Best Way to Play 4k Video File in 2024

Spennyrich on 01/07/2024 - 09:17
Last edited 01/07/2024 - 12:12 by 1 other user

Hi OzB, I recently picked up the TCL C855 85" paired with a Q990D Samsung Sound Bar which comes with Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos HDR10+ etc

I want to know what is going to be the best way to play a 4k video file on the tv, I've typically just been using VLC to cast from my laptop to a Chromecast.

From my initial reading it seems like the best setup would be casting to a Nvidia Shield through a Plex media server.

  1. Best media player: Would my Xbox series X or casting from my laptop (Lenovo Legion 4070) do the job?
  2. Best software: Is plex media server going to give me the best encoding?
  3. Best method: is there any loss when casting wirelessly, do I get better playback if I play the video file from a USB?

Thanks in advance.

Computing

Comments

  • askbargain on 01/07/2024 - 09:22
    +4

    CCwGTV + Plex/jellyfin

    Nvidia shield does not have hdr10+

    Casting doesn’t allow Dolby vision if it’s not mp4

      • Bruceflix on 01/07/2024 - 10:44
        +1

        Plex running on the TV won't passthrough Lossless audio like TrueHD 7.1

        • tp0 on 01/07/2024 - 10:53
          -1

          I’m not fully across the function of Google TV but technically it should be able to pass lossless audio out via eARC.

          If it can’t it’s a software issue with Google TV rather than a technical limitation of the hardware.

          • Bruceflix on 01/07/2024 - 10:57
            +1

            @tp0: Technically it should but doesn't. It's presumed this is a software limitation to appease movie/tv distributors. It will passthrough for "Official" apps like Netflix/Disney+ etc but not Plex/Jellyfin/Emby

        • cille745 on 03/07/2024 - 09:37

          True, but why would you care about lossless audio if you’re OP with a sound bar?

          • Bruceflix on 04/07/2024 - 10:42

            @cille745: Q990D is an awesome soundbar with great atmos surround.

            Why wouldn't you want the best playback possible?

        • triks on 04/07/2024 - 08:27

          nvShield is a good option as it supports DTS-HD, DTS-HD MA, TrueHD and most other HD audio formats. It also supports HDR and DolbyVision but not HDR+ as yet. Plex also supports all these formats so you will be right with pretty much anything you throw at it unlike AppleTV for example which does NOT support DTS-HD or TrueHD.

    • Bruceflix on 01/07/2024 - 10:39
      +2

      Chromecast cannot passthrough lossless audio in Plex/Jellyfin. Would go Firecube or Firestick 4k max

      • askbargain on 01/07/2024 - 10:52

        very true

      • theguyrules on 02/07/2024 - 15:41
        +1

        Firestick 4k max has issues when an encode has DV and HDR10+

        • Bruceflix on 02/07/2024 - 17:05

          Only DV p7

          • Xxmilker69xX on 02/07/2024 - 23:22

            @Bruceflix: So firestick 4k max is the best if my TV does not have dolby vision? What's wrong with the CCwGTV with plex?

    • HeWhoKnows on 02/07/2024 - 12:52
      -1

      I would have thought the Amazon 4K Fire TV Stick

  • randomusername2017 on 01/07/2024 - 09:30
    +8

    TCL C855 85" paid with a Q990D Samsung

    Post as a deal?¿

  • abs898 on 01/07/2024 - 09:41

    I am using a Plex server paired with Amazon Cube which is almost as powerful as the NVIDIA shield. It's going on sale for $100 bucks in the next couple of weeks.

    You can also easily plug the USB into the cube of the post isn't easily accessible on your tv

    • Bruceflix on 01/07/2024 - 10:41

      Plex server but use Plex via Kodi on Firecube to passthrough DTS-HD Master Audio if required.

    • Pufff on 01/07/2024 - 14:43

      I read in the past Amazon put a lot of ads on their products. Is this still the case?

      • abs898 on 01/07/2024 - 15:01
        +1

        They are toning down on it.

  • jv on 01/07/2024 - 09:47
    +1

    How big is the file?

    • Spennyrich on 01/07/2024 - 09:53
      +1

      30gb and up!

      • jv on 01/07/2024 - 09:56
        +4

        😲

      • Stuj on 01/07/2024 - 11:37
        +8

        Ive got some at 90gb. Why else am i on here seeking 18TB HDD deals :)

    • theHMASfriendship on 01/07/2024 - 10:02
      +1

      85"

  • terlalu on 01/07/2024 - 10:21
    +9

    just HDMI your laptop to TV

  • foxmulder on 01/07/2024 - 10:22

    I personally use this old wdtv 1tb wired connected to router. Almost thought this thing is useless before I found out you can playback videos in it with VLC in Google TV. It plays also subtitle that inside the video not separate file. Fast forward and back with remote no lags.

