Some noob questions about Emby transcoding

[Mike-G 16]

I've pretty much committed to using Emby for my Media Server (leaving my previous one behind, now), so I'm starting to think a bit ahead. I'm hoping the folks here can help me make some good choices from an Emby perspective for a new PC build I'm designing (it will be doing triple duty for general stuff, 4k gaming, and as an Emby media server).

 

What I'm thinking about/questions:

 

(1) When Emby does transcoding, does it make any difference in the output quality whether or not hw-accelereated transcoding is used (Quick Sync, NV, etc.)? I read a number of articles (one is here) that speak negatively of QuickSync's output quality, but I haven't been able to tell if it's just opinion or if there's something more to it.

 

(2) Would I be better off with a CPU that supports Quick Sync (i9 9900K) or something with more cores (Ryzen 9 3900X).  I'm planning for a RTX2080ti, so maybe that would be what Emby should use for transcoding and CPU choice doesn't really matter, from Emby's perspective? I'm planning to use Handbrake to encode movies in the formats I'll be watching them, but I believe that live TV recordings will probably need to be transcoded (I think Emby grabs them from HDHomeRun Extend in mpeg2 format and is currently not using Extend's built-in hw encoder to h.264). I want to be able to do gaming at the same time that Emby might be transcoding.

 

(3) I read that if a display isn't hooked up to the motherboard's display output, a QuickSync-capable CPU can't be used for hw transcoding.  Is that true?  Does that prevent Emby from using it? I will only be using external video cards to drive displays, so I'm wondering if this makes the whole QuickSync-or-not question pointless.

 

(4) If the PC has multiple options for hw transcoding (from CPU and maybe multiple NV cards), can Emby utilize several of them at once, or do I [can I] prioritize my preference in Emby's config?

 

Thanks for the help/suggestions. Feel free to tell me I'm thinking about this all wrong and attempt to point me in the right direction .

Edited August 2, 2019 by Mike-G

[CBers 7471]

There are quite a few similar thread in the Hardware forums, so please have a look in there for information

[Guest asrequested]

I'd suggest using the ryzen. I have a Threadripper 1920X in my server, and it handles lots of transcoding with ease. It'll work well with your gaming, too.

[jluce50 122]

I agree. Dollar for dollar, Ryzens are the best at transcoding video (last I heard, anyway). My 1700x can easily handle transcoding multiple streams at once without breaking a sweat. Things have come a long way since I started using Emby with a Phenom II X4.