TV/Client Apps that will direct play UHD mkv's?

[Harblar 29]

Hey, I tried posting this in the Hardware board, but didn't get much (any) response so I'm trying here to see if I have better luck.

 

I'm looking at getting a smart tv for the kitchen and was wondering if there are any that currently direct play UHD MKV rips (like my Oppo 203 does). I was looking at the TCL roku sets or maybe a Samsung. Just need one that will direct play the video with HDR and either decode or auto play the core track from the lossless audio via the internal speakers.

 

It'd be great if this could be done by using an emby client app on the TV, but if it can be done via DLNA, that would also work.

 

Any recommendations would be great! Thanks. :-)

[cybergrimes 90]

I would think the TCL Roku would work-- it can do MKV/HEVC for sure, audio is more gray to me... it lists as Dolby Digital Plus passthrough capable with "Dolby Processing" of Dolby Digital. As long as the Atmos/TrueHD/DD+ all have a core audio of plain old AC3 and your rip captures it that should be fine to avoid transcoding. I don't know about DTS, the TV specs don't list anything about DTS playback. AFAIK the Roku Ultra's can do DTS core audio.

 

Might be worth skimming the TCL Roku threads on AVSForum for clues?

Edited April 4, 2018 by cybergrimes

[Luke 37099]

I would just check the specs of the devices you're looking at purchasing. Generally the apps will support whatever the devices support.

[Harblar 29]

I would think the TCL Roku would work-- it can do MKV/HEVC for sure, audio is more gray to me... it lists as Dolby Digital Plus passthrough capable with "Dolby Processing" of Dolby Digital. As long as the Atmos/TrueHD/DD+ all have a core audio of plain old AC3 and your rip captures it that should be fine to avoid transcoding. I don't know about DTS, the TV specs don't list anything about DTS playback. AFAIK the Roku Ultra's can do DTS core audio.

 

Might be worth skimming the TCL Roku threads on AVSForum for clues?

 

I think I'm going to give it a try. It seems like these would be the best bet... Worst case scenario I'd have to write up a DLNA profile so it would only have to transcode the audio. At $350, it's worth a shot. All else fails it'll still work with netflix, hulu, etc... And that'll cover most of my needs in the kitchen. At $350 it's hardly a wallet busting investment to replace a 20+ year old 19" tube TV. lol :-)

 

As an afterthought, does Roku tend to handle subtitles ok? Does it need SRT or will it also handle pgs/dvdsub embeded in the mkv container? If so, does it automatically pick up on the forced subtitle flags?

 

 

I would just check the specs of the devices you're looking at purchasing. Generally the apps will support whatever the devices support.

 

I get what you're saying, but just cause a Manufacturer lists a format as compatible, doesn't necessarily guarantee that it will work correctly, or at all. Was more curious to see if there were any other emby users out there that could say, "Yes, I have this particular TV (whatever it may be) and it Does exactly that with UHD mkv's. Direct playback of Video and built in processing of dolby/dts audio for playback over internal speakers."

[cybergrimes 90]

Wish I could help more... I've got a Roku Stick+ ordered for our secondary TV but primary devices for me our Nvidia Shield & Oppo 203. You said you tried the hardware subforum, maybe now that you're narrowing down on Roku TV's you could find someone in the Roku subforum with real life experience? I've got a remote user with a TCL Roku TV but he doesn't like testing for me very much *shrug*

 

Unrelated, what drive are you using to rip UHDs to MKV?

Edited April 5, 2018 by cybergrimes

[Harblar 29]

Wish I could help more... I've got a Roku Stick+ ordered for our secondary TV but primary devices for me our Nvidia Shield & Oppo 203. You said you tried the hardware subforum, maybe now that you're narrowing down on Roku TV's you could find someone in the Roku subforum with real life experience? I've got a remote user with a TCL Roku TV but he doesn't like testing for me very much *shrug*

 

Unrelated, what drive are you using to rip UHDs to MKV?

 

I use an LG WH16NS40 drive (factory firmware version 1.02... Shouldn't be an issue unless you manually upgrade the firmware)

 

Here's about all you need to know about ripping a UHD to mkv. Ultimately, it's not all that different than a normal bluray or dvd. Takes a bit longer, due to the size, but other than that everything is setup similarly.

