PS4 or XBOX or Nvidia Shield!

Hi friends,

Among the three, which is best for playing movies from HDD? Esp the shield. My req

1. Support NTFS format HDD (500 gb)
2. Support all common audio formats like DTS and truehd (newer Samsung tv's like my ru7470 doesn't support DTS, only truehd)
3. x265 4k HDR 10 etc playback supported

I don't game much... And most of my movie watching is from streaming and from usb So even a good quality media player box would suffice...

Thanks,
S

Thanks for the suggestions.

I setup a plex media server and its fabulous for media streaming. All video and audio formats can be played on tv, as plex will transcode anything unsupported. Two things to note though

1. Wifi speed with Wpa2 AES encryption is limited to 54 mbps. Difficult to stream 4k remux on wifi (as video has a higher bit rate)
2. For a Linux machine you need to configure a firewall exception, and give access permission to 'plex' user.

My desktop is an older 2nd Gen i5 2400... Which can play 4k x265 without any lag.
 
Thanks for the suggestions.

I setup a plex media server and its fabulous for media streaming. All video and audio formats can be played on tv, as plex will transcode anything unsupported. Two things to note though

1. Wifi speed with Wpa2 AES encryption is limited to 54 mbps. Difficult to stream 4k remux on wifi (as video has a higher bit rate)
2. For a Linux machine you need to configure a firewall exception, and give access permission to 'plex' user.

My desktop is an older 2nd Gen i5 2400... Which can play 4k x265 without any lag.

Which device you are using as the Plex server?
 
What would be the ideal pc configuration for plex to stream 4k and h265 videos? I currently use a laptop i3 processor and 8gb ram. The plex server is connected to the client through lan cable, even then while playing high bit rate videos, it keeps buffering and it won't play 4k and h264 videos at all.
 
What would be the ideal pc configuration for plex to stream 4k and h265 videos? I currently use a laptop i3 processor and 8gb ram. The plex server is connected to the client through lan cable, even then while playing high bit rate videos, it keeps buffering and it won't play 4k and h264 videos at all.

Hi,

I've no idea. Perhaps this link will help. what-kind-of-cpu-do-i-need-for-my-server

Laptop processors are usually limited in performance due to power / heat requirements. A desktop i3 has roughly the same processor performance as an equivalent laptop i5. Are you able to play the 4k x265 on the i3 laptop itself without buffering? If so maybe you could try connect via HDMI.

Secondly, are you transcoding or playing? Playing the file at original video quality / format will reduce load. Transcoding a 4k x265 on the fly will be CPU heavy.

Hope it helped.
 
Hi,

I've no idea. Perhaps this link will help. what-kind-of-cpu-do-i-need-for-my-server

Laptop processors are usually limited in performance due to power / heat requirements. A desktop i3 has roughly the same processor performance as an equivalent laptop i5. Are you able to play the 4k x265 on the i3 laptop itself without buffering? If so maybe you could try connect via HDMI.

Secondly, are you transcoding or playing? Playing the file at original video quality / format will reduce load. Transcoding a 4k x265 on the fly will be CPU heavy.

Hope it helped.
No, am not able to play 4k videos on laptop either. In the settings of plex client device, i have opted for original video playback
 
No, am not able to play 4k videos on laptop either. In the settings of plex client device, i have opted for original video playback
Ok. So its safe to say the laptop's i3 is lacking.

Regarding the processor for plex server... If its a new desktop, which processor to buy depends heavily on what all you would use it for, and how long you want to future-proof it. Some people may have heavy use like 4K gaming at high framerates, 4k x265 video encoding etc for which best available processor / GPU etc will make a huge difference... For lesser mortals :) based on the following link cpu value vs performance, you could look at an AMD Ryzen 5 1600 or 2600. For intel's maybe the base level i5's like 8400...

If its an old desktop, atleast an i5 2400 with 8GB DDR3 ram @1333 mhz. It will allow you to play a 4k x265 single stream.
 
Ok. So its safe to say the laptop's i3 is lacking.

