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Chat => Entertainment & Technology => Topic started by: addictweb on September 01, 2014, 15:22:52 PM

Title: Plex Optimsation
Post by: addictweb on September 01, 2014, 15:22:52 PM
Hey All,

Loving plex here and have been handing out NowTV boxes like sweets to family and friends but I'm starting to get buffering issues.

I'm running PMS on a Microserver so its not got a lot of grunt for transcoding. Before looking at upgrading my server I want to make sure I'm running as optimal as possible settings.

First thing I want to do is make sure my whole video library can direct stream to NowTV boxes, to do this I need all the files in MP4 x264 format. Anyone know of a good batch converter that will convert a whole library, just changing the container of already x264 files but re encoding anything thats not? May have a play with ChromecastConverter (https://github.com/budius/ChromecastConverter).

Second stage will be at all a step to my sickbeard / couchpotato setup to make conversion part of the download process using "sickbeard_mp4_automator" (http://www.reddit.com/r/PleX/comments/1xtwp3/plex_sick_beard_and_couch_potato_mp4_automation/)

Anyone done anything similar?
Title: Re: Plex Optimsation
Post by: Bacon on September 01, 2014, 19:21:22 PM
Dunno about Plex, but what is NowTV like? Worth buying? Or better to get Netflix?
Title: Re: Plex Optimsation
Post by: addictweb on September 01, 2014, 22:37:21 PM
Dunno about Plex, but what is NowTV like? Worth buying? Or better to get Netflix?

I only use NowTV as a plex client. Havent used any of the paid on demand stuff, but the hardware and interface is awesome. Tiny, light, stable and sturdy. I've had no issues with rendering top quality video. At £9.99 with some free pass I cant think of a reason not to give it a go?

Netflix is ok, I got a free 12 months with a vodafone contract. Its a lot more limited than I was expecting, but then again I'm used to the whole wide web. Its certainly better than a TV subscription but its not suitable as my only on demand service.

Title: Re: Plex Optimsation
Post by: Eggtastico on September 02, 2014, 13:42:29 PM
Dunno about Plex, but what is NowTV like? Worth buying? Or better to get Netflix?

now TV box is basically a Roku rebadged & locked down, but - you can side load Plex onto it.
Title: Re: Plex Optimsation
Post by: Eggtastico on September 02, 2014, 13:44:00 PM
I basically struggle to stream anything via plex. Hardwired ethernet n all. I guess its down to my microserver - but XBMC streaming works flawlessly. Even large 1080p HD rips to a RasPI streams perfectly.
Title: Re: Plex Optimsation
Post by: bytejunkie on September 02, 2014, 15:48:49 PM
I basically struggle to stream anything via plex. Hardwired ethernet n all. I guess its down to my microserver - but XBMC streaming works flawlessly. Even large 1080p HD rips to a RasPI streams perfectly.

see im the opposite. cannot get a RPi to play nicely. its a shocking experience. even just using openelec or xbmc is sluggish and nasty.

i've got some app on the ipad, fileexplorer i think. i stream to that and then mirror to an appletv and thats far better.

im actually sick of trying to get a decent streaming solution. I know full well that part of my frustrations are down to not fully understanding file sizes and formats.

I've backed slice on kickstarter in the hope its a decent streamer.
Title: Re: Plex Optimsation
Post by: addictweb on September 02, 2014, 15:59:01 PM
I basically struggle to stream anything via plex. Hardwired ethernet n all. I guess its down to my microserver - but XBMC streaming works flawlessly. Even large 1080p HD rips to a RasPI streams perfectly.

This will almost certainly come down to transcoding. If the microserver needs to on the fly transcode it will start to struggle pretty fast which is the reason behind my question on conversion above. Any mp4 / x264 file should 'directplay' meaning no transcoding. You can set "force direct play" in the server settings so it only direct plays but this means some files wont play on some devices.

My microserver has run a local player and 2 internet streams with no buffering but struggles with more, not sure if 8Gb RAM of dedicated graphics cards have given it more grunt.

@bytejunkie, I love plex as a streamer and NowTV boxes as clients - have you tried it?
Title: Re: Plex Optimsation
Post by: bytejunkie on September 03, 2014, 07:36:54 AM
yeah, got a hacked now tv box somewhere. i think the problem was, i do downloads on the qnap, so i was looking to leverage plex on there. now ive finally got that working, i should probably go back to the now tv and get that tested against the qnap. might have never done that.

i didnt know about the direct play of mp4 x264. so if i download in mp4 format, it should autplay on the ipad and or the now tv via plex?
Title: Re: Plex Optimsation
Post by: addictweb on September 03, 2014, 15:26:07 PM
yeah, got a hacked now tv box somewhere. i think the problem was, i do downloads on the qnap, so i was looking to leverage plex on there. now ive finally got that working, i should probably go back to the now tv and get that tested against the qnap. might have never done that.

i didnt know about the direct play of mp4 x264. so if i download in mp4 format, it should autplay on the ipad and or the now tv via plex?

Thats my understanding. Regardless of format you should be able to play on the NowTV or iPad - but if its mp4 there should be no transcoding and hence no issue with CPU limits.

Useful post here:
https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/200250387-Streaming-Media-Direct-Play-and-Direct-Stream
Title: Re: Plex Optimsation
Post by: addictweb on May 20, 2020, 10:12:23 AM
Anyone still using Plex?
Title: Re: Plex Optimsation
Post by: soopahfly on May 20, 2020, 12:45:34 PM
Using it here.  Hosted on a Hetzner auction server and tied to google drive for storage.
Title: Re: Plex Optimsation
Post by: Clock'd 0Ne on May 20, 2020, 12:45:55 PM
I actually bought a SFF machine with Plex pre-configured for my office plasma TV but haven't even got round to booting it up yet! I'd like to get it setup as a streaming server. How does it fare with music or is it just for video? Might be tempted to hook it up to my hifi.
Title: Re: Plex Optimsation
Post by: Serious on May 20, 2020, 22:45:50 PM
Dunno about Plex, but what is NowTV like? Worth buying? Or better to get Netflix?

