# Plex app now supports 4k video on Bolt...



## jcthorne (Jan 28, 2002)

New Plex for Tivo update today claims to support 4k video streaming to Bolt. Anyone gotten it to work yet?

June 22, 2017 • 3.8.0

NEW


TiVo: Now Direct Play and Direct Stream more UHD content on your UHD capable TiVo devices. The Plex for TiVo app will now Direct Play UHD content in MP4 and MKV files.
The video must be HEVC (H.265), <= 3840x2160, and <= 60FPS.
We can now also Direct Stream UHD and HEVC content. UHD content which is played directly tends to support higher bitrates.
We've noticed media specific trouble seeking and resuming UHD content. We'll be working with our contacts at TiVo to resolve the troubles.

FIXES


Fixed video seeking when using seek/skip combination buttons.
Prevent some combinations of settings and media from potentially creating URLs long enough to exceed system limits.
Photo player slide show fixes.


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## razor237 (Feb 1, 2002)

That's interesting .... ill have to give it a try when i get home, only have a few 4k videos & the only thing that could direct play it was the nvida shield TV


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## jcthorne (Jan 28, 2002)

Let us know how it works. I have no way of testing. My bolt is connected to a 1080p projector. No 4k projector in my budget this year. They will have to drop in price a bit more before I consider one.


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## Fant (Sep 1, 2016)

Has anyone been able to test this and confirm it works? Requires having a 4K tv hooked up, a plex server, and of course 4K material.


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## Cheap Flyer (Sep 23, 2003)

It does appear to be working:

*Stream Details*
*Media*

Container: *mpegts*
Resolution: *2160p*
*Video*

Stream: *copy*
Width: *3840*
Height: *2160*
Codec: *h264*
*Audio*

Stream: *copy*
Codec: *ac3*
Channels: *6*
*Source Details*
*Media*

Container: *mkv*
Resolution: *4kp*
Bitrate: *64648 kbps*
*Video*

Width: *3840*
Height: *2160*
Codec: *hevc*
Aspect Ratio: *1.78*
Frame Rate: *24p*
*Audio

Codec: truehd
Channels: 8
*


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## Miles267 (Feb 20, 2017)

Cheap Flyer, glad I found your thread. Am a lifetime Plex user with a local Plex Media Server. Currently stream HD content from Plex to Roamio and Mini devices without issue.

Can you please confirm that the Bolt+ can, in fact, direct stream 4K content from PMS assuming there's a 4K UHD TV connected via HDMI directly to the Bolt+?


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## Nickipedia (Jul 18, 2015)

Miles267 said:


> Cheap Flyer, glad I found your thread. Am a lifetime Plex user with a local Plex Media Server. Currently stream HD content from Plex to Roamio and Mini devices without issue.
> 
> Can you please confirm that the Bolt+ can, in fact, direct stream 4K content from PMS assuming there's a 4K UHD TV connected via HDMI directly to the Bolt+?


I can confirm this works, been using it for quite a while now.


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## Miles267 (Feb 20, 2017)

Awesome! Are you using Handbrake or any other app to convert to MKV HEVC at 3840x2160? Or must the file be a MP4 HEVC (h.265h at 3840x2160?


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## Nickipedia (Jul 18, 2015)

I've had pretty good luck with downloading files in MKV that are H.265 and playing them via direct play. Otherwise I have used Handbrake to covert them to that format. Mostly MP4 h265 for my own media. Depends on where my content comes from...


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## jcthorne (Jan 28, 2002)

This is great to hear. I just may upgrade to a 4k projector one of these years. I would have thought the pricing on them would have dropped down in the 2 or 3k range by now but they are still over 8k. Not gonna happen.


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## Miles267 (Feb 20, 2017)

Nickipedia said:


> I've had pretty good luck with downloading files in MKV that are H.265 and playing them via direct play. Otherwise I have used Handbrake to covert them to that format. Mostly MP4 h265 for my own media. Depends on where my content comes from...


Thanks again. Just setup the latest Handbrake (PC) since it now supports H.265 encoding with Intel QuickSync. Definitely helps.

I basically set container to MP4, encode video to H.265 HEVC in Handbrake and keep the 3840x2168 resolution. Do you just keep audio to AAC (default in Handbrake)? Also should I set the peak framerate to specifically 30 fps, 24 fps or 23.976 fps? Was my understanding it just needed to be less than 60 fps?

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## Sparky1234 (May 8, 2006)

Nickipedia said:


> I can confirm this works, been using it for quite a while now.


Just curious:

Have you tried 4k video with a Bolt on a 1080 TV?

Any difference in quality?


