Smart TV's with PLEX and 4K RUN away!

Plex Players Smart TVs
1

Server Version#:Windows 11 Pro 1.40.2.8
Player Version#:Samsung and Vizio Smart TV’s

No log required

Like everyone, the PLEX ride is surely FUN but sometimes you get sick.

PLEX plays on this device but not on this one and so ON!
After installing a Nvidea P2200 card for the Transcoding Monster without tweaking life is great…

I had been busy upgrading my Library to 4K when I first noticed FireTV by Insignia 1080 will not play Transcoded 4K movies on the home network but using a Firestick on the same TV works fine. Well year later and many updates the TV works without using the old Firestick.

Well, this past Weekend traveled to my Vacation home and streaming PLEX LiveTV on my Vizio smart TV no troubles until my Friend called and alerted me Star Trek 2009 in 4K will not work on his Brand New Samsung TV but everything else worked fine.

My Server is set up to 4 meg/ 720 upload speed so this 4K movie was not working for him… So I diverted my Vizio to the same movie and YEP get this “Playback Error” An error occurred loading items into the play queue. So I am thinking bad file or transcoder not working…luck would have it I have a cheap Amazon Tablet and Firestick on hand! Both played the movie perfect in 720.

Now I am at home used my Samsung TV direct play the 4K movie same SCREEN! WOW so went to Best Buy purchased new FireTV stick 4K Max guess what plays my 4K movie on my 4K TV perfectly!

My son warned me a few years ago to STAY AWAY from smart TV’s junk software updates and hardware even the pricey Samsung 2024 with tizen is crap.

So hope this info helps many PLEX users who scratch their heads on what they have done. NOPE its not you its THEM! LOL

2

tl;dr TVs make terrible streamers. We know.

3

they worked fine with 1080 but YEP those 4K’s the smart TV with Plex is not ready for prime time!

4

I disagree, I have purchased several TCL Roku 4K TVs for myself and family members - and or they purchased their own.
None of them have had issues playing back 4k videos from my movie or TV collections - though, most if the time video streamed outside my home network are transcoded down to 1080p or on occasion 720p.
I understand what what you are saying regarding your experience, but it is not shared by all users of Plex.
The ‘problem’ with both the examples you have is that both Samsung and Vizio is that they have used multiple OSes over the years and without Knowing if they are running current (modern) versions of the Plex Player software is anyones guess - without further details or logs.
I had a Samsung 4k (pre Tizen) and an old 4k? Vizio (running the Yahoo OS) and both were terrible (at the time) at utilizing and communicating with PMS - Still today, I get 'warnings ’ on my server that Samsung TVs connected to my server so not have proper profiles - so maybe it’s you TV platform and not all “Smart TVs with a Plex…” that are the issue.
These profile-less TVs can run playback video after transcoder to what I presume is a fallback h264 profile.
The only issue I and my family have experienced with Plex and 4k media is HDR related and that has more to do with their TVs picture being bright enough - which is very common - and can be disabled in Roku OS.
I hope your experience gets better, and if you truly want that, instead of complaining, include logs, software versions, TV models etc.
Honey vs vinegar

5

It was more of a general statement AND I stand behind it.
When I was running KODI on Raspberry Pi’s at my Vacation home I purchased all New Vizio Smart TV’s back WHEN they REALLY COST$$$ knowing they had PLEX app on them.

Well as a few years passed and being a Vacation home I was in no big hurry because WE didn’t have Internet, not in the mountains! Last year we got INTERNET Fiber!! LIFE is great and the journey begins setting up PLEX. TALK about feeling like an ugly PROM DATE! that never got picked up! PLEX decided to NO LONGER SUPPORT VIZIO TV’s made before 2016 and YEP I owned 2015 models that probably have less 100 hours on 1080 TV’s! Because of PLEX they are NO LONGER SMART! That’s my own PLEX! So here comes the FIRE STICKS Hate it! Nothing SUCKS more than having guests staying the weekend and Oh when you start the DUMB TV “because of PLEX…p.s. (Netflix still works on them) you have to change the TV input to another device making your TV Smart! See how long this is taking!”

Now Plex has done it AGAIN! ( On September 30, 2020 we will end support for the Plex app on some older smart TVs (some Vizio, LG, and Hisense models). These devices cannot use modern, secure connections when communicating with our services.)

