How are you all addressing 4k content?

[Tybio]

Hey all,

 

I'm trying to plan my transition to 4k content in advance, as when we struggled for years moving from SD -> 720p -> 1080p with transcoding and playback devices it was a /nightmare/.  So I'd like to put some thought into this and start getting content now.

 

The main issue that I see is needing multiple versions of each media file.  As most CPUs struggle to transcode 4k down to 1080p, you need to have some "staged" versions.  However I know Radarr can't deal with multiple qualities of the same movie, and Kodi would just add them both as unique items in the list.  Plex is a bit better about it, but still requires the user to nudge it if none of them can direct play.

 

I'm thinking about installing a second Radarr (I use linuxserver.ios docker, could install binhex) and give it a new mount point so I can at least start building up my 4k library.  I'd likely have to do the same thing for Sonarr, but that would be a /nightmare/.  I could setup the new instances to ONLY grab 4k content, which would allow merging things later.

 

The real problem is on the player side, I often stream outside my house and right now I can't transocde one 4k HDR movie (remux) on my CPU: E3-1275 V2 @ 3.50GHz

 

I'm struggling with how to balance ease of use with functionality while not just ignoring 4k as I do have a set and would like to start grabbing content that can use it.  What are you all thinking? How are you solving this issue?  Or am I alone in struggling here?

 

 

 

[DZMM]

I moved back to Kodi from Plex to in-home use, with Plex for remote access.  My strategy so far has been:

 

- slowly upgrade my STBs so they can play 4k direct, even if they are connected to a 1080p display i.e let the STB downscale

- upgrade my server and WiFi to handle 4k - complete

- let Plex downscale on the rare occasion I remotely watch a 4k source

 

I think your best bet if you do a lot of Plex and your CPU can't cope in real-time is create optimised versions in advance

Edited January 12, 2018 by DZMM

[Tybio]

That's sort of where I came down, I run into another issue that isn't storage/transcoding related with Kodi on my Shield, 4k HDR content is not properly translated for non-HDR sets so looks totally washed out.

 

 

[kizer]

Exactly what I did for my iDevices and wifi.  (((1080 and 720)))

Created two libraries on Plex. My (HD) content is visible to all devices except my sons account who uses an ipad all the time and he has access to the (SD) content which is a 2CH Dupe of the HD.

 

Advantages. No on the Fly Trans-coding with lower powered CPU's and no 8year old standing next to me saying "Dad, It wont load."

 

However with my newer to me Xeon I can/might abandon this since it takes up a lot of space, but I'm not sure I want to delete 2years worth of conversion for the sake of adding additional space. 

[tazire]

I have just started to venture into 4k content. I made a separate library which is only available to me so no worries about others trying to transcode the 4k content. I am only slowly adding 4k of content I really like. 4k hdr in a nice high bitrate is a serious hog on space! 

[ashman70]

Tybio, you might want to consider a few things. One, how many cores do you have dedicated to Plex? Two, perhaps upgrading to a CPU with more cores might be an option worth considering. Also, is it really necessary to stream 4k remotely? Are you even streaming in 4k capable devices? 4k is nice, but there is no way I am going to start obtaining 4k material, it's taken me years to amass the collection I have now, not going to switch until I have no choice, if that day ever comes.

[jbartlett]

I've been solving the 4K issue by avoiding 4K media until such a time comes in which we can remove the physical part of the legally acquired media. h.265 may be able to handle the large file size by reducing the impact while maintaining visual quality but encoding is extremely time intensive. Even a powerful system can maybe encode 4-5 blu-ray quality files a day working 24/7.

[CHBMB]

Same, I don't have a 4K TV, my wife can't tell the difference between 576p and 1080p and my daughter just tries to lick the screen, so for now, I'm going to ignore it too.....

[Squid]

7 minutes ago, CHBMB said:

my wife can't tell the difference between 576p and 1080p

trade her in

8 minutes ago, CHBMB said:

my daughter just tries to lick the screen,

lol

[tdallen]

I’m ignoring it.  When major sports content is available in 4K then I’ll start figuring out how I’m going to address it.

[SSD]

4k content isn't spectacular for older shows where they go back and reprocess / upscale the old film to 4K. But for newer movies filmed in 8k or whatever they use, with good HDR, it makes a noticeable difference. For nature / documentary type shows, it is truly amazing.

 

There is a website that specifically rates the 4K vs the 1080p versions and point you to movies that are worth purchasing in 4K. But don't expect miracles. This is not like going from SD to 1080p.

 

My LG 4K OLED TV does an outstanding upscale of 720p or 1080p to 4K and look excellent. Much better than prior 7 series Samsung LED. (I think it's the OLED vs the 4K that is the bigger difference). But native 4K with HDR content has that extra sparkle and crispness with the right content. I have no plans for going back and doing wholesale upgrading as I did from SD content. But for newer movies I am getting in 4K. If there is a need for lower res, I recently bought a 12 core 7920X that should help. But I realize it will tax even that. A few I will keep in both.

 

My main transcoding is syncing content to a tablet I use for travel. But that is normally TV not movies. The 12 core should really help here with the volume I do. The occasional 4K transcode I think I can handle - or use the 1080p version of I have.

[Tybio]

On 1/28/2018 at 11:10 AM, SSD said:

I recently bought a 12 core 7920X that should help. But I realize it will tax even that. A few I will keep in both.

 

Did you put the 7920X in your server?  Or is it running in a desktop to the side?

[SSD]

It will host my Windows VM. No more dedicated Windows box. Build still in progress.

[Tybio]

27 minutes ago, SSD said:

It will host my Windows VM. No more dedicated Windows box. Build still in progress.

 

Very cool!  Would love to hear how it goes and what hardware you are using :).

[danejaho]

The simple answer for me has been getting an Nvidia Shield on each TV. It's ability to natively decode 4K UHD HDR with True HD audio allows my server to direct play any 4k video I have, taking next to no CPU power. When it comes to watching 4k content on an iPad or the kitchen TV that doesn't have a Shield, the answer to the family is "Don't play that movie here. You have to go to the living room and use the TV." It's a minor inconvenience but I'm not about to spend $1000 on a processor to transcode the odd 4k movie to an iPad. The cost-convenience factor just isn't there.

[TheBuz]

I know this is an old thread but it still ranks on Google.

 

My setup is

 

I have a 4K TV in the living room that runs Kodi DSplayer 17.1 with madVR this uses the GPU to upscale everything to 4K.

 

I use Plex for other rooms, remote viewing and sharing.

 

I have 2 instances of Raddar, Main and HD1080

 

And Radarr sync

 

The main instance of Raddar grabs the best quality (up to (4K) this keeps 4K in one place and works great for Kodi

 

The 2nd instance only downloads 1080p and save in a folder called "Plex only Media"

 

I have added the Plex only folder to Plex but not included it on Kodi.

 

When i download a film with a 4K profile on Main, Radarrsync with download the 1080 version automatically and put it in the Plex folder. 

 

That way Plex has 4K and 1080p and will automatically transcode the 1080 version if needed. And Kodi will have 4K only. Plex handles multiple versions much better thank Kodi.