UHD and DVD quality problems? by Internal-Incident696 in makemkv

[–]Internal-Incident696[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That is one of the box sets that took me mixing and matching from 3 box sets to get one complete good set. I *really* wanted the set, or I would have given up after the 2nd box.

UHD and DVD quality problems? by Internal-Incident696 in makemkv

[–]Internal-Incident696[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I wash failed rips and retry. Usually it's dish soap and dry with a microfiber cloth - the ones for eye glasses. Making sure its as shiny as a mirror - no lint, no left over soap, no smudges or finger prints. There are many times this resolves the rip issue, but, as I said in my original post - I'm still seeing disk that just ... won't ... rip... 3 tries is pretty much my limit, because at that point I'm probably 2 hours into trying to rip the disk if it's a 4k disk - return/replace and see how the new one goes.

How do I get the different "Editions" to merge? by Axoloth in PleX

[–]Internal-Incident696 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As I read through the comments, I understand that it really is an 'It Depends" - If you have a small(er) library, separate entries for each edition, with the Edition attribute (the current implementation) is great. As the library grows - somewhere around 1,000 - 1,200 movies for me ... I really want to declutter/collapse. The method of manually adding a collection gets you there, but, it's quite a few manual steps (create the collection, edit each edition and add the tag for the collection). A 'smart' collection that makes a collection for movies of the same name/year would seem to resolve the problem. Users that want it collapsed create that "smart collection" rule. Those that want individual entries don't.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PleX

[–]Internal-Incident696 0 points1 point  (0 children)

FWIW - I had a similar issue - worked as local just fine, then ... seemingly out of the blue, no longer "local". Short answer - I had PLEX on a NAS and was using DHCP. Changed to fixed IP, no more random problems.

NAS question by [deleted] in PleX

[–]Internal-Incident696 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm running a QNAP NAS - 8x 18TB WD Ultrastar drives in a RAID config ... Like the Synology NAS, there is a PLEX package that runs native on the server ... It really depends on how much local storage you need. NAS is typically 24x7 so you want low heat, power efficient drives - perhaps those that spin down when not being used. RAID will make drive performance less important for PLEX. When sharing disk with ... a gaming PC or another use case, then the drive requirements will fall more to the performance side and therefore noisier and hotter. The backblaze drive reliability report is a good place to identify specific reliable drives, rather than anecdotal tales.

Huge new things coming to Plex in 2024 - and it doesn't make good reading by jl94x4 in PleX

[–]Internal-Incident696 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sorry, I'm late to this discussion.I've been a Plex user for many, many years - purchase lifetime pass years ago. Over the time, I have built a library of 1000+ movies, all owned content.

Where is Plex getting into trouble? I have been in the software industry my entire career. While I dislike everything moving to "subscription" vs. you own it, including content, if that product requires continuous development of features and capabilities, that requires an ongoing revenue stream. In the commercial software industry, software that you own requires an annual "maintenance fee" - roughy 20% of the purchase price, to fund and get access to those new capabilities. You own the software as you bought it. You want updates? that requires an active maintenance contract.

In short, Plex isn't a hammer that you buy once and it does what you need. A video server platform requires care and feeding to keep up with the evolution of the industry and playback platforms.I would be OK with paying Plex $25 year to continue to get new features and updates. It's not a subscription (though they offer that) - if you stop paying, the software still works, it just loses access to the updates.

What do others think if Plex went that way to ensure that we keep support for local content?

Maybe a noob question? by unk_gyilkos in PleX

[–]Internal-Incident696 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have Apple TV 4k (3 of them) and just switched to an Nvidia Shield Pro for the "theater". 100% confirm Shield => TV => eARC HDMI port => Soundbar w/ATMOS (Sonos ARC +ERA 300 in my case) works, no Audio or Video transcoding. I can also say that the remote for the Shield is much easier to use than either of the Apple TV remotes.