 

 

Back to the original topic, I tested them out yesterday on a Sony (android tv) with mixed results. Playing to it via DLNA and it direct played perfect. Even decoded the lossless audio on the TV and fed it back to the receiver via ARC! no trouble with the built in Subtitles either. When I tried playing via the Android TV emby app, it wouldn't direct play at all. Herky, jerky video/audio and the lack of HDR meta data made it pretty aweful. Emby transcoding is great, but it has quite a ways to go before I'd consider using it with UHD rips.

Edited April 6, 2018 by Harblar

[Carlo 4330]

For UHD I would go Shield TV hands down.

 

I really don't like Rokus at all for this as they are picky.

[Harblar 29]

For UHD I would go Shield TV hands down.

 

I really don't like Rokus at all for this as they are picky.

 

That's all well and good, but I'm not looking for add on boxes. Looking for Standalone TV's that handle everything internally.

 

I'll experiment some more with the new LG app on my OLED. If I can get that to work the way I want I might spend a bit more for one of those, since it's a pretty simple interface that I'm already used to.

[Jdiesel 1114]

Yeah I have a Sony TV but wouldn't recommend it based on it's Android TV implementation alone, I would recommend it based on the actually display though. It is too bad they they botched Android TV so bad as it had/has a ton of potential to be the go to TV OS if done right.

[ebr 14925]

That's all well and good, but I'm not looking for add on boxes. Looking for Standalone TV's that handle everything internally.

 

I'll experiment some more with the new LG app on my OLED. If I can get that to work the way I want I might spend a bit more for one of those, since it's a pretty simple interface that I'm already used to.

 

While I understand that desire (and the TV manufacturers definitely market to that) I think you will save yourself a lot of headaches and get much better functionality buying your TV based on its display characteristics and then adding on smart features with an external device (that can then be updated, swapped out etc. much more cheaply than the TV).

[Carlo 4330]

I can't like ebr post enough!

 

Built in functionality just can't compare to what you can get in an external box.  The best of the best boxes run about $200 full price.  You can usually easily ave this amount on higher end/bigger TV by ignore "smart features" and just concentrate on Picture Quality!!!

 

Typically what you think is fast today will/may seem slow next year or the year after and won't have the feature a good box will have.

[Jdiesel 1114]

There is no perfect playback device either, while I do agree that a separate dedicated device will have better results. Even the highly recommended Shield TV doesn't support automatic colorspace switching so you options are to either switch it manually in the Android TV system settings everytime you switch between rec2020 to rec709 or pick one and have incorrect colors part of the time. Emby Theater on a PC requires the use of an external player for true HDR passthrough. Rokus don't support HD audio and struggle with high bitrate videos. Apple TV has limited support for video/audio containers. There are a lot of factors and no devices that do everything perfectly.

 

If direct playing is the most important factor I would recommend Kodi with one of the Emby plugins. Specifically a OSMC Vero 4K. If you are on a budget you could look at a cheaper s905x based on recomendations on the LibreELEC forum.

 

My reason for recommending the Vero 4K is based on my experience with a Shield TV and a Roku Premium+, both of which need to direct stream on occasion. I have a third TV with an Odriod C2 that direct plays everything 100% of the time. All three TVs are using the internal TV speakers.

[Harblar 29]

I'm 100% with you on dedicated playback devices separate from the TV, but again... This is for a Kitchen. Not a home theater!  I have a 65" OLED being supplied by an Oppo 203 and full 5.1 lossless audio setup when I want to watch/listen at the highest quality from the comfort of my couch. Realistically, I could easily get by with a 1080p TV in the kitchen. With 4K/HDR sets getting as cheap as they are it's mostly a $50 bump for the budget sets, so why not? Dropping another $100-200 for an add on box is kind of silly when the TV itself is only going to cost $250-300 tops. 75%+ of the content viewed on this will be standard 720p/1080i (or lower) compressed cable crap. If it's a clean picture in a brightly lit kitchen for less than $400 on the wall, that's the main selling point.

 

The more built in and user friendly the OS, the better. If my 70 year old parents can walk in and easily turn it on and browse between cable and the internal apps with a single remote great!  If I can walk in and direct stream a UHD while feeding the dogs and cooking supper, all the better.

 

Totally agree on the Android TV... lot of potential, but beyond confusing to navigate. (Last night the Sony TV started to act up... weird image ghosting and scan lines across the bottom half of the screen. Glad we got a a good warranty on that one!)

 

Jdiesel, thanks for the suggestions. I'll definitely look into those if I decide I can't live with the TV's internal player. :-)

[Jdiesel 1114]

If user friendliness is important the Roku OS is about as good as it gets. I have my non-tech savy parents using a Roku.

