I appreciate what the team is trying to do with Plex HTPC and was one of those who screamed loudly for Plex to keep an HTPC client. But now I understand the initial decision and why it was really not a big deal to kill it off. My Apple TV 4K plays everything better than my HTPC (MacBook Pro or MacMini) ever could. No issues with HDR or Dolby Vision on even the highest bit rate UHD blu-ray file, all codecs supported and playback is quick and smooth. Bluetooth headphones connect instantly and play flawless without the need to adjust anything extra if you prefer to watch silently at night without disturbing anyone.
When using crappy Roku streamers I was unable to fully understand the capability of what the high end streamers offered (Apple TV 4K or Nvidia Shield) so didn’t have a great perspective. But now, trying to use this HTPC app is more painful and less intuitive, and sadly it’s not as powerful as it should be IMO. I’m in the Mac ecosystem and the Apple TV 4K is by far the better option to use as a Plex client. And to think the next generation of Apple TV boxes could have M1 chips for even more power? Yeah, sorry HTPC it seems technology has finally caught up to you. So this is my official goodbye to the idea of the HTPC for home theatre, it’s just no longer necessary with the technology available today.
However for those he use and rely on it I hope the app keeps improving over time, but I would also urge HTPC users to check out higher end streamers like Apple TV 4K, Nvidia Shield etc.
i don’t know if already posted but with the 1.14 when i select enable resolution switching
the lower res content ( only films) 1080p become out of zoom and decentered from my 4k tv
It’s definitely getting closer, but until Apple decides to support HD audio formats the Apple TV is still a quality downgrade from HTPC. You simply cannot fully decode TrueHD w/ Atmos or DTS:X on any Apple OS. On a streaming device like Apple TV I get that, but on macOS? It’s a choice to downgrade quality to avoid licensing costs.
The Shield supports HD audio, but in my (admittedly recent) experience, doesn’t offer the fit and finish of the Apple TV. It’s getting better though.
Both options lag in comparison to my HTPC running a RTX 2070. Responsiveness, content upscaling, audio support, etc are all superior on that platform still.
Right now I am glad to have Plex running well on 4 platforms (Roku, Shield, Apple TV, and HTPC). Streamers are getting better and I’m sure will only make up more and more of the market as existing HTPCs age. HTPC will offer higher quality playback for the foreseeable future, albeit with diminishing returns. I’m glad it got an extended lease on life, there’d be a void in my home theater setup without the HTPC client. I’ve been able to switch to Plex HTPC from Plex for Kodi + MadVR and it has been awesome from a UI and usability perspective.
Whilst the ATV 4K is a great streamer (I have one), it is a streamer and does not perform the functions of a HTPC,
I agree that the HTPC is now even more niche than it was but the featureset the HTPC provides to the user is unique is not replaceable by a simple streamer.
Not a discussion that is needed more than that in here
Infuse pro on Apple TV 4K supports all HD audio codecs natively (they actually have licenses for all the formats) and can decode them properly. Definitely should check that out since you have the ATV 4K!
And one of my biggest feedback/issues I have with this HTPC app is the way it handles HD audio formats. Dolby Atmos, DTS:X TrueHD etc. For whatever reason even though my HTPC setup can handle all of these, they don’t sound as good using the HTPC app vs Infuse on Apple TV 4K. Although yeah you’re right I know MacOS doesn’t support it on the OS side. But Plex could definitely do what infuse has done and buy the proper licenses to decode them within the app properly, but I don’t think Plex will do that from past discussions I’ve had unfortunately.
And for what it’s worth I also thought the HTPC platform played in higher quality (my main goal for using Plex since the beginning) but even doing side by side comparisons with the ATV 4K, Infuse gets better picture/audio quality and is a far superior Plex client all the way around. And I think that’s mainly because they have the proper licenses for all the HD codecs which Plex even on the HTPC does not have.
I hope the HTPC app keeps improving though! The real killer for me was the way it passes bluetooth audio through headphones. It’s a nightmare and doesn’t work properly compared to ATV 4K. It’s one thing I was really hoping they would fix.
While the ATV4K is not a HTPC, as a Plex Player/Client it is far superior for content playback than any HTPC I’ve ran. I too was skeptical of this kind of talk, but seeing the ATV4K playback a 4K uhd blu-ray in stunning detail (even better than my Mac mini) I was sold. No transcoding all direct play without any kind of buffering.
