Plex Pro Box Shoot-Out! Comparing Shield, Apple TV, Fire TV Cube and Xbox ! Best one?
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- Опубликовано: 10 май 2024
- Sign up for a Plex Pass - lon.tv/plexpass (compensated affiliate link) - Serving 4k media from your personal Plex Media Server can be complicated with varying video and audio modes. In this video I take a look at four popular boxes and see how they stack up! Would love suggestions for additional players in the comment section. See more Plex - lon.tv/pledhdhr and subscribe! lon.tv/s
VIDEO INDEX:
00:00 - Intro
01:26 - Nvidia Shield TV Pro
02:33 - Shield Settings
06:35 - Apple TV 4k
07:42 - Apple TV Settings
09:57 - Fire TV Cube
10:54 - Fire TV Settings
13:16 - Xbox
14:19 - Compatible Xbox Hardware
14:53 - Xbox Settings
16:21 - Conclusion
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Thanks for this. Great review and great tips on the proper settings. I just got a 4k TV and a new sound bar. The proper settings allow everything to direct play. No more transcoding.
Something else I would have liked explored is direct play codec support, and since some of us tend to watch subtitled content which subtitle formats are supported without burning in (which would then require transcoding). While Plex servers that can transcode are not anything new, they can be slow to spin up, and depending on the container used in the format not play at all depending on the player with or without direct play, for example the PS5 surprisingly enough has really poor direct play support and even less subtitle format support. So if you were to play an MKV with a subtitle format of ASS or SSA, in place of the MP4 friendly SRT, you will get a video no matter what codec was used that will not play in direct play mode, and when transcoding will not feature subtitles unless you turn on burn-in.
While Plex is quite flexible on the codecs it will work with and the devices it can work with, there are quite a few gotchas beyond just the audio codecs, HDR content depending on the player. Also a complete lack of AV1 Direct Play or transcoding from, but I'm sure that will happen at some point.
I have been waiting for another one of these!
Roku ultra
Addendum on Apple TV & the scope of what we were looking at. First the Apple TV just had a new release this week and I tested the prior model. The new model is not any better as it still handles audio the same way. Scope: this video is focused on the Plex personal media server, the players can usually handle Atmos/Dolby Vision on streaming services but personal Plex media has different types of audio & HDR modes that's not supported even though it's called the same thing (yes it's confusing). Additionally all of these boxes can play back media streamed from Plex via their free streaming services without issue. And although I had an older Shield on the desk everything was tested on a 2019 Shield I have upstairs.
Roku ultra?
The Apple TV 4K does support Dolby atoms, however the Apple TV Plex app does not.
@@comedysucker Yes that's what this video is about :)
If I do not use the media server and only use the shared media server, would all of your recommendations for the Shield Pro 2019 apply? Particularly, your recommendations under the Advanced settings for Plex and for the settings of the Shield.
@@luke9822 yes those are the playback settings I recommend for whichever server you're using.
The older Xbox One X from 2017 was a great streamer even though it didn't have HDMI 2.1. It literally played everything.
I am interested in the Apple TV 4K and I was disappointed to learn it doesn't do hi-res audio for movies with Plex (and I assume Emby) any chance you could do a video using the FireCore Infuse app? It is supposed to allow audio passtrough.
The Fire TV Cube 2nd gen has all the things you mentioned for the Fire TV Cube 3rd gen, so you can save some money by getting the previous gen Cube. About the only thing the 3rd gen has that the 2nd gen didn't is the ability to play AV1, but that's not very common at this point. Also, with the Cube, you can use a gigabit USB-to-ethernet adapter with an OTG adapter and get up to 480Mbps (the USB on the Cube is USB 2, which is why it can't do the full gigabit speed).
I've got two Nvidia Shields myself the 2017 model and the 2019 TV Pro...keep up the good work my man.
Me too!! Actually a 2015 model as the server. 2019 as a client and a 2017 I took to work for my lunch breaks.
The newer shield can use nvidia’s AI to upscale content to 4k which I think is way better then the TVs upscaler. So if you get the newer one I definitely would not turn on automatic resolution switching and I’d let the shield do the scaling
shame it can't do anything at 60fps though, right? be pretty neat for some sports
You do, however, want the automatic refresh rate changing.
The AI works for 60fps things ?
@@tech360gamer I believe so, but there's a warning in the menu that using the AI upscaling on game streaming content will add a lot of extra lag.
@@guspaz Oh, thanks. That's interesting then
For Apple TV, you want to set the TV video settings to 4K SDR even if you have a 4K HDR TV. Apple TV will always automatically bump up to HDR based on content but you avoid issues with some (many?) apps including RUclips which doesn’t play well into and out of ads when the Apple TV is not set to SDR.
