I’m currently using a WD My Cloud Home as a Plex Server which is great, when it works. I’ve had to rebuild my library on several occasions and it will frequently just fail.
My player is a fire stick latest version non 4k version (I have no 4k content nor a 4k TV). I also have players on my phone and iPad which have the same issues so it’s definitely the server that’s the issue.
Which leads me to my point, given the limited power of the WDMCH would the RPi 4 with 4gb ram not be a worthwhile alternative? I’ve done some research and the first issue seems to be software there doesn’t seem to be any dedicated options? Is it just rasbien and a Linux package?
I swear I never hear good stuff about that My Cloud Home.
This depends on the codecs of your video files. Do you know what they’re encoded it? h264, h265 (10-bit), MPEG2, etc? And will any be played remotely, such as over cell service?
For example: The Raspberry Pi 4 does not have hardware acceleration working in Plex Server so far, AFAIK. And the non-4k Fire Stick doesn’t natively support 10-bit HEVC (h265), nor MPEG2. So if you’re trying to play those files, the Plex server will need to transcode them, and the Pi really isn’t that powerful.
This also comes into play if you plan to play any file remotely via LTE. It may require transcoding from the server, too.
Figuring this stuff out unfortunately involves an understanding of possible server hardware, the kinds of videos being played, the players, and the connection. It can be painful at first.
So in your case, you’re looking at a Pi4 server, which could transcode but it’s a challenge, 1 older Fire Stick, and 2 IOS devices with the connection speed unknown.
If everything in your collection is AVC (h264) and you’re always going to direct play it, then you’re probably just fine with a Pi4, though be aware it runs hot. If you’re expecting anything more complex, you may have to consider a more powerful solution.
(Sorry the answer wasn’t as simple as you were probably hoping for)
The My Cloud Home seems like a good idea at the time, reasonably priced you can get a size to suit your library and whatever else you want plus doesn’t look too unsightly on the shelf. However, its just so temperamental. I did used to have a Shield TV and linked that with a spare low power NAS I has I use the Shield TV did all the heavy lifting. But I ended up getting rid of the Shield TV as it was buggy and android TV is missing some apps.
I think it’s pretty mixed bag of codecs I’m not even sure how I would easily check what they are, its a couple thousand video files. Formats wise its AVI, MKV and MP4 if that makes a difference. I’m only interested in local play, My Cloud is plugged straight into the router and the Fire Stick is in the same room, 5GHz wifi, I’ve even separated my 2.4GHz signal for an added boost.
I’ve rebuilt the library now but I’ve lost my play history and playlists which is annoying. I’m half considering just switching back to Kodi, it was at least reliable.