I keep checking in on the HTPC apps progress every once in a while, however a lot of the problems I have with it never seemed to get fixed and still don’t get much attention (like proper audio support for headphones and bluetooth). I’m still a fan of the HTPC and hope it sticks around for those who depend on it, but higher quality solutions are available which make the HTPC seem obsolete/overkill as a client. Just my 2 cents.
However I’m still hoping devs keep improving the app!
I can get audio through headphones don’t get me wrong, but I have to manually adjust the sync for every movie/tv show and even then you don’t get spatial audio or any of the additional features that are available with the Apple TV. Also don’t you only get a stereo mix when using headphones on HTPC? Headphones always sound thin on the HTPC compared to what I get with infuse or even the basic Plex app on ATV.
I Haven’t tried HTPC in a little while so maybe something has changed in that regard? Will give it a run later to see. Last time I had to manually change settings each time I switched from headphones back to my Dolby Atmos setup. Where as with Apple TV as soon as I put on my AirPods Pro/max it connects automatically and the audio is always perfectly in sync. This doesn’t work well with Plex HTPC last I tried even though I can auto connect my AirPods to the Mac mini or my MacBook Pro, I have to change a bunch of audio settings AND change the audio/video sync manually with a keyboard. Maybe those steps aren’t issues for you but it’s such a hassle in comparison.
I think this is mainly because Plex doesn’t have the proper licenses for all the HD audio codecs so the HTPC app doesn’t decode them properly. Instead it passes over the burden to the OS which makes it nearly impossible to get HD audio on MacOS (not sure about windows or linux).
Yeah for sure man enjoy what works! I think I just had super high expectations for the HTPC app and feel they could’ve done more to make it the most powerful client for Plex. As it stands now infuse on ATV4K is king
Just imagine the next gen Apple TV with M1 chip that will pretty much be a HTPC just running tvOS lol
I think it may be fair to say “the [set-top box] technology has finally caught up to” what you desire but the same is not true of others here. It’s less likely that one would purchase an HTPC exclusively for video playback today but there are many who have such a PC connected to their TV already and would like to take advantage of it for video playback as well. Particularly in cases where it is a gaming PC because it provides access to abilities which are still well beyond the capabilities of the streaming boxes such as the upscaling and post-processing.
In terms of the Dolby codecs, this is blatantly wrong. We have license for their codecs and in fact we are required by the license to use their software for the codecs covered by the license. As an example, if you were to be playing TrueHD without passthrough, it is using Dolby’s own code to decode this audio.
I can only guess that you are making this incorrect assumption because of what’s going on the with AC4 codec but that’s a completely different story because Dolby decided to make it difficult (and in the process add a lot of work for them).
I’m not sure what you are referencing because of the incorrect statement that proceeds this but maybe you are referencing passthrough? In all honesty, after my many years of using Macs as HTPCs, for the past decade I’ve highly recommended using anything but a Mac an an HTPC because of this very reason.
I’ll have to disagree with your first point. The ATV4K has 4K upscaling, truly matches the frame rate better than the current Plex HTPC app, has better HD audio support, has spatial audio for headphones which the HTPC app does not. So my HTPC is only used for server side duties because the ATV4K has become such a better way to handle video/audio playback. It makes no sense (for me of course) to have an HTPC connected to a TV anymore. It’s just not necessary (and bulky) if your main goal is 1). Highest quality video/audio playback. 2). You want the best possible workflow and flexibility.
I do remember speaking to a developer some time ago and asking why (I think it was on the native ATV Plex App) TrueHD audio couldn’t be direct played, and it was a licensing issue at the time unless I misunderstood. Maybe this is no longer the case but I remember this being an issue not that long ago. I stand corrected if Plex has the proper licenses for all the HD audio codecs (TrueHD, Dolby Atmos, DTS:X etc). Is that now true?
No thanks. Wouldn’t come close to what I use our HTPC for. Plex (media playback) just one component.
I think you may have only been using a HTPC for media playback. Even then, Infuse just doesn’t cut it and I’ve been using it since Firecore was something else ;).
Headphones - no issue with audio sync or quality. Maybe it is your setup ?
I’m using over the ear cans (PX7’s). Even my bargain basement Senny 450’s work fine. DA enabled for the PX7’s btw.
I’ve had no problem with audio codecs. I used to do passthrough to my Denon but now don’t bother and let Plex manage it (the audiophiles will burn me at the stake).
