Nvidia Shield Android TV: Marshmallow update rolling out has visual refreshes and better storage

Nvidia has started rolling out Android 6.0 Marshmallow update to its Shield Android TV. Major changes with the upgrade include adoptable storage for larger libraries and refreshed screen for better customisation.

For starters, the adoptable storage feature allows SD cards, USB drives, and external hard drives to be read as internal memory on Shield, which makes for accessing applications and games from expandable storage much more simple. This means users can now reformat a MicroSD card and use it to download apps and other files directly to the device.

In terms of screen refreshment, Google Play Store has been redesigned to better fit larger screens. New backgrounds have also been introduced for the home screen. Apps and game tiles can now be reordered in settings. Third party Apps like HBO Now, HBO GO, Twitch and games like Tomb Raider, Minecraft and Grand Theft Auto have also received optimisations for Android TV.

Other than Marshmallow bringing these changes, NVIDIA has made some changes to the Shield TV. It has added the benefit of the Vulkan API for high-efficiency access to Shield's graphics hardware, improved colour support for 4:2:0 video playback and the option to change the resolution on Ultra HD TVs.

The Shield Android TV has often been rated better than Nexus Player and the Razer Forge TV which are the only other stand-alone Android TV devices available.