If you are a fan of watching TV and movies through online streaming via Netflix or other services, then you are highly in need of external streaming devices. These devices are useful in providing the best video streaming that you might get out of your smart TV.
However, the lists of these streaming devices can be so long and the best one can be so expensive. Thus, you need suggestion on the best yet ideally affordable streaming device that could fulfill all your needs.
If you have read before, the Nvidia Shield will not be a stranger to you. It is highly praised as the best one in the market. But it somehow has limited access to UK catch up services.
Only in 2019, in the same year as the Nvidia Shield TV release, a competitor appeared. It is Amazon Fire TV 4K HDR which offers similar features as the Nvidia Shield but in a more affordable price.
So, looking at these two, which one do you think is the best one? Take a look at their descriptions and comparison below.
About Amazon Fire TV Cube
Released in 2019 as an updated version of the Fire TV Stick 4K 2018, the Fire TV Cube offers many improvements. It could work both as a streaming box as well as a smart home hub for your other connected devices. Read also: Xiaomi Mi Box S vs Roku Ultra.
Even when the TV is not in use, the Fire TV Cube still works as a voice-controlled Echo speaker. It is offered in a much lower price compared to the Nvidia Shield. It has 4K UHD with Dolby Vision, Atmos, and HDR10+ which are the services that you need for a great video image.
Any 4K contents can be played through this streaming device. The processor and the specifications are after all improved. It also introduces new feature like Local Voice Control which is considered as the best in its entertainment class.
However, on the flip side, this Fire TV Cube has limited supports for gaming. It also has no support for Google Assistant, which is quite unfortunate.
| Fire TV Cube | NVIDIA Shield | |
|---|---|---|
  |   |
|
| Product Dimensions | 39.37 x 39.37 x 39.37 inches | 8.3 x 7.9 x 4.1 inches |
| Shipping Weight | 13.8 ounces | 8.8 ounces |
| Best offer | Check price | Check price |
About NVIDIA Shield TV
First released in 2015, the NVIDIA Shield is still continuing to deliver the best Android TV streaming devices. It has been regularly updated in 2017 and lately in the 2019. This 2019 NVIDIA Shield is designed to be more compact so as to hide it behind your TV setup.
This NVIDIA Shield offers remote with the supports of Google Assistant and Alexa. So you basically can choose between those two.
On the good side, this NVIDIA Shield could provide best support for Google apps and services. It could also works with Alexa for voice control. It supports Dolby and Atmos as well as 4K and HDR contents.
However, on the flip side, the NVIDIA Shield does not go well with HDMI cable. And even though it works well for gaming purposes, the gaming accessories are extra.
Fire TV Cube vs NVIDIA Shield
Offered in a more inexpensive price, the Fire TV Cube does not provide the best gaming performance as what the NVIDIA Shield does. Further, since it lacks of Ethernet, you will need to have a good 5GHz connection when you want to stream bigger files.
There is around $80 difference between these two. But of course, there are always reasons for it. When it comes to delivering the air-channels and DVR features alongside live TV streaming services, the NVIDIA Shield is your best option.
The Shield offers best gaming experience since it comes with around 378 games which you can play. You can access them from its in-house cloud gaming platform, called GeForce Now. These games include the ones that you have purchased from Uplay, Steam, and Google Play.
If you want an easy to setup device with voice-activated search, then the Shield is also your answer. The interface can be customized, which is a feature that you cannot find in the Fire TV Cube.
The designs of these two streaming devices are also meant to be different. If the NVIDIA Shield offers sleek, tube design that could hide it behind your TV setup, then the Fire TV Tube is the contrary. It is meant to be put on display. Since it could serves as an Echo speaker, then this design is understandable.
Both of the Shield and the Fire TV Cube offer options to watch and records. But the options are fewer in the Fire TV Cube. They both also support streaming in $K and HDR10+.
The resolution in the Fire TV Cube is 2160p, 1080p and 720p up to 60 fps while in the NVIDIA Shield is 4K HDR playback at 60 fps and up to 4K playback at 60 fps.
Both of them have built-in 1.6 inches speakers and far-field, near-field voice support. They also come with 16GB storage. The memory in the Shield, however, is bigger 1GB from the Fire TV Cube.
The Shield comes with Ethernet while the Fire TV Cube does not. The Shield is equipped with Bluetooth 5.0 + LE while the Fire TV Cube is with Bluetooth 4.1/BLE. The ports, processor, are GPU are also different.
The ports in the Fire TV Cube are HDMI, power, micro-USB, wired infrared support. On the other hand, the ports in the Shield are HDMI 2.0b with HDCP 2.2 and CEC support
Two USB 3.0 (Type A).
Even though the specifications of the Shield are reflected by its pricier cost, the Fire TV Cube has actually offered massive upgrades from its previous version. So, it has also become one of the best one in its price range.
Verdicts
Your choice now depends on your needs. If you feel like you need the assistance of Google Assistant and Alexa then the NVIDIA Shield might be your answer. Further, if you put so much value on the gaming capabilities of the streaming device, the Shield also serves a best option.
On the contrary, if you feel like you are fine with the gaming performance and software assistant, then you can save your money and go with the Fire TV Cube. Anyway, it could both work as streaming box, a smart home hub, and an Echo speaker for you.