Serviio

I'm fed up with problems with my two Samsung TV's and transcoding more recent movies so I've been looking for a better solution. I keep reading about Roku and it does look good but I don't want to waste money.

So, if I buy a Roku box (or 2!), is it going to allow me to watch x265 or remux videos? Which model? (bearing in mind I only want Serviio not all the subscription channels)

Do I use the Android apps from here?

And lastly, these seem a lot cheaper in the US. If I pick one up in May will it work in Europe?

TIA

Roku players have limited codec support, compared to say an Nvidia Shield. However, if your media has the supported codecs, in a supported container, the Roku is a reasonably priced option. If you have H.265 content, then you would need one of the Roku players that support 4K. That would be the Ultra, Streaming Stick+, or the Premiere/Premiere+ models. This are the current models available in North America. If your audio is something other than 2 channel AAC or Dolby Digital (or DTS if connected directly to an AVR), then the audio will require transcoding. However, audio transcoding requires very little computer power.

If you aren't interested in the other channels (apps) available, then there should be no issue using a Roku anywhere in the world. Many of the channels are geo-locked, and only work in certain countries, and they are aware of your location based on your IP address.

Roku doesn't run on Android, so no an Android app on a Roku doesn't work. It runs on a highly modified version of Linux, and the system is completely locked down, so you can't sideload anything into one unless you are a channel developer.

So, if your media is in a MKV/MOV/MP4/TS container, the video is H.264/265/MP4, and the audio is stereo AAC, Dolby Digital or DTS, then you can play them using the Roku Media Player without transcoding. However, if you have unsupported containers and/or codecs, paying a little more for an Nvidia Shield might be a better option. Also, you won't get captions on a Roku, unless you have SRT files. It can't decode embedded captions, while the Shield will.

EDIT: also, the latest 4K players also now support the MPEG-2 video codec.

Thank you for your reply. I feel a lot more confident going ahead now.

If you do purchase a Roku, note that Serviio has a number of different Roku profiles, and the best one for your player will likely not be selected automatically. For the Roku 4K players, use the profile named "Roku 4K Media Player w/MPEG2".

I can't figure out where to select the appropriate profile.
Is it on the Roku or on Serviio?
Can you please help me figure out where to make this selection?
Thank you!

Profiles are selected in the Serviio console on the Status tab. You will see a list of all players by IP address. Unfortunately, all Roku boxes just report themselves as a Roku Media Player, so if you have more than one make sure you select the right device. There are 6 Roku profiles: the basic profile that is best for the older players (they have problems with higher bitrates), two Roku TV profiles (4K and non), and three "modern" (2016+) player profiles, one for 1080 players, one for the 4K players, and the most recent for the newest 4K players that support MPEG-2 video. I think you will be able to figure out which one to select by their name, but if you're unsure let me know which Roku you have (model number, not just the name) I'll make a recommendation.

If you have the Roku 4 (4400), while it supports 4K it does not support MPEG-2, so that's why there has to be two different 4K profiles.

I have an older Samsung Smart TV from 2013 that plays everything, and I mean everything. I also have a Roku that works amazingly well, but it has problems playing certain files the Samsung plays no problem. I've updated the XML and changed various profiles on the Roku to no avail, it just cant handle some files. So, that's my 2 cents. If the Roku could handle all the files like the Samsung TV I'd switch in a heartbeat.

You may think the Samsung plays everything, but trust me it doesn't. You have been fortunate that it plays everything that YOU have.

But yes, the TV will play more without transcoding than a Roku will. The only streaming player I've found that literally does play everything is the Nvidia Shield. I can play WTV files without transcoding, and I've never found anything else that would. It also supports all lossless audio codecs, including TrueHD/Atmos and DTS MA/:X.