On the other hand, the Shield TV is tube-shaped. It receives power from one end of the cylinder and we will connect it to the TV from the other end using an HDMI cable. Nvidia’s device controller is also somewhat peculiar, as it is shaped like a triangular prism with rounded corners. In this regard, Google’s solution will probably get you more through the eyes, although everything it will depend on your tastes.
Power
Inside the small cylinder of the Nvidia device is a processor Tegra X1 +, that is, an evolution of the Nintendo Switch SoC. It is a quad-core and has 3 GB of RAM. Thanks to this silicon, the Shield TV develops its best feature, which is the intelligent upscaling to 4K. Using artificial intelligence, the processor is capable of generating pixels in real time to convert content that is not natively in that resolution into 4K. And although it may seem like a lie, it works really well.
The Chromecast on the other hand is not such a powerful device. Your processor is a Amlogic S905X3 quad-core and 2 GB of RAM. Its great asset is not the computing power, but its artificial intelligence ready to recommend content and its new interface. And his Stadia compatibilitySure, but we’ll talk about that a little later.
OS
Nvidia Shield TV uses Android TV, while the Chromecast runs Google tv. Both products are under the Google umbrella, and today you will practically only see interface level differences. Google TV is really a customization, a kind of skin from Android TV.
In this regard, the two products can run android apps and use all kinds of Google services as your voice assistant. But this is where the Chromecast stands out over the Shield, and it is that Google TV offers us a system of machine-learning capable of recommending content according to our tastes. Still, many Android TV products are transitioning to Google TV, so it wouldn’t be surprising if, at some point, Nvidia decided to update the Shield TV and end up running Google TV.
Connectivity
Shield TV wins the connectivity battle by a landslide. Let’s remember that these two products are capable of playing 4K content starting from a Wi-FI network. That is, if your connectivity is bad, you will not be able to make the most of the device.
Unless you do it by cable, of course. In both products you will be able to connect a Ethernet cable, but here is a clear difference. In the Shield TV you will simply have to connect the cable to its RJ-45 port compatible with Gigabit Ethernet and ready. And on the Chromecast? You will have to use a dongle and the speed will be limited to 10/100 Mbps. The good thing about the adapter is that you can use it PoE (That is, you can feed it with the ethernet cable itself if your router or Switch supports this standard).
The Shield it also has a slot to insert our micro SD, allowing to expand the storage of this TV-box, something that in the Chromecast we can only do with a hub USB.
Another point where Shield TV wins again is in the section on Bluetooth, since it supports the version 5.0 and LE, while the Chromecast only allows us to use this technology to connect the remote control.
Regarding voice assistants, both support Google Assistant, but the Shield TV is supported too with Alexa.
And in the field of Gaming?
Chromecast and Shield TV are also two devices designed to access the services of streaming videogames from Google and Nvidia, and at this point, both teams have very clear strengths and weaknesses.
To use the service GeForce Now on your Nvidia Shield TV, you will have to acquire the Nvidia remote, called Nvidia Shield TV Controller. The Chromecast wins this battle, since to access Stadia you can use both the official Google Stadia controller and any compatible controller that we have at home (PS4, PS5, Xbox …).
However, today, Stadia is a lot less attractive than GeForce Now. The catalog of Google’s cloud gaming service is considerably smaller than in the case of Nvidia. Additionally, GeForce Now lets you streamed sets your library of Steam charging you a small commission, while on the Google platform we will be forced to checkout again. Of course, Stadia beats GeForce Now in terms of loading times, since they are almost instantaneous. It is also quite a service more stable than Nvidia’s cloud gaming proposition.
Where to buy the Chromecast or Nvidia Shield TV
Chromecast with Google TV is available on the Google store by 69.99 euros. It is a much higher price than the recommended price in the United States, which is $ 50.
Nvidia’s proposal is sometimes available on Amazon in some third-party stores. Amazon does not usually directly sell equipment that is in competition with its Amazon Fire TV, so the most appropriate thing is to buy it through the Nvidia Store, where you have a approximate price of 150 euros.
As you may have seen, the superiority of Shield TV about the Chromecast is compensated with its price. That is why we say that the Shield TV becomes more attractive on dates such as Black Friday, since for a few euros more, you take a device a lot more powerful and complete than the Chromecast.
