Server Version#: 1.27.0.5897-3940636f2
Player Version#: 4.86.1
I have asked this question many times in various places over the last few years but never seem to get an answer.
I PLEX installed on my AS5304T and run a HDMI cable direct from the NAS box into my TV to watch films TV off it, it can sometimes work great an other times it is unusable and when I check what is happening it is buffering so much because it is trying to convert the quality for streaming, but I am not streaming, as far as I know I am playing it direct, just like I would from a hard drive.
If I then take the hassle and set up a laptop connected to my TV using HDMI and use the streaming function it will work with no problems and no buffering. So why when I am playing direct through a HDMI does it say I’m streaming and not work?
I can only assume that your NAS came with a 3rd-party Plex player which appears to be no longer supported.
Or it was a 3rd-party port of the ancient Plex Home Theater client, which hasn’t been working since years with current server versions.
It is Plex media server that is installed and has been updated frequently, I have always just plugged a HDMI into the NAS and the TV and accessed it on the TV. Which was the whole point of buying this NAS, I was advised that it had HDMI and could play direct without the need for an internet connection.
I don’t know what you mean by 3rd-party Plex player or port of the ancient Plex Home Theatre client.
All I know is it works 90% of the time, but for some reason decides it is going to stream even though the TV is connected straight into the NAS. So I really don’t understand why it would stream. Is it streaming to itself?
I turn the TV on, I click on Plex (first photo) and then select a film from my library (second photo), or at least I did until the recent update that keeps failing and has stopped me accessing the library (another post I put on yesterday). So I can’t actually show you selecting a film as it stopped working yesterday.
Answering the basic streaming question. To use Plex you need both a server and a client. You are using the ASUSTOR as both by using the Firefox browser as the client. Streaming is still occurring locally but it isn’t the same as reading the file directly.
The browser client is very limited in capabilities and generally not the best choice for media playback. A Roku, Shield or an Apple TV would be a good choice.
The marketing for that device seems overly generous on its 4k capabilities, it has a J4105 which probably struggles with audio and subtitles. All of this will depend on the media you are trying to play back.
You screenshots show that your server isn’t running, while I would guess that you have a corrupted db you should provide logs to verify.
Thank you, very simple and useful answer for the original streaming question. So it seems the company I bought the NAS from gave me false information about direct playback, but that doesn’t surprise me as they have been awful with aftercare and just told me to contact Asustor direct about any questions because they didn’t know anything about the device, they just sold it.
I have an Apple TV box but it is about 10 years old as I prefer not to use Apple when possible. So if I hooked this upto the TV and installed Plex on it I would get better results? But this is still streaming?
I wanted to avoid streaming as I don’t really see the point of it as I never want to access my NAS from outside the house. Is there no way of playing direct?
I also do not have any 4k, the highest quality I have is 1080p.
My database is not corrupted, it was the update from a few days ago that was refusing to install but due to it going through the installation process and failing around 30 times, i could then no longer access my server. This is now solved by uninstalling PLEX on the NAS and reinstalling and my server is now running.
I used plex to organise my media. So are you saying that PLEX can not handle playing a film directing from a hard drive? So I need to ditch plex and find something else to organise my media?
If I decide to go with the streaming, within my home, which again seems pointless to me steaming something that is already in my home, what is the most basic, cheapest of the options you have suggested as a quick search they all look to do with streaming services. I do not need access to TV, Netflix, Amazon, I don’t need voice control, I don’t need to share anything to or from my phone.
I literally just need something to connect to my TV so I can browse my films and play one. Will Roku Express do this?
I think there’s a misunderstanding here with the word “streaming”.
In this context “streaming” means going from the hard drive to the Plex Media Server software to the Plex client. In your first example, the Plex client was the Firefox browser. So “streaming” is still playing the file from your hard drive.
In your second example, the “streaming” is going from your hard drive to the Plex Media Server software to your laptop Plex client.
Is there somewhere I can get this information in plain English, all the computer talk is getting very confusing.
I have films on a hard drive, the hard drive is in my NAS. I just want the simplest possible way for them be be organised in media library and press play when I find the film I want to watch.
I’m not trying to be rude, I’m grateful for people trying to help, but I do not need an expensive setup that I can watch things on my phone and away from home.
