Plex Server

Jimbeam3678 · 27 Apr 2020 at 17:24

I'm looking for a cheap Plex server as currently running it on a Rasp Pi which works but only just! I've searched these forums and see a a few fairly recent threads but wanted to double check things haven't changed.

Is something like this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lenovo-T...hash=item1a8e14fcbe:m:mkDeg3TfrXE59LUt7TeL0cQ suitable or should I be looking for something different? I have external HDD's for storage so SSD is just for speed on loading etc,

Any help would be great thanks in advance.

Evilpaul · 28 Apr 2020 at 11:41

I currently use a HP Microserver N54L as a NAS and Plex server, and it is able to direct stream 4k content. The machine you've linked should be more than capable of working in a similar method (comparison) as the CPU is sooooo much better. Just make sure your physically connected to your network rather than using the built-in WiFi.

The big thing that would require more capability from a Plex server is if you need to transcode the streams, especially 4K. The machine should be able to transcode a single 1080p stream, but not 4K. The best advise I can give is to ensure your media is in a format that can be played back on your players without transcoding!
Having concurrent streams just amplifies the above issue.

Jimbeam3678 · 28 Apr 2020 at 15:27

Thanks for the reply, I went with something newer in the end.

joelk2 · 3 May 2020 at 23:58

Evilpaul said:
I currently use a HP Microserver N54L as a NAS and Plex server, and it is able to direct stream 4k content. The machine you've linked should be more than capable of working in a similar method (comparison) as the CPU is sooooo much better. Just make sure your physically connected to your network rather than using the built-in WiFi.

The big thing that would require more capability from a Plex server is if you need to transcode the streams, especially 4K. The machine should be able to transcode a single 1080p stream, but not 4K. The best advise I can give is to ensure your media is in a format that can be played back on your players without transcoding!
Having concurrent streams just amplifies the above issue.

Little hijack here is what would be the best format to use to avoid transcoding? Also what would you use to convert? Handbrake?

Peter UK · 4 May 2020 at 00:02

joelk2 said:
Little hijack here is what would be the best format to use to avoid transcoding? Also what would you use to convert? Handbrake?

It depends entirely on what the device you want to watch on supports. If you are viewing on something like an Nvidia Shield, it can play almost anything. If you're playing it on a smart TV directly for example or something like a PS4 the formats available are likely to be far more restricted.