Is HTPC the best Plex Player for me, Or other options

Plex Players Desktop Players
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My Plex Server runs on unRAID and my main room streamer is currently an inVidea Shield. My only complaint with the Shield is it won’t play multi-channel flac without transcoding to AAC. I have some 5.1 high res music and really don’t want to lose the whole point by transcoding it down to something lossy. 2 channel flac plays fine, but multi-channel transcodes. If you force it to direct play it won’t play.

So I was going to build a miniPC and run Embeded PMP as I had played with some time ago, but I just realized Embedded PMP is going away.

So I’m looking for suggestions on the best streamer/player for my needs. I have no allegiance to any platform but generally its about maintaining the original quality for the main viewing room.

1. Able to play UHD without transcoding. 4K, and all original HD 7.1 audio (Dolby True and DTS HD). (same for 2K, but if it can do 4K I should be pretty set)
2. Able to play multi-channel flac without transcoding.
3. HTPC is the only platform I think that really does both of those, but I really want something that turns on/off like a streamer rather than having to load windows and then start an app putting it in TV mode. If there is a way to simplify the startup, I’d be more comfortable with HTPC.

I’m hoping someone has an idea or platform that can accomodate these concerns.

Thanks in advance.

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You might want to look at the updated blog entry on the new Players and the future of HTPC before you jump off the boat…

From https://www.plex.tv/blog/desktop-af/

EDIT: So, this next section used to talk about how we were ending support for Plex Media Player in six months, and with it, effectively ending support for HTPCs as a platform. We planned this with the best intentions. tl;dr, modern streaming devices provide a better experience for most people (the vast majority of you have already switched), and not spending energy maintaining PMP would mean we can focus more on making that experience better for everyone. Well, let’s just say that although their numbers are few, the PMP army speaks loudly, in mostly civilized voices, with the occasional conspiracy theory peppered in. So, we hear you, and we’re adjusting our plans a bit:

  • We will keep PMP in TV mode working as it is today and will fix serious issues which impact the product for the foreseeable future.
  • We will continue to invest in our player technology on streaming devices both to increase media compatibility, as well as to bring more “HTPC” features there (e.g. video zoom modes). We will also do a better job at communicating their capabilities, as it’s pretty hard to get an accurate picture of that. Look for more information on that soon!
  • We are now actively investigating the best way to continue supporting HTPCs as a platform.

Thanks for all your feedback, and for being awesome!

1 Like
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Yes I saw this reversal. However Embeded PMP / Linux PMP is at least for now, not being updated or supported. That being the case, I’m still looking for the best platform to meet my needs above, either HTPC or otherwise. If I’ve missed an intended message here, please let me know.

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Any help with this question?

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I suspect your topic title is confusing. After reading your second post I think your question is:

What hardware platform is best for PMP?

Is that what you’re asking?

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Thanks, I changed the title, bold faced the actual question, and hopefully clarified my 3 “desires” for this player.

Hopefully its a little less confusing, thanks for the comment.

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Taking another stab at asking for some help with a player.

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