  • Soundwave on 01/07/2024 - 10:26
    +3

    Don't cast from your laptop. Connect your laptop via HDMI to the TV. I use K-Lite Codec Pack and the Standard pack comes with Media Player Classic Home Cinema AKA MPC-HC and I use that to play my 4K HDR content.

    This would just be the cheapest option for you than getting an Nvidia Shield or investing in a Plex server set up.

    • askbargain on 01/07/2024 - 10:40

      no dolby vision?

      • Soundwave on 01/07/2024 - 11:08

        Unfortunately no. It's hard to find at least free PC media player software that play DV. I guess due to licencing. And if they do, it's usually limited to certain DV profiles. I don't think Plex does Dolby Vision either.

        • Sal in SA on 01/07/2024 - 18:48
          +2

          Plex can do DV.

  • Bruceflix on 01/07/2024 - 10:49
    +4

    The best method for video/audio quality is to run a Plex Server and use a Am6b+ streaming box flashed with Coreelec and using Plexmod4kodi as a Plex client.

    Almost as good options are using Firecube/firestick 4k max or Nvidia shield.

    • Spennyrich on 01/07/2024 - 11:02

      Could i just get a nvidia shield then?

      • HaydosK on 01/07/2024 - 11:05
        +1

        You could but I can't play back Dolby vision fel and has the red push issue for P7 and p8. It's quite confusing but there is lots of info about it online. It's great for streaming just not for bluray remuxes especially compared to the am6b+

        • askbargain on 01/07/2024 - 11:10

          you can convert P7 to P8 now. not sure about development on FEL though

          • HaydosK on 01/07/2024 - 11:21

            @askbargain: From what I heard you can bake in fel but still the red push issue on the shield might be an issue if you care about absolute accuracy on both P7 and p8. Also the process is kinda hard if you want to do it for heaps of films. This is a video on it from the guy that makes the GUI dovi scripts. https://youtu.be/8BvXqw_cGJE

    • GreenRomeo on 02/07/2024 - 00:03

      This. I already have an Apple TV 4K for streaming and Nvidia Shield for playing remux 4K but it looks like I’ll have to fork out for an Am6b+ box now for that ‘ultimate’ 4K quality.

    • nSuns531 on 02/07/2024 - 13:12

      Where do you buy a Am6b+ streaming box?

  • stickingly on 01/07/2024 - 11:08

    Can anyone really notice the difference between watching a movie 4K and good quality 1080p??

    I have a Sony 75 inch TV, raspberry Pi, Kodi media player, Yamaha receiver with good speakers and to me the difference is negligible

    • askbargain on 01/07/2024 - 11:11
      +19

      4K and 1080p has a big difference

      • opt on 03/07/2024 - 00:32
        -4

        Not if you play your videos on a PC with an RTX GPU that supports RTX video super resolution. 1080p high bitrate videos upscaled via RTX super resolution looks better than 4K streaming video. Resolution alone is not everything….

    • HaydosK on 01/07/2024 - 11:24

      4k bluray vs 1080p Blu-ray the 4k will win because of hdr/Dolby vision. But in just resolution if you wont get a massive boost. 4k low bitrate streaming vs 1080p Blu-ray I think the Blu-ray will win on resolution but the hdr will probably make the comparison close and I wouldn't know what to choose.

    • Drakesy on 01/07/2024 - 15:19

      I went from the Netflix premium plan with 4k to the standard 1080p plan.

      It's slightly noticeable on my 65 inch but not enough to warrant the extortionate pricing Netflix is now running.

      • Geoff-bargain on 01/12/2024 - 22:58

        share your account with others. Just need a router with VPN in case it says they arent in the same family - you can do a quick connect and then are good for a long time.

    • AwesomeAndrew on 01/07/2024 - 16:01
      +1

      For movies not really, because there is so much motion blur that it blurs out the higher resolution. For me 4K is only noticeable in some scenes where there is relatively little motion.

    • Sal in SA on 01/07/2024 - 18:49
      +1

      Oh yeah - 85" and remux 4k DV or disc vs 1080p is very very noticable.
      Assuming source is not just upscaled.

    • merriweather on 01/07/2024 - 18:49
      +4

      Really? For me it's night and day. Now that I watch most stuff in 4K anything in 1080 looks really fuzzy.

