There’s no shortage of streaming devices on the market in 2026. Companies like Apple, Google, Roku, and Amazon are some of the most recognizable names in streaming entertainment, and products like the Apple TV 4K, Google TV Streamer, and Roku Ultra are hard to beat. But before these premium streamers came along, there was the all-powerful Nvidia Shield TV Pro. The latest version of the device hit the market in 2019 and can still be purchased new. Unfortunately, at the time of writing, the Shield TV Pro is out of stock at most retailers, but it has not been officially discontinued. The same goes for the base $150 Nvidia Shield TV.
If you’re wondering whether it’s worth investing in a Shield TV Pro (if you can get your hands on one), the answer really comes down to what kind of features you’re looking for from a premium streamer. As of today, the Shield TV Pro is still the only streaming device capable of natively hosting a Plex server. As long as the device is turned on and connected to the Internet, you can use the Plex client app on a phone, tablet, or other Smart TV device to access a wide range of local media files.
Competing products like the Apple TV 4K may offer more internal storage (64 GB on the latest base model, compared to 16 GB on the Shield TV Pro). However, the Shield TV Pro has two USB 3.0 ports, allowing you to connect a USB flash drive or SSD or external hard drive for additional storage. If hosting your own local content archive is one of your top priorities, the Shield TV Pro is still worth purchasing.
More than 7 years later, the Nvidia Shield TV Pro is still alive
Another strong argument in favor of the Shield TV Pro is the device’s gaming capabilities. Even though its integrated Nvidia Tegra This makes the Shield TV Pro perfect for services like Nvidia GeForce Now and Xbox Game Pass; you can even pair a wireless controller via Bluetooth.
The Shield TV Pro is compatible with Alexa and Google Home, and it doesn’t lag behind on audio-video either. Although it’s limited to HDMI 2.0b – with maximum transfer speeds of 18Gbps and 4K passthrough at up to 60Hz – the older standard is perfectly sufficient for most AV setups. The Shield TV Pro also offers AI-assisted 4K upscaling, which bodes well for those of us with high-end 4K TV displays. One of the only things missing is HDR10+ support, which really isn’t a problem if you ask us.
Since it runs Android TV – the same operating system at the heart of the new Google TV Streamer – Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max and many other streaming apps are also available for Shield TV Pro. We completely understand why the average person wouldn’t want to spend $200 or more on a new streaming device, especially one that’s nearing the end of its first decade (although the Nvidia Shield is the most updated Android device in history, after all). But the average user may also be more concerned about price, and dropping $30 to $40 on hardware like the Amazon Fire TV Stick is an easier pill to swallow than $200 for the Shield TV Pro.
