I currently run my Plex server on a W7 Machine using an Intel i7-6700K CPU @ 4.00Ghz w 16 GB of RAM. Pending the app I am running, I am generally able to stream 4K home videos. Using my Roku Ultra or FireTV Cube connected using a Ethernet connection, I am able to stream 4K videos without an issue. If I try to stream the same videos using either a Vizio or LG TV built-in Plex App, my video will stutter. I have tried to find an explanation to this in another thread without resolution as it seems all the transcoding happens on my PC server, so it would seem all the apps should be able to stream without issue but that is still not the case. Anyway, as I was looking to convert to a NAS server for plex, I took a look at the Plex NAS Compatibility list and was surprised that none of the recommended NAS systems can do 4K video. There are a couple that are listed as Decode Only for 4K and I am not sure what that even means. So it got me thinking that if I was to go to a NAS Server, does it mean that I will not be able stream a 4K video file to a 4K TV without is downgrading it to a 1080P since almost all NAS servers are only capable of 1080P? That seems like it defeats the purpose of having 4K cameras and 4K TVs, but then down grading it when trying to watch it. Can someone confirm if I am understanding this correct?
That also got me thinking of what my Plex server is doing currently with my 4K video files on my W7 server that are being watching via FireTV Cube (4K) and on a 4K TV. I know I have direct play enabled, but I am never clear if anything is using direct play or trans-coding anyway. Is my current W7 server also transcoding the file to 1080P regardless of what video streaming setting I am using based upon some hardware limitation? I am not sure why a NAS would be limited to 1080P and a PC is not. Usually for my media files streaming for home tv shows that I record, I cannot use the Auto for video streaming (or maximum setting) as i will get playback buffering. I currently have my Home Streaming set to Maximum and sometimes it streams fine without buffering and other times I need to set it to 12MB 1080P in order to stream without buffering…
Any clarity on how to insure that 4K home video files are staying 4K all the way to the TV would be great while using Plex as my media server?
So the buffering issues you are having will have to do with network saturation. depending on the bitrate of your files, youre probably saturating your network and or player network connection. Your windows server is more than sufficient. I think that too many Plex server users really dont spend the time to understand how their server works and as 4K media gets more popular, every aspect of your setup has to be examined to ensure sufficient capabilities in regards to streaming 4K content. Sorry, I’m not trying to knock you. I spent a lot of time researching and understanding 4K content on a plex server before I was able to have stable 4K streaming. You really dont need a NAS to stream 4K content but if you still want to use a NAS, let me know and I’ll tell you what I recommend. if you want to continue using your PC, let me know and I’ll help you get everything setup so that you can strem your 4K content.
Be warned though. depending on how far you are willing to go. you might end up having to purchase additional devices. Perfect example is myself. In order to properly stream ALL 4K content to my TV, I had to purchase a Xbox One S. WHY??? Because the One S has a gigabit ethernet port and most, if not all smart TV’s have 100 mbps ports so high bitrate 4K content will saturate a hardwire TV connection, which then results in stuttering.
Same things I’ve found. TVs with built in Plex apps just aren’t going to handle 4K well at all. Best to use an external device you can run Plex on and then just connect the device to the TV via HDMI and call it a day.
This way everything will direct play in your house (assuming proper files) and you won’t need to upgrade the server at all.
You do NOT want to transcode 4K. It’s pointless and you would be better off direct playing a 1080p file instead.
Thank you all for the input and I am interested in understanding more from each one of your posts. First things first, the primary reason I was looking at moving to a Plex NAS server was that I my current PC is with dual 6TB drives (one for primary data storage and 2nd one for backup) and is getting close to being full. I figured it may be time to move on to a NAS system for both the storage management and possibly serve as my media server as well. I would like to learn how to improve my plex experience if keeping my current PC server or what I would need to move to a NAS server. Keeping my PC as a server and using a NAS just for plex media storage is also a possibility and I should understand and cons of using a NAS for only that purpose as well. Therefore, any recommendations would be great for a NAS server for streaming 4K content and what i can do now with my current PC server to stream 4K and other non-4K content without buffering would be great. As stated earlier, my external streaming devices can sometimes have Home Streaming set to Maximum and stream ok and other times I need to be set to 12MB 1080P in order to prevent buffering. I would also like to understand the NAS server limitation of transcoding only in 1080P. Does that mean that in order to watch 4K you really need to have a system that can direct play all types of 4K files?