    • Viper8 on 02/07/2024 - 06:36

      Whenever youtube occasionally drops from 2160p to 1440p I notice it, just. It's subtle, but it's there. 2160p to 1080p is instantly noticeable. I sit 2.7m from a 75" TV and have 20/15 (almost 20/10) vision. In another room we sit 3.7m from a 75" TV and 1080p on that looks a lot clearer.

      All the size vs resolution vs distance graphs are based on 20/20 vision, which is around the median without corrective aids. With corrects aids the median is closer to 20/15, so all those articles and charts are wrong.

      • Mrgreenz on 02/07/2024 - 09:55
        +1

        Today I learnt that 20/20 vision is not the best vision

    • S Baldrick on 02/07/2024 - 08:54

      For Blurays at least, 4k vs 1080P is noticeable (depending on the film)

      Having said that, regular Blurays on a 4k TV still look fine

    • iDroid on 02/07/2024 - 09:29

      Errr..

      Yes.

    • stickingly on 02/07/2024 - 09:51

      Interesting replies.

      I know in theory of course it should be better, and psychologically one should expect it to be so everyone just assumes it is better

      Most of what I watch is media files that are downloaded and played from the pi.
      The reason for the question is that I started downloading stuff in 4K just because I though I should, but to my eyes and ears, on my setup, the improvement over a good quality 1080p was minimal and didn't improve my viewing experience, so not worth the trouble and massive file size.

      On the other hand, 720p to 1080p the difference is big

    • CocaKoala on 02/07/2024 - 15:44

      Yamaha receiver with

      Your receiver is probably doing a great job of upscaling the video! Because otherwise there's a massive difference between 1080p and 4k.

    • pinkybrain on 03/07/2024 - 13:22

      Can anyone really notice the difference between watching a movie 4K and good quality 1080p??

      Yes
      4K is sharper and has more detail

      If you just watching a 1080p movie on it's own without switching to the same movie in 4K then you might not see what was different..

      But if you do the switching back and forth (same movie at the exact time code in 1080p and 4K)
      you will see that 4K has more detail in the video (focus your eyes on clothing, hair and general background objects)
      and also you will see that the video is much more sharper..

      You can even test this on your own PC or your TV via youtube

    • morebunnings on 03/07/2024 - 13:50

      Recently started downloading ~3gb 4K episodes instead of ~1gb 1080p episodes as I notice the difference now. Played via VLC on PC, via HDMI on an old EKO 75" TV from BigW. I'd imagine its even better on a Sony TV.

    • nikoris on 25/08/2024 - 16:12

      You really shouldnt have an opinion on these matters if you think 1080p is the same as 4k

  • Pusdi on 01/07/2024 - 11:13

    How would Apple tv compare to Firecube/4k max?

    • pinkybrain on 03/07/2024 - 13:25

      How would Apple tv compare to Firecube/4k max?

      More powerful but no freedom to install your own apps (including kodi etc) and only allowed what apple accepts in their wall garden app store.
      AppleTV also limits their apps which is another neg

      https://9to5mac.com/2024/05/20/tvos-restriction-game-apple-t….

      • Pusdi on 03/07/2024 - 14:17

        Interesting, thanks. There are a lot of people on OB that love it. I guess it comes down to an individuals usage scenario.

        Looks like fire cube with stremio and real debrid for me

      • Randolph Duke on 03/07/2024 - 15:53

        MrMC is a Kodi fork for AppleTV - can't install add on scripts, but as a media player it's OK. Dolby Vision support is not 100%

        Biggest issue with AppleTV is it won't bitstream audio.

        EDIT: Looking online seems like the software is effectively abandonware (still works fine for me, but I'm no longer a heavy user). Infuse might be a better option today. Would recommend people research their options.

        • pinkybrain on 03/07/2024 - 16:43

          MrMC is a severely cripple fork version of kodi that requires you to buy it and it is abandonware like you said
          so no more updates.

          Infuse requires yearly subscription and not as good or powerful as kodi (with addons)
          https://apps.apple.com/au/app/infuse-video-player/id11362209…

          In-App Purchases
          Infuse Pro - Monthly
          $2.99
          Infuse Pro - Yearly
          $19.99
          DTS Audio
          $0.00
          Dolby Audio
          $0.00
          Infuse Pro - Monthly
          $2.99
          Infuse Pro - Yearly
          $19.99
          Infuse Pro - Lifetime
          $149.99

          Would recommend people research their options.

