I’m not sure if this is the correct location for this query so I apologize in advance.
Currently setup:
Nvidia Shield Pro(2019) with a 8TB WD HDD mounted for Storage
I run the plex server off the HDD since it is mounted to the Shield and use the Shield TV App for playback.
90% of my video is 1080p x256 10bit, 5% is 1080p x264, and 5% 4k HDR x256 10bit.
I only stream to one playback device, a TV attached by HDMI to the Shield.
I am seeing image stutter and sound sync issues at times. I am assuming there is an issue with the transcoding and the shield processor.
I am looking into investing into a NAS with either a i5 or i7 processor. I want to install Plex Server to it, and transfer my Libraries to it in hopes that the NAS will relieve the stress off the Shield processor allowing it to only run the PLEX app.
Am I thinking correctly? Will this resolve my issue? Is there anything else I can do before investing in new hardware? Please advise
I think you’re probably actually running Plex Media Server from the Shield, you likely don’t have a CPU on the external HDD to run PMS.
If you’re seeing stuttering and artifacts, it might be a limitation of your bandwidth via the cabling you’re using. The Shield has enough processor to handle conversions and scaling, that’s the reason we use it to run Plex Media Server.
If you look for a NAS, you don’t need to focus on what processor it has if you will continue to use a Shield to run the PMS.
I am running a Shield talking to a Synology DS718 and it worked fine for a long time, just make sure your network throughput can handle the 4k.
I probably stated it wrong the HDD is connected to the Shied via USB3.0 and is just external storage. The location of the library & PLEX Server is on this device since the Shield internal storage is too small.
The only cabling I am using are the USB 3.2 cable from the HDD to the Shield. and a HDMI 2.0 cable from the Shield to the TV.
My current network supports 1000Mbps GbE. So it should be good for 4k.
Hi, where would the HDMI go? Directly to the TV? So the NAS would have to be near the tv? I have 2 TB and 7 TB externals. The drives and PLEXare running on a older standalone PC. I want to back up my media in case of HD failure, possibly raid 1. Or, could anyone recommend an affordable cloud? Would it back up new file I add daily ? I’m kinda new to NAS and cloud storage. I’d like computing power and lots of storage. On-site or cloud. I think plex tried but could not pull files from the cloud fast enought to decode and play, correct ? I have been searching and searching. I have a pretty good amount of credit at Amazon or is cloud better. TV Shows and Movies. ANY information would be appreciated. Thank you! Christopher (austin tx)
Some NAS have HDMI connections on them for output which could go to the TV.
What you are doing with the older PC is basically NAS, just not a box specifically made for NAS (NAS boxes usually are pared down server units with multiple drive bays.). If you want to just install a RAID 1 (mirror) card on the PC with 2 equal drives , if your BIOS doesn’t support RAID. Better yes Install a card that supports RAID 5 (stripe w/parity) you will get faster I/Os and don’t have to worry about data loss unless you lose more than 1 drive.
Blockquote could anyone recommend an affordable cloud? Would it back up new file I add daily ? I’m kinda new to NAS and cloud storage.
idrive is cheap cloud storage I use to backup my NAS library. It does daily update checkups for changes, but this is not something you can stream from the cloud. You can log in and navigate your file structure, can recover as necessary should you lose your disks. Think of it as offsite cold storage for emergencies.
Teleis - only other thing I can think for you is maybe the speed of your disk is not fast enough to send the data for conversion to the Shield? You mentioned you had an HDD (instead of SSD). If it’s a 5400 (as opposed to 7200) and you’re trying to push a lot of 4k video that needs to be scaled, it could cause jitters.
Not a slam dunk, but I’m reaching for possibilities here. Your setup should work based on description. We’re at the point where I’d be changing out cables and stuff for troubleshooting.
Hi,
Just running Plex server and a few external USB drives. Running out space. Trying to decide cloud storage or buy a high perforamce NAS and more drives. Thank you for your reply.
I use an Unraid NAS server and run plex in a docker container. I have no issues but it also depends on the type of hardware you are running. You might want to do some research and see if that might be a good fit for you.
