logo Sign In

How do you play preservations on your TV? (set-top boxes, HDMI sticks, BR, etc.)

Author
Time

Hi all - hope this is the right forum to discuss file playback.

I’ve been thinking about what a good solution might be for playing preservations like 4K77 & 4K83 on my TV. I have a Roku Ultra that can handle 2160p video just fine, but it doesn’t decode the DTS audio stream, and its media player doesn’t allow for selecting any other compatible streams.

This has me wondering - how are you enjoying preservations in your living room? I’d ideally like something small and minimal with low energy use, like a Roku but capable of handling the latest and greatest preservations. I’m still on a 1080p set, but figure I’ll make the jump to 4K in the next year or two, so I’m thinking about future-proofing.

I’ve read that the Nvidia Shield can handle DTS and 4K, so that’s on my shortlist. In that case, it would probably replace my Roku Ultra.

I’ve also been looking at the downmarket Android boxes that claim similar capability (possibly as a standalone “Star Wars box”, something I could stash in my bag during trips to the in-laws’), but something running Android from an unknown company doesn’t sound very safe/secure, especially if I’m using my Google account with it.

Another solution I haven’t wrestled with yet is altering the MKVs to set a non-DTS audio stream as the default, but in the case of 4K77, those seem to be limited to older captures and not what TN1 got in their project. Would it be possible to extract the TN1 audio stream, transcode it to AAC, then mux it back in? Even if I go through the trouble, Roku’s media player is barebones (read: crappy).

Last on my list is acquiring a BD player and BD burner, which seems like too much kit, let alone all the fuss of burning discs.

Thanks for listening! Tell me about your preservation playback setups!