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## Sparky1234 (May 8, 2006)

Miles267 said:


> Cheap Flyer, glad I found your thread. Am a lifetime Plex user with a local Plex Media Server. Currently stream HD content from Plex to Roamio and Mini devices without issue.
> 
> Can you please confirm that the Bolt+ can, in fact, direct stream 4K content from PMS assuming there's a 4K UHD TV connected via HDMI directly to the Bolt+?


What are you using for a Plex media server host? PC? Dedicated server? NAS?


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## billygoatpig (Aug 28, 2017)

Isn't there still a 5.1+ sound problem with the Tivo Plex app that needs a hack to get working properly? I've never been able to use the Plex app on my Bolt because it won't do surround sound with a ton of files.


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## Miles267 (Feb 20, 2017)

Sparky1234 said:


> Just curious:
> 
> Have you tried 4k video with a Bolt on a 1080 TV?
> 
> Any difference in quality?


No, am sorry. Unfortunately I've not tried this. In fact, I'm only now trying Handbrake for the first time to create a successful 4K MP4 file that will direct stream to a Bolt+ Plex.

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## Miles267 (Feb 20, 2017)

billygoatpig said:


> Isn't there still a 5.1+ sound problem with the Tivo Plex app that needs a hack to get working properly? I've never been able to use the Plex app on my Bolt because it won't do surround sound with a ton of files.


Not sure. In this case, I just figured it would transcode audio to stereo worst case. Will see shortly.

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## Miles267 (Feb 20, 2017)

Sparky1234 said:


> What are you using for a Plex media server host? PC? Dedicated server? NAS?


My PMS host is an Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge Windows Server 2012 R2 box with 32 GB RAM.

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## Cheap Flyer (Sep 23, 2003)

billygoatpig said:


> Isn't there still a 5.1+ sound problem with the Tivo Plex app that needs a hack to get working properly? I've never been able to use the Plex app on my Bolt because it won't do surround sound with a ton of files.


 Yes, I still have a problem with DTS being downconverted to stereo on my Bolt. Annoying as hell. If I want full surround I do one of two things: Either use my RasPlex to play or I convert the DTS to AC3 5.1 using a program called XMedia Recode.

Last I heard the hack was no longer working, if anyone knows the current status of it please give us an update. I use an UnRaid server as my Plex server which makes editing the xml files a little more complicated. So I haven't tried it recently. Thanks!


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## Miles267 (Feb 20, 2017)

Cheap Flyer said:


> Yes, I still have a problem with DTS being downconverted to stereo on my Bolt. Annoying as hell. If I want full surround I do one of two things: Either use my RasPlex to play or I convert the DTS to AC3 5.1 using a program called XMedia Recode.
> 
> Last I heard the hack was no longer working, if anyone knows the current status of it please give us an update. I use an UnRaid server as my Plex server which makes editing the xml files a little more complicated. So I haven't tried it recently. Thanks!


Cheap Flyer, can Handbrake not convert the audio from DTS to AC5.1 during the encoding? Wasn't sure if this could help you.

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## Cheap Flyer (Sep 23, 2003)

I really haven't used handbrake. What I like about XMedia Recode is that you can just Copy the video portion and recode just the audio portion. So no degradation of video quality and it's really fast. Does handbrake allow that?


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## Miles267 (Feb 20, 2017)

Cheap Flyer said:


> I really haven't used handbrake. What I like about XMedia Recode is that you can just Copy the video portion and recode just the audio portion. So no degradation of video quality and it's really fast. Does handbrake allow that?


Ah! No, I don't believe so. Appear Handbrake re-encodes as it's never a particularly fast process. Though the use of Intel QuickSync or nVidia CUDA certainly helps...

I've just run a test, creating 2 MP4 files at 3840x2160, aac audio, one at 24 fps and the other 30 fps. Am going to old both into Plex Media Server and try to direct stream over Gigabit to my Bolt+ to see which actually plays in 4K resolution without the video being transcoded. Fingers crossed!

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## billygoatpig (Aug 28, 2017)

Cheap Flyer said:


> Yes, I still have a problem with DTS being downconverted to stereo on my Bolt. Annoying as hell. If I want full surround I do one of two things: Either use my RasPlex to play or I convert the DTS to AC3 5.1 using a program called XMedia Recode.
> 
> Last I heard the hack was no longer working, if anyone knows the current status of it please give us an update. I use an UnRaid server as my Plex server which makes editing the xml files a little more complicated. So I haven't tried it recently. Thanks!


