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There is no XBMC app for X1, nor is there a Plex app yet, but as I posted that is coming and in testing.
First you need the Plex Media Server software which can run on your HTPC, or I believe even directly on Synology NAS's. The advantage of running directly on the NAS would be that the HTPC wouldn't need to be on to access its content from other clients, but I would be curious as to how well transcoding performance would work there. (I'll explain this in a sec.) So for that reason it may be preferable to run it on the PC anyway.
I agree with you, in that I prefer the Xbmc interface in general over Plex, but only slightly so. The main advantages of using Plex are that it does indeed have a "centralized db" as Phil eluded to which tracks "recently added" shows, viewing progress, watch queue, etc. So everything is synced across all clients; which brings me to what I think is the biggest advantage - realtime transcoding. Once you have the Media Server software, you can get the client app for almost any platform iOS, Android, Roku, Chromecast, GoogleTV, Windows, FireTV, etc. And the server will transcode (eg. decode a 1080p AVC video stream and 6.1 DTS audio stream and re-encode them in realtime to a resolution and format supported by the client device) allowing you to watch pretty much anything anywhere. And you can still get good quality at low enough bit-rates to stream over 3g cellular to LTE to wifi to what have you. That's not to say that is has to transcode, so local networks with a client capable of source quality playback will do just that. And it has loads of other cool features too, like sharing libraries with other Plex users, configurable syncing for offline playback, browser plugins for adding online media to your watch queue, etc.
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Deleted member 11852
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I have a Synology 412+ which has 1Gb RAM and comes with a 2.13Ghz Intel Atom D2700 (dual core, two threads per core) and Plex transcodes 'OK-ish on most of my ripped Blu-ray TV content but not the movies I have either encoded at higher bitrates and/or more recent MP4 profiles (designed to decrease file size and increase picture quality at the expense of increasing the complexity on decode) which stutter randomly - depending upon what the NAS is doing.
I spent a fair bit of time researching and playing with Plex on NAS so I know that on many NAS devices, particularly those lower-end hardware with low-power ARM and PowerPC controllers, Plex does not support transcoding at all.
I had a grand plan to move my HTPC platform to the NAS and free up some capacity from my MacMini (16Gb RAM, quad-i7) which currently runs a variety of server software but unfortunately it's wasn't viable without me having to re-rip a lot of discs at lower settings, requiring a compromising a an increase in disk space / drop in quality.
The real deal breaker tho was the lack of plugin support for Plex on NAS compared to XBMC on OSX.
The built in transcoding in NAS units has recently taken a step forward. I'm already very invested in a Thecus unit, and don't have a strong need to offload the transcoding from my main PC, but it's still nice to see continued development in this area.
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Deleted member 11852
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You can solve any problem if you're willing to buy new hardware but I'd put good money on most NAS devices out there being incapable of decent transcoding because they are running low-powered ARM/PowerPC. And going forward, plenty of low-end NAS units will be using those same low-powered ARM/PowerPC controllers.
I reckon a lot of people who buy a NAS do it for the storage and really don't think about other functionality that could be offloaded to the box.
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Deleted member 11852
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Microsoft delays Xbox One's China launch
From the Polygon article:
Wow, really a last minute decision.
From the Polygon article:
Polygon said:
Wow, really a last minute decision.
I don't think that. I mean, firstly they don't have any direct competition as Sony's not down to release in China yet. But secondly, if there's no content the Chinese consumer wants, there's no point releasing the machine. If a number of titles/features that are considered key have overshot their deadline (intended for a Day1 patch I presume), releasing will just be a case of releasing a half-baked product that'll quickly sour any first impressions. This is the first time the brand is officially released there. MS want to do it right and give their platform the best chance, otherwise there's little point. Far, far better to launch the right product even if a little late, then release a poor product, turn everyone off, and then your competitive arrive with something more impressive.
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Deleted member 11852
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This is true, but to do this three days ahead of launch is, I think, unprecedented. Had Sony postponed the UK launch of PlayStation 4 on 26 November (three days ahead of the UK launch) I would have been extremely disappointed.
Why on earth didn't Microsoft take this decision a month ago, before hype and expectation were building high so close to launch.
Maybe there isn't any hype? Maybe preorders are so low they want another stab at a launch instead of a damp squib?
shredenvain
Regular
Beta members may not want to install latest update. It is clearing hard drives.
http://www.winbeta.org/news/xbox-on...s-instructed-not-update-due-factory-reset-bug
http://www.winbeta.org/news/xbox-on...s-instructed-not-update-due-factory-reset-bug
Bagel seed
Veteran
I think the damp squib of a launch in Japan has got them shook, so they're retooling things for the Chinese market.
