Shield Pro or Chromecast w/ Google TV

by sighcf

I bought Chromecast w/ Google TV and got Shield Pro as a gift - am planning to return one. I am a long term Apple TV user. In fact, the main TV in my living room is hooked up to an Apple TV 4K which I have no complaints about.

The Chromecast w/ Google TV is something I bought to turn my bedroom computer monitor into an occasional TV for the times when the Living Room TV is otherwise occupied.

So the question is, which one should I return? The Shield Pro is definitely the one that provides the better experience. The UI is snappier, although I prefer the Google TV interface (unpopular opinion, I know). And the AI upscaling is usually an improvement on older content.

I have an Xbox for gaming, so have not used Shield for that purpose so far.

So what does reddit think? Any chance the Shield TV is getting the Google TV UI? What else would I be missing if I chose the Chromecast?

Another factor to consider is that if I am going to use a $200 device, I might as well get another Apple TV which integrates better with my mostly Apple household.

To be clear, I have not had the chance to explore them thoroughly - been busy with other things. And I didn't want to decide based on initial impressions.

je1992

The chromecast can play YouTube hdr, not the shield.

For everything else the shield is more feature rich and the extra storage will help in the long run.

They also now allow 4k hdr and atmos from the apple tv app, since this morning with the android 11 update, which is nice

Se7enLC

It's entirely about what experience you want.

The Chromecast w/ GoogleTV is a very inexpensive device (especially if you got it with the Netflix promotion). You'll get an ok experience for very little money. It will likely feel long in the tooth within a year or so, since it was built with minimal specifications.

The NVidia Shield will be a much more "high-end" feel. And it will hold value and utility much longer than the Chromecast will. But for 4 times the cost.

But if you prefer the interface of the Apple, that's something other devices just aren't going to be able to match.

Personally, I tend to think of these types of devices as disposable. They will go obsolete long before the TV they are attached to will. No matter how much you spend you will at some point want the newer/better/faster one. If you don't think you'll use it / don't think you'll get the full value out of it, return it / sell it now while it still has value.

LinkofHyrule

The experience between the Shield and Chromecast with Google TV are almost identical tbh. But I would say the Shield is the better option purely because the other device has such a small amount of storage that it's a headache.

Mr_You

Shield TV has more storage, useful for fat apps like Kodi. Not sure what Apple TV integration you might miss. I would hold off on that and use the app.

pawdog

The Shield seems waisted for your stated use case. On the cheap devices will do perfectly well for that. I would return them both and put the $20 ONN UHD on the monitor.

latinriky78

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