          What other options are there?
          These two apps are generally recommended method as alternatives to kodi and they both crap in comparison to kodi which is free.

          • Randolph Duke on 03/07/2024 - 17:23

            @pinkybrain: Emby is the other one, but no HDR/Dolby Vision support (despite been promised for a few years by the devs). To be clear, I'm not recommending an AppleTV if your primary use case is streaming local 4K HDR/DV media

            • pinkybrain on 04/07/2024 - 00:59

              @Randolph Duke:

              Emby is the other one

              Is emby that popular and also free or need to pay?

              How it compares to kodi in terms of addons, UI, movie library etc..

              Whenever there is an appleTV question/post about alternative to kodi or media center software for AppleTV,
              people often state the two apps (which you also mentioned)..
              and both apps that you need to pay are just not as good as Kodi which is FREE.

              To be clear, I'm not recommending an AppleTV if your primary use case is streaming local 4K HDR/DV media

              That's why if you ever mention alternatives to kodi in future comments you should add those negs which I have mentioned because those alternatives apps are not that great (ie paying for an abandonware cripple version of kodi = MrMC or costly yearly subscriptions of infuse)

              AppleTV has very powerful hardware, but it is too restrictive in freedom to do anything you want with it.

              AppleTV also limits their apps which is another reason not to get it.
              https://9to5mac.com/2024/05/20/tvos-restriction-game-apple-t…

        • [Deactivated] on 07/07/2024 - 12:43
          +1

          Biggest issue with AppleTV is it won't bitstream audio.

          It PCMs it, but AFAIK all still works, you get full Atmos data. Not sure about DTS, but DTS is on BD disks mostly.
          So far I stream from Mac via TV app.

          • Randolph Duke on 07/07/2024 - 14:00

            @[Deactivated]: Yeah Atmos still works, but I’d rather my receiver was decoding the signal, rather than the AppleTV. Apple does it to insert OS noises. It bothers me a little more because my receiver for PCM only doesn’t have a mode where it’ll apply room correction without up scaling the sound to all surround speakers.

            • [Deactivated] on 07/07/2024 - 15:46

              @Randolph Duke: "The application of Atmos in home theatres. A spatially-coded sub-stream is … present as metadata in Dolby MAT 2.0, an LPCM-like format. "
              https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolby_Atmos

              Its rather complex from here, but i think receivers can further apply corrections:

              "Let’s illustrate Dolby MAT using an UHD Blu-ray player as an example. A Dolby MAT encoder is resident onboard the player and packs the variable bit-rate, Dolby TrueHD bitstreams for output. Within the MAT encode process, the bitstreams are encoded into encapsulated MAT frames, converted to LPCM and ferried over HDMI 1.3 or later using a fixed bit-rate, into a compatible AVR/processor with a Dolby MAT decoder that unpacks and converts the MAT frames into the original Dolby TrueHD bitstreams. The set-up configuration of the AVR/processor determines which bitstream is selected for decoding into analog and routes signals to assigned channels."
              https://avproedge.com/blogs/news/a-deep-dive-into-dolby-mat

              • Randolph Duke on 07/07/2024 - 18:48

                @[Deactivated]: Thanks, I know what ATMOS is and how AVR processing works. My complaint is specifically around limitations in my setup.

  • Stuj on 01/07/2024 - 11:35

    ugoos am6b+ And coreelec , it will play the Dolby vision FEL and MEL and Atmos. Dolby vision is the single biggest improvement to picture quality.

  • DGrayson82 on 01/07/2024 - 11:43

    If its a local file, Zidoo or Dune

    Edit: Oh wow, didnt realise that CoreElec does all DV profiles now, thats awesome

    • Stuj on 01/07/2024 - 11:57

      Yes it is good, I’ve got the Zidoo as well but

  • SnowDragon on 01/07/2024 - 11:46

    I stream 4k content via Emby using the native app on my C845.
    Works with HDR and DV.

    • Bruceflix on 01/07/2024 - 12:02
      +1

      It won't passthrough lossless audio

  • Bignudge on 01/07/2024 - 12:16
    +3

    Idk about the actual hardware to stream 4K movies and videos… but in terms of software I have heard that Streamio+Real Debrid can work really well :)

    • DGrayson82 on 01/07/2024 - 12:25
      +2

      Shhh…….

      • HaydosK on 01/07/2024 - 12:45

        It's not a secret

  • emblurr on 01/07/2024 - 12:48
    +1

    I use one of those little Dell Optiplex 7060 that often come up on sale here. I added another 8GB of ram to give it 16. HDMI straight in with a little wireless keyboard/Mouse. Runs VLC, so plays anything.

