So I currently run my plex on a synology 918+ and it just isnt up to snuff for what I need - specifically transcoding 1080p with subtitles. I have tried a few workarounds and long story short all come with their own unique complications.
I want to get a NUC that can run the server and access the NAS library. My question is this - what specs would I need on the NUC to allow me to have 2-3 streams with at least 1 one of them using subtitles (almost all are png files)?
I dont have any plans for 4k at the moment so I dont need to break the bank with it just want to get something to get over this subtitle limitation I’m hitting with my current server.
My subs are almost all in png or vobsub. As for the HEVC 2.64 I am not sure. My library is pretty unprocessed - I only use handbrake on vc1 files other than that they are just pulled straight from the disk.
I take it you’re referring to PGS subtitles (Blu-Ray subtitles)?
On what client are you playing those? – They’re playing fine (=no transcoding) on my iOS / tvOS devices.
As for Otto’s question… “unprocessed from disc” isn’t saying much if you’re not saying what kind of media this is… even Blu-Rays support a variety of media
That being said… transcoding a 1080p H.264 file with an avg. 10 Mbps will take a Passmark score of approx. 2000 points (CPU benchmark)… a raw BD rip is will usually have a higher bitrate… but let’s go with that as a reference.
You can use the link from the support article to compare the PassMark score of the CPUs built into the NUCs you have in mind to see what you can get from them.
If you go with a recent model Core i5, on the upper end of the scale, you should be good.
Even for the occasional HEVC-encoded file (but not necessarily an UHD 4K Bluray remux).
Considering the amount of issues we have with NUC 11s, I highly suggest you stay away from Intel Xe generations until Plex/Intel stabilize the situation.
IMHO, an Nvidia Shield TV for both client AND server is a perfectly capable little box that will handle even 4K and HDR stuff, so you can go forward.
Most of my clients are Roku TVs and one samsung, which will not play the PGS subtitles natively. The vast majority of my library are bluray with some standard dvds mixed in. I would say that the average bitrate of my library is somewhere around 25Mbps.
To clarify on the CPU needed - the benchmark is referring to single thread correct? Does the score needed go up when transcoding subtitles as well?
I was looking at either of these models
or
Any thoughts on which would be better suited to what I am trying to accomplish?
are there any news related to “lot of issues related to hardware transcoding”? Is it OS related? In other words is windows 10 working well? Thank you
IIRC those were related to a very specific generation of Intel iGPUs; updated transcoder had been in testing for a while and is part of the current (regular) releases.
