Infuse for PMS (2023 Edition)

Quick demo and overview of Infuse media player with Trakt and Plex Media Server integration.
Hardware in this demo:
- LG OLED C3 with QMS
- Apple TV 4K (3rd gen) with QMS
- Marantz Cinema 70s AVR
- KEF LS50 Meta speakers + KEF KC62 Sub
Initial thoughts?
- client is much more snappy than Plex Media Server on Apple TV
- interface is dynamic. You don’t have to “click into” a library item to see its details - interface loads metadata on hover
- better layout, use of local and online metadata compares to Plex
- greater support for audio and video codecs as well as subtitles, with higher chances for direct play without transcoding
- sweet fades and other smart UI enhancements
- auto selection of “best” version of movie in your library
- no issues with lip sync when QMS and “match frame rate” is enabled
- not free. Client carries a $0.99/mo price (license valid across all of your devices) or $9.99/year
Nicely done FireCore!

[@gimmebytes]

Kef Speakers ❤

[@adammaik]

When you connect infuse to PMS your infuse becomes a front end to Plex. You can still utilize that way transcoding capabilities of PMS. Best of both worlds.

[@dvnwllms]

The only problem I have with Infuse is the sync time. As someone with a large library, it can take a while to parse everything. Everything else is golden, worth every penny.

[@adammaik]

Compared to “the good” that Infuse offers I agree to look the other way on this minor annoyance. Remember, you only have to do it once :-)

[@simdevils]

Its already being addressed. The feature is still in beta, should have been out in Sept but it was pushed back multiple times.

[@InterCity134]

It’s a good application , just handicapped by the Apple tvOS , which won’t pass through Dolby Atmos , despite it having a setting suggesting that Dolby Atmos is possible (if the source file has the 7.1 Atmos soundtrack in it).

[@CalvinHill-reflects]

I am currently building a NAS server. I am adding a video card to it because of Plex Media Server can transcode via the CPU, but it is recommended to use a GPU instead. I know that Infuse can use over SMB share or directly to Plex, like you mentioned. What benefit are gaining from using PMS vs a direct share? I guessing one, the GPU would no longer be used. What else? Thanks, great video.

[@CoffeeGameMovie]

I reinstalled the plex media server, made a new connection and i dont have those movies and tv shows icons. I know ican add from library menu to favorites, but thats just simple folden icons, not this nice blue and pink one i used to.... maybe its updated, i dunno why not looking as it was before.

[@adammaik]

In Infuse under share settings you can choose either direct mode or library mode. Library mode (slower) will allow you to customize home screen more and add custom backgrounds for categories etc.

[@CoffeeGameMovie]

@@adammaik I already did it, yeah i checked the library mode when made a new connection, then went to the library shortcut on the main menu then in it, selected the movies -> all movies, tv shows - > all tv shows options, THEN made favorites from those lines SO now i have those nice movies, tv shows icons on my main menu screen where my contents are. Huh it was not easy, big thing that i didnt know that if i hold down the apple tv controller button i can make favorites. And yeah the library mode was another key point. Still dont know why it worked till now as i never did this personalize at all before. Nevermind, its okey now, thanks for the response.

[@winmac2565]

I love my Plex server, and I would be really interested in trying this. However, my network storage device currently only support Plex for streaming which is my main reason for using it with over 500 GB of media files it would be really hard for me to host out on my PC.

[@adammaik]

Well Infuse does not require any special configuration. It’s simply a client that connects to existing PMS instance. Only drawback is that is Apple oriented.

[@winmac2565]

@@adammaik The Apple centred nature is perfect for me!

[@adammaik]

@@winmac2565 have you tried it since this last post?

[@JonoandJen]

I have infuse and media on macbook but when I play from my Apple TV I need to leave my laptop open. Is there any solution I can use to stream directly from Apple TV instead of leaving my laptop open?

[@adammaik]

Where does your media live? If it’s on a MacBook then it has to be running. Maybe you should look into a simple NAS solution? Not only it will keep your data on a separate appliance, also offers redundancy in case of failure. I so not normally recommend storing files on a mobile device. But if you do so you get two options on how to make them shareable: - Plex Media Server - SMB

[@JonoandJen]

Yes its on my macbook so no understand why. If I get Plex and upload my media there does that solve the issue? and then run plex through Infuse? @@adammaik thanks so much for your help!

[@jasonbreaux7586]

I saw some of your files are Dolby vision. I just installed infuse and like almost everything about it but none of my known Dolby vision files play on Dolby vision. These are 4k rips on my Plex server. Am I missing something?

