Hey everyone, I’m building a new server to run Jellyfin (with a few other services like Pi-hole) and I’m stuck on GPU or CPU transcoding.
My main concern is smooth 4K HDR transcoding for 1 stream. I’ve been reading mixed advice online – some people say a strong CPU with good single-core performance can handle it, while others recommend a dedicated GPU.
Should I focus my budget (~$1000AUD/$658USD) on a good CPU, or spend some of it on a dedicated GPU?
People talk about the cost of storage space but neglect the cost of electricity to constantly transcode video files. And it’s not like the output is saved for the next time; you need to do it every time.
Plus, I’d bet most people sit too far from their TV to be able to see the actual different between 1080p and 4k.
HDR? Sure. But 4k? Doubtful.
I keep two libraries - one that’s 720/1080p and a second that’s 4k only. My 4k content is severely limited to only things I REALLY want in 4k.
You can cache transcoded content in Jellyfin. So use a large enough cache and you basically only have to transcode once for every resolution. It’s easier for me to set up transcoding than it would be to manually figure out which resolutions I’ll prefer having around and transcoding them. Most of my stuff exists in 1080p, with 4k files for stuff I REALLY like, but I sometimes find myself watching on very low resolutions on my phone when away because I have pretty limited data.
I find that in a few movies the 4K versions have a generally better image quality and are worth it even if you are sitting far away or not watching the content in 4K resolution at all. But like you, I only keep around 4k files for stuff I really like.
EDIT: I’ve also run into problems with codecs on other people’s devices when not transcoding. I could keep my files in whatever the most compatible codec is nowadays but having the ability to transcode on the spot is easier.
You can, but I’d venture a guess most people don’t.
The transcodes folder exists by default and the cleanup defaults to daily, I think. You’d only need to mess with the configuration for transcode caching if you want them to stick around for longer
Agreed; how many people actually do that?
Dunno. My point was just that it’s an easy change, so presumably if you care you could figure it out pretty simply