Looking for some advice on a Media Room Plex Device, currently i have a Roku 4, but recently discovered that it does not play 7.1 TrueHD Audio, there is a workaround posted by @ljunkie but leaves the back two (rear speakers) useless, which really defeats the whole point of having a 7.1 setup.
I have a really nice setup with a 7.1 Receiver, Speakers, Projector, Roku all controlled with a single Harmony remote. and I am looking for a good way to play the 7.1 audio.
I thought about a Samsung 4K Bluray player, but I read that @Orca stated it will only pass through that audio if it comes from an HDMI port, not streamed plex.
I am sure Plex Media Player will do it properly, but I don’t want to have to add a computer (and keyboard, mouse, etc)
While perhaps a pain, DTS-HD 7.1 works really well. A lot of players still have trouble with the TrueHD codec (Samsung UHD televisions included). Orca’s app will accept this via the wifi and play just fine (currently being done here).
Currently there does not seem to be: One Device to rule them all, One Device to find them,
One Device to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Home Theater where the Shadows lie.
Every playback device lacks features that, for some, are essential or have features that some find intrusive or are lacking in the usability arena.
I like Rokus a lot. They are, by far, my favorite playback device with the Plex app on them. They have some deficiencies but those are mostly in areas where it matters little to me.
In choosing a playback device I actually recommend that the end user make a list of their essential features and then research, for themselves, all the devices that lie within their price range and make a list of what each lacks that is on that list and then use that list to evaluate the future purchase and take into account reliability of both the device and the company.
From that list you should be able to choose which device comes closest to the ideal and then you can go with that device.
I strongly doubt that anyone will find a perfect device for their use but with due diligence you should be able to come close,
@wesman said: @OttoKerner Well, it seems Harmony Remote will be compatible,
But will it pass DTS-HD MA and TrueHD to the 7.1 Receiver? that’s the big question.
If you follow the link, scroll downwards to the bottom, then click on ‘Full Specs’
There is the full list. It has DTS-HD MA and TrueHD.
If you follow the link, scroll downwards to the bottom, then click on ‘Full Specs’
There is the full list. It has DTS-HD MA and TrueHD.
Yeah, sorry, I should have been more specific, I did see that on their page, BUT while reading other posts like this one, its noted that the Plex Client still doesnt pass the HD audio through, even though the Shield itself supports it.
I was hoping you had first hand experience that it does in fact work.
I just want to say about the Shield that as far as supporting various audio and video formats it is pretty much unsurpassed but it sorely lacks in the usability area. I have Rokus, Fire TV, Raspberry PI (Running either RasPlex or PMP), numerous computers (running PMP and OpenPHT) and a Shield Pro and of all those the Shield is my last choice for use as a Plex device. It is, by far, the clumsiest interface among all the clients I own.
But I have a neighbor that also has a Shield and she loves it and uses it almost exclusively.
I guess that is why we actually have choice in our devices and that is a good thing, I think.
@wesman said:
Yeah, sorry, I should have been more specific, I did see that on their page, BUT while reading other posts like this one, its noted that the Plex Client still doesnt pass the HD audio through, even though the Shield itself supports it.
The OP of that thread also wanted DTS:X and Atmos, which the Shield doesn’t support, yet. The hardware is able to do it, so it all depends on nVidia’s willingness to add support via firmware update.
I suppose another option is to wait for the next generation of Samsung 4K Bluray player, that way I can play 4K disks and Plex (with the 7.1 audio pass through), I understand that is suppose to be supported.
@wesman said:
I am almost wondering if I should have not sold my Mac Mini… The Plex Media Player supports all these Audio Codexs, right? do you know?
No. Bad idea. Apple prevents bitstreaming anything better than standard DTS and AC3 on their machines.
Besides: for DTS-HD MA and TrueHD you need a HDMI port according to the v2.0 specification. Those old machines only have HDMI 1.x
I suppose another option is to wait for the next generation of Samsung 4K Bluray player, that way I can play 4K disks and Plex (with the 7.1 audio pass through), I
You don’t want a Plex app on a BR player.
You don’t know if Orca’s app will be supported on newer models.
BR player also often have Cinavia built in. (google it)
And last time I looked, the Smarthub app didn’t support anything better than standard DTS.
I just want to say about the Shield that as far as supporting various audio and video formats it is pretty much unsurpassed but it sorely lacks in the usability area. I have Rokus, Fire TV, Raspberry PI (Running either RasPlex or PMP), numerous computers (running PMP and OpenPHT) and a Shield Pro and of all those the Shield is my last choice for use as a Plex device. It is, by far, the clumsiest interface among all the clients I own.
Does the Shield not have the lastest version of Plex player?
@wesman said:
I am almost wondering if I should have not sold my Mac Mini… The Plex Media Player supports all these Audio Codexs, right? do you know?
No. Bad idea. Apple prevents bitstreaming anything better than standard DTS and AC3 on their machines.
Besides: for DTS-HD MA and TrueHD you need a HDMI port according to the v2.0 specification. Those old machines only have HDMI 1.x
I suppose another option is to wait for the next generation of Samsung 4K Bluray player, that way I can play 4K disks and Plex (with the 7.1 audio pass through), I
You don’t want a Plex app on a BR player.
You don’t know if Orca’s app will be supported on newer models.
BR player also often have Cinavia built in. (google it)
And last time I looked, the Smarthub app didn’t support anything better than standard DTS.
Well, I guess that boils it down to 1 option of far, Nvidia Shield… anyone else offer any ideas? or shall we just mark this Answered with @OttoKerner suggest being the lone survivor.
I just want to say about the Shield that as far as supporting various audio and video formats it is pretty much unsurpassed but it sorely lacks in the usability area. I have Rokus, Fire TV, Raspberry PI (Running either RasPlex or PMP), numerous computers (running PMP and OpenPHT) and a Shield Pro and of all those the Shield is my last choice for use as a Plex device. It is, by far, the clumsiest interface among all the clients I own.
Does the Shield not have the lastest version of Plex player?
I guess it does. It has the Shield’s latest version of Plex BUT as much as I dislike some of the “features” of the “latest” Plex apps I find the Shield’s version very much lacking. Most of the limitations are related to the Shield itself.
For example once you enter Plex on the Shield and navigate to “On Deck” and highlight a show you want to play you cannot just press “play” and have the episode play, no you have to press OK and then OK again to start the episode.’ This is true in every situation. It is like the developer was unable to believe that a user might have a remote with a “play” button.
There are things about the Shield that are quite good, like the display of all movies or TV shows, but, for me, the poor/incomplete design makes it my last choice for playing.
It seems like the designer of the app for the Shield cares even less than the rest of Plex about actual usability and cannot even conform with the limited standards Plex has imposed on everyone else.
Often different is the chance to be better but in this case different is worse and harder to use. The current Shield used interface is a mess albeit a very pretty mess.
@OttoKerner said:
No. Bad idea. Apple prevents bitstreaming anything better than standard DTS and AC3 on their machines.
Besides: for DTS-HD MA and TrueHD you need a HDMI port according to the v2.0 specification. Those old machines only have HDMI 1.x
What about Plex Media Player on a windows box? will it work with 7.1?
@wesman said:
What about Plex Media Player on a windows box? will it work with 7.1?
It will, if you pick a graphics adapter with a HDMI port which already follows the v2.x specification. They’re still not common - watch out not to pick a box with an old HDMI 1.x port!
If you’re getting a HTPC anyway, pick a graphics adapter which supports decoding 4K and HEVC video in hardware.