[@adammaik]

Two things to address: - did you pay for Infuse Pro? 4K HDR and audio enhancements are only available in paid versions - Plex is known for incorrectly identifying some of the HDR10 content and forcing it play it as DV (infuse does not have this issue)

[@jasonbreaux7586]

I do pay for pro and the files are listed as hdr just not Dolby vision. These are files I know are Dolby vision.

[@adammaik]

@@jasonbreaux7586 Infuse will only play Dolby vision profile 5 which is what is used by streaming services. Unfortunately this is the only version that Apple supports. It’s not an infuse limitation. UHD discs are profile 7 and not supported. I’m that case you will just get HDR. Depends on HDR version. For instance collection of Stranger Things 4K in DV plays as DV in infuse.

[@fennec7906]

Are you using a NAS? What do you mean by "Plex Media Server integration" Does this mean you have Plex on a NAS as a backend (server) while Infuse is the front end?

[@adammaik]

Yes. I am using a NUC 12 Enthusiast running Fedora. PMS is installed. As for storage I use a Synology NAS that is simply mounted over NFS. While infuse can connect to your NAS shares over LAN (and some use it that way) it can also “connect” to your Plex Instance (using Plex credentials). In that setup Infuse is simply “another player” that Plays Plex media. It’s a more preferred solution for me on Apple TV and I encourage it for those having issues with buggy Plex player. Some of the enhancements that Infuse Pro provides compared to Plex: - no lipsync issues on 24p content when Match Frame Rate is enabled on Apple TV - player is codec integration is superior compared to Plex player. Media start immediately and even scrubbing 4K content is instant with zero delay - multi channel audio plays louder and speech is enhanced without touching other channels (common issue with normalization on Plex) - color space works better on Infuse. Some of the media Plex incorrectly classifies as Dolby Vision and will force to play it that way when in reality those are HDR/HDR10. Infuse identifies and plays those correctly - picture ans audio quality is much higher on Infuse vs Plex Player - if you have a movie or TV show in different resolutions (1080p and 4K) on Plex you have to hit the 3 dots and select “play a version”. On Infuse it’s automatic and a version picker starts on its own with no extra step. What is more selection will be remembered when you play the asset again in the future - Menu is far more user friendly and dynamic. Metadata refresh instantly and you can browse metadata for all content with just a flick left to right. On Plex you have to back one item and select something else. Drawbacks of Infuse: - no multi user support (not really a problem for me) - Apple centric platform (works in iOS, tvOS, iPadOS and macOS only) - does not respect libraries the way way Plex does when connecting to a Plex Server to sync its data: What does that mean? If you have two libraries in Plex marked as TV Shows (one for regular TV shows and one for Anime) Plex keeps those separate. Infuse does combine it all together. Not heart shattering and I don’t mind it but other might Hope this helps a bit ;-)

[@fennec7906]

@@adammaik Thanks for the detailed response. In my current situation I use a Shield + Synology DS918+ with Plex on my NAS. 99% of the time I'm watching stuff locally so I use Kodi for that because like you, I can't stand how slow Plex is at scrubbing content. Kodi does it instantly. Kodi also handles subtitles better than Plex. I do use Plex for remote play. However, the Shield is getting older and It's looking like Nvidia might not release another one and if that's the case, I might be looking at the AppleTV4K. However, I am a little disappointed by the lack of Atmos and DTS X support. I think infuse still offers surround sound support for those audio formats? So maybe I'm not missing out on as much as I think I would? I do have a soundbar that supports both, but it's not exactly a high-end one, but not cheap either. This lack of audio support and no Kodi are the primary things that have kept me away from the ATV4K. Plus, it's a very closed off system so getting emulation and sideloading things in general can be a pain. So if I want to get Infuse working, I'm reading about WebDAV on my NAS, but as you and others have said, I can probably just plug my Plex credentials into Infuse and it works? Or is this a more complicated process? So Plex on my NAS would be the server and Infuse would be the front end player. E.g. it would handle all the video/audio/subtitle stuff and the scrubbing would be faster than Plex? Thanks

[@andrewjohnston5501]

I have an a Nvidia shield with external drives. Would this work on that ??

[@adammaik]

Unfortunately Infuse was designed for Apple products only.

[@mikeyylol4574]

Use Kodi for shield

[@rodimarincassemiro]

May I insert IPTV lists on it?

[@adammaik]

No, Infuse was not meant to replace IPTV player.

[@harrykatsaros]

You lost me at “let’s play Matrix Resurrections”.

[@eduardogoico4957]

I want a license for a service. How I contract ?

[@adammaik]

It’s only for Apple devices. If you have an AppleTV you can subscribe on your iPhone. License will cover all devices signed in with the same Apple ID.

[@eduardogoico4957]

Thanks, I have Apple TV. I like suscribe to your database. Is possible ?