However, it is good you have found something that works for you. The constant shitting on everyones parade gets tired real quick though
Time for you to move on perhaps - I’m sure the Firecore guys have a user forum perhaps ? Haven’t been over there in quite some time.
My ATV 4K gets used a bit, with Plex but our media room is HTPC.
Don’t get me wrong, Plex HTPC has issues but I’m very grateful that Plex has kept it going, I’m critical of Plex when needed but this app is a core part of their offering for me personally.
Don’t discount those of us that use Plex HTPC on our laptops when we’re not on our TV or even not in our house. You’d say use the Plex for Windows app, but we find using the mouse for it detestable, in our opinion.
Your comments read like a self deluded apple fanboy, who is the poster child for the placebo effect and marketings dream customer.
First just because it has 4k scaling dosent mean the algorithm used is anywhere as good and sophisticated as htpc can use, people spend thousands for devices like madrv envy with true machine learning algorithms that where developed on pc with NGU and FSRCNNX also exists and is very similar, but because a streamer with the apple logo wow wee wooo what a difference!
Second plex htpc on properly set up machine matches the framerate exactly, it for example sets the display/framerate to 23.976 for 23.976 content, theres no more magical “better” way.
Lastly htpc can output hd audio untouched via passthrough to an avreceiver/device which means the original audio code of track is sent umodified to for example the av receiver e.g. a perfect copy! it can also losslessly convert and send it to the output device via pcm, the only area where there could be quality loss is if the output device hardware has a poor DAC or due to user error.
To summarise Apple devices are great for people who cant handle a little work and have a basic tech knowledge of running a properly set up htpc,for everyone else with a passion for real quality and versatility and not a pretty logo there is far better.
I can see that apple would work better for you, but we are not all the same.
No, not that I´m aware of. (or it does not work on my system) The metadata passthrough thing is a different story. (only works when windows HDR is already turned on) If I recall this correctly with the Vulkan-Backend there is some code that should passthrough the metadata correctly. The code should also be in the build I provided but I have not tested this.
Don’t mean to be offensive, and sorry if it looks that way! I’m just giving my honest feedback regarding the Plex HTPC app. No harm in that I don’t think.
I was was the one who started one of those mega threads campaigning to keep Plex HTPC alive when Plex announced it was going to kill it off, so only fair to update my stance as I was completely wrong and gave the devs a really hard time about the decision.
I’m not a gamer so yeah my HTPC is just used for managing my plex media server, and converting my blu-ray and UHD blu-rays to mkv. That’s pretty much it! I can see the benefit in HTPC connected to the TV if it’s a gaming PC and then using Plex HTPC as a player for media playback though.
However I feel the HTPC app fails at a few things modern players like the ATV4K and Infuse do much better. Spatial audio for headphones, true frame rate matching (still have stuttering and dropped frames occasionally) and the way it handles HD audio codecs, Dolby Vision and HDR 10 etc. Not sure if you have uncompressed UHD blu-ray mkv’s but the ATV4K plays dolby vision and HDR content far better (colors seem more accurate) than Plex HTPC app.
So yeah that’s my feedback for the current Plex HTPC app. A lot of modern features and functionality are missing that other streamers seem to already have implemented. It use to be the other way around but as I said, technology is always evolving (which is why I now understand why Plex was moving away from the HTPC).
Well I’m mainly speaking about the Plex HTPC app which has nothing to do with apple vs PC or windows. I’ve spent several thousand on HTPC setups in the past but those specs don’t really matter for video/audio playback in 2022. Even the new Xbox Series X/S can passthrough HD audio untouched to a receiver or capable sound system unmodified.
I only mention Infuse and the ATV4K as a comparison to the current HTPC app for MacOS, which is miles and ahead better than the current HTPC app offered by Plex (for MacOS at least). I had way less issues with the old Plex Media Player.
My passion is for the highest quality playback as well (video and audio) so I don’t ever compromise there. It just so happens that the little Apple TV 4K running infuse direct plays everything (all my movies/TV are untouched blu-ray or 4K UHD blu-ray mkv files) better than the current Plex HTPC app on my setup. Maybe the Plex HTPC app on MacOS is just not as good as the windows version?
I hope the Plex HTPC app for MacOS keeps improving and catches up to the competition though, and definitely if your setup works perfectly then don’t change it! Windows or Apple doesn’t matter if it works properly that’s what matters