    • chriskq on 03/07/2024 - 17:22

      mind if i ask how you access the movies from the media pc?

      • emblurr on 03/07/2024 - 17:34

        I just store them on it, or copy them to it over network when I want to watch it. I've done all the streaming stuff before and always had trouble with Universal Media server, especially when pausing streams or audio codecs. If i'm watching a 20 to 30gig video file I want it going directly into the TV. Granted I don't have a dedicated NAS but it'd probably work alright with it simply as a windows share.

        I also use it as my Agent DVR security cam thing so it has a few uses.

  • AustriaBargain on 01/07/2024 - 14:08
    +1

    The best way? Having Denise Richards stand behind you, lean over your shoulders and reach for your mouse, and press the play button for you.

    • ruddiger7 on 04/07/2024 - 07:41

      Denise Richards circa 2000 pls

  • AwesomeAndrew on 01/07/2024 - 16:06

    Personally I just install VLC on the TV, and I use that to open the video file from the SMB file share from my NAS. Unfortunately I found out that my TV only has 100 megabit ethernet, so when I try to play some super high bitrate videos it does not work properly and the video starts stuttering. So in this case I just watch it on my computer or I re-encode the video with lower bitrate.

    The simplest option would just be to use a HDMI cable from your laptop to the TV.

  • Sal in SA on 01/07/2024 - 18:51
    +2

    Plex with NAS for storage, Shield as client for Tv.
    Do it right from the start - saves so much time and $.

  • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 01/07/2024 - 19:24
    +2

    nVidia Shield, as always, with locally stored files.

  • Horacio on 02/07/2024 - 01:00
    +1

    Given the Shield or Fire Cube (apparently about $250-220) costs as much as a mini PC, are they vastly better than just using a PC, which then also be used for other stuff in future, or at least could do a few other minor server tasks at the same time?

    • kiitos on 02/07/2024 - 08:08
      +1

      Would like to know too. I suppose Fire Cube etc has a remote and voice command.

    • gromit on 02/07/2024 - 08:48
      +2

      If you are happy with supporting and configuring a mini PC you will get infinitely more flexibility and power out of it. especially if you are patient and wait for sales.

      • Smol Cat on 02/07/2024 - 15:19

        What sort of mini PC would be able to handle it though? I was even having trouble with full Bluray rips on my mid tier gaming PC, with a decent i7 core and full dedicated GPU etc. I was still getting freezing and stuttering video. What would have been the cause if not slow hardware? Codecs?

        • gromit on 02/07/2024 - 15:30
          +1

          That was not a hardware spec problem, fire cube or nvidia shield has far less processing power, that would have been incorrect codecs and/or not utilising hardware decoding, can also be various software components that interfere like AV.

          to put in perspective, any CPU from the last decade should have no real issues with 4k video, you don't even need dedicated graphics card for that. 4k media PC setups have been around for a long time.

          • Smol Cat on 03/07/2024 - 11:33

            @gromit: Oh man yeah I had no idea what the problem was. Was driving me insane and I eventually just gave up on it.

    • May4th on 02/07/2024 - 09:10
      +1

      I suppose it depends on what you use it for. If you all you want is something to play netflix/prime video then the cube/shield has inbuilt apps that has a more user friendly interface + voice control. if you have your own movies or plex to run then a pc gives you more flexibility

  • dmac on 02/07/2024 - 09:20

    Using the same file in Plex and stremio, how different is the quality? I would guess almost unnoticeable but I'm nterested in hearing from people who have tested this out.

    • Bruceflix on 02/07/2024 - 13:30

      Watching a bluray remux with a 100mb/s+ bitrate might be hard to stream online

      • dmac on 02/07/2024 - 15:07

        realdebrid could be helpful. Remuxs are unnecessary for all but the extreme cinephiles.

  • somebody123 on 02/07/2024 - 10:17

    Have you tried opening these files directly from the tv using USB drive? I have 6 years old LG tv and it plays 4k videos from usb hdd without issues.

  • pencilhead on 02/07/2024 - 18:57

    Is the AM6b+ better than the AM8 pro?

    • UNO on 02/07/2024 - 20:05

      Interested to know this too

      • pencilhead on 26/08/2024 - 11:46

        I ended up getting AM8 Pro.
        Installed coreelec.
        Works really well. Plays all 4K files I've tried so far.

  • ipiok on 02/07/2024 - 19:11
    +1

    Install kodi … add network share… done. Will play anything

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