I do like the way the interface looks in Dolby Vision :)
@@LonSeidman Agreed but it really messes with RUclips.
With one thing we agree Lon. The Nvidia Shield Pro is still the best media player/server even today.:) I use mine for local playback and nothing else compares.
I agree wholeheartedly, I own three (3) Nvidia Shield TV units and have never looked back.
Can I ask... if my Hard Drive is plugged into the Shield , Can that Hard Drive/Shield act as a Plex Server and can run Plex without the internet? I ask because my mum has the worst case scenario , that being , she has no internet and no Smart TV. Just a regular TV with USB ports & HDMI.
So I want her to watch all the movies etc on her hard drive in that beautiful PLEX display catalogue. If it needs the internet for an initial set up then I can do that by hot spotting to my phone temporarily.
@MylonasFilms I don't think it will display the metadata if it's offline. If the Metadata is downloaded onto storage, then it should display the information. But, you need internet to fetch the database to match your shows and movies
Although it would be a more difficult plex video to make, it would be great a similar video but for those that don't have/want a TV and watch everything on their mobile devices, mainly tablets, but also computers. The best candidates would be the 12.9in iPad pro and the Tab S8 ultra, but also some Surface devices or even MacBooks...But of course not easy as you would need to have those device handy at the same time....
Plex on Kodi on the Shield I'd assume will support everything you throw at it with the Shield doing all the transcoding, even DV if you have the correct version.
I have been looking at the Asustor line of NAS boxes, one i am looking at has 2.5Gbps ethernet. Any advice on these boxes? I run Plex on my WD My Cloud box currently.
Suggestion as asked: please update the video with the subtitle capabilities of PLEX on the different systems. I see difficulties with subtitles not displaying in HDR media playback. Thanks!
Hi, I have a Firecube TV 4k 3rd gen with a home theatre set up of two echo studios. In the Firecube TV options i followed your guide to the audio surround sound and Dolby Digital Plus is selected and best available is greyed out. Does this means Dolby Atmos content is not availble on the Plex, Netflix & Prime Video applications for example?
Thinking of getting a Series S for casual gaming but would be interested in using Plex on it as a bonus. Can anyone confirm that it would play my 4K Blu ray rips with HDR10, HD Audio, Dolby Atmos and at the correct framerate? On my old Xbox One S even when I set "allow 24hz" it still stubbornly refused to switch away from 60hz when watching 25fps or 24fps content via Plex. I have an Apple TV 4K with the Infuse app which does everything I want except on the audio side (no DTS HD, DTHD, DTSX or Atmos output), it just converts everything to PCM.
Another thing to test is full sized 4K movies with HDR10+ and Dolby Vision layer don’t play correctly on FireTV in Plex but will in Kodi. I am curious how they play in Plex on other players?
What platform is the plex server running on? Thanks Lon
Hi! can I passthrou Dolby Atmos / TrueHD and DTS-X audio to my reciver I have a Denon X2700H AVR using Apple TV 4K 3rd gen 2022. both my tv & avr have a hdmi 2.1 hdcp 2.3. if yes does passthrough compessed or uncompressed to my avr.
FWIW, DolbyVision (profile 5) files DirectPlay fine on my Xbox Series X connected to a LG OLED TV. This is with the latest client 5.49.0, so maybe a recent change?
My hopes for Xbox being the ultimate player was crushed when a lot of formats were not natively supported. Got a Shield and wow, what a neat media player. And the remote replaced my Harmony as it does everything I need to turn everything on and off
You have an example for me? I'm about to buy a used xbox one s because of the wide audio codec support.
@@janfrederick7753 I can't remember the exact phrasing via Plex. I'll check and get back to you. But the main issue was that due to that it introduced mini stutters every 5 seconds. And I have an Xbox One X in my home theater
Been using a TCL Roku TV for a few years now. The 4 series was limited in its network speed keeping me from direct playing files above 70-80Mbps bitrates. Well, moved to a 5 series (TCL 65S555) and it’s a beast of a player. Handles all the newer formats, will passthrough audio to my sonos arc, they’ve upped the network capabilities and it now plays every file without a hiccup.
All that to say that if you’re in the market for a Plex client, but need a new TV as well and like the roku OS (it’s my favorite) then definitely check out a TCL S555 series or higher end TCL.
Roku TV is great. Only issue I have is that it doesnt support Dolby Vision in Plex (at least not my model)
@@SBBUK I think mine does. Will have to double check it.
You’re giving me a bunch of settings but no video comparisons to see which handles the 4K files best.
I can't find the link to the mentioned video talking about streaming across town. Can anybody help?
LON ROCKS!!!!
