Tivo HEVC and MOV playback

[SWETTPLEX09]

Server Version#: 1.18.1.1973
Player Version#: Tivo

There is an ongoing issue with HEVC playback on Tivo.
I have a Tivo Bolt with a Tivo Mini Vox with an 4K LG TV; the whole system is 4K capable.

Yet whenever I playback HEVC files they get transcoded to 1080p. The audio is Direct Streamed, but the video is transcoded. And yes the settings are set to Direct Play and Direct Stream.

They simply should not be getting transcoded.

I tested the same files on the Plex Windows App on my desktop and they do not get transcoded, they get Direct Played. Also when you check the onscreen playback settings (in the playback menu) while playing the movie, it shows “Original 4K” as the video setting. But if you check the dashboard on the server, it is most definitely not original and actually transcoding to 1080p.

I have been discussing this issue for months elsewhere on the forum.

Struggling with 4K HEVC HW Transcoding with GPU

Ok, so after a lot of testing. I updated all drivers on the Intel NUC, none of them graphic drivers though. Then I updated Plex, I was one version behind. Deleted a File that the thumbnail generator was stuck on for months. And finally rebooted. And everything started working!? h265 movies started playing with 14-20% iGPU usage. But it wasn’t consistent on all files. I then took @timekills advice and changed the setting to “automatic” and that gave an improvement, where all h265 files ha…

Just as others have been questioning as well @jcthorne :

How to get Tivo Bolt to direct stream HEVC video (1080p)

Server Version#: 1.15.5.994 Player Version#: Tivo Bolt Can anyone give me specific instructions on how to get Plex server and the Tivo Bolt Plex client to direct stream an HEVC (8bit) 1080p video. Currently mkv container but any container would do. Currently it transcodes to h264 as required by the HTML TV ap.xml profile.

When will this issue be updated?

Additionally during playback of MOV (AVC, 1080p, 60fps) files that were recorded in portrait mode on an iPhone, there is a flickering magenta static at the bottom of the video. This doesn’t occur on any other player than the Tivo (I also tested the Web App, Windows app and iOS app), and it doesn’t happen on any other type of MOV (AVC) file when recorded in landscape.

[SWETTPLEX09]

Anyone?

[SWETTPLEX09]

Struggling with 4K HEVC HW Transcoding with GPU

As I mentioned in the last PM, not sure if you saw it, something on your system is causing subtitles to still get chosen. I don’t know if the TiVo has an overall subtitle setting that might be affecting this. Your logs were showing subtitles still being burned in, hence the transcode.

@MovieFan.Plex says that transcoding is occurring because subtitles are enabling. Except I am playing the files with no subtitles enabled on both the Plex server and the Tivo app, yet it keeps playing files with subtitles as seen in the logs, but not seen on the onscreen playback settings. The onscreen playback shows NO SUBTITLES. But the logs show subtitles enabled. And the server settings are set to NOT automatically use subtitles. Yet somehow subtitles are being used by the Plex Tivo app (as per the logs), and it is not occurring on any other app that can perform direct playback (Plex Windows App).

[SWETTPLEX09]

Struggling with 4K HEVC HW Transcoding with GPU

There are no subtitles this time. I’ll still need to see the logs to check why it’s transcoding this time. If you can provide me the XML for that movie, that may explain it too.

@anon18523487

Got the logs. Ok, I need the XML to verify, but it appears that your file has the TrueHD as the first audio track and the AC3 as the second audio track. Your TiVo cannot direct play the second audio track, it can only play the first audio track. So PMS has to remux the file to make the AC2 the first audio track. The TiVo doesn’t support hevc when direct streaming, so it has to transcode the video to h264. The TiVo also does not support 4k h264, so it has to lower to 1080p. If you want, try remuxing your original file making the AC3 the first audio track. See if that file then direct plays.

Final Solution… Tivo needs a HEVC file with a compatible first track audio.

I hope you can at least fix the magenta blur during playback on MOV files shot in portrait mode on an iPhone.

[anon18523487]

There won’t be any updates for the app on the TiVo, see https://support.plex.tv/articles/204080173-which-smart-tv-models-are-supported/#toc-1, so it is unlikely to get fixed. Sorry.

[SWETTPLEX09]

FML

Any input as to why the decision to stop support?

[anon18523487]

The app hasn’t been updated in a while and they can’t actually support many new features. A lot has to do with the underlying OS on the devices. Keep in mind that these Smart devices run a basic html engine and most manufacturers stopped maintaining their OS after release. They just can’t run the newer code needed to stay up to date.

There is a new app which is currently available for LG and Samsung. It may make it’s way to other devices in the future, but the app needs to be tested and optimized for each platform and we don’t have the resources to do that right now.