Hello,
I don’t have enough knowledge of all the possibilities concerning sounds and throughput with plex.
I want to buy a new smart TV.
It will be a Sony (Android) or an LG (WebOS 3.5).
PLEX can be installed on both. The TV will be connected to a home network.
I have a NAS that is also on that network (QNAP TS653B with Plex Media Server V1.18.8).
On this NAS there are many movies with various sound streams.
I don’t have a receiver that can play all the sounds (5.1, Dolby Digital, DTS, ATMOS etc.).
So the sound has to come from the TV speakers and I don’t care that it will be stereo sound.
So, is it possible to use the Plex app on the TV and only the TV speakers to hear sound from the TV even though the source is DTS-HD MA 7.1 or Atmos etc.?
And if I can’t, what would I have to do to get it right?
The NAS is far from the TV and can only be connected via the home network.
Which would be better, a Sony (android) or an LG (WebOS)?
Would a chromecast be a useful device in my situation?
When starting to play a video, Plex will ask the client if the selected audio/subtitle formats can be played by the device. If the device cannot deal with that format/codec, Plex will transcode your audio accordingly (same as with video formats not supported by a player).
Personally I’ve learned the hard way that those TVs are not as smart as they like they’re advertised. Most of them are designed to deal exactly with what the TV itself can play… that can cause a lot of transcoding – also for your videos (which is significantly more CPU consuming for your QNAP than transcoding an audio track).
In the meantime I’m using my Apple TV as streaming device to get Plex content on the TV (I hear the Nvidia Shield is a great device too).
Thank you for your answer.
So the TVs don’t actually do anything with the sound?
The NAS has to do the work to go from DTS etc. to stereo.
If I connect the AppleTV, Chromecast or a Shield to my network and use a HDMI to connect it to the TV that does the work and not the NAS?
That sounds like a solution. The NAS is not overloaded (there are still some devices in my house that might use the NAS at the same time).
I assume I need to select the source (HDMI port) on the TV to which the device is connected? And then choose the Plex app on the device? And not the Plex app of the TV itself?
And a Shield or Apple TV convert DTS etc. so that the TV can play it?
The Apple TV has a setting how it’s dealing with certain audio formats.
From what I understand you can also configure the Shield to specify if certain audio formats should be passed through.
From what I understand, most of the time those devices will decode the audio and pass it on as a bitstream (e.g. LPCM) that the tv can deal with as it’s part of some HDMI specification.
As for picking the HDMI vs. using the native Plex App:
If you go down that rabbit hole… yes… in that case you don’t have to install the Plex client on the TV itself but select the HDMI source and open Plex on that device.
Thanks Tom.
I think a media streamer like Shield will take away a lot of frustration. And I just found out that Plex is also on Playstation 4. There will be a PS4 next to the TV so that is also a possible solution.
Smart TVs - aren’t.
In fact, they’re stupid.
They also ship with parts already compromised.
The hardware in them - went to the Moon in 1969. Your wristwatch is more powerful.
It may be difficult to find a ‘not-smart’ TV, but they are out there.
If you can’t find one - get one with good reviews for the Display Part and buy a decent Device of some kind to plug into it.
A Streaming Device will always be the latest and greatest.
A Streaming Device will get updates.
A Streaming Device isn’t hobbled by late '60s technology.
There may be a few Smart TVs that perform well in the Plexiverse.
Most of 'em are as dumb as a bag of hammers.
Know their limitations - 'cause they have limitations.