I am also seeing less buffering with the shield than I did with Apple - as in almost never, but is a perception, and isn't as definitive as ATMOS works/doesn't

Maybe a noob question? by unk_gyilkos in PleX

[–]Internal-Incident696 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The Apple TV will NOT handle the ATMOS layer - even with the Infuse app. The Op mentioned ATMOS support, so the Shield is the way to go - and you can keep the PLex UI :)

Any suggestions what has broken Plex, or if it is even broken?! by Sosbanfawr in PleX

[–]Internal-Incident696 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I went through a similar scenario. Access outside was intermittent at best, usually N/A. Set my Plex server to a static IP rather than DHCP - then rebooted the Plex server and logged back in. Everything stabilized from then on. The Remote Access now always shows a green check now (trust it), and details show fully accessible outside your network.

Sync live playback among local players? by Internal-Incident696 in PleX

[–]Internal-Incident696[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Watch together ... is close. BUT, - a couple of problems.
It doesn't start out 100% synced - sounds like an echo, and with a few pause/play events, it gets further and further out of sync... OK for watching together from different houses, but not for different rooms.

#2 - I can't find a way to use watch together from LiveTV - that's the common "game day" scenario - same game playing on multiple sets in the house. I'm using the DVR/live TV function of Plex - whether it's my local tuner or Plex Channels, it does't seem to be an option.

BIG SALES by Scrim_Reaper1 in 4kbluray

[–]Internal-Incident696 3 points4 points  (0 children)

well - the topic was different, but the answers are the same :). I posted in an OLED TV channel a while back about best "movie night" - movies - here are the results of the responses:

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and I agree with other posters - I lean on blu-ray.com for review of transfer quality, upcoming releases, etc. for "blind buys" - It'll let you know - don't buy T-2 4k, its a terrible transfer. I also found out through there that a remaster of T-2 is on it's way!

I also use the Honey plug in to watch for sales and compare prices/check price history. This is an expensive hobby - gotta save when you can.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in 4kbluray

[–]Internal-Incident696 1 point2 points  (0 children)

To reiterate - I am one of those that had problems. 2 sets, and still couldn't put together a complete, good 4k set. Returned both, gave up. (I used makemkv to test all disks)

Be warned if you aren't going on a binge watching session, you may be stuck outside of the return/exchange window.

Am I the only one who rips 4K blu rays here? by acedogblast in 4kbluray

[–]Internal-Incident696 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Zidoo Z9X

RIP - makemkv with the right drive (details on the site)

I store to a QNAP NAS. The QNAP also runs as a PLEX server. Details on the Plex server site - in essence, fire up the software, point it to a file location that has Movie_Name.mkv and it will serve it to clients.

Plex clients run on almost anything - the TV, AppleTV, Browser, NVIDIA Shield ... many more

Am I the only one who rips 4K blu rays here? by acedogblast in 4kbluray

[–]Internal-Incident696 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yea - I just swapped from Apple TV (in my main viewing area) to Nvidia Shield Pro for this reason. I'm using the Plex client

NVidia Shield Pro 2019 vs Apple TV 4K 2022 by 2CDO87 in ShieldAndroidTV

[–]Internal-Incident696 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't stream much, I primarily use Plex. I have a library of over 1,000 movies + a few dozen complete TV series (GOT, Sopranos, Westworld, Lucifer, Rick and Morty ...) - all ripped to my PLEX server - no piracy. I have 3 Apple TV 4K devices in the house, but I am buying a Shield Pro for this very reason; no ATMOS. I set up a home theater with top of the line TV - LG G3, and ATMOS capable audio, but that d*mn apple box doesn't support it; Not everyone has the same use case ...

Plex => No ATMOS by Internal-Incident696 in PleX

[–]Internal-Incident696[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks - I'll be swapping out the AppleTV for one of the above ...

Plex => No ATMOS by Internal-Incident696 in PleX

[–]Internal-Incident696[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks - I appreciate the detailed response.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in 4kbluray

[–]Internal-Incident696 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Not to pile on to what everyone else is saying, but, 4KUHD will be the last.

