I know that Roku will transcode all Live TV and DVR recordings to Roku because of the mpeg2 standard of live tv.
My question is there a connected box that is able to play Plex Live TV without transcode (such as Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV Stick, whatever it might be)
Live TV with Plex will practically always be transcoded.
So just checking Plex will always transcode the mepg2 stream even if the device it is streaming to can play mpeg2 natively (such as a pc) (was thinking something like direct play)?
If so thanks for the info - I’ll have to try hdhomerun dvr since my pc running plex can only transcode 1 stream at a time and I got the quantro because need to stream more than one at a time (was hoping of switching out the roku for something that wouldnt require transcode rather then get new dvr program or build new pc).
The NVIDIA SHIELD should be able to Direct Play Live TV, including mpeg2 streams. I’ll verify this evening.
Thanks KinoCharlino and OttoKerner. I think buying 3 nvida shields is out of my price range even though i would love to be able to. Was kinda hoping a streaming box might be able to. Ill wait to hear back than decide how to handle this going forward if i need to transcode 3 streams at once,
I’m mobile now, but will be home soon to test. The Shield certainly is on the upper end of the pricing scale. It does have some serious hardware in it, though. NVIDIA is now bundling the Shield 16GB with the remote only (no game pad) for $179. That’s the same price as the 32GB Apple TV 4K (just released model). That Shield would make for a great player if Direct Play and audio pass-through of HD formats is a priority for you.
Confirmed, the Shield is Direct Playing Live TV.
A small low-power PC running Plex Media Player works beautifully with hardware acceleration and deinterlacing of MPEG2. An inexpensive Intel NUC works extremely well. Files will direct play nearly instantly.
Of course, it hasn’t been given DVR or Live TV functionality by Plex, which is obviously a big limitation. (You can use the HDHR Viewer channel as a workaround)
I currently have a Dell Inspiron 530 with Intel Q6600 that I am using but once there is more than 1 stream going it is slow. Because of transcoding it is almost impossible to really ff/rew DVR recordings (when just 1 stream is going) since it take on average 17 sec. I was really hoping that this was due to the Roku but it seems it might actually be something with Plex or the server pc not powerful enough for transcoding (my NAS just said not powerful enough right away lol) since when I connect using my gaming pc the delay is the same.
Trying to decide on my path forward - either i build a new server pc for plex (more money then i want) or i figure out some streaming box that can play the mpeg2 natively and hopefully plex knows it can so it doesnt try to transcode it.
ShieldTV is the device you want if you can afford it. Besides it being able to play essentially everything you throw at it directly it has a cool app called LiveChannels built in that can also work with your HDHomeRuns if that’s what you’re using. This gives you the conventional grid view of the EPG. This helps right now until we get the conventional grid view and easy channel changing in Plex itself.
I personally mostly watch 817 CNN and 820 Fox News so I know what channel I want to watch. Easy to get to using LiveChannels but a pain in Plex for now to tune to a particular channel.
I don’t own one but I think others have said the Mi Box will also direct play Live TV as well. It’s cheap and you should be able to pick one up at Walmart for $70 or so. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mi-Box-Android-TV/54827138
Since Walmart has a great return policy you could try one and if it doesn’t work simply take it back for a full refund. The MiBox is an Android box similar to the ShieldTV.
Carlo
Great info. Going to try the Mibox from walmart since I can return it easily if it doesn’t work. I really should just build a new plex server but tryign to be cheap since i just bought the antenna, hdhomerun and plex pass this month.
Do us a favor and report back how it goes with the Mibox especially for Live TV.
Carlo
Seconded on that request! I’d rather replace my PC with a small Android device that handles MPEG2 natively, and can easily access other services like Netflix (tougher to set up a good launcher with a PC, and the apps aren’t built for remote controls).
From my research, some Android TV boxes can indeed handle MPEG2, but do not do proper hardware deinterlacing. Be sure to test it on a 1080i source with a lot of movement, if possible.
Good luck!
Hoping to get test going on sunday. Most stations transmit 1080i I read but how can I tell for sure so I can make sure I test it properly?
You will be able to record SD, 720p and 1080i from your recorder. The 720 is already progressive hence the “p”. The SD and the 1080 will be interlaced.
If you look at the gif around his hands you can see what the interlaced content looks like with movement if it’s not deinterlaced properly. So in your testing with the Mibox, find something recorded at 1080 with some action scenes and see if it looks clear without that type of distortion or if you see the interlaced artifacts like in the attached gif.
If still not sure compare playing back 1080i with a 720p recording and see if they both look smooth or if the 1080 seems a bit “jerky” or has “stair-steps” on the edges of things.
Hopefully that helps concerning the interlaced content.
We also want to hear your overall opinion of the box itself and how well it works over WIFI. BTW, you can get cheap USB dongles for it to allow Ethernet connection as well.
Carlo
If you’re testing with NFL Football on Sunday, that’s also pretty easy: FOX will give you a 720p broadcast, while CBS and NBC (Sunday night) will give you a 1080i. Nothing shows interlace artifacts quite like one long pass downfield.
Man you’re not kidding on the interlaced downfield pass thing!
Sorry for the delay took a little longer to figure some things out.
I tried the MiBox which will play mpeg2 file nativvely and does so fine. However, there was still the exact same delay of 9-10 sec to tune a new channel and the same delay when ff/rew a DVR recording. I assume that this dealy is within the Plex software since when I play the same file using my gaming pc (Windows 10) the delay is still there also.
So Roku and MiBox both have the exact same delay issue (at these for me) when using Plex for Live TV and DVR. A relative bought the HDhomerun DVR software that I was able to use for a bit and there was no delay on the MiBox or Windows 10 pc since both play mpeg2 natively. Again making me think that the delay is within Plex software since using the same MiBox and Windows 10 pc that I did with Plex, there was no delay (well 1 sec to tune but I’m calling that no delay compared to 10 secs).
If I had to guess the Plex software is not even trying to direct stream or direct play (whatever it is called) mpeg2 from Live TV and DVR.
Didn’t get a chance to try out Mibox on deinterlacing since I only had the weekend and with the new Amazon Fire TV (2017) out figured that I would try that box instead since the same price as the MiBox and AFTV comes with Amazon Prime Video access as well as AMC channel (which Google Play said was not compatible with the MiBox).
Thanks for checking in!
Everything I read said the Mi Box didn’t handle deinterlacing well, so you may not have missed much.
I’m generally happy with PMP (non-beta) on a PC, other than still missing Live TV and DVR (c’mon Plex, it’s been a long time). It direct plays perfectly with hardware deinterlacing. It’s nearly instant. I’m actually going to try embedded PMP for the PC this weekend.
So if you use PMP there is no delay by Plex for Live TV or DVR?