Regarding the processor for plex server... If its a new desktop, which processor to buy depends heavily on what all you would use it for, and how long you want to future-proof it. Some people may have heavy use like 4K gaming at high framerates, 4k x265 video encoding etc for which best available processor / GPU etc will make a huge difference... For lesser mortals :) based on the following link cpu value vs performance, you could look at an AMD Ryzen 5 1600 or 2600. For intel's maybe the base level i5's like 8400...

If its an old desktop, atleast an i5 2400 with 8GB DDR3 ram @1333 mhz. It will allow you to play a 4k x265 single stream.
Thanks so much for the info!
 
Thanks for the suggestions.

I setup a plex media server and its fabulous for media streaming. All video and audio formats can be played on tv, as plex will transcode anything unsupported. Two things to note though

1. Wifi speed with Wpa2 AES encryption is limited to 54 mbps. Difficult to stream 4k remux on wifi (as video has a higher bit rate)
2. For a Linux machine you need to configure a firewall exception, and give access permission to 'plex' user.

My desktop is an older 2nd Gen i5 2400... Which can play 4k x265 without any lag.
Sorry but this is dated information.
Almost every new processor (both mobile and x64) that have come out in the last couple of years can handle x265 4k HDR decoding
Server side decoding like Plex is needed only if you like its metadata handling - Or have a device that has a software forced constraint like the PS4 / want to use streaming on a legacy client.
If the OP were to get a shield (or a fire Tv or Apple TV or even a cheap android box e.g. any Amlogic s905 box) - he should be able to run pretty much any file

Also, there is no 54mbps speed constraint on wpa2 aes - I get upto 866mbps on wpa2 aes
 
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Sorry but this is dated information.
Almost every new processor (both mobile and x64) that have come out in the last couple of years can handle x265 4k HDR decoding
Server side decoding like Plex is needed only if you like its metadata handling - Or have a device that has a software forced constraint like the PS4 / want to use streaming on a legacy client.
If the OP were to get a shield (or a fire Tv or Apple TV or even a cheap android box e.g. any Amlogic s905 box) - he should be able to run pretty much any file

Also, there is no 54mbps speed constraint on wpa2 aes - I get upto 866mbps on wpa2 aes

Yes that's correct. There indeed is no speed restriction. Thanks for pointing it out. My modem is an entry level / dated as you have mentioned. Its running in WPA2-PSK (AES) mode. And not a Wpa2 aes mode, as it's not supported. So mine is speed restricted as mentioned here - https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ho...hould-you-use-wpa2-aes-wpa2-tkip-or-both/amp/ is the link.

Could you share your modem details also?

The poster to whom i replied already has some streaming device for x 265, which he's mentioned somewhere here.
 
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Yes that's correct. There indeed is no speed restriction. Thanks for pointing it out. My modem is an entry level / dated as you have mentioned. Its running in WPA2-PSK (AES) mode. And not a Wpa2 aes mode, as it's not supported. So mine is speed restricted as mentioned here - https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ho...hould-you-use-wpa2-aes-wpa2-tkip-or-both/amp/ is the link.

Could you share your modem details also?

The poster to whom i replied already has some streaming device for x 265, which he's mentioned somewhere here.
Ah, the confusion arose because of the terminology used.
Almost all home setups run on PSK (pre-shared key i.e. your wifi password)
Your router is probably running in WPA2 - TKIP mode which is why it is speed limited to 54mbps
If you are actually running on WPA2-AES (i.e. WPA2-PSK AES) then your speed shouldn't be capped - if your router does support WPA2-AES then check in the settings if anything else is disabled in wireless advanced settings (e.g. disabling WMM will also cap speeds to 54mbps)

I use untangle as my router and Orbi RBK50 as my wireless access point.

For the OPs question, I would say that it would be worthwhile keeping the gaming system and streaming system separate.
The fireTV 4k is possibly the best value-for-money streamer at the moment if ATMOS or DTS-HD is not a concern
If local LAN playback only is the primary use-case then the best option is a generic Chinese android box (Amlogic) flashed to Coreelec as it will handle everything that much more expensive devices can do .
If budget is not a constraint then ATV 4K
 
@pantpank,
I think your i3 laptop should be able to run the plex server.

