NVIDIA Reportedly Has Two SHIELD TV 4K Streamer Successors Primed For Launch
Good news if you are a fan of NVIDIA's streaming SHIELD products, and in particular its SHIELD TV. There is evidence to suggest that NVIDIA might be readying not just one, but two new SHIELD TV models, one of which could potentially introduce a new form factor (to presumably go along with upgraded hardware and new features).
You may recall that NVIDIA initially launched its SHIELD TV set-top box in May 2015. It proved to be a popular product, and in January 2017, NVIDIA launched a revised version with an altered form factor and smaller footprint. Now nearly three years later (from the revision), that remains the current model
Let's start with the first of the two supposed SHIELD TV refreshes. There is a listing on the Google Play Console's Device Catalog for a new SHIELD TV device codenamed "mdarcy." Interestingly, the listing is for a product that is certified to run Android 9 Pie, as was recently rolled out to the platform.
SHIELD TV sleuths believe the codename is a combination of "mariko" and "darcy," with the former being the codename for a revised Tegra X1 system-on-chip (SoC) and the latter being the codename for the 2017 SHIELD TV. The mdarcy codename was actually spotted a few weeks ago.
A little more recently, an FCC filing for a SHIELD TV device with the model name P3430 was posted. While initially thought to be a refresh of the 2017 SHIELD TV, the updated model name has led some to believe that it's actually a new product altogether. There is not a lot to go on, but based on the label diagrams contained within the filing, it's possible this supposedly new SHIELD TV model could introduce a new form factor as well.
Supporting this theory, the folks at XDA Developers found some interesting tidbits in the SHIELD Experience 8.0 code, notably a new "sif" codename. The code suggests that this model would not have a TV tuner or USB support, but will have an SD card.
Bear in mind that none of this is concrete evidence of more SHIELD TV products being on the way. However, given the time that has elapsed since the last refresh and the growing popularity of streaming, it seems more likely than not that at least one new SHIELD TV device is coming.
