I decided to start ripping my Blu-rays to install in my Plex library, which already contains all my DVDs. My library is hosted on my Synology DS218+ and am using it as my Plex server. Because I wanted to maximize quality, I decided rip my Blu-rays using MakeMKV, bypass using Handbrake, and place the .mkv file directly in my library. I have both a Shield TV and Fire TV Stick 4K that I use as my Plex clients.
One of the first movies I ripped was 300, which is a pretty grainy movie. I then compared the quality of the movie using Plex (Direct Play) on my Shield TV vs. the Blu-ray. While the movie does look excellent on Plex, it has noticeably more noise and artifacts compared to the original Blu-ray. I then tried it on my Fire TV Stick, and the quality was pretty much the same. I also tried another movie and noticed a similar quality level.
Is it to be expected that a movie ripped using MakeMKV and viewed using Plex will always be inferior to watching the original Blu-Ray? Are there some settings in Plex Server or the client that I should be changing?
There should be no difference as you are just copying the video/audio/subs from the BD m2ts into the mkv.
Are you watching on a 4k tv? The only difference I can think of is which device is doing the upscaling. It could be the difference between your tv upscaling versus your shield/firetv upscaling.
The quality of the Plex viewing experience is up to you. If you are doing a direct remux of the blu-ray and direct playing that file on your client device, you are literally playing the same content, just with no disc involved.
This would of course be dependent on you having a Plex client capable of direct playing the codecs used on the blu-ray disc, and a network connection fast enough to carry it server to client.
Also keep in mind if you are using a external streaming device the picture settings on your TV for that particular HDMI input might not be the same as those on the input the blu-ray player is using.
My TV is a 50" Pioneer 1080p plasma. The only other thing I thought about was the quality of the video processing in my Blu-Ray player vs the Shield TV and Fire TV Stick. Would that cause a noticeable difference?
Yes, direct remux of the blu-ray, and both the Shield TV and Fire TV Stick are Direct Playing. I only have one HDMI out going to my TV from my receiver, and my receiver doesn’t offer much in fine tuning functionality on the HDMI inputs.
Possible you have a DNR filter active on your blu-ray player’s settings? That has been a feature on players for awhile and many of them have it enabled by default.
No. because playback is a function of the client, remember? When you’re direct-playing video the server is merely sending the file to the device. For the server to change the video it would have to be transcoding the video, and most client devices don’t have such features. You can check and see (in the Shield’s settings, not the Plex app). I think most devices try to be “hands off” with that stuff, but maybe the Shield has it since it has the AI upscaling. Funny enough I have a Shield Pro here I bought last week but I haven’t opened it yet so I can’t check.
Technically if you do have a DNR filter active on the blu-ray player that would make the output of the Plex app superior, because you really are seeing the video as it was encoded and not losing fine detail as a result of the DNR.
One thing you can do: Disable the DNR filter on the blu-ray player and use the DNR filter you likely have as an option on your TV’s picture settings. That way all video from the receiver will be processed – BD player and Shield.
Edit: if there is a DNR filter active on the blu-ray player, turn if off and also take a look at the sharpness setting on the TV (and look if there is an extra sharpness/edge-enhancement setting on the BD player even). The noise and artifacts you’re seeing might be fairly mild in the disc itself but are being enhanced by overly ambitious/double sharpening of the picture, where the DNR filer was smoothing them out before. Having the contrast, saturation, and sharpness too high is another “standard setting” on TVs out of the box.
When you’re direct-playing video the server is merely sending the file to the device. For the server to change the video it would have to be transcoding the video, and most client devices don’t have such features. You can check and see (in the Shield’s settings, not the Plex app). I think most devices try to be “hands off” with that stuff, but maybe the Shield has it since it has the AI upscaling. Funny enough I have a Shield Pro here I bought last week but I haven’t opened it yet so I can’t check.