# 20.5.9 =Big Update for Plex on Roamio



## gt2554 (Mar 8, 2016)

The Plex app version was updated to 2.5.7 about 3 weeks ago and that has not changed. The ability to do 1080p came hidden in the 20.5.9 update, thanks Tivo.

For those who don't know Plex used to be 720p only on Roamio, which was bad because all 1080 streams had to be transcoded on the fly by the Plex server in order to play. 

As a test, I am playing back a 5.4 mbps stream (1080p 23.976fps, DD AC3 5.1 audio) right now with no problems in original quality.


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## ajwees41 (May 7, 2006)

gt2554 said:


> The Plex app version was updated to 2.5.7 about 3 weeks ago and that has not changed. The ability to do 1080p came hidden in the 20.5.9 update, thanks Tivo.
> 
> For those who don't know Plex used to be 720p only on Roamio, which was bad because all 1080 streams had to be transcoded on the fly by the Plex server in order to play.
> 
> As a test, I am playing back a 5.4 mbps stream (1080p 23.976fps, DD AC3 5.1 audio) right now with no problems in original quality.


Did 20.5.9 cause plex and other apps to loose their settings for you?


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## gt2554 (Mar 8, 2016)

ajwees41 said:


> Did 20.5.9 cause plex and other apps to loose their settings for you?


Yes, I had to sign back into Plex on the Tivo. In addition, (maybe related?) I had to sign back into Amazon Prime and HBO Go after 20.5.9


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## moyekj (Jan 24, 2006)

I don't see any change in behavior. At least for in home streaming Plex client on Roamio has allowed greater than 720p for quite some time now, however for HD mpeg2 source files it fails miserably when using "same as source" resolution for the transcode, and the only fix I found was to restrict to 720p. That issue is still present for me with my Roamio Pro. For H.264 files I've been able to play them in native resolution (> 720p) without transcode for quite a while now, so I don't think anything has improved with 20.5.9 as far as transcoding to resolution > 720p, at least not for HD mpeg2 source files.


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## gt2554 (Mar 8, 2016)

Well... this is certainly strange. To be clear I have a Roamio OTA, is your Roamio also an OTA? I am 1000000% positive my OTA was not able to stream locally from my Plex server at 1080p until 20.5.9. It was extremely annoying. That is the reason I did not use it, instead using the Plex app built into a Vizio M-series TV, which has always been able to local stream 1080p. As for HD mpeg2, I don't use those through Plex, only h.264, and most are mkv.



moyekj said:


> I don't see any change in behavior. At least for in home streaming Plex client on Roamio has allowed greater than 720p for quite some time now, however for HD mpeg2 source files it fails miserably when using "same as source" resolution for the transcode, and the only fix I found was to restrict to 720p. That issue is still present for me with my Roamio Pro. For H.264 files I've been able to play them in native resolution (> 720p) without transcode for quite a while now, so I don't think anything has improved with 20.5.9 as far as transcoding to resolution > 720p, at least not for HD mpeg2 source files.


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## moyekj (Jan 24, 2006)

More info here:
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=10768987#post10768987

I have these settings for video for my Roamio Pro Plex client:
Video
Local Quality = Original
Remote Quality = 4 Mbps 720p
Online Quality = Original
Subtitles Size = Normal
Allow Direct Play = Enabled
Allo Direct Stream = Enabled
Maximum H.264 Level = 4.1

With the "Direct Play" items enabled and H.264 level = 4.1 I have been able to natively play 1080p H.264 mp4 container files (no transcoding) for quite some time now. However, unless I change Local Quality from "Original" to "4 Mbps 720p" I get a lot of stuttering when attempting to stream HD mpeg2 source files (that get transcoded), and that has not changed with 20.5.9 for me, and I believe it's an issue for Bolt hardware as well.


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## shupp872 (Jan 1, 2014)

moyekj said:


> With the "Direct Play" items enabled and H.264 level = 4.1 I have been able to natively play 1080p H.264 mp4 container files (no transcoding) for quite some time now.


Do you mind sharing what the max bitrate you have been able to play without transcoding on H.264 files? Most of my files are straight Bluray MKVs with high bitrates (usually 25+ mbps) and they will not play unless I select 10 mbps or lower (forcing a transcode). If i keep "original" selected, I get horrible stutter and freezing.


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## Chuck_IV (Jan 1, 2002)

This must be exclusive to the Roamios and not the minis. I just checked my mini that updated to 20.5.9 and I see the same ole options(720p only) in the Plex app(I do see the 1080p options on the main Roamios).

A little disappointing since I don't use Plex on the main Roamios since Plex won't play the 7.1 high def audio streams. I really only use Plex on the bedroom TVs with the minis.


