Long time Plex user both on the backend/server side of things and front end.
Been running my front end on OSMC/VERO 4k+ but the Plex Player/Client does not get much love and it does not support “Live TV & DVR”.
My use case is simple:
Best Plex Client. One that Plex supports and keeps up to date.
Ethernet support
I currently do not have a 4k TV (that may change) so 4k content will be needed at some point. But I run Plex Server on unRAID and have a GPU installed on the server. So I have a strong backend to support my Plex client.
I am leaning to the Roku Ultra as it is the only Roku with ethernet support. And the Roku player/client seems to get the most love / support from Plex? How is Roku support for IPTV? Not that important (I guess) as Plex can handle this with “Live TV and DVR”?
Shield is an option but I am not a games and my front end requirements are not that high as I have a strong Plex server with GPU. But have head mixed reviews on the Plex client?
Amazon sticks could be an option (with ethernet dongle) but again, mixed reviews on the Plex client / player. And aI am not a user in the Amazon streaming ecosystem.
We have no Apple devices so Apple does not figure into my universe.
Could use a Chromecast (with ethernet dongle) but again, mixed reviews on the Plex client / player. And aI am not a user in the Amazon streaming ecosystem.
So I think it comes down to Roku or Shield as I can get ethernet, decent client (with Roku having the edge?) and these are not tied to a streaming ecosystem?
Thoughts on the above? And thoughts on the Plex client for Shield versus Roku? Thanks!
The Apple TV 4K can be used as a standalone device with no dependence upon other Apple devices. It’s also a great client which seems to be heavily-developed-for; it’s often on the leading edge of new features and receives regular updates. The only feature (of which I am aware, and with regard to its use as a Plex client) it’s missing compared to the Shield TV is support for the passthrough of of certain high-bitrate audio codecs.
I advocate for the Roku, but I don’t think you need one that’s hard wired. I have one on every TV in my house, and as long as your router is decent, and the distances are alright, you’d never notice a difference between the one that is hard wired, and the four that are not.
Plex keeps up with the Roku arguably as much as they do with AppleTV. Both are top tier clients. Honestly, at that point, you’re probably arguing Budweiser vs. Coors, or Chevy vs. Ford.
My primary point, is don’t underestimate wireless for clients. Always hard wire your sever, though.
I use my Roku for 95% of watching. I only switch to the Apple TV 4K when I want VOBSUB or PGS subtitles to Direct play.
Agreed on WiFi. I use WiFi for my players. It’s faster than Roku Ethernet and is fast enough. If you’re committed to being Wired you want a Shield Pro - it’s one of the only devices with Gigabit.
If you don’t need “advanced” subtitles or audio beyond DD/DD+, I like the Roku better than the Apple TV 4K or Android. Maybe just because I like the remote better. Roku is well supported by other streaming services, too.
The Shield Pro is faster and more capable - it can direct stream more, handle more subtitles, and pass through more high-end audio codecs. It can direct play 4K video and resize to 1080p on playback. I think it can even do local HDR -> SDR, which makes it unique.
I see a number of “Don’t buy a regular Shield/Shield Tube” comments. I think they’re significantly less powerful than the Pro.
I think the Chromecast is a poor choice at this time. I don’t like the “casting” interface - I want a TV remote. It also has poor audio support, and currently there are issues with Direct Play vs. Transcoding, and unexplained errors (“H4”) when playing to them. Those will probably get resolved, but Google has been weird about it, removing support for things that previously worked.
this means it has less memory to handle high bit rate 4k videos
the recent 8.2 nvidia update, has somewhat improved the tube (in my experience so far), but is still not quite perfect.
for main screen/home theatre, go with the pro model. for 2nd/3rd/etc tvs, where perfection isn’t always needed, the tube may suffice, as long as you are aware of its potential short-comings/limitations.
either way, the shield (any model) is the only mainstream device that can pass through/direct play truehd/atmos from 4k bluray rips.
it will probably always be the only device to do so, at least with good manufacturer/software support.
roku and apple tv4k can make great clients, IF you do not want or need truehd/atmos pass through.
re: iptv
plex does NOT directly support any IPTV service providers.
plex live tv/dvr supports usb and network based TV TUNERS, like HD HOMERUN devices
plex free video on demand (with ads) does not use any tuner, and does not even need a server
plex free ‘live tv’ (cannot be paused), also does not use any tuner, and does not need a server
I had my wife pickup a Roku Ultra as she is in the states. Many of my friends in the states have Roku’s and love them. I did have a Shield back on 2018 and did not like the UI that much. Will give the Roky a go and if I do no tlike it, the Ultra’s have high resale in the UK as they are not available here.
I did not know it did not the Roku did not have Gigabyte ethernet. I just assumed it did. Had I known, I may not have gone that route. It should not matter as my server and player will be wired and I do not use 4k right now. Can always trade up if needed.
I know I do not need wired but everythingis wired so I do prefer that route.
I am excited to see how the interface goes and to check out the latest Plex player. As an FYI, you can get Plex to support IPTV va the “Live TV & DVR” by using many of the proxy’s around to simulate a physical device.
If I am not happym will move to the Shield. Thanks again to everyone and keep safe - Thanks!
Nearly everything in my house is wired too, so I get that. I wired my whole house shortly after I bought it, but didn’t have good enough foresight to account for the amount of ports I would eventually one day need.
As a result, I started to use some devices that could run wirelessly temporarily until I could get another switch for that area. Laziness set in, as I discovered those devices actually ran fine without the line, so they never got one. One of them is the living room Roku Premiere, which runs 4k fine.
Try it without it. Once you get the device, it’s free to do so. I think you’ll be surprised.
I’d be interested to hear about your Roku experience. I’ve been a really long time user of kodi (and xbmc). I ended up switching over to the plex backend and use plexkodiconnect for kodi to grab the information. It works OK, but I would like to free up a computer to use elsewhere. I’m also using a HDHomeRun box, which is kind of like IPTV but not really.
I have one mibox and it works OK. It was cheap ($50), but it didn’t have ethernet so you have to buy an adapter for about $15 bucks. The thing I don’t like about it is I can’t use adb over ethernet and I get the feeling that the Plex for Android client on the mibox is a step back vs kodi. Some things I miss are:
Highlighting the show/movie/season with a box instead of exploding it a bit.
When you fast forward/rewind, it pops up with the ff/rw circle and blurs the background instead of showing the show/movie timeline.
Not being able to see some additional OSD options when watching a show. For example, the current time, what time the show will end, and other information like that.
Once you do get the Roku up and running, does your version of the player show this information?
I get the Roku on Wednesday. I will set it up and use it in earnest for a week or so and then report back. Been on Plex for Kodi for years so will be interested in the differences.
Will always run my PMS on Linux and on a seperate server. I enjoy that bit. Thanks!
OK - as promised, this is my opinion on moving from “Plex for KODI” to the Roku.
Some background.
I have a very robust backend system in place (unRAID) running a variety of services. I am tech savy.
My main use case is Plex.
My other use case is IPTV (which CAN be done inside plex using a proxy service)
I am really glad I made the switch. And wish I had done it sooner. You can really see that the Roku gets serious love from the Plex development team. So robust, snappy and lots of nice features.
I like to so much that I decided to replace my 8 year old TV with one of the 4k Roku TVs to further simplify my front end. Yes, this is a budget 4k TV but our living room is much smaller in the UK than when we lived in the USA and this TV is good enough.
I am a bit annoyed I did not make the move sooner. At some point, I will create a proper media room / system but for now, I will go with Roku.