 

Also, if you aren't located in the US you may want to check that the TV app for your TV manufacturer is available in your region before buying. 

[CBers 6771]

I'm 100% with you on dedicated playback devices separate from the TV, but again... This is for a Kitchen.

Do you really care if its UHD quality in a kitchen?

 

Perhaps create a 1080 version of each movie, or leave it up to the Emby app to transcode it down.

 

I'd push anyone into getting an Nvidia Shield TV, they are awesome, especially with the Emby Android TV app on them - I have 3 by the way

 

They play all of my UHD content without a hitch.

[Carlo 4330]

I'm 100% with you on dedicated playback devices separate from the TV, but again... This is for a Kitchen. Not a home theater!  I have a 65" OLED being supplied by an Oppo 203 and full 5.1 lossless audio setup when I want to watch/listen at the highest quality from the comfort of my couch. Realistically, I could easily get by with a 1080p TV in the kitchen. With 4K/HDR sets getting as cheap as they are it's mostly a $50 bump for the budget sets, so why not? Dropping another $100-200 for an add on box is kind of silly when the TV itself is only going to cost $250-300 tops. 75%+ of the content viewed on this will be standard 720p/1080i (or lower) compressed cable crap. If it's a clean picture in a brightly lit kitchen for less than $400 on the wall, that's the main selling point.

 

The more built in and user friendly the OS, the better. If my 70 year old parents can walk in and easily turn it on and browse between cable and the internal apps with a single remote great!  If I can walk in and direct stream a UHD while feeding the dogs and cooking supper, all the better.

 

Totally agree on the Android TV... lot of potential, but beyond confusing to navigate. (Last night the Sony TV started to act up... weird image ghosting and scan lines across the bottom half of the screen. Glad we got a a good warranty on that one!)

 

Jdiesel, thanks for the suggestions. I'll definitely look into those if I decide I can't live with the TV's internal player. :-)

Personally, I don't care if it's in the kitchen, basement, garage on living room.  If it's going to access my Plex or Emby system it needs to have at least enough support to be able to play back the media as direct play vs transcoding because it doesn't support something like an audio codec. It also needs to be fast enough to display my libraries and not feel like the screens are being drawn by a snail.

 

I've got Emby/Plex running in my living room, all bedrooms, kitchen, screen porch and garage on 50 to 75" screens all hard wired.  I've got several 22" size TV/monitors in places like bathrooms, laundry room as well as several devices that use WIFI (tablets, computers) setup as well.  I pick and choose wisely the equipment to make sure I can direct play every media I have in my libraries as well as direct stream TV from my multiple HDHomeRuns.

 

Several of my TVs are "smart" and have Emby apps available on them but I don't use them because they just don't compare and just cause grief that I'd rather not deal with with I can fix it for a few $.

 

I don't post any of this to brag in any way, shape of form but just to let you know many of us do similar things as what you are trying to do.  We've been there, done that.  That's why we say to not worry about having this built in because it may cause you more grief.

 

With all this said.

1) WIll this TV be hardwired on use WIFI?

  If WIFI have you tested the location using a computer and Emby app to see how well your WIFI reception is for streaming at that location?

2) Is your media all in MP4 using H.264?  or do you have a mixed set of media containers and codecs?

3) Does all your media have AAC as the default audio track?

4) Will this kitchen TV be used for live tv via Emby?

5) Will you have a cable or OTA feed available to plug directly into the TV?

 

Do you see where I'm going with this?  If the minimal set of features built into the TV will meet your needs then SURE, buy it.  If you aren't paying additional for it because you would have purchased the TV anyway then it's a smart purchase.  However, if it's going to cost you more than $50 then you might be better off with a lesser TV and picking up a Roku or cheap android box which surely will have more app support as well as work with Emby much better.

 

1080 is probably fine for the kitchen.  1080 is probably fine for everything except maybe the living room where you do your "serious" TV watching.

 

So no one can tell you to buy built in or go external because we don't know the format of your media, how much reserve your Emby server has available for transcoding if needed, what your WIFI is like (if needed), etc

 

All we/I can recommend is not to spend more than $50 on something like that (kitchen) with the limited info we have, but to be prepared to spend additional on an external box if needed.

 

BTW, if you could answer the numbered questions above then you will get better feedback as we'll know your environment/intentions a bit better.

 

Carlo