So you got LUCKY! It is not worth the RISK using PLEX with smart tv’s is like playing RUSSIAN ROULET! $$$$$$ They can make up all the crap they say about security this and bla bla bla THAT. But all those TV’s still work with Netflix or Amazon etc etc

Plex is only a temporary solution until I retire and have time to setup my Server without the help of Plex. To this day I still manage all my MEDIA with Posters,fanart,nfo’s and theme music. Plex wants to control and monitor your media. To much outside control and when the Internet is down I just plug in Raspberry DON’T need the internet to view my own MEDIA! That right there should tell you BEWARE of Big Brother! So you have to JUMP through HOOPS to play PLEX without the Internet. Oh in doing so you need the internet to figure out how to do it! PLEX doesn’t offer the option No internet detected should I play the Media on a private network?

6

Plex is not the reason your TVs are go longer smart. Your TVs are go longer answer because the company you purchased the TVs from no longer supports the OS THEY backed and moved on to another OS.
Just because Netflix still works on them, does not mean it’s Plex’s fault for discounting support.
That’s the problem with backing a TV manufacturer who uses their own OS. They can change any feature at any moment, they can choose a new OS based on many factors.

After being burned by both Vizio (which has ALWAYS been a band based on value, BTW) and Samsung abandoning there customers by switching their TV OS’ and abandoning their previous models, I did my research and chose Roku as they ate the only company that has been focused on backwards compatibility with, until very recently, all previous generation devices - including smart Roku TVs from many vendors - they are all getting updates to the latest OS and new features.

RE Plex and Roku
Several years ago, Roku changed the app platform and requirements for all apps/tiles on their platform.
Since this change affected all Rokus ever sold and did not splinter development, Plex invested in creating an entirely new app for Roku with all the modern features found on other top end streamers - more features that I use than the Plex Android/Fire apps offer (and why I recently returned my TCL Google TV) and exchanged it for another Roku TV (long story, TBC).

In your case, and to make your TVs easier to use for yourself and your guests, I would suggest turning your semi-smart TV’s into dumb TVs.
Set the default into to your Fire Stick and use that for 100% of your viewing.
Personally, I would replace them with Roku devices, but that’s my opinion based my use of both Plex Player apps.

In summary. You can’t undue your past purchases. You can’t blame Plex for no longer supporting a discontinued OS/platform - you can only blame the TV manufacturer for their short sighted or eagerness to make a quick buck at the expense of they’re customers long-term satisfaction.

It sucks that this happens in a fast moving often changing market. It’s happened to me, I was angry, frustrated and discouraged.

But that made me show down and really think of what was important with my future TV purchases (which I didn’t plan of upgrading for a very long time) and prioritize quality, ease of use, the features of the hardware and long term support (track record and history) and looking into the past as an example of what choices a company will make in the future to support their customers.

For example, Roku just announced new OS features with they released the new Roku Pro televisions - many of these new features will be coming to all Roku TVs in the coming months.

Again, make the best of what you have and learn from your experience and apply it to future purchases - just like when you purchased smart TVs for a house without Internet instead of buying cheaper dumb TVs.

7

I agree with you that an Internet connection shouldn’t be required to watch content stored on your local Plex server, that’s a must have feature that Plex should address - but doesn’t seem like it’s a priority or ever will be.
That’s a shame.

As far as moving away from Plex to another service…
I came to Plex years after Windows Media Center was abandoned by Microsoft.
I had Xbox’s installed in every room with a TV and recorded an my own content from 12 tuners connected through/with Comcast CableCards.
Those were the days! :blush:

But those days are over and the centralized home network and media hub have been abandoned for a connected cloud first approach.
This makes a lot of sense these days since all our media is streamed from the could and subscriptions to these services - video, music, new etc are all tied to a subscription based paywall.
I too choose create or download my own artwork for Plex and for my personal video collections I still input and embed the metadata into each file manually - cast, description, genre, day/date, studio (where applicable) etc - to every video
It’s time consuming, but I and my friends and family appreciate the quality and detail is a curated experience that can be extensively searched and sorted.
After discovering Plex, I used both Media Center and Plex extensively for several years.
Over time Plex got better, added missing features and their app players added more features, got more stable and were/are available for nearly every device sold today.
I don’t know of any platform that is as extensive or more widely available than Plex is at the moment and I didn’t see any other vender trying to be the next Plex - but better.
Other platforms do exist, but they are not developing apps for smart TVs and require installing mini-computers to each TV device.
For me, that’s an issue which I can’t compromise on.
Keep me up to date on your plans for your retirement media center project - are you doing to use existing software, it developed you own?
Inquiring minds…

8

Oh, I have been doing this Since WMC first came out with WMC wireless extenders and changed to XBMC. But in media, I will not use APPLE Products just like Roku. Closed OS is not in my DNA.

I can also have Auto Boot on Firestick directly into PLEX. Things we can do in a Free open market.

1 Like
9

This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.