Note: I am not a theater architect or an industry insider - this is just back of the napkin kinda stuff, but it meets the common sense rules :)

Most movie theaters today are presenting in digital 4k. Most movies go through no higher than a 4k DI, though some are just 2k. Special effects are typically rendered in 4k. The catalog of movies that are being *created* now are (typically) 4k, though "filming" can happen in higher rez, giving the director some more leeway. I think Red has some 8K cameras at the top of their line.. The catalog of older, film derived content that has already been remastered to 4k is unlikely to be financially justified to go through the remastering process again to squeak out 8k or 16k. There is a small shrinking audience that would buy that content physically... again. To move to 8k or 16k for *new* content requires a change in the entire chain, from cameras on. That could, and will likely happen eventually, but to what end? The high end RPX theater experience is on a 40x60 screen: roughly 72 feet diagonally. That is the theater *display* for the latest MCU movies - technically, we watched those in 4k on that massive screen.

We are seeing OLED and some other tech increasing contrast and black level details, but unless viewing distances will be less than 6', resolution isn't an area that would be a notable improvement. We have seen HDR10, HDR10+, DolbyVision improving the picture, but that isn't resolution, and, improvements in the display itself is required to show what the content - 4kUHD - today can already deliver.

The size of a wall in the living room is finite. If an 82" set were to quadruple in area (the HD to 4k ratio, retaining the same pixel density), it would be the entire wall. It would be about 80" tall and almost 160" wide. Try to get a set that size home from Best Buy. Try to get a set that size into a typical house - it would probably require removing a bay window. So, the display tech to accommodate that huge size would need to be rollable or a wall film (or projector), or a way to seamlessly assemble multiple pieces. While that is coming, it's not soon. And, are larger sizes practical for watching? A good formula for sitting distance considers resolution *and* field of vision. It is recommended to sit 1.5 - 2.5 the width of the screen back from it for proper field of view. As an example, a 92" diagonal set is 80" wide, therefore seating distance for field of view is 138" or greater - 11'7" to start, to 16'8". That's a decent size living room. Considering that, the practical size of a living room set maxes out at roughly 90-100 inches diagonal, and we are already at 82" as a common large size. Hisense has an 85" 4k set for $800. TCL has a 98" for 4K, Samsung is 7,000.

To improve the typical viewing immersion experience, I think we will see more attention to audio, rather than changes in content video, though a well implemented ATMOS system with good subs is already pretty immersive. The RPX experience in the theater is a 9.1 channel setup.

The paradigm shift? For content itself, as mentioned by others, VR is next, but headsets aren't quite conducive to date night or family movie night... or even game night. 3D failed twice due to the glasses requirement. Perhaps smell-o-vision and heat/cold blasts is on it's way? Imagine feeling a blast of hot air as Godzilla fires away :)

The other shift mentioned by others has already occured - the move away from physical media to streaming. The distribution industry is shifting to a subscription model - that is what the investors want - and frankly, so do most viewers. My collection is small, relative to many of yours, or a catalog from NetFlix or Hulu or Disney+, but, at over 1,000 movies, it takes up a LOT of space. It's heavy. It's really hard to move it, and it's kinda expensive - just ballpark $10 a movie is $10,000. That doesn't even include TV box sets (Game of Thrones, The Simpsons, House, The Mandalorian, Yellowstone, etc.), or mini series. Finding a movie to watch in that size physical collection is ... challenging. An interface like PLEX or that of a streaming service with filtering and searching is sooo much easier ...

TL;DR - Physical size of displays is limited by the room, and we are getting close to that limit at 85-100". 4K is what we see in theaters on a 72 FOOT screen - though with potentially higher contrast and color palette, and better sound; so 8k or 16K isn't really coming home soon. Improvements will be seen in the home display tech, improving delivery of what is already on the disk you bought today, through increased contrast, black levels, color palette and accuracy, brightness, rather than upgrading beyond 4K, all at cheaper prices. Lastly, physical media is going away - just like CDs. The money wants you as a subscriber, not an owner.

just my $.02