No problem all, glad to share some input with what I designed on my own, using PLEX.
Nice thing Erik, is PLEX will help determine what CODECS for audio is needed at the other end. Then with it’s ability to TRANSCODE, help produce the audio that your device needs so that you can hear it. Which is way cool.
The third party program I use for my video content to allow what is referred to “Direct Play”, is that you’ve matched the audio to your CODEC and Video playing device. Which in turns allows for your stream to go to it’s max, from what I’ve found. And the stream be less bandwidth, for your network and less work your PLEX Media Server has to do for that device. I use the HandBrakeCLI program on my Linux Server. And have developed some scripts for things with it. I would sure like to be able to share some of these with the PLEX community, maybe here in the next few days. What I have put together for what I use on a daily basis is one kick butt setup. My wife, who was very picky on watching recorded shows, and being able to not have to wait like yourself for commercials. I have stream lined with the help of PLEX to do this and have a DVR media server do things in the background, without much I have to do. Almost think would be a good commercial product that most would buy and kick their DVR system’s to the curb. But with PLEX being free, with just me paying for the PLEX Pass, for having the ability to record my over the air shows, I’m grateful PLEX came around when it did.
In short, my set consists of the following:
2 - HDTV 50 mile range flat panel antenna’s, that are ganged together using a splitter “flipped” of a high in HD signal quality, and equal cable lengths from both antenna’s to provide no signal overlap or shadowing. So the splitter is 2 inputs to a single output. This is to allow maximum passthru of OTA (Over The Air) signal going to the 2 HDHomeRun DVR boxes I have, and normal antenna coax going to my 2 TV’s in the house, using a single to triple splitter, again, high quality HD COAX OTA passthru. For this I have a single input splitter, to a triple output. 1 input to one HomeRun DVR, the 2nd input to the 2nd HomeRun DVR, and the 3rd, going down to the 2 TV’s, that are split on last time. I have a booster on the line, but is not needed for most channels, just the far ones, which I get over 60 miles away.
Using PLEX, and PLEX Pass to record from the HomeRun DVR 2 channel units, I can record 4 shows at the same time while streaming to multiple devices at the same time with no buffer. I say that, cause I convert my content after recording to web stream-able 720p and 1080p with universal CODECS respectively using HandBrakeCLI . Which the sound is great on my Dolby 3.1 LG sound bar I use on my 42 LCD screen in the living room. For my 2 TV’s I’m using a Android device, that is connected to the HDMI port of the TV, so I can get the 1080p and 1080i output on the screen. Which for what the cable company signal, my signal looks like 4k on the 1080p screen. It’s breath taking, and why I kicked my cable TV company to the curb for TV these days. OTA simply ROCKs! I have 39 channels of Over the Air to choose from, so I’m more than happy with my local content. For anything else, like some cable / sports channels, I stream them using another app directly to my Android boxes connected to the TV’s or PC’s / tablets in the house.
The normal coax going to the TV’s are if I want to watch the OTA TV shows, without having to stream them. Which both my TV’s will do. This way I free up my bandwidth for other devices, so they can be streamed to and have more network access for it. It’s a win, win in my book.
So in a nut shell, I can be recording 4 shows while I watch a 5th and 6th show live, in both rooms. How cool is that ??? VERY !!
