All,
So the question is, what is the best media player for Plex?
I’m currently using an XBOX One as Plex player to my system and its a bit of a dog…random pausing…bad decoding…dropped frames on playback…no bitstream pass through (DTS soundtracks converted to AAC sound horribly limp and lifeless, no punch. And I can hear artifacting in the audio).
So what is the best player? Something that doesn’t drop frames, allows DTS/Dolby bitstreaming? Responds to the server quickly?
Thanks in advance
I like the nvidia shield TV
I switch from my ChromeCast to Raspberry pi 3 with Rasplex and could not be happier. No transcoding, super fast loading and seeking time. Really happy with the Raspberry pi + Rasplex.
I have a Pi2 and an Intel NUC. I prefer the NUC for responsiveness but both work very well for my needs.
@Stephen3001 said:
All,So the question is, what is the best media player for Plex?
I’m currently using an XBOX One as Plex player to my system and its a bit of a dog…random pausing…bad decoding…dropped frames on playback…no bitstream pass through (DTS soundtracks converted to AAC sound horribly limp and lifeless, no punch. And I can hear artifacting in the audio).
So what is the best player? Something that doesn’t drop frames, allows DTS/Dolby bitstreaming? Responds to the server quickly?
Thanks in advance
I have a Pi3, an ASUS ChromeBox-M004U, and a NUC all running Plex Media Player Embedded. I find the NUC to be the superior client and I really love it (it’s my primary HTPC) but it was was more expensive than the ChromeBox and Pi3. So I guess the real question is how much do you want to spend? I would caution anyone on the Pi3 for this reason only: I seems like a super cheap alternative but once you get a sd-card, a power supply, a wifi adapter, and a case you’ve spent ~$100-$150 and the client isn’t nearly as responsive as the ChromeBox. For ~$150 my ChromeBox has been a pretty awesome little client. Get yourself a Flirc (as the ChromeBox has no IR sensor) and use any remote you want. I’ve used plex on the Apple TV and Amazon FireTV as well and you run into the same limitations as with Xbox and Playstation clients with bitstreaming audio. I also tried the FireTV stick which was also incredibly limited (so I wouldn’t bother). Also what does the physical layer of your network look like? Mine is hardwired gigabit ethernet to the NUC and wireless N (AC router with N nics on the clinets) to the ChromeBox and Pi3. I direct stream full 1080p with lossless audio to all of my clients and they are all solid though the Wifi clients are slightly slower to start the stream.
As mentioned by someone before, the best player that I have found (aside
from an HTPC connected to your system) is the NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV. It
can handle direct play video and audio, supporting AAC, AC3, DTS, DTS-HD
MA, and FLAC. Soon there should be support for Dolby TruHD, as it took a
good year after the release of the SHIELD before DTS-HD MA support was
added. The Plex team works very closely with Google and NVIDIA to make
things work, so to be honest, I think the SHIELD is the way to go (again,
unless you don’t mind having a small HTPC connected to your system, which
provides perfect support for EVERYTHING, if you have the proper hardware).
@seanfrisbey said:
As mentioned by someone before, the best player that I have found (aside
from an HTPC connected to your system) is the NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV. It
can handle direct play video and audio, supporting AAC, AC3, DTS, DTS-HD
MA, and FLAC. Soon there should be support for Dolby TruHD, as it took a
good year after the release of the SHIELD before DTS-HD MA support was
added. The Plex team works very closely with Google and NVIDIA to make
things work, so to be honest, I think the SHIELD is the way to go (again,
unless you don’t mind having a small HTPC connected to your system, which
provides perfect support for EVERYTHING, if you have the proper hardware).
The SHIELD is pretty sexy, I’ve just never played with one. For $200 it may be my next toy to play with.
@JT Marshall said:
The SHIELD is pretty sexy, I’ve just never played with one. For $200 it may be my next toy to play with.
