Perplexed by plex

[yoda313]

If this needs to go to the computer forum or offtopic I'm ok with that.

Here's the setup:

I bought plex for android for my noname 7" tablet.

I installed plex for my OUYA game console.

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How do I get the ouya game console plex server setup to read my 2tb harddrive that has my videos on it?

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There isn't a simple browse folder option that I can tell. At least not simple to me.

I want to use the transcoding beta that the ouya plex has. I want to see if I can transcode hi 10 h264 videos to my tablet that has trouble playing those natively. I often or most of the time have to reencode hi 10 h264 videos which is a pain.

Now to be fair my usb drive is still blinking. I have quite a few files and sheer storage on their. Could it still be aggregating? Or compiling i guess might be a better term to use.

Should I just leave it on for awhile and see if it manages to finish building the list?

Thanks.

[manono]

I use Plex to send videos from my PC to the Roku box for watching on TV. However, the same applies when watching through Plex on the computer (as opposed to playing the files directly using something like MPC-BE).

First, it only takes a few seconds for Plex to 'see' the files once it's been opened (which might take 5 seconds or so). Second, in order for Plex to 'see' anything, you have to name your files in a very peculiar and Plex-specific way. There's more info on the Plex site and in their forums.

I had a problem of it seeing anything until I renamed all the movies. I still don't do it right (I've named all movies as if they are part of a TV series), but this works:

My Movie-S01E01.mkv

Also, you do designate folders for it to search. In mine (older because I'm on XP2 and for the newer versions you need at least XP3), you click on the 'Edit Sections' button (looks like a pencil), and then on the new Edit/Pencil that shows up.

And you installed it on both your Ouya as well as on the hard drive, right?

But I have no idea at all if this is your problem or not as I'm not using it in the same way as you are and don't even really understand what you're asking, having never heard of an Ouya Game Console. Maybe test on a couple of your videos to see if they're seen, before doing the work of renaming them all. And if you continue to have problems maybe ask in the Plex forums.

[yoda313]

@manono - thanks for the response.

I'd actually asked for the post to be deleted when I saw my error but since you responded I guess that won't be necessary.

What I didn't realize was that it needs the "server" to be active before it can do anything.

That kind of defeated the purpose. Basically the ouya which runs a proprietary version of android would work as a client not the server itself which is what I want.

I want the ouya game console to be the broadcaster of the media files not the recepient from the computer. I want to take the computer out of the equation.

Basically I just want two devices on - the ouya game console and the harddrive (external 2tb powered unit). Then I can browse and play from my tablet (all in house over wifi on the same network fyi).

However since the server isn't going to be on the ouya that won't help me out here.

Yes I know I can do upnp and have before. The problem with upnp is no transcoding. Only relaying not transcoding.

I can do tversity or playon on the computer of course and transcode that way to the tablet no problem. I just don't want to leave the computer on.

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Looks like I wasted 5.00 on the plex app - no biggie just should read up more before committing.

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In the end leaving the computer for an hour or two a night here and there for transcoding files that I can't play natively on the tablet isn't the end of the world.

The other way around it of course is to setup a reencoding session with ripbot to get it into a lighter profile mode that my tablet likes. Probably the same amount of uptime on the computer as if I were to transcode them.

So I'm still looking for options.

There was a pogoplug box that did video transcoding but it had overheating problems and was pulled from the market. I don't know if they ever reissued that model.

Fyi the pogoplug is kind of a nas broadcasting unit that plugs into your router and you can hook up harddrives to it. Problem is it's kind of limited in what it supports - at least the version I had it might have gotten better.

But its back to being a upnp issue whereas only natively supported files are accessible.

I'll keep looking around for alternatives to transcoding via pc or reencoding altogether.

It's not every video set that I want to watch but it's enough of them that i have to plan a schedule out to get them reencoded properly and a touch of loss in the process (of course I save the original sources).

I could use this as an excuse to save up for a beefier tablet that is probably a quad core that could handle hi 10 h264 without issues. But those will probably be cheaper by middle or late next year hopefully.

Until then I'll keep looking for an android app that will do transcoding on the ouya so I can stream that to my tablet with leaving the computer out of the equation.

Thanks

[yoda313]

I did find twonky.

However it stuttered even when they ouya and tablet were on the same wifi network and just a few feet away from each other.

The concept is great as the video file was on the ouya and I could play it on the tablet.

I'm on break for awhile now so I can fool around with this some more.

I think I might also see how well transcoding from my core2quad running win 8 works on hi10 material. Assuming its stutter free and plays files that my tablet would otherwise refuse I may just decide to go that route.

I would be able to use a shutdown time on the computer so it wouldn't stay on all night when I'm just streaming from it and not encoding. That would make it more useful.

I'll see what I come up with.

otherwise I'll probably fall back on reencoding a given video set that my tablet doesn't like.

Though it is the holiday season and depending how things turn up gift wise I might upgrade sooner than I was planning. Perhaps a quad core tablet even - that should do hi10 h264 natively right? But that's not a certainty.

I think in 2014 sometime I'll look into a quad core tablet one way or another. Probably used. Something that has a shot of playing hi10 without issues. I don't have many hi10 video sets but I do have other sets with high reference frames that cause my tablet to have problems.

So we'll see.

Short term I'll probably just transcode with the computer on and skip the ouya.