Server Version#: 1.30.1.6562
Player Version#: 9.13.1.37459 (Android); 7.0.23.8111 TCL (Roku TV)
Tuner Make/Model: HDHomeRun Flex 4K
Guide/Lineup name:
Using XMLTV?:
Channel number/Name: 124.1 FOX
It’s mid January, 2023; does Plex support ATAC 3.0 yet? Three of the main broadcasters in my area (NBC, ABC, and FOX) now broadcast ATSC 3.0. For testing purposes, I mapped my normal ATSC 1.0 channel for FOX (24.1) on my guide to the ATSC 3.0 channel (124.1) coming from my HDHomeRun Flex 4K. When I select the FOX network on the Android app of my phone(S21 Ultra running Android 13), I get the following message: “There was an error while attempting to tune the selected channel. Please check your connection and try again.” No sound, no video, just that error message. Same thing happens when I try to tune the same station on my TCL 4K Roku TV with the Plex channel installed. The error mesaage on the TV is different: “Playback Error. Live TV playback could not be strated.”
I’ve seen some discussions on this topic, where some users said they would at least see a video image because the issue is with decoding the Audio, which Plex may still be working on. The last posts I saw on this topic were from around August of last year; I thought I would bring it up again to see if there’s any traction on this topic.
Plex has been making excuses for the lack of ATSC 3.0 support for years now. If that’s something you’re interested in then you’d probably be better of going with most any of their competition since Plex seems to be the only company having such trouble with it.
Is this a Plex problem or a tuner problem. I read that the SiliconDust HD HomeRun Flex tuner, which has two(2) ATSC 3.0 tuners, doesn’t have NextGen TV certification because it doesn’t transcode Dolby AC-4 audio? If they correct Dolby AC-4 transcode problem and get NextGen TV certification, will Plex Live TV/DVR work with the ATSC 3.0 tuners in the HS HomeRun Flex?
I saw that, but if the HD HomeRun Flex was NextGen TV certified, and did transcode Dolby AC-4 audio, wouldn’t Plex just serve as as a pass-thru for Live TV viewing by passing the video/audio from the tuner to a device like Apple TV or Amazon Fire TV which is connected the TV? For the DVR function, wouldn’t Plex record the video/audio from the tuner to storage, and when requested just play the recording to the same Apple TV or Amazon Fire TV device used in Live TV?
Looks like Nick from SiliconDust already answered that for you on their own forums…
AC4 isn’t relevant to the HDHomeRun hardware - the job of the HDHomeRun is to stream the broadcast format audio and video to the client device. The decode and rendering of HEVC video is done by the client device, likewise the decode and rendering of the AC4 audio is done by the client device.
Thanks for letting my know someone responded to my SD inquiry but I didn’t get a clear answer to my question to see if SD has any intention to get the Flex NextGen TV certified.
Based on the response I got from Nick, it sounds like SD doesn’t have any intention to make the Flex, NextGen TV certified, so TV’s without ATSC 3.0 will be poop out of luck unless they use the SD app. My understanding is because the Flex doesn’t internally support processing AC-4 audio, the SD Live TV & DVR app requires a cloud based service to handle the processing of the AC-4 audio. What happens if the TV or Flex doesn’t have access to the Internet? I’d like to get that that confirmed before I buy the Flex.
I might be able to answer your question; regarding if your TV needs internet connectivity for the cloud processing of the AC4 to AC3 audio transcoding done by the SD App. My TCL TV is a Roku smart tv that I installed the SD app, or “channel” as Roku calls it, the TV itself supports HEVC video and AC3 Audio natively; so all content sent through it through the Plex app or SD app will play properly.
I have an older SHARP TV that is not a smart TV, and I have a Roku Stick plugged into one of the HDMI ports of that TV. This would be the same as if I had an Apple TV or any other streaming device plugged into that TV. The TV Does not have internet itself, but the Roku stick does, and that’s where the SD app is actually running. The roku stick in this case is the player and would handle the cloud decoding in the SD app; passing the AC3 audio to the TV.
I want to thank everyone for their input on this thread. I recommend following the main thread that FordGuy61 posted earleir, as I will start following it and putting any relevant information I find there. As per that main thread, I called my local affiliates to see if they were just simulcasting their existing ATSC 1.0 signal on their 3.0 channel, and the FOX affiliate confirmed that this was true. My question to him was if they would broadcast sporting events that FOX would have in 4K, like the Super Bowl, but he said FOX only provides their 4K stream to other streaming services. He said that they will eventually broadcast higher quality video, but not anytime soon. With that said, I will just sit back and use my current Plex Live TV setup, as it works on all my devices, and will cross that 3.0 bridge when we get there.