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## moyekj (Jan 24, 2006)

shupp872 said:


> Do you mind sharing what the max bitrate you have been able to play without transcoding on H.264 files? Most of my files are straight Bluray MKVs with high bitrates (usually 25+ mbps) and they will not play unless I select 10 mbps or lower (forcing a transcode). If i keep "original" selected, I get horrible stutter and freezing.


 Just checked, and the ones I've watched have all been around 10 Mbps. However I just tried a Canon 35 Mbps 1080p/60 H.264 clip which did transcode and stuttered.


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## cwoody222 (Nov 13, 1999)

My Plex won't connect at all now after 20.5.9

Help?!


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## cwoody222 (Nov 13, 1999)

cwoody222 said:


> My Plex won't connect at all now after 20.5.9
> 
> Help?!


My Plex server had to updated.

Weird, worked fine with my Roku.


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## zubinh (Jun 7, 2004)

What am I doing wrong? My Roamio Plus is on 20.5.9, I have the latest Plex Server update installed but I see nothing greater than 720P resolution in the settings menu of the Roamio Plex app. 

Any suggestions? Thanks!


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## shupp872 (Jan 1, 2014)

I am not sure. Perhaps 'They' (TiVo or Plex) changed a configuration in the Plex app to lock it back down to 720p due to the bitrate problems. I will check mine when i get home to see if I can still do 1080p.


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## leitzsout (Feb 13, 2013)

How do i adjust settings for the Plex app? I have Tivo Pro, Plus, and Mini. I also have Plex pass. I want to see if I now have 1080p, 720p in the past has worked but would be nice not to change inputs to get to 1080p plex. Thanks.


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## shupp872 (Jan 1, 2014)

On the top right, click on your account name. There is a settings option there. Any change you make there will be applied across the app. You can also pause a title while playing and choose the icon on the left (looks like sliders). There you can change the quality and audio track for the current title / instance of play.


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## tazzmission (Oct 15, 2002)

No 1080p in Plex on my Mini's


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## leitzsout (Feb 13, 2013)

Played with the setting and don't get smooth play of 10mbps 1080p. I also noticed that the aspect ratio was changed to 16:9. The stuttering may be due to a wireless connection between my media server and Roamio Pro. Not sure why the aspect ratio is changed. I'll stick with my media server-hdmi-avs receiver-hdmi-tv setup for plex...smooth 1080p play, original aspect ratios, and one button input and lighting switching with simple control.


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## MadManMoon (Mar 4, 2016)

My Roamio Pro isn't showing a setting higher than 4 Mbps 720p. I have local and remote streaming set to Original in my Plex Media Server. Any ideas? 

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


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## thefisch (Jul 25, 2015)

So I finally got the 20.5.9 update and checked out plex again (I mainly use the network stream function on my bluray player). Now I can stream all the movie files I have (some 1080) without transcoding which is nice. However, I did notice that when I enabled subtitles on videos then plex needed to transcode. I checked two different movies just to be sure. Without subtitles on in plex, pc runs cpu at 1-3%. Same files with subtitles on, cpu runs 40% or more with the plex transcoder as the main user.


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## Chuck_IV (Jan 1, 2002)

thefisch said:


> So I finally got the 20.5.9 update and checked out plex again (I mainly use the network stream function on my bluray player). Now I can stream all the movie files I have (some 1080) without transcoding which is nice. However, I did notice that when I enabled subtitles on videos then plex needed to transcode. I checked two different movies just to be sure. Without subtitles on in plex, pc runs cpu at 1-3%. Same files with subtitles on, cpu runs 40% or more with the plex transcoder as the main user.


Yea, Plex seems to want to transcode some of my movies no matter what, and it's frustrating because my server is an old PC that just can't quite handle the 1080p transcoding on certain movies.

The one that gives me fits is the Bluray of Back to the Future. I have one of the original BluRay boxed sets from a while ago and I rip all my blurays using MakeMKV. I just let it rip as is, 1:1 into an MKV file. This works great using my Popcorn Hour A-210 or my WD SMP Live, but for some reason Plex wants to transcode this particular movie, even though I tell it do it original/direct, while it leaves others like Avatar, alone and doesn't transcode.


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## Jayboy3 (Jan 2, 2010)

What's the easiest way to tell if it's updated? 

Otherwise I will obsess over whether it really looks better. (I currently use a PS3 for Plex instead).


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## bradleys (Oct 31, 2007)

What exact format does a movie have to be in for TiVo / Plex not to need to transcode?


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## thefisch (Jul 25, 2015)

Chuck_IV said:


> Yea, Plex seems to want to transcode some of my movies no matter what, and it's frustrating because my server is an old PC that just can't quite handle the 1080p transcoding on certain movies.


