You’ll even find little raised ridges on the remote’s play and microphone buttons, so you can find your way around without taking your eyes off the screen.

The Shield remote also includes backlit buttons, which have been around on cable remotes for ages, yet haven’t made the jump to streaming players until now. The Shield’s programmable menu button can be mapped to all kinds of functions. Some folks might take issue with the big Netflix button at the bottom, but you can unofficially remap that one as well. There’s also a programmable button up top that can launch apps, open the settings menu, mute the volume, toggle AI upscaling, and more. The triangular remote might seem unusual, but it’s comfy to hold and loaded with helpful features.Įven better, Nvidia ditched the old remote’s maddening touch-sensitive volume control strip in favor of actual volume and power buttons, while also adding dedicated fast-forward and rewind keys. Gone is the previous Shield’s overly slim profile that easily slipped between couch cushions in its place is a triangular design that’s comfortable to grip and has some heft. The other major improvement in the new Shield TV is its remote control. Unfortunately, Nvidia skipped out on supporting HDR10+, the non-proprietary alternative to Dolby Vision that’s mainly available in some Amazon Prime videos, and it doesn’t support YouTube videos in HDR. The former can optimize the more vibrant colors of HDR video on a scene-by-scene basis, while the latter finally allows for object-based soundtracks in Netflix. In both cases, you’re getting a device that can stream in 4K HDR, with both Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio decoding.

As such, it’s the only one of the two models that can double as a Plex server, SmartThings hub, or an over-the-air DVR. It also has more storage and RAM than the tube: 16GB and 3GB respectively, matching the previous-generation Shield TV box. It doesn’t have a microSD card slot or a remote-finder button, but it does have a pair of USB ports for connecting external hard drives, game controllers, TV tuners, or other accessories. If you prefer the Shield’s old rectangular design, it still exists in the new Shield TV Pro ($200 at Amazon).

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