Plex Server v Streaming Device
- Thread starter dholdi
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Plex has been a pleasure to use so far - only hiccup I had was trying to move my library from NAS 1 (where plex is installed) to NAS 2 (where the larger HDD are). took me a while to work out i needed to mount network shares on NAS 1 pointing at new folders on NAS2 and it was a doodle to add these in via plex library management. Think i will simplify things in a bit by running plex on NAS 2 instead
I've been using a Plex for years, I have no real complaints. My current setup is a Plex server running on my server and I use a Ugoos AM6B+, running coreelec and PlexKodiConnect, as the client. There's the odd tech gremlin here and there, but nothing a quick client restart doesn't fix.
Soldato
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plexamp is defacto now since they have removed music library access from the main plex app
I guess if you think you might want to share your library (or access it outside the house ? ) then plex is the obvious option. I use a synolgy (a '+' model) Load the app add the media. couldn't be easier, and it transcode in h/w since i got a plex pass many years ago
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I’ve used Kodi since it was XBMC on the original Xbox, but no way would I go back to it asa. media from end, I use Plex/Emby/JellyFin for conventional stored media, no reasonable person browses by folder. If you are transcoding, you are usually doing it wrong. Make sure your connectivity and clients are capable of your preferred codec and ensure you encode to compatible formats and use wired connectivity. Historically, the Shield was my go-to, at this point AppleTV is my weapon of choice, a FireTV 4K is an OK alternative. Plex’s music side was a bit naff, but the audiobook and music side has improved a lot in the last few years.
I’ve be n long time user of Plex, I haven’t ever been tempted to change to another application to me Plex just works and is always being updated.
I'd stick with Plex, it's not always been the most reliable on a Dell T20 Xeon, but a lot of that is down to the configuration (32GB DDR4, CCTV and a few other virtual PC's, TBS 6904). A lot of it however depends on what you are using to view Plex, it's not always the best with Amazon FireTV, using the LG app it works really well, using a Pi3 it works incredibly well, unfortunately Plex got rid of the Live TV (TBS 6904) with RasPlex on the Pi, something I had planned on using it with.
Unless Samsung have improved the rj45 on them is only fast ethernet, I have issues where I few of my 4k streams are above 100mbps so they have to be transcoded.
WiFi will actually be faster annoyingly. If you don't have much 4k stuff over 100mbps it won't be an issue.
Smart TV’s are rarely that smart, or well specified, but while some scenes on a small number of movies do exceed the spec limit and will top out over 100mbit, throwing a remix at a under specified smart TV begs the question of why? Either encode it, or use a decent client, one option is free and the other cheap, both are a drop in the ocean compared to what you have likely spent on everything else at this point.
I ended up on Plex and haven't looked back, mainly as I have a lifetime Plex Pass and added family members as managed users so we all use it across multiple devices, remotely and of course use Plex Amp too!
We use phones/ipads/Apple TV/NVidia Shield Pro and native TV apps for accessing it and that is the key..
For transcoding, you do need either an iGPU (pretty much any intel made in the last 10 years is fine), or dedicated GPU.. I currently use an i5 1235U in my NAS, mainly for power consumption but previously used a GTX 1060Super which was overkill for the paltry amount of transcoding that was needed).
I have had dedicated streaming boxes, from Popcornhour through to Zidoo, but found their Long Term Support patchy and ultimately had to keep upgrading, which is where plex and transcoding came in, that effectively allowed the player/renderer to have an extended life when it's hardware/software limitations kicked in.
I do still try Jellyfin / Kodi every now and again, I was a long time user of Kodi, but just found it never supported all the hardware features that well and required more manual metadata handling, something Plex just largely works with perfectly, as did it pick up my SATIP box easily and allow live TV on the Plex Client (which is a bit janky, so prefer Channels DVR as the front end for live tv).
We use phones/ipads/Apple TV/NVidia Shield Pro and native TV apps for accessing it and that is the key..
For transcoding, you do need either an iGPU (pretty much any intel made in the last 10 years is fine), or dedicated GPU.. I currently use an i5 1235U in my NAS, mainly for power consumption but previously used a GTX 1060Super which was overkill for the paltry amount of transcoding that was needed).
I have had dedicated streaming boxes, from Popcornhour through to Zidoo, but found their Long Term Support patchy and ultimately had to keep upgrading, which is where plex and transcoding came in, that effectively allowed the player/renderer to have an extended life when it's hardware/software limitations kicked in.
I do still try Jellyfin / Kodi every now and again, I was a long time user of Kodi, but just found it never supported all the hardware features that well and required more manual metadata handling, something Plex just largely works with perfectly, as did it pick up my SATIP box easily and allow live TV on the Plex Client (which is a bit janky, so prefer Channels DVR as the front end for live tv).
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I’ve been using Plex for long while now (bought a lifetime Plex pass in 2017), but I’ve not liked any of the official Plex players / apps since the Plex team discontinued their Raspberry Pi builds.
We were using RasPlex / OpenPHT until that project sadly died off. Actually, we still have an ODroid C2 in the bedroom running OpenPHT, it runs flawlessly and will even handle full bitrate UHD HDR rips, albeit with no HDR signalling for the display (so you have to switch modes manually) and output is only 8-bit video depth.
Anyway, I’ve been using Kodi with PlexKodiConnect for what must be around 4-5 years now. To be honest I’ve never been the biggest Kodi fan as I’ve always felt it could be a bit clunky. For instance, I found setting up the Aeon Nox skin in Kodi with links to each of my Plex libraries was painful (tip, SSH/SFTP to your device and use Notepad++ or similar to make things less messy).
The majority of our library is full bitrate UHD / BR discs I’ve ripped to the server. None of the players need to transcode and everything direct plays natively.
We were using RasPlex / OpenPHT until that project sadly died off. Actually, we still have an ODroid C2 in the bedroom running OpenPHT, it runs flawlessly and will even handle full bitrate UHD HDR rips, albeit with no HDR signalling for the display (so you have to switch modes manually) and output is only 8-bit video depth.
Anyway, I’ve been using Kodi with PlexKodiConnect for what must be around 4-5 years now. To be honest I’ve never been the biggest Kodi fan as I’ve always felt it could be a bit clunky. For instance, I found setting up the Aeon Nox skin in Kodi with links to each of my Plex libraries was painful (tip, SSH/SFTP to your device and use Notepad++ or similar to make things less messy).
The majority of our library is full bitrate UHD / BR discs I’ve ripped to the server. None of the players need to transcode and everything direct plays natively.
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That's the problem I've found, I've got a TBS 6904 in a Dell T20 Xeon, it can work well, but not on the Pi, I discovered that live TV had since been removed from the Pi builds.
It would be interesting to know why that feature was removed, and know if there are any plans to bring it back in future builds.
Honestly, rather than complain about it why not just spend £25-35 on a compatible client with official support and a decent remote/better spec? Literally a current gen basic Roku or FTV will handle live TV perfectly and during the various 'sales' each year they are regularly £20, or potentially less used.
Whilst yes I could spend a few ££ for the same result, but when I have a spare Pi and had sourced a TBS 6904 it would have been nice to use it for Freesat. It was only when I had Plex running on the Pi did I discover that live TV was no longer a feature.
I still use the Pi for watching movies ripped onto the Plex server, it's a shame that movies play so well on it, I was really looking forward to complaining about it!
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