Nvidia SHIELD Best Android Media Streamer - So Far (And #2 Best Alternative to Roku)

Having tried various Android TV boxes, only the Nvidia SHIELD left us with a lasting impression.

There are many nice Android TV boxes available, but none have been updated as often or are as fast as the Nvidia SHIELD.

NVIDIA SHIELD

If you want the best Android TV box available right now for running Kodi, Plex or a long list of Android TV apps. You won't find a better media streamer available today than the Nvidia SHIELD.

13x faster than Apple TV (4th Gen), 8x faster than Fire TV and 3x faster than a Roku Ultra!

The day we bought our Nvidia SHIELD, something changed. In the past, we were always on the hunt for the next great Android TV box. There was just something special about the Nvidia SHIELD from the moment we opened the box. The Shield just oozed high quality everywhere. From the metal remote to the cool green LED lighting on the media streamer itself, and how snappy the menus were while setting it up.

Some of you may be put off by the Nvidia SHIELD because it's not a true Android TV box. Don't be because the large majority of Android TV boxes use a phone version of the Android operating system.

The Nvidia SHIELD does not. Instead of using the same clunky Android Phone OS made for a touch screen like 99% Android devices use. The SHIELD TV uses the Lean Back TV version of the Android OS. What this means is the OS looks great on a 75" UHD 4K TV. And all the compatible apps are accessible right from the home screen main menu on the SHIELD TV.

It also means their app store is a bit limited because they only display apps that are Lean Back enabled. But you can still load any app you want just like with a regular Android TV box. This is easily solved and you only need to download and install a couple apps from the App store to do let you have access to everything.

Here is How to Enable Sideloading on The Shield TV Box

Open the App Store on your Shield and download Sideload Launcher. This will contain any apps you download and open them in a separate window with icons of any non-native SHIELD apps.

To download APKs also get ES File Explorer. It contains a web browser that you can then visit the full Google Play Store with. ES File Explorer will also let you download and install any apps you want.

If you would rather download apks (the good ones) which you won't find on Google Play, check out androidapksfree

How to Install APKs Directly or Move Apps to Your SHIELD from Another Device

1. Go to settings and check the box that says Install Apps from Unknown Sources.

2. Navigate to your favorite app store or download apps directly to your computer and use FTP to upload them to your SHIELD TV box. Just get the FTP app that is listed in the SHIELD App Store.

You need to have an FTP Client running on your computer. But once you have this set up you can upload and browse files on your Nvidia SHIELD right from your computer, tablet or smartphone.

3. Use ES File Explorer or alternative to install these apps once you moved them onto your Android TV Box.

One thing truly amazing about the Nvidia SHIELD is it has been through several full Android Version Updates and they keep adding new features to their old model which are the same as their new model.

For example, Nvidia recently came out with a new SHIELD TV. This model featured a brand new Android 7.0 "Nougat OS and it offered full 4K HDR compatibility. Since the hardware was basically the same, instead of forcing owners of the older Nvidia SHIELD to upgrade their model to have this feature. They simply updated them all to Nougat and enabled HDR as well. Not many Android box manufacturers would do this.

Nvidia SHIELD as a Plex Server

If you own a Roku and want to watch Plex you would need to run a PC or NAS the same time you are watching Plex on your Roku.

The Nvidia SHIELD is powerful enough to run both the Plex server software and Plex client app so you can install both and not need to use a computer or NAS.

To watch these awesome Plex channels from the Unsupported App Store. You still need a PC or NAS running the server software. Plex server is limited to only the official channels on the SHIELD and they must be installed from the Plex Web app page from a web browser.

If you would like to learn more about using Plex, join us at Plex Channels & Tips on Facebook.

Nvidia SHIELD as a Kodi Box

Another awesome thing about the SHIELD is Kodi 17. It's now available to download and install from the SHIELD Play Store and works perfectly.

We installed it and completely configured it with all the best add-ons in minutes using this YouTube video and the Spinz Wizard installer.

This makes installing a full-on Kodi 17 build child's play. No sense spending way more money than you need to on a pre-configured Kodi box that is just a cheap Android box with some apps and Kodi pre-installed.

For the same amount of money or less, you can buy one of the best Android TV Kodi boxes available today!

Still not convinced? Read why is the SHIELD the best Android TV Box?

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