Nvidia’s Shield TV, launched a decade ago, remains the most powerful Android TV streaming box on the market. Despite receiving incremental updates, it has yet to fully embrace modern video standards, notably lacking support for Samsung’s HDR10+ format. Now, Nvidia is signaling a potential refresh with updated capabilities.
In a detailed interview with Ars Technica, Andrew Bell, Nvidia’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, revealed the company is exploring new hardware for the Shield TV lineup. Bell stated that a future iteration would prioritize support for contemporary video codecs like AV1, alongside expanded HDR compatibility, including newer Dolby Vision profiles and Samsung’s HDR10+ for local media playback.
Bell also highlighted the Shield TV’s unusually long-term support commitment. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang reportedly pledged effectively lifetime software support for the streaming device, and Nvidia currently has no plans to discontinue support for existing Shield TV models.
Even after ten years, the Shield TV distinguishes itself with robust performance. Its Tegra processor, featuring four high-performance Cortex-A57 CPU cores and a strong GPU, consistently outperforms many other Android TV devices in its class.
When a new Shield TV arrives, it promises to be a compelling media streaming companion, particularly for owners of Samsung TVs. Ideally, the update will include support for Samsung’s advanced HDR format, HDR10+ Advanced, which directly competes with Dolby Vision 2.