Well, that settles that, then. Tivo still cannot be a one stop shop for my media. Not a huge deal because, frankly, Tivo's apps are pretty horrific compared to the same apps on my Xbox One, PS4, and HTPC. Tivo, for me, remains merely a broadcast TV watching and DVR machine exclusively in my home. For everything else we use other stuff that's a lot better.


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## Miles267 (Feb 20, 2017)

In our home, with young kids, we take the path of least resistance. Using TiVo and Minis is simplest, unified method. Less headaches and wife approved.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

billygoatpig said:


> Well, that settles that, then. Tivo still cannot be a one stop shop for my media. Not a huge deal because, frankly, Tivo's apps are pretty horrific compared to the same apps on my Xbox One, PS4, and HTPC. Tivo, for me, remains merely a broadcast TV watching and DVR machine exclusively in my home. For everything else we use other stuff that's a lot better.


To be fair, Netflix is horrific on the PS4 and Xbox now. Since it's stuck in HDR mode. Which is fine if you are watching HDR content from Netflix. But not if you want to watch SDR content.

Of course TiVo has yet to implement HDR on the Bolt. And the Bolt has been out almost two years now.


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## Cheap Flyer (Sep 23, 2003)

billygoatpig said:


> Well, that settles that, then. Tivo still cannot be a one stop shop for my media.


I know. It's frustrating because the Bolt is so close to being perfect but ultimately it fails. I guess you can bash TiVo a little bit for not licensing the high end codecs but I really blame Plex for this. In their attempt to keep things as simple and automated as possible they alienate the people that need/want to tinker with things. Hopefully someday there will be a solution to this.


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## Miles267 (Feb 20, 2017)

Bad news. Using latest Handbrake 1.0.7 on Windows, doesn't appear to let me change Picture resolution to 3840 x 2160. Stuck at 1920 x 1080 although the source file is in fact 3840 x 2160. Trying to find a workaround for this.


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## Sparky1234 (May 8, 2006)

Miles267 said:


> My PMS host is an Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge Windows Server 2012 R2 box with 32 GB RAM.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thanks!


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## Sparky1234 (May 8, 2006)

Miles267 said:


> No, am sorry. Unfortunately I've not tried this. In fact, I'm only now trying Handbrake for the first time to create a successful 4K MP4 file that will direct stream to a Bolt+ Plex.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


HB with the right settings is a terrific video converter.


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## Miles267 (Feb 20, 2017)

So I've since figured out HB however the encoding to HEVC (h.265) is a painful, long process. Takes forever. Literally. Not sure whether a new nVidia CUDA graphics card would help.


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## jcthorne (Jan 28, 2002)

Miles267 said:


> Bad news. Using latest Handbrake 1.0.7 on Windows, doesn't appear to let me change Picture resolution to 3840 x 2160. Stuck at 1920 x 1080 although the source file is in fact 3840 x 2160. Trying to find a workaround for this.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Time for you to graduate to MeGUI. You may not need to re-encode the video at all, just the audio and place in a streamable mp4 container.


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## Miles267 (Feb 20, 2017)

jcthorne, after my latest Handbrake HEVC (h.265) encoding experience, I'm now very intrigued by this MeGUI. Might you have any guides that cover how to do this for the Tivo Bolt+? My source media is actually a MKV, 3840x1920 resolution, x.264.

If I understand correctly, the Bolt+ requires the file to be HEVC/h.265 on the Plex Media Server, else it will be transcoded to 1080p for streaming rather than direct playing to the Bolt+
Plex app now supports 4k video on Bolt...

This thread also implies that the Bolt+ can't direct stream a 4K video file in x264 format anyway?
Plex for Tivo Bolt not direct playing 4K HEVC

Thanks -- I'm sure this will help others in the long run too.


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## Miles267 (Feb 20, 2017)

Btw just played the same file from the same Plex Media Server to the LG TV's built-in XPlay webOS app without any changes to file or PMS settings.

Someone suggested changing the same file to a MP4 container without re-encoding it. Sometimes Tivo's Plex client will direct play a MP4.

Anyone know a straight forward way to do this without re-encoding the same file?


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## shupp872 (Jan 1, 2014)

Cheap Flyer said:


> Yes, I still have a problem with DTS being downconverted to stereo on my Bolt. Annoying as hell. If I want full surround I do one of two things: Either use my RasPlex to play or I convert the DTS to AC3 5.1 using a program called XMedia Recode.
> 
> Last I heard the hack was no longer working, if anyone knows the current status of it please give us an update. I use an UnRaid server as my Plex server which makes editing the xml files a little more complicated. So I haven't tried it recently. Thanks!


