I currently run Plex Media Server from an upper/mid-range general-purpose Windows PC (based on Ryzen 5 3600/GTX 1070) and have a rather large collection of media (25+ TBs), most of it in 1080p/720p. My TV is 1080p, and the Plex player-client is on a TiVo Bolt. I’ve had no issues at all, and have been happy with my set-up.
However, because of an upcoming move, I want to upgrade my TV to something 4K with HDR. I’m also planning on “cutting the cord” and getting some kind of streaming box instead of the TiVo (which relies on a cablecard). I’m interested in the NVIDEA Shield TV (regular or Pro) because of the good reviews for the AI up-scaling that I hope will make my content look better on the larger display. However, I also understand that the Shield Pro model have PMS built in as an option.
My questions are:
• In the new set-up, would there be any advantage (speed?) to running the PMS from the Shield as opposed to from the PC? Migrating/rebuilding the server would take time, so not sure it would be worth it.
Even if I didn’t use the PMS on the Shield, I cut still run a Plex player from there, right?
• If the PMS was on the Shield, I could still keep the media files on the PC and access them via my network, yes? (I would for sure not be able to connect enough external storage to the Shield.) Or would that defeat the purpose?
• If I keep the PMS on the PC, and I’m not planning on gaming on the Shield, is it worth it to get the Pro model, or would I get the same functionality from the regular model (and save some cash)?
I appreciate any input. Thank you.
If you have a nas or something like that, you could try it on the shield as a separate server (you can have multiple plex server on a single account) as a trial to see if the performance is sufficient.
leaving your media on the PC kind of negates any advantage of saving power by using PMS on the shield.
no. its not worth it IMO
yes the shield as a player is the only mainstream plex device with support for HD audio (truehd+atmos) for 4k content.
yes, shield supports connecting via SMB
as above, it seems rather pointless (to me)
I have a shield tube, and older shield pro, I would still recommend the pro, it has more ram which gives it more breathing room on difficult/highbitrate content, along with a better case and more storage for other apps (and games) on the shield.
Whether or not that is as important than cost, is something only you can answer.
Thank you again for the previous great advice. I have a few follow-up concerns. Not sure if it’s a Plex question or a Shield question. But starting here.
A little more background:
I’m about to move, and looking to make several changes all at once, including upgrading my TV to a 4K display, cutting the cord in general (which will involve getting Plex Live TV + DVR), and replacing the TiVo with an NVIDEA Shield TV Pro. (I chose the Shield because of the AI upscaling feature – which hopefully will make my 1080p content look good on the 4K display.)
Since my media library is so large – and based on the above advice – I was not planning on setting up a new PMS on the Shield, but rather just keep running the current one on the PC. I would “watch Plex” on the Shield rather than “running Plex” from it.
But the new development: as my Plex-PC will be in the bedroom and the TV in the living room: it would be great if my PC didn’t have to be on every time I wanted to watch/record OTA content on Plex Live TV/DVR.
So my new plan: I thought I could set up a separate PMS (with external storage) on the Shield, for the sole purpose of watching/recording Plex Live TV/DVR. I’d keep the PC-server, too, but would of course only be able to access content from it when the PC is on.
My questions:
• Would this work at all? (I assume so, since I can have two servers on one account.)
• As I would love to not have to keep switching between 2 servers every time I wanted to watch one thing or the other: How would I set this up, so the libraries with the PC-content will “just appear” when the PC-server is on? Is it as simple as sharing the two servers with each other?
• Would the Shield AI upscaling still work on the 1080p content from the PC PMS, even if it’s being “funneled through” the Shield-server?
I hope I’m making sense… Please let me know if I can clarify.
Thank you in advance for any advice.
Hello, Im no expert but I think it would work; when your PC is off then those files would become unavailable but your library structure would remain. A simple way to try it would be just to plug an external HD containing some viewable files into the Shield then tell the Shield to include that drive in your library. It’s something I might do myself one day.
Edit your TV should upscale better than the Shield IIRC.