Nvidia Shield absolutely the best Plex box..... I actually just decided to do a factory reset on my shield and start all over again simply because I've had it since 2017 and my streamlined lean and mean operation day to day has evolved so much from the wild apks and Kodi add ons of several years ago.
Also I just got a sweet new 2 terabyte SanDisk extreme portable SSD which is the perfect SSD drive for the Nvidia Shield since you can run off USB power only. No power adapter needed, fast silent storage.
This is actually my second one so I basically transferred all of the contents of my first drive onto the second drive because during a factory reset means the encrypted drive will become unusable. After I transferred all that data to the new drive, mostly video of course. Did a factory reset, adopted the drive again which encrypted it again and now I have two 2 terabyte SanDisk extreme ssds connected to it. Still have a couple of USB sticks connected to a hub as well but they are very small around 200 gigs each and all of that is already backed up because any day now those little USB sticks will probably fail due to heat or something.
My Shield Plex set up basically includes a small list of extremely useful apps like ADM (sideloaded), FX File Explorer, Send Files to TV, BiglyBT, Bulk Rename (sideloaded), and a handful of others. Have the setup optimized now and I'm down to only two essential apks for those random moments where you might need an APK for streaming now and then but mostly it's all about BiglyBT which can be managed remotely from my Android tablet. All of the additions to that application for file transfers I add from my tablet very easily and that client is fantastic on the shield and works great with the remote. Obviously netflix, disney, amazon, Hulu, the usual suspects for the majority of the content but for the rest of those things that we use Plex for, well my setup is extremely optimized specifically for that now. BiglyBT has entirely become my primary app of choice for that sort of thing. It is such a smooth and beautifully working app on the shield it's quite impressive. All you really need is some quality storage like the ssds that have been connected and you're in business.
Nvidia shield with Plex is a fantastic low key slim and optimized setup that is top-notch. All you really need is a couple SSD drives and you're in business. With FX file explorer I can easily transfer files to and from my Windows PC, tablet, etc. Several extra terabytes accessible on the Windows machine when needed but a lot of that is honestly for backup or things I haven't yet got to but will someday.
Roughly four and a half terabytes of storage accessible immediately on the shield with access to up to 10 terabytes of external hard drives connected to the Windows machine etc on my network. It's small and humble. There are many like it, but it is mine.
Better step up your game son. Each of my Plex servers drives is larger than your total capacity. 😉
On a serious note - don’t use SSDs for media storage/Plex. The drive won’t survive long operating under those conditions.
@@Cerus98 you're talking about two different things. I'm not talking about the old clunky mechanical drives that are more prone to failure than ssds are. I'm talking about long-term reliability. I'm also not talking about lots of old giant drives that are prone to failure using a NAS where you will just accept a failed drive by replacing it with another mechanical failure waiting to happen.....
My game is perfectly fine. I'm just more realistic about long-term reliability with the storage then trying to see how many numbers I can accumulate and what the biggest number is with inferior drives that are more prone to failure....... I'm not looking to lose more two or three terabyte drives like I have in the past with seagate.
I don't care if the capacities are smaller if the SSD storage is more reliable. That matters a lot more to me than a temporary storage device that will need replaced and bought again later.
I've been in this game ever since napster. My game is solid...... I'm also using a setup that works perfectly well for me based on what I need as a single person using it who is realistic about what I want to watch again in the future and what I don't so I don't feel the need to hoard media. I'm not trying to impress my buddies by claiming how many terabytes of stuff I have, I'm not trying to impress anyone by scrolling through an infinitely large library of things that just keeps scrolling because I've wasted as much money and time is possible collecting everything I hear about.
My setup is what I want for the things I'm currently watching and a few favorites that I want to keep around. Honestly this is what everyone should be doing but people have the ego and mentality of thinking bigger is always better so they want to go for the most terabytes they can and the largest amount of content because it helps their ego feel good.....
As someone who actually watches the content instead of simply just collecting it, a move from thing to thing that I want to watch, the things I actually need to collect. Honestly most of the stuff I watch are on legitimate applications like netflix, hulu, disney, amazon, HBO, and peacock........ I don't waste time collecting media that is available through those apps unless I need to or unless it's a favorite that I want no matter what outside of the app.
If a lot of the content you watch you're watching legit through the app it is offered from then you don't need to waste all those terabytes and try to inflate your ego with more drives and more files. All you need is enough room for some movies or things you might want to get in the wild outside of the apps you normally use. And that's what I'm running.
@@Cerus98 please elaborate when you say ssds will not last long-term under those conditions. Under which specific conditions have you found this to be true when using BiglyBT on shield being stored on a full actual SSD hard drive, not a memory stick, but a SSD hard drive. I'm using SanDisk Portable Extreme pro SSDs specifically because it has much faster read and write speeds and functions like a full actual hard drive as opposed to one of those cheap memory sticks.
