Any advantage of Shield over Chromecast Google tv?

by segaman1

Hey, I have a Samsung h7100 65" 1080p tv from 2015 and dumping my older version of Roku 3 Ultra. I'm moving to Android tv because it's open-source & has better app support.

Best android tv devices are probably the Shield and Chromecast with Google tv. The big advantage Shield has is AI upscaling, but 1080p tv kills that advantage (afaik). Is there any reason for me to choose the much more expensive Shield over the Chromecast Google tv? There won't be any gaming - just streaming Netflix, hbo, sling, kodi, the usual suspects. I don't plan on upgrading the tv for a couple more years.

I'm leaning towards the Chromecast Google tv but thought I would ask for 2nd opinion. Thanks!

triplebeamz

For your usage case, it sounds like there is absolutely no benefit to a shield. Although the processor may be a bit snappier, you're not going to notice it very much when watching media.

As far as gaming pretty much any Android TV device out there can run G-Force now, or stadia. And pretty much all Android TVs devices run the same apps ( excluding exclusive ones ). Pretty much just the same.

noahsark3

Upscaling should still help with 720p content I THINK, though I’m not 100% sure of the specifics. Considering how prevalent that is on YouTube and Hulu, that could be a benefit.

I bought the original shield in 2015 and I still use it daily in my bedroom. One of the Shield’s biggest unsung benefits is its extremely long-term support from Nvidia on hardware that is a bit overbuilt for its purpose. If you’re looking at upgrading your TV in 2-3 years, the shield should still cover you just fine then.

simiwood

There is a rule when working on a car if there are two possible fixes start with the cheapest one. Get the ccwgtv and if it's not enough for you your only out $50 if you go the other way you may spend $150 more than you needed to.

p750mmx
  1. no support for AFR (auto framerate) support on the CCGTV, the chosen refreshrate is fixed for all the apps that are used.
  2. no support for exFat/NTFS formatted external storage with the CCGTV

These are the things that come straight to mind the last time I tested this.

aniruddhdodiya

As per your requirement I think you should go with the cheapest option Chromecast with Google TV. I also use first generation Chromecast and it works perfectly fine so expect same long lasting performance from new hardware.

mike3y

Im new to both. I dislike the google tv’s cheap plastic remote. I also don’t care for the Nvidia one but it’s much better. I use a harmony.

AI upscaling is exactly that, it up scales content that is lower then 4K.

For me, GeForce now and psplay and of course retroarch are amazing apps, which can be loaded on the google tv. I’m not sure on their performance though?