Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Why you SHOULD get it: This is hands-down the best tv streaming device out there. You just need to know (or google in about 5 minutes) how to use it. Most apps you need are in the included Google Play store, but you can side-load any android apps that aren’t (google it). You can put third party apps on the home screen by adding shortcuts to them (google that too). It has Netflix and Amazon streaming apps pre-installed (you need to have an account for those respective services to use them). It can play any audio or video file type with the right app. You can plug-and-play an external hard drive, and transfer files to and from other computers and drives on your network. You can stream from any device on your network. The interface is better than Fire TV, and the new Fire TV doesn’t have USB input for extra storage. You can use any programmable or learning (aka “universal”) IR remote. You can use any Bluetooth controller. You can stream live TV with the right apps if you’re a subscriber to that live TV service. It’s fast. It’s small. It looks pretty cool. Not only does it work, but there is absolutely nothing I can think of that anyone would want to do with it as a video streaming device, that this device can’t do. It is far and away the absolute best device for that purpose. If it’s defective or faulty or DOA, return it and get another one. Now, having said all of that, a caveat regarding gaming: The pocessing power is there. You can stream games from PC with the right setup, and it will work for that. In the long-run though, it’s an android device. If your main intention for getting the Shield is gaming, I would recommend going with a PC, or a console instead. Retro games are flawless on the Shield, but for hardcore gamers of current games, I don’t think it’s the best choice. As a TV, Movie, Video, and retro-games media center though, the Shield TV and an external hard drive are the best possible option out there. As for the price. It’s a little more expensive than some other options. It was massively on sale during the Thanksgiving and “cyber” sales period. If you want the best video media center, it’s worth it. Why you SHOULDN’T get it: Maybe you don’t need all of that. If you just want to stream Amazon and Netflix, a Fire TV is much cheaper and performs those functions just fine. The Shield is for people who want a lot more options in their media and more control over what, where, and how to play it. You just have to know or learn how to use it. If you don’t need those extra perks, or the time and energy required to learn how to get it to do what you want isn’t worth it to you, look elsewhere. As far as giving it one star because it was defective or DOA: return it for a replacement. As far as giving it one star because you don’t like the remote: use a different remote. As far as giving it a bad review because it’s too expensive: you knew how much it cost and paid for it. While I can appreciate that these issues might be frustrating, none of them is a fault of the product. If it doesn’t do what you thought it would, you didn’t do the research first to see what the device is capable of. I did a ton of research before purchasing the Shield TV. For me, it’s not only the best option, but far surpasses the capabilities of any other choice on the market right now. I just don’t understand all of the negative reviews.