Hi everyone,
New User here. Here is my current setup.
-Server: Mac Mini 2012 with 2.3GHz Quad Core i7, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD and 256GB SSD dual drive setup
-Tuner: HDHomeRun Connect Duo (New model – seems to be identical to old model in terms of specs but with new, more compact housing)
-Connection Specs: Comcast Xfinity ~115mbps down; ~6-8 mbps up
-Passive basic HD Antenna pulls in ~70 channels in metropolitan area about 7 miles from network broadcast towers.
-All devices connected via ethernet cable directly to Comcast Gateway Router/Modem.
-Primary Client – Apple TV 4 on different remote networks
I mostly use Plex to access my local OTA channels while away from home. I am only using Plex’s own software – no plug ins or the like. I also plan to start using it locally for DVR purposes, but I think Plex’s ability to transcode after record should work well to keep picture quality up and file sizes down on a machine with a rather powerful processor and a lot of storage capacity. I do not have a giant movie collection that I plan to use Plex for and mostly rely on Netflix/HBOGo/Amazon and Apple rentals for those needs – so the storage should be more than sufficient for recording some 30-60 minute TV shows and deleting them on an ongoing basis after watching.
The issue I’m having is getting good quality, smooth playing live TV picture on remote devices. I got decent performance from a 5mbps setting, but it was a bit blurry and stuttered.
Because my primary remote client is the Apple TV 4, I looked up its supported formats, and H.264 is one of them. This format seems to be the ideal format in terms of optimizing small file size and high picture quality.
I then looked into the HDHomeRun Extend, which does transcoding to H.264 locally rather than relying on the server to do that. This is marketed (by SiliconDust) as a solution for people with low bandwidth who use HDHomeRun locally in their homes. That’s not the issue for me at all, as the Connect works flawlessly locally on my phone and web apps.
I’d like to know whether using the Extend, set to transcode to H.264 would streamline the process and decrease the size of live video getting uploaded to the web for remote access, or if it would be redundant where my CPU is a pretty capable transcoder. If it is redundant, is there a setting I can adjust in plex so that the only file format being uploaded for remote use is H.264 (as opposed to multiple formats being uploaded to suit a variety of end client devices)?
I know one obvious solution here is to get a different ISP with a better upload speed. Unfortunately, where I am located, that comes with either a tradeoff to a much slower download speed (50mbps), or double the monthly price and a 2 year contract commitment to a provider I’m not sure I’ll like. So I’m trying to avoid that.
Any other suggestions are more than welcome, these are just my initial thoughts after some research.
Thanks for your help!
