Currently I use my Synology DS415+ NAS for my Plex Server and storage. I use Infuse on the ATV 4K to play 4K movies and don’t have any problems.
Recently we have gone through some home theater updates, new LG OLED, new AVR with Atmos capabilities and in-ceilling Atmos height speakers.
Since ATV does not currently allow true Atmos sound I have decided to get a Shield for playback of movies on my NAS.
Question is, do I keep everything as is and use the regular, tube, Shield model as a Plex client or do I go with the Pro and put my Plex server on there?
This is only for local playback on the one TV, I do not stream content anywhere else.
My first thought was the Shield would be better doing all the processing than a NAS but from what I read that might not be the case. I would just assume save the money getting the tube version and keep my setup as is. Network is hard wired.
Suggest you purchase a Pro model whether or not you use it as a Plex server.
The tube model has problems with high bit rate media, such as 4K HDR movies. Search the forum with “Shield tube” or similar terms to see the reports.
As you are only playing to one TV and will not be transcoding, you probably won’t see any playback difference between running PMS on the Shield or the DS415+. If you do need to transcode video, the Shield will outperform the DS415+.
You can always run PMS on both devices and see which best meets your requirements. Plex does not limit the amount of servers per account (if they do, the limit is much higher than two).
Read the Plex documentation regarding running PMS on a Shield (Nvidia Shield), especially the Limitations document. For example, you will need an external drive to store the Plex data (i.e. the /plex shared folder on the Synology), as the Shield has limited internal storage.
Why would the tube version have trouble with 4K HDR? I thought both it and the Pro had the same guts other than RAM and Plex Server built in.
Isn’t the Shield built for this? My ATV has no issues.
Looks like Apple just introduced a new ATV, perhaps they will finally allow lossless audio, not holing my breath but will definitely wait to find out before buying a Shield.
I cannot give you a definitive reason. General consensus is that it is due to the tube model having less RAM. I am not aware of specific info from Plex or Nvidia.
Still, the issue exists. Search the forum and read the posts.
One other note: You must connect the Shield to your AVR, not to the TV. 2020 & newer LG TVs block dts audio formats over HDMI-eARC. See Audio Passthrough section of testing performed by rtings.com (linked below).
Guess it will be the Pro version then if I go with it. The new ATV specs are the same as the last, probably not in there interest to allow lossless audio. Also probably just a software update too if they ever do.
$200 for the Pro version, I’m tempted to just get an UHD player and not mess with it all. Having movies on a NAS is just so convenient.
Whatever the device, it will go directly into my NAD T 778. I don’t pass anything through the TV.
Xbox might be an alternative. See the “Plex, 4k, …” thread. Still early, but looks promising.
The new Plex HTPC client will be an option at some point (it is the replacement for Plex Media Player). It passes the audio. Not sure if HDR is working correctly yet. It is still in development. You can try the preview release if desired. Runs on Windows & Mac, and Linux some day.
The Shield includes a SMB client as part of the Android TV OS. You can keep the media on the NAS when running PMS on the Shield. Just mount the shared folders on the Shield that hold your media.
The Plex data folder, with metadata, thumbnails, etc, stays local to the Shield. It can be moved to an external USB drive. It cannot be moved to a network share (not a good idea anyway).
Connectivity:
a. The AppleTV , with Infuse to handle the server / nas connection
b. Shield native SMB
Video:
a. The Nvidia Shield pro, with Plex app, 2160p, 59.94 hz, UHD (that special 4K movie) - flawless downsample and tone map to 1080p HDMI. DirecxtPlay from Plex.
b. ATV 4K, with the Plex app, cannot handle the same 59.94 hz UHD movie. Granted, this is a one-off movie but does demonstrate capability. Transcoded. Maybe the new ATV 4K can ?
c. ATV 4K, with the Infuse player, can leverage more of the Apple hardware than the Plex app and levels the playing field for those cases where HDR tone mapping is required. Direct Play
Audio
a. Nvidia stepped up to every flaw we found and they fixed it. Full passthrough or decoding just works. DirectPlay
b. Apple won’t, for whatever business reasons, take the plunge past 5.1 core audio. Everything gets converted to WAV coming out to the HDMI. Transcoded in the Apple TV core.
Technically speaking
The Nvidia is the better platform
The Plex app on the Nvidia is first-class because of that platform base.
Would you suggest leaving the Plex Server on my Synology or move it to the Shield Pro? I’d prefer to leave as is for simplicity sake but want the best performance.
And if I do move it to the Shield sounds like I need some external drive to store Plex data?
)
meh