That issue was resolved yesterday:
"Xbox Preview Participants,
This issue has been mitigated. The small subset of consoles that were impacted to factory reset will be prompted to take the latest 1410 Preview build.
This impact was due to a service issue that has since been resolved. If you continue to experience this, please let us know by posting in the forums!
Thanks for your patience while we worked to resolve this issue, and thank you for your participation in the Preview Program!"
I just use a tiny, power efficient Brazos based MiniITX PC running Windows 7 with 8TB of storage attached. It sits in the basement furnace room with nothing but a network cable attached. It basically a NAS, but gives me the full functionality of a PC through remote desktop/Team Viewer (WAN). Media is served through Serviio DLNA server (which will do on-the-fly transcoding if need be) to all the various different DLNA clients (SmartTV's, WDTV, etc.).
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Deleted member 11852
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I started out with a Mini-iTX system, a Shuttle XPC running MediaPortal on WindowsXP with a remote and IR receiver that also served as as a test web server and mass storage device but gradually (via small Buffalo NAS units) migrated to purpose-designed zero-maintenance solutions that also offered things like iTunes server and TimeMachine servers and eventually ended up with the Synology. Horses for courses, naturally and back then I used to build my own PCs so always had spare CPUs, RAM, HDDS to populate an inexpensive Mini-ITX case.
My 4-bay Synology with zero drives was £570 and that was the cheapest I could find it at the time!
The media player dlna app is primitive but its working well with MediaBrowserServer too. It shows off the case/title artwork nicely. Its not as nice as the MediaBrowserClassic Chocolate skin, but its still very workable. I haven't tried out the full wide variety of codecs files (ogg / ogm / ac3 alts), but MBS only has the initial profiles setup of Xbox one capabilities before the latest updates so I suspect its going to do more transcoding than it really needs to when I try out those fringe cases.
The media player app will inevitability evolve, but I'm hoping that the guts of it are a proof of concept that will eventually make it back into XBOX Music and XBOX Video.
Michellstar
Regular
"The Xbox One Will Be Out in China on September 29"
http://kotaku.com/the-xbox-one-will-be-out-in-china-on-september-29-1638001721
"After an inexplicable delay yesterday, today Microsoft announced that the Xbox One will go on sale in China on September 29. Microsoft says it will be the first game console to launch in the mainland in 14 years.
"After receiving government approval for the first wave of games, we will launch with the first 10 games now and continue our work to bring more blockbuster games and a broad offering of entertainment and app experiences to the platform in the weeks and months to come," Enwei Xie, General Manager of Xbox China, said in an official release. "With extraordinary effort and seamless cooperation across parties, we are incredibly excited to deliver Xbox One to fans in China and we welcome them to the Xbox family."
The following games will be available at launch: Forza Motorsport 5, Kinect Sports Rivals, Powerstar Golf, Zoo Tycoon, Max: The Curse of Brotherhood, Dance Central Spotlight, Neverwinter Online, Rayman Legends Trials Fusion, and Naughty Kitties from Chinese developer Coconut Island.
"This milestone is significant for both our partnership with China and our global expansion plan. Every new market launch is unique and we're grateful to our fans for their patience and enthusiasm throughout the process," added Xbox head Phil Spencer.
Bureaucracy after all
http://kotaku.com/the-xbox-one-will-be-out-in-china-on-september-29-1638001721
"After an inexplicable delay yesterday, today Microsoft announced that the Xbox One will go on sale in China on September 29. Microsoft says it will be the first game console to launch in the mainland in 14 years.
"After receiving government approval for the first wave of games, we will launch with the first 10 games now and continue our work to bring more blockbuster games and a broad offering of entertainment and app experiences to the platform in the weeks and months to come," Enwei Xie, General Manager of Xbox China, said in an official release. "With extraordinary effort and seamless cooperation across parties, we are incredibly excited to deliver Xbox One to fans in China and we welcome them to the Xbox family."
The following games will be available at launch: Forza Motorsport 5, Kinect Sports Rivals, Powerstar Golf, Zoo Tycoon, Max: The Curse of Brotherhood, Dance Central Spotlight, Neverwinter Online, Rayman Legends Trials Fusion, and Naughty Kitties from Chinese developer Coconut Island.
"This milestone is significant for both our partnership with China and our global expansion plan. Every new market launch is unique and we're grateful to our fans for their patience and enthusiasm throughout the process," added Xbox head Phil Spencer.
Bureaucracy after all
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