If you want to watch the stuff on NowTV it's adequate. Not everything is on Netflix.
Title: Re: Plex Optimsation
Post by: neXus on May 21, 2020, 03:12:27 AM
I still love Plex.
They can hook up to live TV stuff, they have their own B movie listings you can stream as well as old cable randoms that now stream out as well. Never go into all that but it shows its continuing to evolve.
It just works and the interface is just great on most devices these days and still... dropping your stuff in and it just sorting itself out 99% of the time is still the best feature. IT's just great. The transcoding perfomance for me is still top notch and its been plug and play more than ever.


Some things with it though are...


- As it has got more legit it has lost the ability for some of the cool plugins and extensions people made that were either just cool or not strictly legit.
- I get it but increasingly nice features are all under the paid service.
- Despite when you just tell it to stream as the original source it sometimes decides to pick a lower version and when it downgrades even to 720p it does not look 720p - Its worse


It was missing the netflix style auto quality during play aspect and that is currently an option in Beta. Does not work very well but that will be a nice addition.

Title: Re: Plex Optimsation
Post by: addictweb on May 21, 2020, 09:16:49 AM
Nice to hear its still in use! Its now my main technical hobby.

Ive got about 80Tb locally running off an old T20 Dell with a P2000 card for transcoding. All automated with the relevant 'arrs. Being abroad I use it to watch all the UK content I cant usually get here.

Hertzner + GDrive is a serious setup.
Title: Re: Plex Optimsation
Post by: neXus on May 22, 2020, 01:53:13 AM
Mine is running of a mac mini under my tv
Title: Re: Plex Optimsation
Post by: Clock'd 0Ne on May 22, 2020, 08:03:03 AM
Did some reading and its pretty useless for HD Audio streaming, all kinds of issues with transcoding/downsampling and such.

Probably going to just sell my ESI Juli@ as good as it is and get a USB DAC instead so minimise noise.
Title: Re: Plex Optimsation
Post by: soopahfly on May 22, 2020, 13:13:17 PM
It's pretty burly.
I got fed up of running out of space and the wife getting at me about stuff being powered up all the time so I shifted eveything online.
It's not cheap to do really, but it's a hobby too.
I've learned more about Docker, Linux etc, and when I was a kid I used to imagine what it would be like having an "On Demand" tv thing.
Title: Re: Plex Optimsation
Post by: DEViANCE on May 23, 2020, 20:31:18 PM
I've got a plex server running on my main PC in the man cave and use it for most of my video streaming to the various TVs around the house, via 4k firesticks mainly, although the LG plex app is pretty good.
It runs everything I throw at it, including some pretty massive 4k, HDR movies with dolby atmos audio.
I've had to hardwire it with a gigabit switch as on the wifi it did throw a wobble every now and again.
Title: Re: Plex Optimsation
Post by: XEntity on May 23, 2020, 20:58:03 PM
Still running it here myself, I think it's the best no fuss server for media, running on a HP Gen8 microserver with a Xeon dropped in to it.. never gives me any bother..
Title: Re: Plex Optimsation
Post by: neXus on May 25, 2020, 03:45:40 AM
I've got a plex server running on my main PC in the man cave and use it for most of my video streaming to the various TVs around the house, via 4k firesticks mainly, although the LG plex app is pretty good.
It runs everything I throw at it, including some pretty massive 4k, HDR movies with dolby atmos audio.
I've had to hardwire it with a gigabit switch as on the wifi it did throw a wobble every now and again.


I find its the ethernet and network and traffic that has more an impact than the server. IF it's not a NAS (which never seem to have enough CPU grunt) any half decent PC/Linux/MAC CPU setup where its main job is just being a server - All good.
Should always be in a network with a hard line :)
Title: Re: Plex Optimsation
Post by: soopahfly on May 26, 2020, 10:01:36 AM
I discovered something odd with mine the other day,  I have many different ways of accessing my Plex, chromecasts, Mibox and other random players, and it always seems to buffer, has issues with sound etc that I just can't get to the bottom of.

Installed Kodi on my MiBox, added the plex plugin and everything direct plays.  No transcoding.
Plex clients can't seem to manage that.


I like Plex and my server.  It's currently my only technical related hobby.  I went through a bit of a burnout a few years ago, lost all interest in it.  Can't remember the last time I turned on my PC listed in my sig.
Title: Re: Plex Optimsation
Post by: neXus on May 27, 2020, 02:34:56 AM
I discovered something odd with mine the other day,  I have many different ways of accessing my Plex, chromecasts, Mibox and other random players, and it always seems to buffer, has issues with sound etc that I just can't get to the bottom of.

Installed Kodi on my MiBox, added the plex plugin and everything direct plays.  No transcoding.
Plex clients can't seem to manage that.


I like Plex and my server.  It's currently my only technical related hobby.  I went through a bit of a burnout a few years ago, lost all interest in it.  Can't remember the last time I turned on my PC listed in my sig.


Depends on the device, some of the apps have options for the transcoding and what it tries to do their end, others run off the server settings.
I have seen that as well but my main one is that the apple tv app just keeps wanting to play the 720p compressed version even though you set it to 1080p or up and it still streams over the network fine.