At ces 2017, Nvidia has used its conference to unveil its new version of the Shield TV. A conference that was not without innovations, except that they were not hardware : the device remains the same as the model released in 2015. Some jump for joy when many are disappointed by this announcement, and considered a little innovative. Here is why the situation is perfect as well.
THESE 2017 is in full swing this week, with the living room being now open to anyone who would like to survey the room in search of the best innovations. The DNA of this fact, however, that it is focused much more on the TV and home automation as smartphones.
What does not obviously advertise products linked to the Android ecosystem. The conference Nvidia yesterday morning and took advantage of the venue to unveil the new Nvidia Shield in 2017.
An announcement that has excited many, but also left wary of many readers. The lack of innovation, and would not be in the final product boring. But in the current context, and yet it seems that it is the best solution for Nvidia. Explain.
The Shield TV 2017 returns 2 years ago
The foundry became the manufacturer has announced this new version with great fanfare, highlighting its capabilities for 4K and HDR before anything else. The handle of the Shield has also undergone a good cure thinning welcome, while its base pack now includes the remote office.
This is all well and good, and very pleasant to the ear to hear words as sweet as ” 4K HDR “, but that fails to specify the constructor is that the first model of Shield, released in 2015, already proposed exactly this.
When one starts to compare the technical specifications of the first and of the last model, we will then quickly realize that ultimately, it is the exact same model, which has not undergone any change. Even the aesthetics of the box, Android TV has not a single second was retouched.
Everything seems to not have changed one iota, the processor is always the Tegra X1, the plugs are the same… in short, Nvidia has just announced a re-release in large pump of an old product from 2 years.
a Few differences are however noted. The new Shield TV is 40% smaller than the previous model, while the controller now connects via Bluetooth and becomes compatible with PC and smartphone at the same time. The new remote control also listens for permanently to be able to be used in conjunction with Google Wizard.
The Shield Pro is completely unchanged, retaining the same chassis from the previous model. That’s basically all, which does not seem to justify such a craze on the part of Nvidia.
innovations software
The real innovations presented by Nvidia at this conference have in truth all been software. It should be noted first of all the arrival of the Amazon Prime Video, VOD service was released in France there is little that finally makes its first steps on Android TV thanks to the program Shield.
It’s a safe bet that this application will be pre-installed office to justify this temporary exclusivity, in the same way by the Steam application which will use the product as a Steam Link sold by Valve to play their games on their tv by streaming local.
A feature that already existed previously, but was limited to owners of GeForce graphics card. The appearance of this Steam application simply means that all computers will be compatible, even those using a chipset integrated graphics for playing games zip.
The French branch we also made a nice surprise by announcing the release of version Android TV Molotov TV exclusively on Shield TV. A partnership that we guess is also temporary, but that strengthens the interest of the platform.
The cloud gaming service GeForce Now seems to also take it a step further since it will soon be streaming to game in 4K HDR. Evolution has been demonstrated on PC and Mac with Rise of the Tomb Raider, but it would be surprising that the Shield TV not benefit also.
Small community is getting bigger
We can then wonder if Nvidia would not have taken the advantage of simply book all these good things for the new buyers, leaving the owners today of Shield TV decide to renew or not to renew and redo a few pennies on their backs to the passage.
This is definitely not the case, quite the contrary : the update to Android 7.0 Nougat, the exclusive software and all the rest of the features outlined by the manufacturer will also be released on the model of 2015 on January 16, the date of release of the new device.
of Course, the new controller and the new remote control will also be compatible with the previous model. In sum, nothing has changed… and for the better !
It is necessary to recognize that the community is Android TV, and especially Shield TV, remains in the margin. The quality of the product is no doubt, but its virtues have not yet truly won over the general public. With this new version, so close to the former, the aim of Nvidia is not to innovate but to establish its product as the best solution for Android TV.
The price of being ahead of his time
And we will say : since its release in 2015, there has not been a single model that is able to compete with the Shield TV which, since its output could stand up to absolutely everything that the market had in mind for the 2 years to come. Come 2017, can we really say that there was a need for a Shield TV that supports the 8K for example ?
The content for 4K is not even there yet, a situation similar to the output of the product in 2015. Its SoC Tegra X1 is still struggling to show the slightest drop of sweat on the content offered in 2017. The lightness of the Android OS TV does not fill a single second of the 3gb RAM of the device.
in Short, the Nvidia Shield TV release in 2015 was ahead of its time. This re-release in 2017 makes it appropriate to its time, so that the public understands the advantage of subscriptions to Netflix and its ilk in the face of traditional tv.
This is all the more true that the generations that have grown directly in the digital era are starting to get jobs, people who will be those investing in this type of product in the future. Device sales Shield TV or other can only go on increasing, what the brand has to probably be aware.
Renew the Shield TV does not have the interest to innovate, but remain present in a market whose potential is not to prove. This is a bet on the future that Nvidia has already filled in with the version 2015, and don’t give up with this new version.
Google needs to be more responsive
That’s more advance that Nvidia has not innovated can quickly be seen as a non-sense. Its chip Tegra X1 will integrate the Nintendo Switch, next Nintendo console, so its power is not to demonstrate. The greatest problems of his previous Shield are not inherent to a lack of innovation on his part, but to the limitations of his system.
The biggest problem of Android TV is Android TV. The OS is still young and does not benefit from the support that could give Google, putting a lot of time to integrate functionality which yet seem obvious to the media.
We will think of including the picture-in-picture, as many devices come already for years, while it took Android 7.0 Nougat to see it appear on the OS dedicated to tvs. The presence of a single Google account mandatory the also prevents be a real product at the centre of a digital home.
All of this will change with the next update of the Shield TV, which will integrate also the Google Wizard (in the US for the time being since they are not translated into French) to improve its voice recognition capabilities and research on the system.
The future is a service and not a well
It is up to Google to address the complaints that the platform undergoes. In itself, Nvidia has been adding more and more functionality expected by those using it, and improve the services it sees as the future of its brand.
in fact, You could argue that the constructor does not innovate, but this is to miss the software enhancements it offers. However, it makes no sense to just look at all the hardware in 2017 for judging an innovation.
The entire market to focus on the service. Windows 10 has become free when the French Shadow prove that we don’t need to invest thousands of euros to enjoy a computer overkill in the home.
And on top of that, Nvidia and their GeForce Now were part of the pioneers. The new Shield TV is the best streaming local, integrating it with a server instance of Plex and the Steam Link now.
On media consumption, it is also one of the few to benefit from the best services and provide them in the best shape as Netflix 4K HDR.
In short, Nvidia has made the best possible choice for its Shield TV this year : to continue to build its user base, without alienating those who are already convinced of the merits of his platform, to push still further up and farther its services.
Innovate to innovate would not have served to anything in this context, the transitional, and the company has had the sagacity to recognize and bring together in a single device offers the most important for the future of digital consumption.
Testimony : the Nvidia Shield TV is the best thing that has ever happened to my living room
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