We've always been fans of the Nvidia Shield Android TV box, with its 4K output and gaming prowess. We've also always loved Plex and the excellent way it catalogues and presents our media files.

Now the two are combining in a way that is every Plex fan's dream; you no longer have to use a PC or NAS drive to act as a Plex media server, soon you can now do it all on an Nvidia Shield TV instead.

Plex already has an excellent Android TV app, which works on the Nvidia Shield TV, but the box is also capable of transcoding video in real time, including H.264, HEVC and MPEG2 formats. That means you can store your media on its hard drive, or a memory device plugged into one of the USB ports, and use it as the server.

The Shield TV can be spec'ed up to 500GB, so there's plenty of space for your movies, TV shows and music. And everything will be presented in typical Plex style, with full metadata.

READ: Nvidia Shield Android TV review: 4K and gaming meet in powerhouse box

Plex will gain the new ability when the Shield TV gets a firmware update later this month. The Plex app on Google Play will then have media server aspects added, although they will on work on the Nvidia device thanks to its power under the hood.

Plex has also revealed that it is looking to add media server capabilities to other devices in the future. They need to be capable of accelerated transcoding, but there should be other platforms highly spec'ed enough to cope.

Finally, we'll be able to watch shows through Plex apps without having to leave our computers on in the background.