Hi,
I have a question about which Plex works best in people’s opinion. I currently use Plex on 2 devices one is a 2015 Samsung TV using the Smart Hub app and the other is a Amazon fire stick first-generation plugged into an old-ish Sony TV
I find pretty much all content plays on the Samsung app without a problem.
However on the fire stick I regularly get buffering and freezing issues. I want to replace the Sony TV that the fire stick is plugged into and am unsure whether to go with a model that has a built-in app or whether I would achieve better overall performance by buying the new fire TV stick or going a different route altogether.
At the moment I have not decided what TV to buy so am open to suggestions on the best way forward, I just want a reliable app that also lets me record live TV. I am based in the UK.
I will start you off by pointing out that your Samsung 2015 TV probably runs Orca’s Smart Hub app.
Any post 2015 Samsung TV runs a completely different app.
It’s not necessarily a change for the better.
Well seeing as you have no replies yet apart from my previous one, I would generally shy away from anything wireless. I know… in these days of ac networks…etc.
Roku gets some love from many, though I can’t say I’m particularly fond. I actually bought my girlfriend a couple of AFTV and she never has issues streaming from my server. However… If you really want something that will definitely work and your budget can stretch to it then I highly recommend an Nvidia Shield.
The remote is a joy to use… cec works great (its surprising how often im reaching for the tv remote to control it) and best of all it has Chromecast built in and so assuming you hardwire the Shield (and you really should) to your router then you can just use the Plex app on your mobile and fling.
All in all I find it a great option that offers some degree of future proofing.
Don’t get me wrong it’s not perfect. Plex on the Shield isn’t the prettiest however the remote and in built Chromecast more than compensate plus your most recent Plex items like partial watched movies and latest on deck shows are available to resume without actually loading the Plex app.
I personally would never choose a TV based on it’s apps. I would buy the TV based on picture quality and price, and then pair that with the best external device to run apps on. The Roku is an extremely user friendly device that my family members have adapted to quickly. I like it a little better then the FireTV.
But the techie geek purist in me is saving up to eventually purchase an Nvidia Shield TV device, because of the audio pass-through support it has for DTS-HD and TrueHD to my audio receivers. I have recently re-done my Plex server and I’m re-ripping all my BluRay discs into non-compressed mkv files with the lossless audio tracks in-place.
I mostly agree with @HitsVille about the Shield being the most versatile player but I strongly disagree with his statements about the remote. I find the the remote that comes with the Shield absolutely hideous. The first thing I did after setting up my Shield and trying to use it was pair my, currently unused, Fire stick remote to it. The Fire remote is MUCH easier for me to use.
The built in Chromecast works well but I find it mostly a redundant feature in that everything I want to play will play from one of the apps on the Shield or, more often, an app on my Roku Ultra.
My favorite player is that Ultra. But there are some disclaimers about that:
The Ultra does not play everything the Shield does directly.
I do not care, and so never use, advanced audio or video. My old eyes cannot see or hear better than Dolby 2.1 or 1080p video.
The Roku has a number of apps that the Shield does not such as The MLS, Fox Soccer to go, NHL (Not sure about this one) and Amazon Prime Video.
The Roku is simpler to use for me and a number of my neighbors.
I like the Rouk’s Plex interface MUCH better that the Shield’s.
If something happens, as it can on both platforms, that causes a reboot the Roku reboots in about 30 seconds while the Shield can take 5 minutes or longer.
The Roku Ultra is MUCH less expensive than the Shield.
While a lot of my feelings about the Shield and the Ultra are subjective I think the Ultra is a better value than the Shield unless you really need the superior video and audio features of the Shield.
@pearsonb
Well I guess both @Elijah_Baley and I should add geographical disclaimers.
With regards the Channels etc… None of it matters unless you are U.S. based. In the UK you will get the same old crap apps on either device although it does actually have Amazon Prime Video on the Shield.
I’m not too sure about the 5 mins or more to reboot the Shield. You can actually full reset a Shield in less than 5 mins.
Then finally again the cost will depend on where you are located. Seemingly in the U.S. you can get a Roku Ultra for around $100.
You wont be seeing those prices in Europe. Amazon.co.uk do the 2017 Roku ultra for £149.99 and even that seems to be the U.S. version (I did see £135 plus Postage somewhere)
Walk into Currys and pick up a 2017 Shield & Remote for £179.99
So if you are unfortunate enough not to be U.S. based only your budget will decide if an extra 20% for the Shield is a deal breaker.
I will say whatever device you choose, be it The Shield a Roku Ultra or another device altogether, just go with something that’s wired if at all possible.
The Roku Ultra is not available in the UK. You can buy a US one but then BBC iPlayer doesn’t work. Aside from that it’s a nice device. I am in the UK & have one as there was a guy on eBay selling them new at £100 about a year ago.
My current favourite player is the Odroid C2 (like a Raspberry Pi but 2-10x faster) running OpenPHT. This is a version of Plex Home Theatre on top of Kodi (actually LibreElec) so you have HDMI HD audio pass through plus access to all the audio & video knob twiddling of the Kodi player. It has a nice remote & OpenPHT is a much nicer interface than the horrible Android TV interface that the Nvidia Shield is lumbered with. It doesn’t currently do HDR but does do 4K HEVC h.265 decoding un hardware. It is a Plex only client but the Odroid C2 is half the price of the Shield.
@nigelpb said:
The Roku Ultra is not available in the UK. You can buy a US one but then BBC iPlayer doesn’t work.
Ahh, I guess that explains why the Roku Ultra was so hard to find beyond the U.S. Version one on Amazon.
Personally i looked at the Odroid but the current lack of HDR was a deal breaker. A shame because the fact that it isn’t a “do all” setup is for me actually a positive.
@nigelpb said:
The Roku Ultra is not available in the UK. You can buy a US one but then BBC iPlayer doesn’t work.
Ahh, I guess that explains why the Roku Ultra was so hard to find beyond the U.S. Version one on Amazon.
Personally i looked at the Odroid but the current lack of HDR was a deal breaker. A shame because the fact that it isn’t a “do all” setup is for me actually a positive.
I don’t have an HDR screen in fact my main TV is a lovely 60" plasma that is unlikely to be replaced anytime soon.
OpenPHT hasn’t been updated in a long time but a V2.0 has been promised & presumably will include HDR as the current version of LibreELEC (Kodi) supports it & OpenPHT is based on LibreELEC.
