The Nvidia Shield TV is the epitome of future-proofing and lengthy support

Know-how launch cycles have by no means been shorter. Unbelievable alternate bonuses and reasonably priced contracts tempt us to be on the bleeding fringe of smartphone expertise. Amazon refreshes its TV dongles each different yr with minor efficiency enhancements. Tv manufacturers urge customers to improve to ever larger resolutions with out content material to again it up. However it doesn’t at all times must be the case. Seven years in the past, I bought a purpose-built system that was each ridiculously overpowered for the duty at hand and extremely well-tuned to do one factor. And that system remains to be rocking proper now. Sure, I’m speaking concerning the Nvidia Defend TV streamer.

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On a chilly New York morning again in 2015, I picked up the unique Nvidia Defend TV as a alternative for my Chromecast. And for 5 years, it served because the central piece of my media-watching expertise. I’ve used it to stream Netflix, run a number of the finest emulators for retro gaming, and whilst a Plex server. The futuristic-looking system ran quick, quiet, and saved tempo with no matter I threw at it.

The Defend TV is a part of a uncommon breed of tech merchandise which have strengthened my long-held perception that typically it is smart to goal excessive and splurge on a premium product. Priced at $200, it was and continues to be dramatically costlier than the typical TV dongle. Nonetheless, in return, you get a product that continues to be supported over seven years down the highway. That’s unprecedented for something operating Android. By constructing a future-proofed and admittedly overpowered product, Nvidia might circumvent points like {hardware} obsolescence whereas leveraging economies of scale through the years. That’s an extremely good transfer that we don’t see sufficient of.

It’s not as if Nvidia hasn’t improved its {hardware} through the years. An replace in 2017 introduced alongside a smaller kind issue, whereas the 2019 refresh gave the product a minor efficiency improve with AI-based upscaling. However upgraded efficiency doesn’t imply that the unique obtained left behind. By constructing on high of a wonderful base, Nvidia has continued updating even the unique mannequin with out delays.

A couple of years in the past, I converted to a Hearth Stick 4K since my authentic Defend TV didn’t help Dolby Imaginative and prescient content material, and the Defend isn’t offered in India. Nonetheless, that stick is already beginning to really feel sluggish and gradual. In the meantime, the Defend TV continues to be ripping quick with all the newest updates. And that’s not simply safety patches. The 2015 Nvidia Defend is powered by the Android 11-based TV OS, whereas Google’s personal Chromecast with Google TV runs Android 10 underneath the hood. For perspective, my Nvidia Defend TV launched with Android 5.1.

See extra: How is the seven-year-old Nvidia Defend saved updated?

It’s a testomony to Nvidia’s help cycle for the product that the Defend’s buyer base will not be solely loyal however extraordinarily vocal. And for a superb motive too. I, too, would fortunately pay a premium for a product that treats the client proper and provides worth as a substitute of shortchanging them for software program upgrades.

It is usually in stark distinction to the smartphone trade, which remains to be coming to phrases with the concept of long-term software program help. Certain, the scenario is considerably higher with extra manufacturers providing as much as three years of software program updates, however even that isn’t sufficient in a world of supercharged smartphones. A contemporary-day mid-ranger can run circles across the authentic Nvidia Defend, and but anticipating seven years of help stays a pipe dream.

We’re reaching a degree of expertise fatigue, particularly within the smartphone area. Actually revolutionary options are few and much between, and enhancements are typically incremental at finest. The place smartphone manufacturers decide to remain within the limelight via a relentless barrage of {hardware} releases, Nvidia has achieved a lot of the identical fandom and loyalty via a relentless deal with buyer delight. There’s so much to be discovered from it.

Maybe it’s time that extra manufacturers took a web page out of Nvidia’s playbook and slowed down the iterative updates. I’m assured that quite a lot of customers would fortunately put down an additional hundred {dollars} in the direction of a chunk of expertise that guarantees to remain up to date and related years down the highway. I do know I might.