I could understand if is was transcoding a certain file but not others based on how it was encoded. In my case I am talking about the same file - plex doesn't need to transcode the file if I play it without subtitles. if I choose subtitles, then it transcodes the file. I didn't expect that to matter.

Also, it seems to make everything full screen. Even though my tv is 16:9, some movies still have letterboxing when played on my computer or to the tv through another streaming device. But with plex on the tivo it automatically stretches the picture vertically to eliminate the bars at the top and bottom. Can't find a setting in the plex app for this.


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## thefisch (Jul 25, 2015)

Jayboy3 said:


> What's the easiest way to tell if it's updated?
> 
> Otherwise I will obsess over whether it really looks better. (I currently use a PS3 for Plex instead).


check software version on tivo to see if you are on 20.5.9. Then as you open the plex app, it should say 2.5.7 in the lower right to indicate the version of the plex app.


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## leswar (Apr 14, 2005)

thefisch said:


> However, I did notice that when I enabled subtitles on videos then plex needed to transcode. I checked two different movies just to be sure. Without subtitles on in plex, pc runs cpu at 1-3%. Same files with subtitles on, cpu runs 40% or more with the plex transcoder as the main user.


Yes, that's what I do not like about plex. I use subtitles and plex degrades my
picture quality because it burns in the subs on the fly. And I hate the degrading.
I've used plex for a while now first on other media boxes like WDTVLive+ and Roku and a Sony smart tv. Just a bad experience.

But for pic quality and using subs nothing beats streambaby. Also pytivo pic quality is a close second but unfortunately no subs. However plex has beautiful movie and tv show graphics. .......ah, nothing is perfect


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## Chuck_IV (Jan 1, 2002)

thefisch said:


> I could understand if is was transcoding a certain file but not others based on how it was encoded. In my case I am talking about the same file - plex doesn't need to transcode the file if I play it without subtitles. if I choose subtitles, then it transcodes the file. I didn't expect that to matter.
> 
> Also, it seems to make everything full screen. Even though my tv is 16:9, some movies still have letterboxing when played on my computer or to the tv through another streaming device. But with plex on the tivo it automatically stretches the picture vertically to eliminate the bars at the top and bottom. Can't find a setting in the plex app for this.


Unfortunately, Plex is set to always transcode if subtitles are enabled. Not sure why, but they do have it listed.

As for my issues, 2 things eventually cleared it up by 99%. What I read was to turn OFF Secure Connections in the Network setting on the server(I run it on Windows) and I also downgraded my version to 0.9.12.04(as per another user). After doing both, all I get is an occasional split second hiccup on Back to the Future when prior it would start to stutter so BADLY, within a couple minutes, it would be unwatchable. This is using direct stream(these are direct rips to MKV of BluRays).


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## jmpage2 (Jan 21, 2004)

Hey guys, ever since the latest updates to TiVo my Plex experience has been in the toilet. My wife uses Plex on the Tivos all the time to watch movies (I have higher quality XBMC machines but she refuses to use them complains they are too complicated).

Ever since this update made its way to me all of my BD ripped content seems to have stuttering issues to the point that many of them are unwatchable. For straight rips it's a nightmare and even for ones that I have compressed there is some stuttering and audio/video sync issues that didn't seem as prevalent before.

Today I investigated on the Roamio on my large TV and noticed that Plex client on the TiVo was set to "native" resolution, and it was choking the hell out of the TiVo. When I set the resolution to 1080P/8mbps the Roamio seemed to handle it fine.

So, I've seen mention in this and other threads of a couple of things to do to improve this, but I can't figure out where in Plex server these steps are performed.

1. Turn off "direct stream"?
2. Limit clients to 720P/4mbps.

This is kind of a let down, because Plex continues to work fine on other devices like iPhones/iPads, etc. Seems to be a limitation with TiVo.

Any help is appreciated.


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## shupp872 (Jan 1, 2014)

You cannot set client limits on the server.

You have to set the limits on each client.

When you launch the Plex app, if you select your user name in the upper right, there is a settings drop down. In that settings menu there is an option to select the max resolution / bitrate for that device. If you set the resolution and bitrate there, that will now be the default for the device.

If you start playing a movie, pause it, and change the resolution / bitrate from the small popup menu (to the left of the play controls), it will only change the resolution / bitrate for the currently playing title. It will not affect the defaults.

So unfortunately, you just need to go to each device, enter the settings and select 1080p / 8 mbps for the max and you shouldn't have to worry about it again.


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## jmpage2 (Jan 21, 2004)

shupp872 said:


> You cannot set client limits on the server.
> 
> You have to set the limits on each client.
> 
> ...


Thanks (and thanks for replying to me in the Plex forums too!)

Can anyone summarize what the Stream Direct and Play direct options do? I thought maybe I should disable those as well.