I completely agree that the cheap SSD memory sticks are not good long-term storage but SSD hard drives are.
@@TorrentFiend10 - Holy wall of text Batman. Tone it down kiddo - people don’t want to read novels on RUclips.
Two points. SSDs are not more reliable than HDDs. SSDs have a finite cycle and will lose data if left unused. Quality NAS drives will not lose data whether unpowered or not. Read/write speed is also irrelevant for serving media. Your high speed SSDs do nothing over even the slowest of HDDs.
Ever heard of WD red and similar NAS drives? They’re designed for continuous, long term use. You’re trying to compare a $$$ SSD to a cheap 2yr HDD. Nobody who knows what they are doing builds a media server with cheap, run of the mill HDDs.
Secondly, I watch all my media thank you. If you want to have your little server with limited content while paying someone else for content that may or may not be there next week, go right ahead.
I have multiple people in my household and all of us appreciate full quality, bit for bit copies of the LEGITIMATE media we own on a LEGITIMATE APP. 70-90% of which isn’t available on any paid service 100% of the time.
I’ve purchased the thousands of discs I own because they’re mine. Forever. I’m not at the mercy of services who constantly raise prices, remove content and bicker over rights contracts.
And when a drive does eventually fail just like your SSD will, I’ll spend a fraction of the cost to replace it. To each their own.
Ps. It’s cute you name drop Napster as if that’s supposed to mean anything. 🤣
Great roundup Lon! It still bugs me that besides the SHIELD TV Pro (2019) none of the big boys (Apple, Amazon, Google) support DTS, TrueHD audio. That knocks them out of the running for me using Plex. I did buy a Apple TV 4K (2021) for all the other apps and switch the the SHIELD when I use Plex and some other stuff. Doesn't look like those other boxes will support those audio formats anytime soon which is a bummer. Any guess when we might get a update on the SHIELD TV Pro? Not that I need much more out of it, great device!
My guess is we'll see a new Shield when there's a new Switch. I bet most of Nvidia's resources for this particular chipset are tied up with that right now. To some degree the Switch's success has kept the Shield alive all these years.
And this is why I have a Shield Pro. Because I want ALL of the quality on video and audio.
And Apple launched the new Apple TV 2022 still with no Hi-Res audio.
Not surprised for what I presume is their target audience
I wish you would have tested Fast forwarding test... my nvidia shield would always crash plex when i do fast forward/rewind more than multiple clicks or press and hold. (
What Apple TV gen are you using because I thought it did Dolby Atmos?
I just purchased an Nvidia Shield Pro and connected it through my Marantz AVR to my Sony A95L TV. Do you know of a fix for the Dolby Vision issue where there is flashing of bright scenes with DV enabled? Turning off DV to fall back to HDR10 solves this problem.
Which if then if better? Faster with video quality, and colors? Sound?
Love your content. What LG OLED model do you have? Im a 55-inch LG kinda guy.
Can plex stream smooth remux videos in Apple tv and fire cube ?
Hi Lon, quick question. Does the Plex app on LG tvs(C2 specifically)support the audio that the Apple TV 4K doesn't?
I don't think so - usually those TVs will output back out over HDMI ARC which doesn't support lossless bit rates
Hey! I am getting a bit confused with Apple TV 4K, and I wonder if you can help me. Apple TV 4K comes with 1 single HDMI output. How do you use it for Plex streaming? Because 1 cable needs to go into the TV and 1 into the reciever for sound.
Hdmi to your receiver which then runs into the television through the receiver’s HDMI output
How about HDR 10+? Which of them supports it?
Have had good luck with live tv and hdr with plex on the shield? I love the shield with plex for my media but can not get the live tv and dvr using my hd home run and a xteve source to play without buffering and crashing. But it works perfect on the Roku. Do you you have any input on this? I’m pulling my hair out.
Thanks for the great content.
Are you connected via ethernet on the shield ?
Heres one some one may have run into or maybe not I am running my plex server now from an old gaming computer that I repurposed and its been running great however, The MCU playlist that I have created I seem to run into a bug and I am not sure if this apple specific or not but I have all the movies and the tv shows in a playlist in play order but when it comes to the tv shows it will take me to the specific tv show folder instead of actually playing each episode which is fine coz you can just press play and it will load episode from inside the folder but when you have shows like the arrowverse that cross over each episode it wont play in the order that you have set in the play list it will just go to each shows own folder and play in the order from that if that makes any sense. this is being streamed to the 2021 apple tv 4k and ipads and iphones and it does the same across all the formats. Really annoying issue to run into. Has anyone else found this problem?
