As a media server Plex has been pretty rock solid for me for over a decade, but as a video player/client Plex seems to be becoming weaker compared to other options out there. Technology is getting cheaper and more powerful than ever, but yet the capabilities of the Plex video player/clients on multiple platforms seem to be getting weaker and less streamlined. Why is that?
Is it a licensing issue? Are Plex not paying the proper fees to support the new codecs inside the apps?
On Apple TV for example the native Plex app is ok, but runs into issues were it can’t direct play certain 4K HDR files or even some 1080p files properly. Yet if I open Infuse 7 pro and play the same problematic files, every single file direct plays and has zero issues when played in Infuse. Exact same device, just a different video player.
Xbox Series X is another example. Stuttering and audio desync on various files, some files won’t direct play at all, yet if I open Kodi w/Plex add-on the problematic files direct play perfectly without issue. Same device, just a different video player.
Plex HTPC on MacOS performs so poorly it’s not even worth trying to use anymore. Video stuttering and playback so jerky it’s not watchable. Yet Infuse or Kodi for MacOS play the same files perfectly once again.
What gives?!?! Why are the plex clients/video players so bad at playing media from the server?
Never had any issue with Plex playing anything on the hardware I use.
Funnily though, Infuse refuses to work on many of those devices.
However, Plex has always been and is primarily a server with the addition of a massive number of players which in our experience, have all played just fine (incl my humble Nebula Capsule, three versions of the Telstra TV, ATV 4K, 2x ATV Gen 3, 2 x iPhone 7’s, 2 x iPad Pro, an ancient iPad Retina and various other devices in our house).
Infuse (which I’ve had for years but rarely use) is a player and limited to certain devices.
Plex HTPC as an example has really developed into a mature offering now, even if the market for a HTPC is niche. Infuse just doesn’t cut it for me at all in that area.
Still, use what works for you, there are plenty of options.
I do agree though that some specific issues that users bring to the attention of Plex are not resolved in a timely manner. On the other hand, with Plex HTPC as an example, Plex have been remarkable in addressing issues and with some urgency.
Didn’t you drop Plex a while back and move on to something else ?
Edit - that’s right, many of us remember your dumping in the Plex HTPC thread a while back
Infuse is only on Mac (TVOS, iOS and MacOS), so not sure how you are getting it on other devices? If so please tell me how as it’s by far the most reliable for Plex playback on all 3 platforms currently!
And nope I’ve never dumped plex as a media server and wouldn’t dream of it, too many hours uploading custom artwork and way too deep of a library with custom naming and settings etc to switch to something else. And the alternatives are Emby and Jellyfin, which I find to be a few steps down from Plex. However Jellyfin seems to be coming along well and I hear great things from users.
And PlexHTPC for me on MacOS was/is a nightmare. The stuttering and frame rate inconsistency drove me crazy so I did dump that as a client. The issues I would have on PlexHTPC, I could then load up Kodi and the exact same files would play without issue.
I also had to dump the new Xbox Series X as a client because of that reason as well. Unstable and unpredictable playback, which is a no go for me when it comes to Plex.
I keep my computers, hard drives, and my network pretty modern clean and fast, so stuttering video should be a thing of the past for Plex clients, but unfortunately it’s still a thing. And a lot of times Plex devs will not even comment or offer any help on these kind of issues.
Edit: BTW what hardware do you use? PlexHTPC on Windows if I’m not mistaken right? Any additional streamers?
Not gonna happen.
Fake news.
Plex on Apple TV has come on in great strides in the last year or two. It’s now only 4/5 years behind Infuse.
Plex downgrades everything on Apple devices.
HD-Audio to FLAC??
Yes FLAC…Awesome it would seem for audiophiles.
Play FLAC Music Plex has no clue what FLAC is so…transcodes that too.
This is increasingly becoming more frustrating. Plex as a server is not giving me any issues, but the native clients across multiple platforms are performing so poorly and failing to direct play most content.
I’m really not understanding why the native Plex player will not direct play 4K files that Kodi and Infuse seem to have zero issue with. Why can’t Plex clients Direct Play content properly?
Xbox Series X/S (Native Plex app)
Roku Ultra (Native Plex App)
Apple TV 4K (Native Plex App)
Plex HTPC (Mac)
All of the above listed have either some weird audio/video stuttering when in use, or something else that makes video/audio playback unwatchable.
Plex should definitely consider increasing the power of the native Plex clients to support direct play for all the modern codecs.
The clients listed above are transcoding some of the most basic of files. Especially when TrueHD 7.1 audio tracks are selected.
Read my post again, I said Infuse only on certain of my devices.
For you.
Windows, MAC as servers.
Multiple clients (which I listed)
None are having issues playing my media which ranges from low bit rate low res files up to high bit rate 4K with various audio codecs and subs, MKV, HVEC and others.
I was only stating infuse works on Mac/iOS only to my knowledge. You made it sound like you had it on multiple devices outside of the Apple ecosystem which is why I said if you did, please tell me how! Lol
Every Apple device in my home runs infuse (current versions) and each device works flawlessly with super high bitrate files or any file type. Multiple iPhones (some old some new), iPads (some really old some new) they all have never failed me for playback and direct play every time with infuse. Native Plex app is a headache
Some relatives however prefer the native Plex interface or don’t have Apple devices, and THAT is where the issues begin. Luckily Kodi made life easier by direct playing everything for Xbox (for my siblings and kids), but native apps on all of these platforms perform very poorly, which is what I hope can be looked into.
EDIT: And I bet you have to transcode a lot vs direct playing those files? Like 4K HDR TrueHD files straight from UHD blu-ray? Or are you saying the native apps on your setup is direct playing these kind of files?
Well I wouldn’t call my interpretation twisted. Maybe I misunderstood what you were saying sure, but twisted is a bit harsh of a description.
You did say “Funnily though, Infuse refuses to work on many of those devices.” Which suggest (to me) that it worked on many devices, when an iPhone or an iPad are all it has ever been able to work on (until recently with the MacOS update).
Infuse & Kodi are the only Plex players that work on any device (that supports the apps) every time without fail as of late. Plex Media Player use to be pretty rock solid for me as well, but whatever adjustments Plex has made to it’s player recently is causing a lot of issues with direct playing of content.
This I wish developers could be more transparent about. I remember @tobiashieta use to keep everyone up to date about the old Plex Home Theatre app and what was happening in regards to support of new codecs etc. Miss those days when we could at least know why a player was performing poorly, now all I can do is guess as developers never respond when something is wrong with frame rates, audio stuttering or similar “playback” related issues that seem to be on the client side.
And yeah I would bet if you check your Plex dashboard during playback, most of your files are transcoding. Especially if you have 4K HDR UHD blu-ray mkv files.
