Server Version#: Last
Player Version#: Last on Tizen / Early Preview Beta about the new app
Hi everyone, hi Plex Team !
I have a Samsung TV on Tizen 5.0 with the last version of Plex.
My computer has 16 GO RAM, Intel i7-4770 (4th generation) and an ethernet connection 1000 mbit/s !
I possessed an Intel i5 since yesterday and just changed it but an i7-4770. Also, i have done a fresh install of Windows 10 today !
I have no problem to read everything… except 4k files with DTS sound or AAC/PGS subtitles. I have buffering (5-10 secondes) every minute and i don’t know why.
I was hoping to have a better experience with new processor & fresh install of Windows & Plex but it’s the same. I have also try the new app in early preview but it’s same too…
Is the video transcoding? Check the Plex Dashboard during playback.
Be aware of the limits of the Plex SmartTV app.
Enabling image based subtitles, PGS & VOBSUB, results in a video transcode.
If the audio is transcoding, enabling SRT (text) subtitles results in a video transcode.
Samsung does not license the dts or TrueHD audio codecs, so choosing either of those audio formats results in transcoded audio.
Transcoded audio does not require much CPU resources. However, it has implications if subtitles are also enabled.
What it boils down to is you have to be aware of the limitations of your Plex client.
With the SmartTV app, do not enable PGS/VOBSUB subtitles when watching 4K material. Furthermore, if listening to dts or TrueHD audio, do not enable SRT/text subtitles.
Additional information:
Transcoding 4K video requires a powerful CPU (17000 passmark). The i7-4770 is not powerful enough (7000 passmark). See What Kind of CPU Do I Need. Alternately, if you had a Plex Pass, you could take advantage of Hardware Accelerated Transcoding with the appropriate GPU.
You should also avoid transcoding HDR material. Plex transcodes all video to H.264, which does not support HDR. Furthermore, Plex does not map HDR to SDR when transcoding. As a result, transcoded HDR generally has poor video quality, with washed out colors.
The problem is i’m french and only look movies/series into VOSTFR (with french subs). So yeah, it’s a big problem for me :/…
So transcode audio is more easy than transcode subtitles ? I don’t understand why but i’m pretty sure you rights !
Anyway, with my new i7, i can read .ass subs with 4k files (that i can’t before), so youpi !
I haven’t Plex Pass but i can try for 30 days! My graphic card is a GTX 1060 3GB RAM, did you think it can “resolve” my problem ?!
So… about HDR, are you telling me than all 4k HDR than i have looked since today was not real 4k HDR quality ? :o
Transcoding audio is easy. It requires very little CPU resources.
Plex is not transcoding the subtitles. Plex is burning the subtitles into the video stream. This requires a video transcode, which as you have discovered, is very compute intensive.
It will work much better than transcoding with the CPU.
The video transcode will happen on the GTX 1060, not the CPU.
If the HDR video direct plays or direct streams in Plex, then you are viewing HDR.
If the HDR video transcodes in Plex, you are not watching HDR.
Many TVs display an on-screen notification for a few seconds when playing HDR video. If your TV has that feature, you can look for the notification to tell if you’re watching HDR or SDR video.
Also look at the Plex Dashboard while playing a movie/show. It will tell you if the video is direct playing or transcoding.
Ok understand much better now, thanks a lot !
But i haven’t problem with video transcode, and yes, when i launch 4k video, my TV always says than i am running an HDR content. Also, in the plex dashboard, it’s always on direct source.
Of course, it’s not always the case for audio/subtitles…
So i’m not sure if the GPU can help for this ? If Plex Pass allow me to use GPU only for video transcode… i think it’s usless in my case, no ?
Enabling PGS subtitles forces Plex to transcode the video. Audio format does not matter.
If playing dts or TrueHD audio, enabling any type of subtitles forces Plex to transcode the video.
CAVEAT: This is with the current Samsung app. I do not know if the beta/preview app behaves differently.
Problem 2:
The i7-4770 is not powerful enough to transcode 4K movies/TV shows. A Plex Pass does not matter.
The combination of Problem 1 and Problem 2 is why the video is buffering.
Solution 1:
Do not use subtitles when playing 4K movies/TV shows.
Solution 2:
Purchase a Plex Pass and add the 1060 GPU to your system. The 1060 is powerful enough to transcode 4K movies/TV shows. You must have a Plex Pass for this to work.