Great video! I have mostly older SD movies on my Plex server. We are talking about older black and white films from the 40s and 50s. And I use Apple TV and the cigar Shield. Do you think these settings are good for them or anyone have tips to see and hear my older movies?
Are you satisfied with the quality you’re seeing ? What are they encoded with?
Hoping someone can help me out... my cube won't open certain movies. I'm having problems with 4 (that I know of) The TV, Shield (server) and laptop will play them all. I've tried everything I can think of except reuploading the movie which I don't think I should have to do....any suggestions? Thanks in advance!
Hi Lon. There is 3rd gen Apple TV out now which advertises compatibilty with all of audio standards you evaluated. Perhaps you can update the review soon?
The current gen player also works with those formats just not in Plex.
@@LonSeidman How come Infuse works for Atmos Lossy audio and not Plex on Apple 4k?
Agreed. It was a bit daft doing this vid 2 days before the new Apple TV was released.
@@StuN_UK Turns out I was right! You can watch the follow-up here, same result: ruclips.net/video/IVBSOsZgl6k/видео.html
Hey Lon. Any updates to the Apple TV rundown around the audio capabilities? Can it now support Atmos, TrueHD and DTS?
Nope still the same issues
hope to see the walmart Onn 4k box get more recognition!
Cue the sound of crickets!
I agree review this next
bummed that you didn't go through the Plex settings on the X-Box..
One thing to note regarding the tube Shield TV and playback. Mine was consistently becoming more and more unresponsive as I played files. Eventually, Plex would either crash on its own, or I would have to close the app and restart it. At first, I thought it was a memory leak with Plex, but it turns out that the memory leak is with the AI upscaler on the Shield TV itself. The lower the upscaler sharpening setting, the longer you can go without restarting Plex. Other users have noted it on reddit, so at least I know it's not just me.
thats 32bit for ya
Yeah, the tube is a bit of a pain, mine has shown improvement since putting a Fast 128gb sd card in, and formatting it as internal storage, also, this device needs a full restart at least once a week..
My older 2017 shield does not have this slowdown/jitter issue, I dunno if it's memory related, or because the tube can only use 32bit, but the above cured the issues for me.. I use plex and emby, and also (cough) kodi,
Dolby Vision should work on the series X and the series S as it does for games I haven’t checked through Plex yet but I can
I am currently using the LG WebOS Pley app with ARC to the receiver. How does this combination compares to these players?
ARC doesn’t have the bandwidth for lossless
Try it on a roku ultra and report back. Thanks
AFAIK Atmos is supported but only its compressed version. True HD from 4K remuxes is not supported since Apple TV doesn't support passthrough.
Time for next gen shield pro
Currently trying to build a Plex Media Library with 4K Movies. I have a Samsung 55 Inch RU7100 4K TV and I mainly use my Xbox One S to play my 4K Discs. I also have a JBL 5.1 Soundbar. JUST got my External 4K Disc Drive today and I've been playing around with it. Have yet to watch a movie all the way through. When I play a movie on the Plex App either on my Xbox and my TV, they both don't play well. Kind of stuttery and freezes a lot. My theory is that maybe the file size is too big to be played directly. I'm looking into getting an Nvidia Shield in the future.
A 2015 shield, and the old xbox one s ? I have to ask, given a new gen series s can be picked up for around £120, and there are 3 newer iterations of the shield, why would you use the older ones ?
Are you going to follow this up with the new Apple TV coming out on November 4th?
It’ll be the same result on the new one
Plex & Shield Love.
❤️ my Shield running Plex and Emby with 4.5 TB of storage directly connected to it using a couple two terabyte ssds and a couple old USB sticks. This will improve over time. I plan on connecting more 2 terabyte ssds to the USB hub currently being used. If they ever bring the price down on that 4 TB extreme portable SSD that would be nice as well.
With access to external hard drives for my Windows machine it's more like a 10 terabyte setup although only close to half of that is directly accessible and connected to the shield, the rest is just as easy as turning my PC on so it can see the files.
Using my shield for both Plex and Emby and they both work great.
What’s emby
@@cwal_21 Emby is similar to Plex. You can host your own server.
@@TorrentFiend10 Can I ask... if my Hard Drive is plugged into the Shield , Can that Hard Drive/Shield act as a Plex Server and can run Plex without the internet? I ask because my mum has the worst case scenario , that being , she has no internet and no Smart TV. Just a regular TV with USB ports & HDMI.
So I want her to watch all the movies etc on her hard drive in that beautiful PLEX display catalogue. If it needs the internet for an initial set up then I can do that by hot spotting to my phone temporarily.
Well firecube lover here so once i want to change it with nvidia sheodl pro 2021.
Now my firecube is lying somewhere around .not using it.