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## shupp872 (Jan 1, 2014)

You know...I thought there was a chance that it was the same person, but I wasn't sure. 

As for Direct Play and Direct Stream

in short:

Direct Play means that the file (video and audio) are compatible with the playing device, and the file is a compatible container as well.

Direct stream means the video / audio are compatible, but the container is not. So the Plex Server will remove the container and basically stream the compatible audio / video to the playing device. If (as an example) the audio is in a format that playing device cannot decode, it will transcode the audio to something the device can play, but can still direct stream the video.

you can get more information here:
https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/200250387-Streaming-Media-Direct-Play-and-Direct-Stream

As mentioned in the link, disabling Direct Stream and Direct Play means everything will have to be 100% transcoded by your server, which will require processing power, but *should* mean everything will play without issues.


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## jmpage2 (Jan 21, 2004)

shupp872 said:


> You know...I thought there was a chance that it was the same person, but I wasn't sure.
> 
> As for Direct Play and Direct Stream
> 
> ...


I have an i7 box with 24GB of RAM so I think I will just turn those off, my box is pretty high end and should be more than capable of transcoding stuff on the fly 100% of the time.


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## Chuck_IV (Jan 1, 2002)

jmpage2 said:


> Hey guys, ever since the latest updates to TiVo my Plex experience has been in the toilet. My wife uses Plex on the Tivos all the time to watch movies (I have higher quality XBMC machines but she refuses to use them complains they are too complicated).
> 
> Ever since this update made its way to me all of my BD ripped content seems to have stuttering issues to the point that many of them are unwatchable. For straight rips it's a nightmare and even for ones that I have compressed there is some stuttering and audio/video sync issues that didn't seem as prevalent before.
> 
> ...


See my post, just above yours. One of the things that made a VERY noticeable difference was turning OFF Secure Connection in the Network settings on the server itself(not on the client). It was previously set to "Preferred".


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## shupp872 (Jan 1, 2014)

jmpage2 said:


> I have an i7 box with 24GB of RAM so I think I will just turn those off, my box is pretty high end and should be more than capable of transcoding stuff on the fly 100% of the time.


You mentioned that most of your files were full quality rips from Blurays, once you set the max bitrate on the TiVo to [email protected] 8 mbps, it will be forced to automatically transcode anyway since the bluray rips are a much higher bitrate.

The main reason I have chosen to leave Direct Play and Direct Stream turned on is because I would like to have the highest possible quality delivered to my devices that they can play. For example, the Bolt can play bluray rips at full quality with no transcoding required. So I would rather the bolt play the unmodified file directly and natively, than having my server re-encode the file (and most likely lower the quality) and send it to the Bolt.

For the devices that can't play the full quality, lowering the max bitrate will force the transcode, I.E. the Roamio and Minis.

The same goes for audio. If the file has AC3 audio, i see no reason to force it to transcode, when the TiVos can natively play AC3 audio. For every file that does not have AC3 or AAC audio, the server will automatically transcode it to AC3 as needed.

Just my opinion, but your experience may be different. You should definitely do whatever nets you the best experience for your setup.

I am curious to see if you notice a difference by turning Direct Play and Direct Stream off, either in quality or compatibility. As mentioned, I had been trying to get as much stuff to play natively as possible but perhaps your solution will yield the better results.


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## jmpage2 (Jan 21, 2004)

Chuck_IV said:


> See my post, just above yours. One of the things that made a VERY noticeable difference was turning OFF Secure Connection in the Network settings on the server itself(not on the client). It was previously set to "Preferred".


Interesting. As an engineer familiar with things like secure connections (certificate exchange) I can really think of no reason that would affect anything on local clients like the TiVo boxes.


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## jmpage2 (Jan 21, 2004)

shupp872 said:


> You mentioned that most of your files were full quality rips from Blurays, once you set the max bitrate on the TiVo to [email protected] 8 mbps, it will be forced to automatically transcode anyway since the bluray rips are a much higher bitrate.
> 
> The main reason I have chosen to leave Direct Play and Direct Stream turned on is because I would like to have the highest possible quality delivered to my devices that they can play. For example, the Bolt can play bluray rips at full quality with no transcoding required. So I would rather the bolt play the unmodified file directly and natively, than having my server re-encode the file (and most likely lower the quality) and send it to the Bolt.
> 
> ...


That makes sense. I don't have a Bolt and probably never will, so I would be more concerned that the TiVo asks for a higher quality stream than it can actually handle and as a result the playback suffers. Even on the boxes that appear to already have 720P/4mbps set as their default playback rate (the Minis) I have noticed some occasional stuttering or audio/video sync issues. I wonder if turning those off and forcing to transcode 100% of everything to something the TiVo can actually do would eliminate or reduce those problems.


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