Most users know NVIDIA for its high-powered graphic cards like its own GeForce RTX 3080 GPU, but the company has sold its set-top boxes powered by Android TV under the name "Shield" since 2015. With that, the company will be using Android TV 11 for all of its Shield TV products even including models that go back to 2015.
NVIDIA Shield TV Inclusions
According to the story by XDA-developers, despite NVIDIA refreshing the hardware for its Shield TV units, including making a separate stick model, all devices are still supported by software updates. With that, in August 2020, NVIDIA noted that it would be skipping the Android 10 update for its devices due to the minimal amount of charges.
In October, reports of a new Android TV 11 update in beta testing started popping up. In December 2021, NVIDIA decided to briefly publish recovery images regarding its upcoming upgrade, which has now officially launched.
Android TV 11 Inclusions
As of the moment, the update is finally official and is now branded as the "Shield Experience 9.0.0." NVIDIA noted that the upgrades also include other things offered in the Android TV 11, including an updated Gboard keyboard, which is the same one-time permissions found on phones and tablets and support for the aptX codec along with wireless headphones.
Google's very own initial Android TV 11 update included support for the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller through Bluetooth and USB and a Steam controller over USB. The Android TV 11 update also included additional media codecs.
Since the previously expected Android TV 10 update was skipped, owners of the NVIDIA Shield can also look forward to the number of useful changes from the release.
A Few Android TV 10 Supposed Additions:
- TLS 1.3 support
- Thermal APIto help manage temperatures
- Peer-to-peer Wi-Fi connections
As of the moment, it is quite impressive that NVIDIA is still supporting every single Shield TV device. The support goes all the way back to its original models, which were released upon launch in 2015.
Rarity of Android Devices Receiving Updates
There are also a number of different Android devices that are still receiving updates after three years but much less for units that are now seven years old. With that, NVIDIA's very own Shield lineup was also one of the only ways for buyers to get a set-top box that has come with a clean Android TV experience for a number of years.
More recently, certain devices like the Chromecast with Google TV as well as the Xiaomi TV Stick 4K have been able to add more possible options for buyers. According to an article by Gizmodo, the even more updated version of the Android TV 11, the Android TV 12 will be available for certain devices.
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This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Urian B.
