this post was submitted on 25 Sep 2023

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Alternative ways to run Plex? (lemm.ee)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/technology

75 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Context; So... Just bought a brand new TV and life is good, but I should have done more research before buying it. I primarily want to use PLEX for watching media on the TV. However, due to "smart TV's" not being smart and being rather slow because most current TV operating systems are either bloated or just riddled with ads.

Question; So Plex is there, but it runs very poorly. What are the best options out there to get this running smoothly? Are the only options AppleTV and Amazon Firestick? Anyone been in this boat before that have any tips-n-tricks to share?

Ps. I hate ads, so the Firestick is of off the charts.

Much appreciated

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[–] JDPoZ 45 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (5 children)

NVIDIA Shield Pro (the 2019 model is the latest version) with a couple of customizations STILL is the absolute best for avoiding ads.

It is the most powerful outside of the latest model AppleTVs, but with the added benefit of being completely customizable.

Personally, I HATE ads, so I use a combination of customizations to eliminate them completely.

A custom “launcher” - this is a little weird to wrap your head around if you’re not familiar with Android OS devices, but it basically means “replacing” what you see when the device turns on. A few years ago, Google couldn’t help themselves and started adding more and more advertisements to their “home page” for the Shield’s default launcher app, so I switched to the “Wolf” Launcher and have never changed, though I would probably recommend “FLauncher” now since you can still (at least last I checked) get that directly from the Google Play Store without any “side-loading” (which means to install things from non-Google sources)
I love YouTube, but hate ads, so I downloaded and installed a 3rd party YouTube client called “SmartTube Next” - which although DOES require a side load installation, COMPLETELY ELIMINATES ALL ADS, AND in-video sponsorships, and even intros and other annoying filler content in some more popular videos.

The side-loading part makes things a little more scary/difficult to setup but I promise it’s worth it and there are always updated videos online on how to do this safely and securely.

I just set up like 8 of these things a few weeks ago for my brother and he loves it. Nothing is laggy or slow, no ads, and it integrated into his Smart Home stuff effortlessly.

One last note - a custom launcher can replace the default one (rather than run alongside it) by grabbing and installing “Launcher Manager” - another side-loaded app.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

You are the best. Never even knew bout this i hate google tv's home page thank you

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Think I will buy a Nvidia Shield Pro, it seems like the overall best solution. Thanks for the detailed insight!

[–] JDPoZ 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Absolutely! Just remember, no device is perfect. The Shield Pro just has the least crappy things that streaming boxes tend to have and the highest POTENTIAL of all the devices out there due to the availability of Android OS applications.

Make sure you do those customization actions I described and I can pretty much guarantee you'll enjoy the device. If you have any other questions that a Google / YouTube search won't solve, don't hesitate to comment here again.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Appreciate it! Thanks <3

[–] Sanity_in_Moderation 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I want to sincerely thank you for this post. We have the same attitude towards ads. I am getting a new TV soon and am trying to find one without the ads on the launcher screen. I didn't realize a 3rd party launcher was possible. I an definitely going to put that to good use. And will also use Launcher Manager to replace it. My current TV has the factory install launcher with all updates disabled to stop the Google ads.

I use YouTube premium to avoid ads and to give the channels I do watch more money.

Right now I am leaning towards a Samsung or Sony. Do you have any input on those brands?

[–] JDPoZ 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I like my LG OLED CX. Does every type of visual format (DolbyVision, HDR, etc.), has “VRR” (variable refresh rate) to allow syncing with game console frame rates / GPU screen refresh rate.

If I had to choose something else from what I have now (which is 2+ years old now), I’d probably go do as much research as I can and visit sites with detailed comparisons of every major TV model like RTings.com and watch any video reviews I could of my TV of choice if available by this guy.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Here is an alternative Piped link(s):

this guy

Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.

I'm open-source; check me out at GitHub.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

My problem is that this is a Panasoic TV, there is no Play Store like on normal android TVs, so dont think i can side load anything?

[–] JDPoZ 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

No. Don’t use the TV’s built in “smart functionality.”

In fact, I would recommend blocking it from the internet altogether.

In my experience “TV software updates” never improve any functionality… they use them for better analytics and at worst, literally pushing ads.

Buy a dedicated smart device and use that for your streaming.

Specifically I recommend buying an NVIDIA Shield Pro 2019 model (the latest).

You can get them at any Best Buy or Bezos store.

Also, while we are at it, general tip for everyone here - don’t use WiFi if you can. Use the Shield’s gigabit wired Ethernet port. Specifically means you’ll get a more stable signal from whatever Plex server you are using. I personally experience zero buffering on 4K DolbyVision video with DTS-HD MA 7.1 / ATMOS audio for anything I watch on Plex.

Just so folks know, almost every single one of the TV companies who make TVs that DO have an Ethernet port cheap out and only put in a 10/100 Ethernet port… NOT an actual gigabit 10/100/1000 Ethernet port.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

The Nvidia shield is the android tv with google play services. It would be your drop in replacement for the Panasonic interface you are currently using.