I’ve used PLEX for many years, so the product and it’s setup is NOT new to me, but I always ran it on Windows. I have historically had issues with no closed captioning, but otherwise it worked ok. CC worked occasionally.
I moved it to a NAS several years ago, but the NAS ran at 100% CPU even if it wasn’t playing or recording anything! Not having Closed Captioning most of the time was STILL a major issue so I basically gave up on PLEX and moved to a competitor’s product, which I’ve used without issues for 2 years on the same NAS with no CPU overloads. CC and commercial skip’s with that product work fine.
But then I wanted a NVideo Shield to replace my Google TV and was fascinated to see PLEX server included. Sounded pretty turn key so I thought I would give it a go. I was hoping for the same results I have now with a competitors product. Closed captioning and commercial skip notifications.
I purchased the Shield, set it up and logged into my PLEX account to set up the server, which was pretty automatic except I found no way on the Shield to get into the tuner setup features for setting up my HDHR’s. I still had the other PLEX server running on my NAS, though it wasn’t setup to record anything. I do use it as a music server.
On the Shield when I first initiated the Plex client, it asked which server I wanted to use. I selected the PLEX Shield server.
But I never could find the tuner settings to set up my HDHR’s on the Shield’s PLEX server, Yet I had a guide and I could record. I assumed it was pulling the guide from the other PLEX server??? Why?
After spending hours researching discussions, I found one person suggested using the Shield’s PLEX IP and port using a desktop computer. Well that worked and I was able to finally install my (2) HDHR’s on the Shield PLEX server.
One tuner is tied to an antenna for some stations and the other tuner picks up the other stations. The competitor’s software never had a problem generating one guide with all available channels and neither did PLEX on my NAS either, but Plex on Shield only shows the channels for only 1 of the tuners, even though they are both installed.
I set up a recording for GMA this morning, just to see if it would work. I noticed that it was recording fine and that I could play it back while it was recording, but there was NO closed captioning on ANY device except the Shield.
When the program completed it’s recording, the ONLY GMA entry in my TV library vanished! Instead I have (20) PBS entries that I didn’t have before. Some are the GMA recording and some were a CBS program that was also recorded this morning. Keep in mind that I just set up ONE recording on this new PLEX server!! Just ONE!!
None of these 20 entries have closed captioning and non notify me of commercial skip and none are really PBS!
WHAT is going on?? PLEX was never this bad.
I also noticed messages informing me that I was not getting a direct connection to the Shield PLEX server, and the resolution was poor. In the settings it shows that I did NOT have a internet connection, yet, it WAS going through the Internet just fine.
I could turn off my WIFI and take my phone anywhere in town and I had a connection. Unlike my previous experience, the video streaming was actually fantastic! I never had those results with it running on my NAS.
Yet in the settings it clearly states I have no internet connection! But it streams across the internet just fine!
It also showed that I had an indirect connection. So I unclicked the checkmark the the left of the IP and port entry and now I no longer have ANY connection to my PLEX server! However it NOW states I have a PLEX connection to the Internet, but it really doesn’t! Not now.
Yes, EVERYTHING, all of the settings are backwards from the way they should be!!!
And HOW do I get a “direct connection???” The software says my connection is indirect.
SHOULD I have removed the previous PLEX server before attempting to set up PLEX on the Shield??? Was that my mistake, OR, are these normal PLEX problems? I’ve invested hours in this and honestly, perhaps I need to move back to the competitor’s product again and give up.
If the closed captioning and commercial skip features don’t really work, then that’s a VERY good reason to quit spending more time on this.
So if you are happily using PLEX with closed captioning and the commercial skip feature, I’d love to hear some advice from you as to what I’m doing wrong. Thank you!
ANY advice on this would be appreciated.
