We all love the Shield TV round right here. It’s virtually universally thought of as the best solution to get Android in your TV, is not outrageously costly, and has sufficient energy to stream your 4K HDR content material with out sputtering or complaining. It’s additionally an honest gaming console and makes for a heck of a streaming server when you use Plex or Kodi. It’s one of these uncommon devices we buy that does what is marketed and extra; you’ll get your cash’s price from a Shield TV.
Another factor that is not talked about as typically is the stage of assist NVIDIA provides the Shield household and the Shield TV particularly. Released in 2015, it is one of the few devices which were up to date to Android Pie and the solely four-year-old system that did not come straight from Google to have it. And it would not “just” get updates; NVIDIA stopped work after which went to Google with considerations about why Oreo on Android TV wasn’t superior and the two firms labored to repair that. Then NVIDIA despatched out an Oreo replace. That type of assist is virtually unheard of.
So why and the way does NVIDIA do it when most different firms making Android-powered devices can’t or will not? There are two elements to that reply, and each are fairly easy concepts.
Replay worth
I initially wrote this when the Shield TV acquired the Android Oreo replace. When that occurred, even model new devices had been largely working outdated software program and replace schedules for the Android-powered issues we use day-after-day had Oreo a protracted methods off. This little field was three years outdated and had acquired twenty main software program updates because it was launched. Yes, twenty.
Maybe it is unhappy that seeing 4 years of assist makes us blissful and these costly devices must be up to date and patched till they flip to mud. If you really feel that method, I will not argue. But in the Android world seeing this stage of assist for a tool that is still beneath $300 is unheard of, so I’m publishing this one once more.
Here’s to you, NVIDIA. We do not love the whole lot you do as an organization, however you deserve our respect to your work on the Shield TV.
Make one nice product
NVIDIA is initially a chip maker. It sells a couple of issues like reference mannequin video playing cards for computer systems, developer boards to assist the firm’s AI platform, and you can buy a $69,000 compact supercomputer designed to behave as an AI workstation if you have the itch for one. These are halo merchandise designed to point out what the firm’s major enterprise — highly effective GPUs — are succesful of.
Fewer merchandise means builders have the time to care about them.
NVIDIA additionally, of course, sells the Shield TV. The firm has dabbled in Android a bit however shortly exited as soon as it realized how arduous it can be to dabble and revenue at the identical time. The Shield TV exists to showcase NVIDIA’s ARM SoC and the firm’s varied gaming providers, equivalent to Game Stream. Maybe NVIDIA might conquer the Android world if it actually tried, possibly not. We do not know as a result of it isn’t attempting to; it sells one Android system that occurs to point out off different issues…
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