Many people rely on streaming services for entertainment, so much so that streaming apps are often built into smart TVs. However, don’t count out devices like the Amazon Fire TV Stick just yet, as they generally load apps faster than smart TVs. If you’re looking for the best streaming device on the market though, you might be surprised to learn that it’s not a product from Amazon, or even Apple.
According to Consumer Reports, the best streaming device you can purchase is the Android OS-powered Nvidia Shield TV Pro. This device is frequently marketed as a cloud gaming platform that lets users play PC games on a TV with 4K HDR visuals, Dolby ATMOS audio, and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080-level performance. Of course, you need your own controller, a library of games on platforms such as Steam or GOG, a solid internet connection, and a GeForce NOW membership. You can join for free, but if you want to play for more than an hour at resolutions above 1080p — and avoid ads — you’ll need to pay a monthly subscription fee.
So what makes the Nvidia Shield TV Pro a great streaming device and not simply a cloud gaming powerhouse? Access to streaming apps such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and Apple TV, that’s what. Some of these apps are included with the Shield TV Pro, but you’ll have to download others through the built-in app store. Like game streaming functionalities, you need an active subscription to each service to watch their respective programs. And that’s on top of the Shield TV Pro’s $200 price tag through the official Nvidia store.
What makes the Nvidia Shield TV Pro so special
While Consumer Reports’ top recommendations for “4K streaming media devices” include the Roku Ultra, the Amazon Fire TV Cube, and the Onn 4K Pro, the outlet’s highest rating goes to Nvidia Shield TV Pro. How did that device come out on top despite being more expensive than the competition? What does it have that others don’t, aside from gaming? Nothing; it’s just a tighter package.
In Consumer Reports’ review of the Nvidia Shield TV Pro, the device got top marks in multiple categories, including “Features” and “Picture quality.” The outlet praised the Shield TV Pro’s responsive interface and stunning picture quality, although the latter is dependent on your TV — the device supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision, but you need a TV that outputs pictures in those formats to use them. The same is mostly true for the other highly-rated streaming setups, but the Fire TV Cube and Onn 4K lost points for being more finicky.
The true deciding factors in the contest between streaming devices were “Data privacy” and “Data Security.” These were the only metrics the Nvidia Shield TV Pro didn’t ace, but the others were even less lucky; the Roku Ultra had worse privacy and security across the board, and while the Fire TV Cube matched the Shield TV Pro in privacy and security, the Onn 4K lagged behind in privacy. These issues weren’t huge, but they were enough to let the Nvidia Shield TV Pro emerge as Consumer Reports’ top recommended streaming device.