Plex on the Shield doesn't show how many movies/TV shows you have? I prefer Kodi because Kodi doesn't transcode audio formats like Plex does if you don't have an AVR/Speaker setup to use the codecs. Also, Kodi handles subtitles better, Plex will transcode some of them.
I don’t think the Apple TV section is quite right. Apple TV will only play profile 5 Dolby Vision (commonly found on streaming services) and not profile 7/8 (commonly found on Blurays). Apple TV on Plex also supports DD+ Atmos but not TrueHD Atmos. Also I believe Plex can convert TrueHD and DTS-HD to LPCM before sending to your receiver.
I responded incorrectly on this comment the better answer is below :)
@@LonSeidman Interesting. DD+ Atmos bitstreams fine on my Apple TV and TrueHD/DTS-HD decoded to LCPM activates all my channels just fine.
I also thought profile 5 Dolby vision lacked a HDR10 compatibility layer so it’s interesting it’s playing correctly for you in HDR mode. I’m wondering if profile 5 DV didn’t work for you why did you give Dolby Vision a green check for the Apple TV?
@@user-kf5um2bd5b Sorry I had my formats mixed up in responding. In my testing it was able to do both the profile 5 and profile 7/8 -- I'll take another look at it just to be certain though.
@@LonSeidman AppleTV does PlayBack Profile 7. Tested it today, but the results are pretty bad. Compared to the original 4K-BD the picture looks very SDRish/Ungraded. The Reason ist, that the ATV only reads the HDR10 Base Layer but thinks it is DV. So the Data from the Enhancement Layer and the RPU (Reference Processing Unit) is missing completely. I'm am not an expert, but maybe this will help you for the next video :) As I know there is no client right now, that can play Dual Layer HDR + RPU Properly.
This is a confusing topic. My understanding (from various forums, wikipedia and Dolby specification white papers)...
Profile 5 is fine as this is intended for and used by streaming services and streaming players. Anything ripped from a streaming service will be in this format and will play fine.
Profile 7 is used on Blu-ray discs. The ATV lacks both the hardware and licensing to play. It may read the base layer (BL) and just ignore the enhancement layer (EL) which will result in a very unpleasant image (as mentioned by @janfrederick7753). Most likely it will default to some form of transcoding.
Profile 8.1 includes a HDR10 stream for fallback but the Plex ATV client often prefers to transcode. Apparently there are lots of compatibility issues due to audio codec and containers (often fails to fallback if using mkv or needs to transcode the audio stream).
Profile 6 has been deprecated but like 8.1 can include a HDR10 fallback stream. I'm not sure if the ATV can/will use it.
Take away thoughts - Plex can only play profile 5 reliably. Everything else is likely to display incorrectly or transcode. Dolby Vision is a hot mess of hardware and software standards. If you use an ATV probably better to stick with HDR10 :)
You didn't mention the Shield AI upsampling. Do yoou use it, and is it better than your TV's upsampling?
I don't - I rely on my TV's upscaler.
Q: I have a 4K Apple tv on my 4 k tv I have a hdmi splitter can I use that to hook up to my living room tv 55” can I use it for 2 TV’s will it work split the signal ?
It should although for HDR you'll need one that supports that specifically - I think I got one in awhile back that I might pull out and test.
How does using a windows computer for a Plex server compare to using a Nvidea Shield? That way I have more storage room and (I assume) more power to drive Plex.
I use my shield as a server, with a USB 4-bay HDD dock connected. I didn't notice any drop in performance with playback compared to my previous setup on my windows PC
I never used more than 2 simultaneous streams from the server though, so I don't know how a heavier usage scenario would behave
@@joseluislopes3956 How's that setup working out for you? I have an Apple TV for Plex and hard drive connected to my Mac Mini. Nothing but problems lately. Considering getting Nvidia just for Plex, with hard drive connected directly to it.
Can I ask... if my Hard Drive is plugged into the Shield , Can that Hard Drive/Shield act as a Plex Server and can run Plex without the internet? I ask because my mum has the worst case scenario , that being , she has no internet and no Smart TV. Just a regular TV with USB ports & HDMI.
So I want her to watch all the movies etc on her hard drive in that beautiful PLEX display catalogue. If it needs the internet for an initial set up then I can do that by hot spotting to my phone temporarily.
See here: www.howtogeek.com/303282/how-to-use-plex-media-server-without-internet-access/
I've tried using the One X and Series X with Plex but for me Blu-ray content at 1080p is always out of sync. Don't know why that happens as the same content on the Shield TV plays back perfectly. I gave up on using the Xbox over this.