Moving on to other suggestions, I currently have either a Roku Ultra or FireTV Cube directly connected to my TVs with HDMI that are both connected to server via ethernet. Based upon this connection, I would think I would be able to stream 4K directly without buffering. However, this generally is not the case. Even with my recorded TV shows (using either WMC or PLEX) which are not even 4K files they will also buffer unless I have my streaming setting to 12MB 1080P. Again, other times is can handle when home streaming is set to Maximum. So per CAYARS comment, my current setup seems to follow that recommendation of external devices connected directly but my experience is not always consistent when using the Maximum Home Streaming setting.
Please let me know what other questions I can answer to help diagnose or received the correct input. Thank you in advance.
@shooter71 - 12 Mega Bytes per second translates to 96 megabits per second. it sounds like your desktop has a 100 mbps network card and you are in fact saturating your network connection. consider purchasing a gigabit NIC. you can even get a USB based one of you dont want to open up your pc to install it but thats what you need and i sus pect that it might fix your buffering issues all together. i dont know what the NIC interface is on the devices that you use so you should chek their specs to see if they are gigabit ports. The same for your router as well and the cables, you have to verify that your cables will transmit at gigabit speeds as well. get this fixed first before doing anything else. In otherwords, this is where you have weak links in your chain and the weak links will have to be addressed even before getting a NAS and to be very honest, you dont want your NAS running on a 100 mbps network
Ok, thanks for direction. I will start digging into the hardware specs to determine what each device currently is capable of and hopefully looking on-line I can figure that out. As far as determining cables, what options are there capability of ethernet and HDMI cables?
Just to make sure I am looking through the hardware correct, can you confirm if what I am seeing withing the attached image confirms correctly that I already have a gigabit NIC? From what I can decipher, it looks like I already do. If that is correct, than I know what to look for and I will continue looking throughout my network down the line.
HDMI is another story, dont go based on speeds that they are rated at. I had to go through a bunch of cables that i had at home before i was able to find the ones that work best. the xbox one S and X has a very useful menu to verify the connection between the TV and itself, not sure about the devices you listed but i went with the Xbox because its way more versatile than just being a media player. has the horsepower to direct play 4K content and has the gigabit port as well. HDMI cables are truly hit and miss unless youre getting the high end stuff like monster but:
will give you more than enough info on hdmi cables.
Thanks for that @JoePhelps . So its your clients that are the limiters @shooter71. at this point, you might as well connect them to the wireless network and see if the link speed that they get is any faster than 100 mbps.
Fair enough - I will take a look. @drslevy can you possibly address my other question for my future reference why all the recommended NAS servers on the plex compatibility list mostly seems to be able to transcode 1080 P files and the very few that can apparent due 4K are decode only. Again, seems 4K capable NAS servers would be common by now, but not clear on the reasons for the limitations.
4K videos require basically 4 times the resources of a 1080p video file. As a result, the typical NAS doesnt have that amount of processing power. There are a few but they are very expensive. If I were you, and I was at one point, I would use the NAS to store my files and then have your PC ( which would still be your Plex Server) point to the NAS drive over the network for your library. This is only in the case where you would want to still run your computer all the time plus the NAS. Here is an example of a NAS that would be able to handle 4k streaming:
I mean, if you want to go that route, its really up to you but as you can see, thats basically a computer. Thats probably another reason why none are listed for 4K:
by the time you get to 4K compatibility, youre really looking at a mini computer so might as well build a custom box for half the price.
Plex ( In my opinion ) isnt too fast to jump on the " Oh yeah, we can do 4K too" band wagon as there are 10 times more factors to consider than streaming 1080p content that is well beyond their control.
