Nvidia SHIELD TV Pro Vs Apple TV 4K

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Two Top Dog Streamers - Which Should You Buy?

When it comes to streaming 4K content, the Apple TV 4K and Nvidia SHIELD 4K Both Do An Outstanding Job

Deciding between a Nvidia SHIELD TV Pro and an Apple TV 4K is like deciding between Lobster or Fillet Minion for dinner. Both are great at what they do, but they are also a lot more expensive than other capable Roku and Android 4K media streamers.

Apple TV Has an Easier to Use Intuitive Interface

The user interface is one area where the Apple TV shines. Any family member, old or young will instantly get the hang of navigating through the Apple TV menus and easily find content to watch.

The SHIELD Pro on the other hand which is based on an Android TV OS takes more of a learning curve. It's user interface is not quite as intuitive, and some users may be intimidated or put off by the OS at first.

Design and Build Quality

Both streamers are a cut above when it comes to build quality. And this evident as soon as you open the box. Both come with a much appreciated Ethernet port for streaming without WiFi related buffering issues.

The SHIELD Pro has the nicer looking case. It looks sleeker and more futuristic than the hockey puck Apple TV design. Apple has not made any design changes from the past few generations. But they both look well built and should last longer than you will want to use them. Most likely only to be replaced in favor of something newer and faster.

Overall Performance

Both devices offer outstanding performance playing 4K content and now both also offer gaming as an option. Apple Arcade offers a free 30/day trial and many games.

Nvidia also offers a free 90/day trial to their gaming platform GeForce Now.

Both media streamers have a powerful processor onboard that are almost identical in performance. And they blow away pretty much every other media streamer available today.

The only thing faster then the current Apple TV 4K would be a new model which will be even faster. And it's rumored that the new Apple TV will have the same upgraded processor as last year's iPad Pro. Plus additional memory and other performance enhancements.

While no release date has been yet published. This may happen possibly as soon as June 22, 2020, at the WWDC20 - Apple Developer Conference.

Less Restrictive Media Streamer

Here is where the Nvidia SHIELD TV Pro or any Android streaming boxes in general shine. Since the Android OS is a fully open operating system, any number of apps can be installed without restrictions. Including those that are modded, (Ads removed) and TV streaming apps like Kodi and others that can be used to access content that may not be exactly legal.

Apple has their media streamer locked down. Often referred to as a walled garden. And while many free streaming apps can be installed and used. They often contain plenty of ads. And you won't be able to access movies and shows from apps like Kodi. Unless you have an Apple developer account and use some magic tweaks.

But Apple is giving away a full year trial to their premium Apple TV+ Streaming service with a purchase on an Apple TV or other Mac products. But there is not enough on there yet to even begin to compete with all the free content available on an Android streaming box.

Best Video Streaming Quality

Watching movies and shows on an Apple TV with content rented from iTunes the video quality is hard to beat. In fact the video quality is outstanding and is even better than Roku or most Android streaming devices. It is comparable to Blu-ray players and was rated number one in a recent study by Conviva.

While there is nothing wrong with playback quality on a Nvidia SHIELD. The Apple TV 4K offers higher quality streaming especially on 4K content with iTunes content. But the newer Nvidia SHIELD Pro and Apple TV 4K both support both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos decoding. Something you don't find with cheaper media streamers.

It May All Come Down to the Remote Control

The Apple TV and SHIELD Pro both come with a high quality remote. A nice remote is something you usually won't find on less expensive Android streamers.

But the newly updated remote that comes with the 2019 SHEILD TV Pro is even nicer to use than the last model. And since it has a more conventional format, it feels much more comfortable and is a little less confusing to use than the sleek glass and aluminum Apple TV remote.

Bottom Line

If you are an Android Fan, nothing we say here will convince you that the Apple TV is a nicer media streamer. Same goes if you are an Apple Fanboy. But in actuality, both the Nvidia SHIELD TV Pro and Apple TV 4K media streamers are really pretty awesome.

Choosing one over the other will depend on your needs. We own both and while both get used a lot, our less technical family members always seem to tend to gravitate more towards the Apple TV 4K.

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