Plex Media Server to NowTV. Transcoding/Streaming requirements test.

[DejaVu]

Plex's Documentation on this matter is vague at best due to the amount of different types of servers that can be used and that it's also still a WIP.

However, the Minimum requirements for what I'm trying to do, does not come anywhere near close.
https://plexapp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us...d-alone-Server

The main problem I've noticed is the NowTV does supports MKV's (Direct Play works), but it's still has to transcode to MP4 because DTS is not supported - This is overkill IMO!
My content is mainly MKV's @ 5.1 DTS. I'm sharing to friends and family over the Internet. Kids at home also have NowTVs.

Streaming/Transcoding settings on the Plex Media Server I find confusing and I'm using this thread to document my findings changing the settings on the Server and the NowTV's, both remotely and locally until the best happy media is achieved.
I'm also going to look into Channels and see how they are used/affected when sharing out media.
One in particular is Trakt. I use it, but have found that my streamers are scrobbling some of their watched content to my account, even though I myself haven't watched it yet!

I've got an AMD-FX8350/32GB RAM Windows 8 System with a 17MB upload speed running PMS. I consider this beefy. I phoned a mate and asked him to turn on the NowTV and stream a 720p Movie.
Task Manager reports my CPU being pegged at 50% usage just for this one stream to the NowTV. That usage is fucking nuts IMO! Hence why settings need investigating.

Anyone with any experience of doing this yet, please get involved. Cheers.

The main issue I'm finding is nothing to do with the Video Quality.
It's the transcoding of 5.1 down to Stereo that seems to do the damage. Direct Playing to my local NowTV's works well, but 5.1 DTS cannot be heard at all. Transcoding it works, but the Server's CPU is really struggling. Seems like it's doing far to much work to me.

Bottom line, if I have to transcode all my media to MP4 as long as it can still save 5.1 DTS and Stereo in the same container, I'm for it. If not, I need to sort Transcoding out. I don't want to have to have multiple files for the same thing.

[chesser]

Hi mate not really looked into testing as such, PMS runs on my Home Server I have several NowTV boxes, I DO however convert all my TV programmes and Movies to MP4 as a matter of course because of disk space if nothing else. If you need me to look at any settings let me know and I'll post them up. I've never noticed any performance issues by the way.

Cheers

Chesser.

[EvilBoB]

Trakt will do that. There is no way around it as it doesn't differentiate between who is watching - all Plex sees is a request for a video stream so it will scrobble.

I have a HP microserver and that will do three or four transcodes at once and it has a low power CPU but I had to fiddle and manually replace some files and even use a specific version (older) of Plex to get it to work correctly. It took me a lot of time - that said I am currently running 1.2.24 and it seems to work perfectly. CPU usage doesn't actually seem to cause too much of a problem as it transcodes faster than I can watch a show/movie so three or four users will not be too much of an issue.

[DejaVu]

Having problems with Image Upload, so linked these from my Dropbox. Will report the Image upload problem. Think it's since the upgrade.

Trakt will do that. There is no way around it as it doesn't differentiate between who is watching - all Plex sees is a request for a video stream so it will scrobble.

Even with these filled in, in preferences?


Client Names (Hostnames/IP Address?) or PlexPass details been added in - does this information also get shared to the Streamers? Can they open and view the settings if channels are shared? This is where my confusion for his starts. Clients should be able to install their own channels IMO, without relying on the Server... design flaw? Probably.

Support for this Trakt plugin is few and far between as it's official 'Unsupported' by Plex. But the Git/IRC channel is quite scarce too.

I have a HP microserver and that will do three or four transcodes at once and it has a low power CPU but I had to fiddle and manually replace some files and even use a specific version (older) of Plex to get it to work correctly. It took me a lot of time - that said I am currently running 1.2.24 and it seems to work perfectly. CPU usage doesn't actually seem to cause too much of a problem as it transcodes faster than I can watch a show/movie so three or four users will not be too much of an issue.

This is my server running 3 Remote streams to different NowTV's over the internet. They are local, at my house, but they are streaming through the Shared Library option.
Each NowTV is set to "3.0mbps 720p". They play OK, the odd buffer pause here and there, but it's all because of my CPU, not my Upload speed.



The process happily raping my CPU is PlexNewTranscoder.exe (32bit)
I'm now wondering if Plex Server was 64bit compatible, things would improve?

But as you can see. It's kicking the shit out of it.

[liveseytowers]

This is the same issue that I have with PMS running on my Revo. All my content is 1080p DTS and as soon as I play anything CPU hits 100% and the film takes 5 mins to start. If your server is having issues the Revo has no chance. I might start downloading from yify as that is mp4 for stuff that I might want to stream.

[Geko]

This could determine whether I allow access to my server to my friends and family. Like you, all my rips are MKV with DTS.

[reverend]

Silly question guys but do these AMD desktop CPUs have a power setting in the BIOS? If so set it to max performance in there and set a Windows to always on and see if it makes any difference?

its reasons like these I still use my WDTV at home as haven't found a box that could replace it all!

[DejaVu]

I've just found something that shouldn't be happening on my server and might be the entire cause for this shit!

All my media, some of which are AVI's are being converted and filling up my SSD for no apparent reason - 120GB vanishing every few hours.
Sync is off. Cloud upload is off. Yet Bob's Burger's AVI's are being converted to MP4 and turning up in C:\Users\DejaVu\AppData\Local\Plex Media Server\Cache\Transcode\Sync\1190190\1236034

Dafuq? Since when did Plex do that? I have AVI. Want to keep AVI's. Whats with the fucking with my files?! I bet that's what the 50% CPU usage is all about. Will report on the Plex Forum.