The TiVo can play 5.1 dolby digital (ac3) through Plex. The only hack that needs to be applied is to change the target audio from "aac" to "ac3" in the HTML TV.xml file on PMS, then restart PMS. I can confirm that this is working with the latest version of PMS. (1.8.1.4139). There were a few versions where transcoding and audio was messed up for the Plex app on the TiVo, but it all appears to be good now. One of the issues with the TiVo is that it does not support greater than stereo sound for aac.


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## osu1991 (Mar 6, 2015)

Miles267 said:


> Btw just played the same file from the same Plex Media Server to the LG TV's built-in XPlay webOS app without any changes to file or PMS settings.
> 
> Someone suggested changing the same file to a MP4 container without re-encoding it. Sometimes Tivo's Plex client will direct play a MP4.
> 
> ...


The program Rebox.net is a quick way to remux mkv to mp4 without reencoding.

rebox.NET 2.9.9.3 Download Free - VideoHelp

Overall I prefer mp4 containers instead of mkv. The Plex app on LG 4K tvs with WebOS2 have to be in mp4 containers otherwise Plex server transcodes to 1080p.


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## Miles267 (Feb 20, 2017)

osu1991 said:


> The program Rebox.net is a quick way to remux mkv to mp4 without reencoding.
> 
> rebox.NET 2.9.9.3 Download Free - VideoHelp
> 
> Overall I prefer mp4 containers instead of mkv. The Plex app on LG 4K tvs with WebOS2 have to be in mp4 containers otherwise Plex server transcodes to 1080p.


Thanks osu1991. Tried simply remuxing from MKV to MP4 without success. Also physically removed subtitles from the file altogether. Upon playback, Tivo Bolt+ Plex reports video is being transcoded from h.264 to h.264. Yet this same file plays direct in 4K using the LG webOS Xplay Plex client without issue.

Below are the specs of my sample video. The audio consistently direct streams without problems, but there's something in these video specs that are causing Plex TiVo client to transcode.

Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : [email protected]
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 6 frames
Codec ID : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration : 58mn 8s
Bit rate : 18.7 Mbps
Width : 3 840 pixels
Height : 1 920 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 2.000
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 23.976 (24000/1001) fps
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.106
Stream size : 7.58 GiB (98%)
Writing library : x264 core 144 r2525 40bb568
Encoding settings : cabac=1 / ref=6 / deblock=1:-3:-3 / analyse=0x3:0x133 / me=umh / subme=10 / psy=1 / psy_rd=1.00:0.00 / mixed_ref=1 / me_range=48 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=2 / 8x8dct=1 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / fast_pskip=0 / chroma_qp_offset=-2 / threads=24 / lookahead_threads=4 / sliced_threads=0 / nr=0 / decimate=0 / interlaced=0 / bluray_compat=0 / constrained_intra=0 / bframes=8 / b_pyramid=2 / b_adapt=2 / b_bias=0 / direct=3 / weightb=1 / open_gop=0 / weightp=2 / keyint=250 / keyint_min=23 / scenecut=40 / intra_refresh=0 / rc=crf / mbtree=0 / crf=20.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=0 / qpmax=69 / qpstep=4 / ip_ratio=1.30 / pb_ratio=1.20 / aq=3:0.80
Language : English
Default : Yes
Forced : No


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## Miles267 (Feb 20, 2017)

Could this simply be because of this video file's Format profile = [email protected]? My Tivo Bolt+ Plex client was set to the default recommended 4.1. Is it necessary to restart the Plex client after making changes to the profile setting, for example if I change from 4.1 to 5.1? Am trying to get around why it insists on transcoding h264 to h264 when it doesn't appear necessary. Thanks.


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## Miles267 (Feb 20, 2017)

Simply changing the H264 level to 5.1 (or 5.2) in the TiVo Bolt+ Plex client and restarting the app wasn't enough. Still insists on transcoding H264 to H264. Not sure what the issue is. Xplay direct plays fine.


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## Cheap Flyer (Sep 23, 2003)

shupp872 said:


> The TiVo can play 5.1 dolby digital (ac3) through Plex. The only hack that needs to be applied is to change the target audio from "aac" to "ac3" in the HTML TV.xml file on PMS, then restart PMS. I can confirm that this is working with the latest version of PMS. (1.8.1.4139). There were a few versions where transcoding and audio was messed up for the Plex app on the TiVo, but it all appears to be good now. One of the issues with the TiVo is that it does not support greater than stereo sound for aac.


Thanks for the update. When I originally tried the hack it didn't work. I just tried it out and it seems to be working on the one DTS track I tried. I don't think I have any files with AAC, so that's no big deal for me. Sweet.


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## jcthorne (Jan 28, 2002)

Bolt will not play 4k video in h.264 format. Requires h.265 (HEVC) encoded video. At least its not in the spec. Only supports up to 1080p in h.264 format.


