Nvidia is weighing a new iteration of its Shield TV streaming device, potentially adding support for advanced video formats and extending the longevity of a product line that has defied industry norms for update cycles. The company’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, Andrew Bell, revealed the exploration of new hardware in a recent interview with Ars Technica, signaling a possible refresh of the Android TV-based streamer.
A key focus for any future Shield TV would be compatibility with modern video codecs, specifically AV1, and expanded High Dynamic Range (HDR) support. Bell indicated that Nvidia is looking at incorporating newer Dolby Vision profiles alongside Samsung’s HDR10+ format for improved local media playback. Currently, the Shield TV does not natively support HDR10+, a format gaining traction among Samsung television owners.
The potential for new hardware comes as Nvidia continues to provide software updates for the original Shield TV, released in 2015. This commitment to long-term support is unusual in the Android device ecosystem, where manufacturers typically offer limited updates. According to Bell, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang made a commitment to support the device “for as long as we shall live,” a directive that has guided the company’s continued investment in the platform.
Nvidia’s dedication to the Shield TV stands in contrast to the industry trend of shorter update cycles. As Ars Technica noted in a separate report, Samsung and Google only recently began offering seven years of updates for their flagship Android devices, a commitment Nvidia surpassed a decade ago with the Shield. The continued availability of updates, even for the first-generation Shield, is driven by consistent demand, with Bell stating that “the same number of people come out of the woodwork every week to buy Shield.”
The original Shield TV’s enduring performance is attributed to its Tegra processor, featuring four Cortex-A57 CPU cores and a robust GPU. This hardware configuration allows it to outperform many contemporary Android TV devices. Nvidia’s initial motivation for entering the streaming device market, Bell explained, stemmed from a desire to create a high-quality streamer for internal use, free from the constraints of the Apple ecosystem. The project evolved from a “selfish” internal need into a commercially available product.
Whereas a new Shield TV is not yet confirmed, Bell stated that Nvidia is actively “playing in the labs, trying to discover new things.” The company will pursue new hardware if it identifies a compelling concept. Nvidia continues to manufacture existing Shield TV units, indicating that software updates and production are not slated to conclude in the near future.