[andmor]

I've just found something that shouldn't be happening on my server and might be the entire cause for this shit!

All my media, some of which are AVI's are being converted and filling up my SSD for no apparent reason - 120GB vanishing every few hours.
Sync is off. Cloud upload is off. Yet Bob's Burger's AVI's are being converted to MP4 and turning up in C:\Users\DejaVu\AppData\Local\Plex Media Server\Cache\Transcode\Sync\1190190\1236034

Dafuq? Since when did Plex do that? I have AVI. Want to keep AVI's. Whats with the fucking with my files?! I bet that's what the 50% CPU usage is all about. Will report on the Plex Forum.

This could be because the nowtv cannot play the AVI container format so will remux on the fly.. i think plex server will show it as transcoding.

[DejaVu]

This could be because the nowtv cannot play the AVI container format so will remux on the fly.. i think plex server will show it as transcoding.

This is a true statement. Older TV releases are AVIs and newer ones are now MP4. I'm currently doing all my TV Section (11,000 episodes) over to MP4. Fun.
MKV's I'm still looking into. I don't mind converting them all, but would prefer to find another way. I want to keep 5.1 DTS for my lounge, yet share with others. Plus, I don't want to have to re-encode every movie I get hold of. That could end up being a PiTA, unless I find an automated way of doing it.

This looks to be what others are doing, but have to admit, not something I want to have to do...
https://forums.plex.tv/index.php/top...d/#entry459701

[liveseytowers]

You could just download mp4s for the shared stuff and keep dts for you? I've seen decent 1080p mp4s from yify torrents at less than 2gig. They look good enough for the bedroom etc.

[pheonixsingh]

DejaVu how are you getting on with Plex?

Currently running XBMC & shared MySQL database for my media centres at home, thinking about making a switch to plex purely for ease of use. I have tried it on my server and impressed with the results to my iPhone.

I have yet to look at the full blown Home theatre client and NOW TV/Roku implementation

[muttleymacclad]

Plex has taken over from xbmc on my home media set up. Got plex media server running on hp N54l.

Plex clients running on jb atv2, ipad and iPhones, and laptops. Looking at getting some now tv's to put in bedrooms. Not used xbmc for a couple of months now.

You need to sign up for VIP. Plenty going on in there with plex.

[beerman]

Another XMBC user here who was converted to plex. I was away from home a lot in the last 6 months which meant I wanted to stream my media remotely. Plex is now on all my devices and a lot of my friends too

[pheonixsingh]

My biggest queries are

1) is browsing on a full fledged client (PC) fast? - My xbmc machines all have SSD's meaning browsing is very snappy
2) Does Plex transcode to powerful pc clients or is it just a direct stream as in no quality loss?

[muttleymacclad]

The limits on plex, as I see it are:
1. Processing power of server, (I read somewhere minimum spec is core2duo) this is where the work is done, not on the client.
2. Type if file / container the client can handle.
3. Throughput of your network. Remotely this will be the upload speed of your broadband.

Mml


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[liveseytowers]

I've moved over to Plex as well. I use my Revo for the main TV and that direct plays everything so the quality is the same as playing off the local hard drive. The kids use a NowTV which seems to work well for a 2nd TV. Quality is fine and if you can get an MP4 then it direct plays but you have to have the right transcoding options set in Plex on the NowTV or it will Transcode unnecessarily. I'm using the HP N54L as my PMS and although its not the most powerful machine it handles transcoding to the NowTV fine. It runs high CPU when doing so but no issues so far.

I prefer the interface of XMBC still but the ease that Plex allows me to share my media to multiple devices its worth the change for me.

[beerman]

My biggest queries are

1) is browsing on a full fledged client (PC) fast? - My xbmc machines all have SSD's meaning browsing is very snappy
2) Does Plex transcode to powerful pc clients or is it just a direct stream as in no quality loss?

1 - Yes browsing for what to watch (even remotely) is pretty fast. SSD or not it'll be just as quick, I stuck the client on an old laptop and hardly noticed the difference between that and my core i5 media centre.
2 - You can direct play files, it'll transcode to what it needs to i.e. a Now TV or a phone but if one the same network and using the PC client, direct play will work fine.

If only you were VIP

[pheonixsingh]

You've got me intrigued mate! VIP here (just noticed its expired) or are you on about plexpass?

If only you were VIP

[DejaVu]

You've got me intrigued mate! VIP here (just noticed its expired) or are you on about plexpass?

Nope - although Plex Pass is recommended as well.

Forgot all about this thread. XBMC is history for me, I got the transcoding settings perfect now.
I used a Channel called PlexTools to convert all my TV Shows into MP4. Kept all my MKV/DTS files intact and getting the settings pitched perfect has me sold to Plex.

I have just bought a new Android TV Box thats preloaded with XBMC and Mashup etc, I've installed PlexBMC, but although it works, its not Plex.

Been looking the last few days at making this Android Box better Plex trying to work out a way to get PHT on it via Linux or similar. Maybe even dual booting OpenElec versions of Plex/XBMC.

Conclusion. Once you've tried and understood Plex and the the things its capable of doing, you'll convert.

I'm now streaming to ...er... at least 10 NowTVs (not all at once... yet).