No idea why that happens to you but I don't remember than happening to me when I tried it a while ago but I might try it again soon, gotta dust off my Xbox One X which now that I remember I upgraded it to an SSD so idk if that changes anything
Please do something like this with the Xbox Series S|X
Please check the Xiaomi Mi Box S
My Shield 🛡️ Server stop working few months ago, no matter what I do I just can't seems to get it up an going again any pointers Anyone....
The Roku Ultra was noticeably missing.
That was my first thought. Been using (and loving) Roku for years with Plex
My first thought as well. Roku is huge and one of the ONLY independent players in the game. Roku is in it to sell boxes. Amazon, Apple, and Google are in it to sell merchandise beyond the box. I think Sheild still is 'best', but at several times the price.
Also would be nice to consider those who use a universal remote as Amazon requires third party dongles to make it work. While Roku (and Apple) 'just work'. Not sure if XBox works at all. But, I guess that's not really Plex related.
As a suggestion for another box to look at…the Google TV Walmart ONN 4k Pro with Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision, and WiFi 6.
Yes hoping to get one soon! I stopped by my local Walmart this morning but they were not on sale there.
It makes no sense to review and commemt on Nvidia shield using an old 2015 model. The latest 4 year old 2019 model has AI upscaling (among other new features) which sets it apart from any other streaming box, especially for using Plex.
Keep up the great work
To be clear, are you saying that the Apple TV doesn't support Atmos in Plex only? I know it supports it in streaming apps.
yes
I always found that Plex on the Xbox is a little stuttery... It just doesn't seem to play smoothly, whereas my Shield TV Pro (2019+) works amazing.
Works fine with my xbox series x
We talking Xbox SERIES or Xbox One? I'm having the same problem. Currently trying to build a Plex Media Library with 4K Movies. I have a Samsung 55 Inch RU7100 4K TV and I mainly use my Xbox One S to play my 4K Discs. I also have a JBL 5.1 Soundbar. JUST got my External 4K Disc Drive today and I've been playing around with it. Have yet to watch a movie all the way through. When I play a movie on the Plex App either on my Xbox and my TV, they both don't play well. Kind of stuttery and freezes a lot. My theory is that maybe the file size is too big to be played directly. I'm looking into getting an Nvidia Shield in the future.
Are you related to Stewart Cheifet? Because you really have the same vibe, and a bunch of retro gear behind you that kind of makes me think of Stewart.
I’m not but I’d love to meet him.
Me too@@LonSeidman
Hi Lon, just wanted to see how PS5 stacks up against these boxes, can you please add that. Many of the people who use PS5, use it as a media device too, so wanted to know how it performs
I unfortunately don't own a PS5
it's a mess .I use my tv as plex client and I get much better results .I use my laptop as a plex server
It is disappointing the Apple TV doesn't play all Atmos .... But it seem the Shield is the only box to do that. Correct? I have been using Channels for my TV DVR as Plex doesn't work on my (non-DRM) ATSC 3.0 channels and Channels support is being discontinued for the Shield so I have the Apple TV. I have a LG C3 OLED and a Sonos Arc/Era 300 system with sub so it's important to get Atmos as well as Dolby Vision and Nextgen TV.
So far, yes the Shield is still the best device for supporting both lossless ATMOS/ Dolby Vision ,etc
I need to correct an error above. I thought the Channels APP didn't run on the Shield but it is the Channels Server is no longer supported. The APP works on all Android TVs.
What year Apple TV 4K? Doesn’t the new 2022 support Dolby Atmos?
Apple TV has always supported ATMOS just not in Plex. I don't think the new one behaves any differently than the prior model I have here.
@@LonSeidman ah thank you! Is that an Apple thing or Plex app thing?
@@WDELLAVECCHIA It's an Apple thing - it's how many layers they put in between the software and hardware.
Hey, I have been a daily Nvidia Shield TV (2015) user since launch.inhabe a beefy unRAID Plex server that can transcode. I'm itching for an analog Plex Client.. I have managed to use Nvidia Shield and Windows via HDMI by using a one truck pony HDMI to Component scaler that "just works" (with 16:9 to 4:3 issues) but I desperately want native 240p or 480i component or even S-Video out in 2022 for my collection of CRT Tube TVs pls, you are the authority and I know I am not alone.. is there a better way to go back in time here and now?
Surprised you haven't tested the Chromecast with Google TV. That's what I've used for 4K HDR playback. I prefer it over the Xbox Series X.
When I reviewed it the device did not switch into 24p mode and didn't pass lossless audio which knocked it out of contention.
I was so close buying Apple TV until you mention it does not support Dolby Atom! I have Sonos Beam (gen 2) so I guess netflix app won't play Dolby Atom via Apple TV
It doesn’t support Atmos for plex pro which was the subject of this video. Atmos does work with other services
Was this 2022 version of Apple TV 4K?