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## Miles267 (Feb 20, 2017)

jcthorne said:


> Bolt will not play 4k video in h.264 format. Requires h.265 (HEVC) encoded video. At least its not in the spec. Only supports up to 1080p in h.264 format.


Thanks jcthorne. That explains it. Wish they'd add that codec. Guess I'll stick with Xplay in the meantime.

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## Miles267 (Feb 20, 2017)

Nickipedia said:


> I can confirm this works, been using it for quite a while now.


Yikes. I just tried to direct play a file on the TiVo Bolt+ that is HEVC and fits the criteria listed above and it says transcoding HEVC to H264. This is ridiculous.


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## Miles267 (Feb 20, 2017)

Noticed the Bolt+ calls the HTML TV App.xml profile in Plex Media Server. It is limited to 1920x1080. That's why it's transcoding regardless of other settings. Not sure how to modify this profile or get it to use another.


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## Miles267 (Feb 20, 2017)

Nickipedia said:


> I've had pretty good luck with downloading files in MKV that are H.265 and playing them via direct play. Otherwise I have used Handbrake to covert them to that format. Mostly MP4 h265 for my own media. Depends on where my content comes from...


So I've tried to play H.265 MKV and MP4 with either AC3 or AAC on my Bolt+ without success. PMS seems to be calling the HTML TV App.xml profile which limits 1920x1080. At least Xplay built into LG webOS works flawlessly. Even the LG Plex app doesn't direct play the 4K files so it's clearly an issue with PMS 1.8.2 (latest).

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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Miles267 said:


> Yikes. I just tried to direct play a file on the TiVo Bolt+ that is HEVC and fits the criteria listed above and it says transcoding HEVC to H264. This is ridiculous.


I'm seeing the same thing with my UHD HEVC videos. It reports transcoding HEVC to H.264.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

jcthorne said:


> Bolt will not play 4k video in h.264 format. Requires h.265 (HEVC) encoded video. At least its not in the spec. Only supports up to 1080p in h.264 format.


Plesx is playing back my UHD H.264 videos. Although it shows transcoding H.264 to H.264.


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## Miles267 (Feb 20, 2017)

aaronwt said:


> Plesx is playing back my UHD H.264 videos. Although it shows transcoding H.264 to H.264.


Yes, I see this also. If it says transcoding H.264 to H.264 then it's scaling video down to 1920x1080 which is 1080p not 2160p/4K.

That shouldn't be happening, but can't figure out a fix either.

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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

I've been messing around with PLEX this past weekend. Putting a bunch of recorded shows in folders and giving it access to some my MKV movies. It seems so different from different devices. 

My favorites are from the ROku Ultra and XB1S. Those will play TV show theme song music in the background when looking at episode lists of shows. While my Bolts and PS4 don't do this. Plus the Bolt seems to want to output 2.0 PCM from Plex. While my other devices will output the 5.1 audio.

Then of course my Sony UHD BD player can play back the most content directly from PLEX, without any conversion, but it is lacking the graphical interface.


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## Miles267 (Feb 20, 2017)

aaronwt said:


> I've been messing around with PLEX this past weekend. Putting a bunch of recorded shows in folders and giving it access to some my MKV movies. It seems so different from different devices.
> 
> My favorites are from the ROku Ultra and XB1S. Those will play TV show theme song music in the background when looking at episode lists of shows. While my Bolts and PS4 don't do this. Plus the Bolt seems to want to output 2.0 PCM from Plex. While my other devices will output the 5.1 audio.
> 
> Then of course my Sony UHD BD player can play back the most content directly from PLEX, without any conversion, but it is lacking the graphical interface.


aaronwt, am having a similar experience. My LG webOS TV direct plays anything I throw at it, but only if I use the Plex knock-off app called Xplay. While this is a convenient work-around, it doesn't seem sustainable. The author could decide this hobby is no longer worthwhile.

Am a long-time TiVo user and supporter. Intentionally bought a Bolt+ to outfit a new room. Seemed only logical to get a 4K capable device consistent with the 4K TV it's paired with. But the Plex client player apps (Bolt+, LG WebOS TV) are the weakest link. They direct play nothing.

Am trying to avoid getting yet another device (Roku Ultra), more cables, more power outlets... just wish TiVo had its own Plex XML profile. Instead the Bolt+ is calling the HTML TV App.XML that has a 1920x1080 resolution limit. Despite documented reqs, the Bolt+ Plex won't even play a HEVC (h.265), stereo AAC file directly. Surely the Bolt+ hardware is every bit as capable as the LG TV itself.


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