discussion Upgrade PCs or add GPUs? 4k HEVC (h.265) decoding

[CMetaphor]

hmm I thought that HDMI 2 and about were the only ones that could do 4k or am I thinking 4k 120Hz
ok whats this Jellyfin thing you peeps are talking about ?

Yeah HDMI 1.4 can only do 4k 30fps, 2.0 can do 120fps 4k or like 60fps 8k I think? 8k already is pretty much non-existent, so I think I'll be set with 2.0 for some years, maybe a decade or two?

Jellyfin users can explain the details better, but it's a pay-per-month app that let's you transcode on the fly to other devices. I don't like such apps because they typically need constant/frequent access to the net, and they can see your data... I don't even use Kodi to download Metadata info from the net, have no use for it really, and I just don't like unknown people from whatever companies seeing everything I've got on my file server.

In other non- surprising news: Pulling the trigger on those Thin clients and spare fans. They've got solid reviews, not mant complaints, and as mentioned, they are easily worked-on and have many spare parts for them available.

Going for it.

 

[moocow]

I just switched to Jellyfin from Plex and I haven't noticed any pay button in the Android app. Granted my Lenovo tablet using MXPlayer could hardware decode ACC and H265 files. Also in the server, I don't see any subscription option and I'm using a Quadro P1000 as transcoding hardware in the server.

 

[djbrad]

Just to let you know, those 2400ge cpu's are not windows 11 compatible.

You need a 3000 series "G" cpu or newer. Had to change my 2400g cpu to a 5600g to get the free windows 11 upgrade in my htpc.

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[JD]

Jellyfin users can explain the details better, but it's a pay-per-month app that let's you transcode on the fly to other devices.

Are you looking at the right one? Official site is here: https://jellyfin.org/. I've never heard of any payment model before.

 

[CMetaphor]

Are you looking at the right one? Official site is here: https://jellyfin.org/. I've never heard of any payment model before.

Was probably confusing different services... I shouldn't reply to threads so late at night when my brain has already turned off.

@djbrad no worries, don't really care for windows anyways, just thought the prerequisites looked pretty darn close to Win11 from the stats page, but didn't research it 100%. I guess the Ryzen 2xxx series is missing an instruction set or something?

Regardless, it was just nice to have a windows -capable PC in most rooms in the days when tablets were slow as heck and phones had smaller screens. Nowadays I hear Linux support for AMD APUs is decent, so I might run Kodi-buntu for these thin client PCs. We'll see IF*/when they get here.

*= I submitted an offer to the seller for 3x at once and knocked a few bucks off, hopefully they'll bite cause that would keep this project sub -$400ish. Fingers crossed.

 

[Izerous]

Plex has a license model, JellyFin is a free equivalent.

At this point though 1030 or maybe used quatros (p4000s) if going the GPU route is about the closest thing I can think of with single slot low profile etc.

 

[CMetaphor]

Plex has a license model, JellyFin is a free equivalent.

At this point though 1030 or maybe used quatros (p4000s) if going the GPU route is about the closest thing I can think of with single slot low profile etc.

Yeah I confused the services, but unless I'm mistaken, Jellyfin still requires internet connections and/or can see your data. Neither is acceptable to me, so I stick with plain ol' Kodi.

The Option 2 / buying some GT1030s idea got tossed because it's very hard to find 3x of them that would be matching, replacement parts are rare and becoming rarer, and every HTPC would've required at least a low profile PCIe slot and an extra 30-50w of power draw from the slot as headroom from the HTPC"s PSU. Two out of three HTPCs have no PCIe slot at all, and two different HTPCs are squeaking by with 80-100w pico-PSUs that don't have a lot extra power available, meaning they'd run hot (and I've always shied away from making out my Picos).

In the end, these Thin clients (especially if the seller accepts my offer, pretty please!) are just plain better in every possible way. And while I do love and will continue rebuilding PCs for fun, I've already got a dam ton of projects unfinished or unstarted to do... don't need more right now. I just want to watch smooth 4k content as painlessly as possible.

 

[Izerous]

For clarity metadata scraping can be disabled and turns out it does work without internet at all along as your accessing it via the internal IP.

 

[CMetaphor]

For clarity metadata scraping can be disabled and turns out it does work without internet at all along as your accessing it via the internal IP.

Interesting. Might be worth revisiting the subject? Needed more research obvious.

Wish more of these replies happened sooner? Hah. Well the eBay seller is still ignoring my offer for now, so we'll see what happens.

Maybe Option 4 will be, when my file server is fully backed up and ready for its transplant, to add in a medium GPU and try out some transcoding? We shall see.

 

[CMetaphor]

Welp, offer was accepted before I could do further reach into completely free and completely offline transcoding. No worries, I do not regret the purchase regardless. Since they're sometimes used for other tasks (and a 2400ge could even do some light gaming and lots of emulating, I think) the extra horsepower will not go to waste. And a snappier/smoother Kodi experience will be nice too.

Does anyone want a report back once they arrive and are tested? Sadly the connection to my file server will be with my house's current Bleh wifi (both the wifi upgrade is an upcoming project, as is finishing my run of 2x or more Cat6 cables to nearly every room in the house), but it should still be fast enough to tell me how my 4i content will play

Thanks, as always, to listening my ranting walls of text everyone ️