I recently jumped into using Plex DVR on my HTPC after having used Windows Media Center for ages (still running Win8.1 only to keep WMC around). The recent EPG outage fiasco in WMC was a big factor in making the transition to Plex’s offering to test the waters. Overall, I’m pleased with the performance of the DVR and accuracy of the guide listings but am having performance issues that are pretty painful.
The .ts files that Plex DVR records are woefully slow to navigate using Plex on my Xbox One. My video options in the Plex app for XBox One is set to “original”, btw. It takes several seconds after attempting to skip forward/back before playback resumes. Trying to skip 5-7 times to get past a commercial break quickly becomes maddening as it can take over 30 seconds of the “pressing and waiting game” to finally get past a single commercial break. Files that I’ve converted to MP4 (high quality, width 1920) with MCEBuddy behave much better but I prefer to watch the original .ts files and use the mp4s for remote playback or for copies of shows that I want to save. I also delete the .ts files after watching so that the mp4 copy is deleted as well (MCEBuddy sync feature) and having to go back and forth between the two libraries to clean up/delete watched files would be a huge pain.
I would expect that the XBox One would be able to handle these large .ts files with the same zippiness that My XBox 360 did when playing full res WTV files through WMC. The performance of the converted MP4 files is very similar to what I was used to in this regard.
Is there anything that can be done on my end to improve things? Is this the same performance that everyone else is seeing (in a similar setup)?
Another question I have is the issue of video during FF/RW. I miss this WMC feature alot. Does anyone know if this is supported with any video file formats on the Plex XBox One app or if this is a future feature that might one day appear?
There is no difference connecting wireless vs wired, btw.
I don’t think it is an Xbox One issue (plenty of CPU/GPU etc). It is just that the TS file is large and FF/RW is an expensive operation (go back to the server, service has to seek back and forth through a huge file, then start streaming again, the Xbox has to wait until it has a second or two buffer before it starts playing etc). I don’t have an Xbox One so my question to you is, does the Plex player on Xbox buffer (can you see the progress bar of the show loading ahead like YouTube for example). If so, you can start something and then pause and wait for it to fill a little. It might give you better FF/RW performance since it does not have to roundtrip back to the server. Also to avoid FF altogether, you can commercial DETECT (not CUT) the recordings and have MCEBuddy add chapter markers where commercials end. That way when the commercials start, you can press the UP arrow on the remote (that’s ‘Next Chapter’ on my Plex app for LG) and you only have to wait ONCE. You do not have to transcode in order to do the commercial detection.
I hope this helps!
Beggehorn - I have the same problem and the same feeling as you. I also have the DRV from HDhomerun and on the Xbox one it has no problems FF and RW to skip through the commercials. However I like the interface with Plex better.
tachtevrenidis,
WTV files are equally large and skipping around was very smooth even on the older tech XBox 360. Plex has clearly been positioning itself as the solution for WMC fans that are being forced to find a new solution but the performance of the app (as well as the feature set) need to be on par for converts to be happy. I’m willing to test the waters (been using Plex for years, but just recently dove into the DVR features) but basic issues like this are a big deal.
BTW, been using MCEBuddy to convert WTV files for a long time and am still trying to dial in a setup that works for Plex DVR. Been having issues with that but will post another thread soon to keep this one focused on .ts performance.