Blockquote I have a spare 1TB SSD laying around do you think Installing it to the Shield and setting it as the Transcoder cache directory would help any?
You can do a quick experiment. Try testing one of the movies you currently run that jitters - copy it to your SSD, then try adding that SSD to your Plex media library as an additional source. Then try playing that media from that library off the SSD and see if it still jitters. That’s a quick and dirty way to test if the source drive was the issue in your case (does that make sense?)
Sounds like you have to bite the bullet and upgrade to NAS.
Be careful here though and do your homework, I went through a buying a few of them until I found one that would work for what I needed. Was trying to be economic finding cheaper ones. You will want a good one. I settled on the Synology DS718+. It’s not the best or only one you can use, but it was the bare minimum to get me going.
Note: The DS718 has a cpu and can also run Plex Media Server, but it is not robust enough to handle scaling of bigger movies. So I had to still get the Nvidia Shield to handle PMS duties. But I do still run a backup PMS on the Synology and it can handle smaller video files (like Season 1 Simpsons, etc.)
Blockquote As far as the CPU power. Do you think this could do the job running plex and transcoding ?
I’m guessing no because I see “Celeron” in the description. Those were low-power consumption CPUs designed for laptops and budget PCs, and if I’m not mistaken that DiskStation probably uses a similar CPU to what my 718 uses. It will handle smaller video files (again, think early Simpsons series, or super-compressed stuff) but will not handle anything you’re trying to play from today or modern era.
With that NAS you’re paying for the extra capacity of the drive bays - which is fine and it’s a good product. Just know what you’re getting and paying for. I would really try not to use the NAS cpu to handle upscaling and video conversion. I tried this with my own experimentation and it turned out to not work out great. You will spend a thousand plus to get a high-power server cpu in a NAS when all you need is a video card processor to handle it. The Nvidia Shield has this and you can buy that for a couple hundred bucks.
I sorry for all of the questions. I would need to purchase some kind of storage (NAS0 but not use the CPU. and then the Nvidia shield would run PMS ? Stream to one TV? I’m just not familiar with the Nvidia Shield. If you wouldn’t mind, would you please type out a basic flow chart for me ? storage to Nvidia running Plex and then to one TV ? or then to my network ? Thanks again.
Blockquote
I would need to purchase some kind of storage (NAS0 but not use the CPU. and then the Nvidia shield would run PMS ?
That’s exactly correct.
Blockquote
Stream to one TV?
No! Stream to many.
The beauty of this setup is you can stream to any device on the network that can run the Plex app. For example I can stream to my ipad while on the treadmill. If you have a TV that has a Roku stick, Firestick, AppleTV - these all have Plex apps and can stream your library. You can stream to iPhone, Android, tablets, PC, Mac, etc. You can stream to multiple TVs and devices with this setup.
There is also a way to have it stream outside of your home network, but that is getting into advanced.
The Shield is like a Roku stick - it’s a media player, but with a more advanced video processor (Nvidia, of course ) so it can handle video conversion loads that the Roku and Firestick can’t. That’s why it’s a great tool for what we need here in converting video files while streaming.
Blockquote If you wouldn’t mind, would you please type out a basic flow chart for me ? storage to Nvidia running Plex and then to one TV ? or then to my network ?
Not sure where you get that you have to spend thousands of dollars to have a NAS that can handle transcoding. I built my NAS for about 600-700 a few years ago and still is going strong. I run Unraid that runs my NAS, 1 Windows 10 VM, and about 10 other docker containers including Plex. I can transcode 4K if I want but I use optimized versions of the 4K movies for my non 4K TVs and for transcoding for remote devices. You should not be Transcoding 4K anyway.
As for the suggestion on using a NAS and the shield as the PMS, that will require more bandwidth on your network especially when watching direct 4K streams on devices other than the shield that is running the PMS on. I have also read that there are other issues with using the shield as a PMS but do not remember what they are off the top of my head so do some research and make sure that this would be a good solution for you first before you go this route.
Hi,
How does the Nvidia know to do the transcoding ? Pulling the file from the NAS with NAS transcoding turned off ? If I use Amazon fire stick in a room, who transcodes it ?