I ran a 4k x265 video (no subs, same quality) on my plex tv app. Then checked the cpu usage on the pc. It was about 2%.

I had earlier checked the cpu usage on the same pc on Firefox browser. Which was causing transcoding to x264. That was the reason I saw about a 50% cpu usage on the plex server...

@superczar , thanks. i did keep wmm enabled / checked out a few settings. It's an older tplink w8960 modem. But i don't feel like replacing it as it's working... Maybe later. For now remux 4k files will have to be viewed through USB...
 
Ah, the confusion arose because of the terminology used.
Almost all home setups run on PSK (pre-shared key i.e. your wifi password)
Your router is probably running in WPA2 - TKIP mode which is why it is speed limited to 54mbps
If you are actually running on WPA2-AES (i.e. WPA2-PSK AES) then your speed shouldn't be capped - if your router does support WPA2-AES then check in the settings if anything else is disabled in wireless advanced settings (e.g. disabling WMM will also cap speeds to 54mbps)

I use untangle as my router and Orbi RBK50 as my wireless access point.

No, It is in WPA2 PSK AES only. I also checked the wifi connection settings on my phone, to find router link speed is 72 mbps. As per this link wifi , I'm slowed to about 75% of max speed due to overhead, which is about 55 mbps. My router max capability is 802.11n, 2.4 Ghz wifi, 20 Mhz channel and 64-QAM. While your mesh wifi (orbi) is working in 802.11ac, 5 Ghz wifi, 80 Mhz channel and 256-QAM. Thats why you get 866 mbps, with a 2x2 MIMO device.

I doubt if 5 Ghz will work efficiently in my house, as its an old one with has thick brick walls. Installing an ethernet cable and concealed wiring to the ground floor looks to be the best option.

Reg the orbi, what actual speeds do you get? And do you run a lan cable to the satellite devices?
 
No, It is in WPA2 PSK AES only. I also checked the wifi connection settings on my phone, to find router link speed is 72 mbps. As per this link wifi , I'm slowed to about 75% of max speed due to overhead, which is about 55 mbps. My router max capability is 802.11n, 2.4 Ghz wifi, 20 Mhz channel and 64-QAM. While your mesh wifi (orbi) is working in 802.11ac, 5 Ghz wifi, 80 Mhz channel and 256-QAM. Thats why you get 866 mbps, with a 2x2 MIMO device.

I doubt if 5 Ghz will work efficiently in my house, as its an old one with has thick brick walls. Installing an ethernet cable and concealed wiring to the ground floor looks to be the best option.

Reg the orbi, what actual speeds do you get? And do you run a lan cable to the satellite devices?
I had the same doubt about 5ghz as my house has thick brick walls even on the inside. My earlier router (R7000) 5ghz band was practically only a spec as nothing ever connected to it unless In close proximity.
The base and satellite however (and fortunately) are placed in a part of the house which has a double height ceiling so the wireless link between the two is not affected by the ceiling concrete and the link speed between the two is 1.3gbps.

Devices in line of sight from either connect at 500mbps+, 1 wall separation gets 150-300, 2 wall separation hovers around 100 (although devices often flip to 2.4 band) while 3 or more connect on the 2.4ghz band

1 thing to keep in mind - the Orbi sold in India conforms to India regulations and is severely capped on the TX power on the5ghz band.
It is however possible to change the region to a global setting to remove said cap - but requires some basic CLI/telnet knowledge
 
@superczar, I laid out 50 feet of cat6 cable and setup an archer c6 router as access point downstairs. Now my phone when connected shows 866 Mbps:). Need to get a device or two later to ensure proper coverage of all areas.

Flabbergasted that my new 55ru7470 tv doesn't support 5ghz.:oops: Didn't expect such penny pinching from Samsung. I hope it's an exception and not the norm for tv's...
 
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