What options do I have to have hardware transcode for Emby container, without buying new PC

[jang430]

My current build is Xeon E5-1650 v3, on Supermicro X10SRM-TF.  It's somewhat perfect.  I have a 1050Ti passed through for use on gaming vm.  With GPUs so expensive, I don't want to buy a video card right now.  I toyed with the idea of having Emby server on a single board computer.  Having Emby server on SBC accessing shows on my NAS.  But I don't know which SBC is capable of having hardware transcode enabled.  Can anyone suggest?

 

 

 

[SirReal63]

A Quadro P400 v2 is $130.00 and unless you more than 3 streams running concurrently it is not a bad way to go.

[Lolight]

Odroid C4

Odroid N2+

Odroid XU4

Edited July 16, 2021 by Lolight

[jang430]

Have you tested this?  What OS?  Emby server for Arm?  Or what?  Is it responsive?  I prefer this route, as SBC is relatively inexpensive, takes the load off my nas.

[jang430]

@SirReal63I'll check this out.  But to be honest, I'm looking at the SBC route.  This takes load off my nas, and  is relatively inexpensive, and should consume lower power.  Though not sure how snappy @Lolight's suggestion is.

[Lolight]

6 hours ago, jang430 said:

Have you tested this?  What OS?  Emby server for Arm?  Or what?  Is it responsive?  I prefer this route, as SBC is relatively inexpensive, takes the load off my nas.

I run the N2 on Coreelec as a client.

Sorry, don't use Emby.

This long thread might be of interest: https://www.avsforum.com/threads/75-server-or-media-client.2581649/page-16

Edited July 16, 2021 by Lolight

[jang430]

Thanks. From what I've read, able to play Hevc content doesn't mean it can transcode as server well. I read this from Emby forums. They suggest using an old Samsung cell S7, S8, because of Mediacodec. Though read posts that it finally became very frustrating for the tester, and ended up giving up :-) 


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[tjb_altf4]

Alternative option: If you don't use Emby and the gaming server simultaneously, you could set Emby up in a VM so you can utilize the GPU for hardware transcoding when not gaming.

Or even setup emby server on your gaming VM.

Edited July 17, 2021 by tjb_altf4

[Lolight]

3 hours ago, jang430 said:

Thanks. From what I've read, able to play Hevc content doesn't mean it can transcode as server well.

Seems like it's about to change with the hardware acceleration support being worked on:

 

https://forum.armbian.com/topic/8451-emby-server-with-hardware-transcoding-in-xu4hc1hc2-armbian-stretch/?do=findComment&comment=113019

[jang430]

@tjb_altf4unfortunately, they are both being used at the same time often.  It's really a nas for the whole family   Someone's gaming, I'm streaming to Android Box, without issue, and another is streaming to iPad, where there are issues with 4K downloaded content.