I have two and they are my preferred players. I can do everything I want - live TV, YouTube, Plex, games, movie apps (HBO, FXNOW, FOXNOW), and a lot of other great apps - all with one simple remote and no worries. Now that CEC is both ways on the Shield, when I put it to sleep it also turns off the TV, which is a nice bonus.
It’s very nice, in my opinion. It has everything that I need!
NUC supports TrueHD and I have around $180 into mine.
I’ve thought about that. I just like the good out of box experience with
the SHIELD. Also, I like the games and the game streaming.
Thanks all for your comments.
Unfortunately at the moment the Shield isn’t available in Australia. Hopefully soon.
I’ve looked at a NUC, just don’t want the whole process to be too fiddly. Would like a professional looking setup with Netflix etc accessible as well.
I have come from a Popcorn Hour using NMJ. Clunky horrible interface, but it did play everything well and allowed full bitstream passthrough (and played .ISO’s, but thats another story). I was after a good interface and user experience. Hopefully the XBOXone client will be fixed soon and I can rely on it a bit more.
Thanks again.
I don’t think Xbox1 will be fixed any time soon. I am not sure about the audio capabilities on the Xbox 1 S, but I am not holding my breath.
As an all-in-one device. The Xbox 1 is probably the most comprehensive unit you can buy. Before people get up in arms about their favourite device, this observation has more to do with raw functionality than quality.
The Xbox1 can play all the popular apps (in Aus anyway) Netflix, Foxtel, Plex as well as being supported with streaming music through Groove. It has a very easy to use media remote and the Kinect IR Blaster can control your TV and soundbar/receiver/stereo - again all from the one remote. Add in the TV tuner unit for a few $$ and you have everything in the same eco-system, on the same small remote.
I toyed with the idea of importing an Nvidia Sheild - but it still has issues with TrueHD/Atmos and it doesn’t have free-to-air TV (that I know about) and I am not sure if I like what I hear about the ecosystem+plex.
Currently I run an Xbox1 setup in the main living room and I have a dedicated theatre room with a full HTPC - I would run something else but the HTPC is the best option for quality of picture and sound. It is a little clunky and I am yet to add a TV tuner card, Flirc and grab a logitec to run all my kit.
If you are particular about sound quality - then it is likely you will need to go for a NUC or HTPC.
Have you also considered a Roku stick? It doesn’t support many formats so if you don’t want to transcode it’s not the best option, but for everything else it looks pretty fast and convenient
A Roku 3 is less than half the price of the Nvidia Shield & is a good Plex player with a nice remote plus minimal fuss in setup.
@nigelpb said:
A Roku 3 is less than half the price of the Nvidia Shield & is a good Plex player with a nice remote plus minimal fuss in setup.
Especially if you’re looking for a no fuss setup that supports Netflix. Nothing running Embedded supports Netflix.
Have you looked at the ODroid-C2 running OpenPHT?
About $60 (Board, Case, PSU, & SD Card)
REF:https://forums.plex.tv/discussion/223080/openpht-for-odroid-c2-information-and-tips/p1
@hthighway said:
Have you looked at the ODroid-C2 running OpenPHT?
About $60 (Board, Case, PSU, & SD Card)REF:https://forums.plex.tv/discussion/223080/openpht-for-odroid-c2-information-and-tips/p1
OpenPHT does not support Netflix.
@TurboJailer said:
@hthighway said:
Have you looked at the ODroid-C2 running OpenPHT?
About $60 (Board, Case, PSU, & SD Card)REF:https://forums.plex.tv/discussion/223080/openpht-for-odroid-c2-information-and-tips/p1
OpenPHT does not support Netflix.
And I didn’t state that it did.
But the Shield is not available to the OP and the OP has stated the Xbox one is having issues. So for $60 (might be different in Australia), the odroid-c2 provides a plex client that will work for a minimal investment.
Copy that, thought you were responding to JT Marshall. The Odriod-C2 does look to be an interesting option.
