in a single place. It can be accessed on virtually all famous operating systems, including Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, and Windows. You won’t find it difficult navigating around it as its UI is quite friendly.
Kodi offers quite a considerable amount of customization options. You can pick from its 900 official add-ons and play around with its skins, fonts, and themes. Kodi’s remote app is accessible on all devices and platforms, adding more feathers to it being a pretty convenient service.
You can sync your contents on Kodi across multiple devices and also stream your media files from your local network or a DLNA device which is one feature its users often celebrate. As free and open-source software, you can’t get the best support or enough information about it; however, there are many forums to solve your problem.
Being an open-source software has its many great sides; for a start, you aren’t limited to a particular operating system as you can use it on all others; you can also customize it at will. It offers you the resources to create multiple profiles and stream simultaneously.
The significant advantage of its countless add-ons is, that you can get add-ons for specific entertainment domains and enjoy them to the fullest. It also has an add-on for remote control and one for DVR functionalities.
Some prominent add-ons are:
- Crackle: This feature gives you access to Sony-licensed movies and a vast collection of TV shows.
- Documentary Storm: The name gives it out; here, you’ll be getting access to informative content across so many works of life. It covers genres like art, crime, environment, history, politics, technology, etc.
- SportsDevil: Sports fans aren’t left out on Kodi; they can enjoy premium sporting content with ease. With its IPTV feature, you can stream sports events from around the world for free.
- Black and White Movies: This add-on takes you back in time by giving you access to movies whose copyrights have expired. You get access to thousands of films alongside hundreds in so many genres.
- Tubi: Tubi is another add-on that enables you to stream incredible movies and TV shows for free; it is said to contain over 50,000 titles which are more than enough for so many of us.
Pros
- Can be accessed on multiple devices and operating systems.
- Open-source
- Customize at will
- Over 900 official add-ons
- It is free
Cons
- Poor support
- It May be bulky to first-timers
4. Roku Ultra
Roku Ultra is an excellent device; this isn’t a cheap Nvidia alternative; although it isn’t as pricey as Nvidia, $100 is relatively high especially compared to the other devices or services listed here. One of Roku Ultra’s unique features is that it has an Ethernet port; the gadgets on this list so far can’t boast of that. Despite having an Ethernet port, it doesn’t leave out an excellent WiFi experience and the resources to stream in Dolby Vision.
Roku Ultra sits pretty as one of the best 4K HDR streamers out here. It features a resourceful remote that can be operated with your voice. Speed is something Roku Ultra took seriously; you can feel this with the ease it takes in jumping from one app to the other in split seconds.
If you don’t want to listen with the complimentary earbuds, you can go along with its headphones jack. One other awesome thing about Roku Ultra is its remote button. I know how many times I have misplaced mine, so I believe this would be a breath of fresh air for so many users, knowing that a sound would come off the remote’s speakers when they press the remote finder button on the box.
Roku Ultra’s downside is that it doesn’t run on Android, so you won’t be getting access to the famous Google Play Store. Also, although it supports Dolby Atmos, you can’t enjoy Dolby Vision content on Roku Ultra.
Price: $100
Pros
- Fully compatible with 4K HDr.
- Remote control finder.
- It comes with complimentary earbuds
- Access to countless apps
Cons
- It doesn’t support Android apps
- May be pricey
- It doesn’t support Dolby Vision
5. Apple TV 4K
Last on our list is the famous Apple TV. While some of us may stick to the Android world, others may prefer exploring the iOS universe. For diehard Apple fans, Apple TV is suitable for you. The Apple TV is a force to reckon with; equipped with a fast A12 Bionic chip, this device dishes out facilities to enjoy visual content at the highest resolution.Â
This is one expensive device; it appears to be more pricey than the Nvidia shield. It supports display reaching 4K alongside support for HDR10 and Dolby Vision. It also has a memory space of up to 64Gig. It uses WiFi 6 connectivity which is currently the newest and fastest WiFi protocol available.
Apple TV also uses a HDMI 2.1 port which gives 60 frames per second high dynamic range. With Bluetooth 5.0, you can easily connect your Bluetooth headphones or AirPods and make the best of this device.
The latest version released in April 2021 comes with an all-new Siri Remote with a faster processor than its first version. Apple claims they are working with FOX Sports, NBCUniversal, Paramount +, Red Bull TV, Canal+, and many others to provide more content in HDR.
Price: $179
Pros
- It uses WiFi 6, which is the fastest and latest WiFi protocol.
- HDMI 2.1 port is a significant boost
- It offers reliable 4K streaming capabilities
- It uses a faster A12 Bionic chip
Cons
- Maybe too pricey
- It doesn’t have as much content as others
Conclusion
It’s an undeniable fact that Nvidia Shield TV Pro is a significant force to reckon with. A small number of streaming TVs can measure up with Nvidia, even yet we can’t find a worthy Nvidia Shield alternative for gaming. In this article, we’ve written extensively about five Nvidia shield alternatives. Every streaming device listed here is unique in its way, offering quality content. Thank you for stopping by, have a great day.