This is the prior version I don't think the '22 version is shipping just yet.
On Xbox Series X|S, Dolby Vision is available for streaming media apps and playing games.
On Xbox One X and Xbox One S, Dolby Vision is available for streaming media apps only.
Dolby Vision is not supported on the original Xbox One.
Dolby Vision is not available for media playback via Blu-ray.
What is the difference between Dolby Vision and HDR?
The big difference is Dolby Vision is dynamic on a frame by frame basis. HDR 10 works uniformly across the media. This article has some helpful info : www.whathifi.com/features/hdr10-vs-dolby-vision-which-better
Great. Thanks Lon!
Very obvious but the Xbox One S being able to play physical media such as 4K HDR Blu-Rays and also being a full fledge gaming console while being very cheap puts it in a interesting place, not to mention you can use a media controller with the integrated IR sensor it has or the official remote which idk if they're available.
This is a very good point - and I do believe it supports Dolby Vision on the discs now too?
Would love to see the PS5 comparison.
Nvidia Shield TV Pro 2019 ver. 11+T7 NVME SSD FTW 🛡
Stiil waiting for the conclusion...
I want to see the real OG Xbox go up against these! 🤣 /teasing That and XBMC were my first in home streaming experience. I had a "massive" 2TB NAS back then. 🤯
So Xbox or Shield?
Would have been nice to add a PC in the mix.
PC's don't support Dolby Vision for Plex at the moment and HDR support is flaky.
Is this the new Apple TV that came out some days ago?
It's the prior model but the new model handles audio the same way.
@@LonSeidman You know this for sure?
I have been forced to stick with shield for quite some time now just due to streaming 4k remote means you need to have direct delivery of audio and video. If there is any transcoding the experience will be crap.
Was having my hopes up for the newest version, but if you say it does not support this better then thats a shame.
Thanks for the video and keep up the good work
@@anti2117 Yes Apple is still going to support audio the same way they did on the prior model and not allow direct passthrough.
I wonder how a $100 Windows PC would compare to an AndroidTV box and a Raspberry Pi?
I can’t believe you couldn’t wait a few more days to make this video so you could have the Apple TV 4K 3rd generation to work with. I mean I’m leaving this comment on the day that it gets released. So you would be released your video next week at the latest.
Why? It's not going to offer any additional functionality over the current one in regards to Plex.
Could you not have least used the latest shield version? A 7 year old model for the review seems a little unfair. The 2019 model has ai upscaling upto 60fps as well which should eliminate all that fiddling you do between the TV and shield for upscaling
I did my testing on the 2019 version upstairs in my home theater room.
@@LonSeidman ah! Fair enough 👍
Apple TV 2022?
Plex Media Server on Android is not that great and is very buggy compared with Windows and Linux versions. My Nvidia Shield PMS would go offline every few days and need restarting.
Hello from Mexico! could you do a tutorial on how to start from scratch with plex?
Apple TV 4k DOES support atmos, dts x
ATV4K handles Atmos just fine.
Not in plex
@@LonSeidman thats true, my bad. But Atmos works great with INFUSE. Top tip
I think best player is Intel nuc and after Nvidia shield
NUCs make great plex servers too!
The NUC is used solely as Plex server? You connect your hard drive(s) to it, then?
@@peterluna don't have nuc. Shield as player now and plex server a nas. Nas best buy thing
@@Georgevideocliper thanks!
I'm surprised that Apple TV 4K (my 2021 model) does not support Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and Dolby TrueHD format. (sigh) Seems like I should go back to NVIDIA Shield 2015 model even though I prefer to de-Googlefy my life. And I don't really care for Amazon or XBOX anyway. So, at the end of the day, the highest-end streaming box would be NVIDIA Shield with all the latest formats supported and that is about it.
Would be nice if LPCM could support Atmos/DTS:X speakers in addition to 7.1...
Not the 2021 model nor the new 2022 model. Not their target audience I guess
@@joseluislopes3956 Well, by target audience, I'm guessing "home theater enthusiast" such as myself.
@@graysonpeddie nah, I think Apple's target audience for the Apple TV is people who just watch Netflix and want another bitten apple product.
They have 0 interest in the minority that uses a Plex server or similar services
But it's just my opinion
@@joseluislopes3956 Another surprise that I found is that I cannot have KODI in my Apple TV. Well, I'm thinking of going back to my NVIDIA Shield 2015 model... I could care less for Google or Apple when it comes to high-end streaming boxes, but oh well.
I mean, I do want a high-end streaming box that supports all the features such as Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, but until there's another streaming box that supports Disney+, Paramount+, Hulu, KODI, and Plex, but until I can de-Googlefy my life, NVIDIA Shield is the only option.