Server Version#: 1.18.6.2368
Player Version#:
Hardware: MacBook 15" 2017
Hello all,
4k HDR HEVC movies are very choppy with the Plex for Mac app (not watchable) while it works fine with Plex Media Player (CPU runs very hot though).
Is this expected?
VLC is not choppy either, but VLC’s HRD-to-SDR conversion is crap compared to PMP, everything is too dark.
You can’t compare Plex to VLC - two different animals. VLC will Direct Play literally everything you throw at it. Plexweb runs in your browser and will literally Direct Play almost nothing.
Plex Media Player and the ‘New Plex Player for Windows/Mac’ are designed as a ‘Player Apps’ - Plexweb is not.
Use the right player for the job at hand - or don’t mind what Plex does to your media before it gets to your eyeballs.
THIS is Plex Media Player:
There are very unique and powerful settings in Plex Media Player - available to set ONLY while in TV View - but then work in either ‘Plexweb View’ or ‘TV View’.
The ‘New’ Plex Player for Windows/Mac is in the app section at the bottom of the page. It does not have TV View or very powerful and unique settings. Think of it as Diet Plex Media Player.
They are two separate and very different ‘Plex Player Apps’ - use the one that works best for you.
So, which one is the right player for the job at hand (playing 4k HDR HEVC content on a MacBook 2017)?
I also did not entirely understand if it is expected that Plex for Mac performs worse than Plex Media Play for Mac, when it comes to rendering 4k HDR HEVC content on a MacBook?
I don’t know - and neither do you until you try em.
Generally speaking Plex Media Player is more powerful, has more settings, and has been around longer. I’d try that one.
You can run both of them. Should be fairly easy to find the one that works better for you.
The point is - don’t use ‘the player’ that opens automatically or opens when you go to Plex.tv - that’s Plexweb - it’s NOT the right player for this job.
appreciate the time you take to answer my query but a single word would have been enough in the end: “yes”.
Don’t care about Web Browsers, VLC, etc., just wanted to know if it’s expected that PMP has a better performance when it comes to demanding content (in terms of processing power).
Anyway, it’s just a side note, thanks a lot!!
PS: I’m just a bit surprised tbh, because obviously the Plex team doesn’t really want users to use the PMP, they hide it at the bottom of a forum. They want users to use the Plex app. But then, that leaves their users with a bad user experience. Maybe rendering HDR content on SDR screen is not Plex’ focus anymore, they’re looking toward the future where everyone will have an HDR screen on their phones and laptops 
You feel the same way as many of us.
So many, that when the forum melted down when PMP was going to be removed, Plex decided to keep it around.
We too notice it’s not in the App Section. We don’t know why, but we can guess.
It’s a good read for a rainy day:
I work closely with a development team in a similar situation, so I really feel for them and understand the pain of having to support multiple code bases.
<unsolicited wisdom>
The only way to get out of this is to invest even more resources for while, to bring the new software which are based on the “unified code base” on par with the legacy software. Then, only then, will the code maintenance effort go down.
Of course, that means hiring additional resources, which then probably have to be laid off — a dream for a small company…
But until the deed is done (bringing Plex on par with PMP), the longer it takes them to bring Plex on par with PMP, the worse it will be, in terms of total effort poured in.
<\unsolicited wisdom>
That being said — many, many thanks for this amazing software Plex team!!
It appears the issue with the Plex for Mac app is when you have “Use Hardware Decoding” enabled (which is the default option). Turn it off and no such stuttering anymore.
There is no such option in the older Plex Media Player app, so it possibly works fine there as it was never using hardware decoding to begin with. I have a brand new 16" MacBook Pro with an 8 core i9 and 4GB Radeon 5500m and I still can’t have this option turned on, or all 4K HEVC video stutters. Turn it off and it works fine, but I’m sure it’s using far more CPU and battery power to play.
Thanks for the tip @evanractivand. Disabling hardware decoder made a significant difference but the Plex app is still noticeably choppy (but it’s watchable at least now). Still significantly worse than PMP, which completely smooth…
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