Universal Media Server | Forum

I have been using a PS3 as a renderer for forever and have been very happy with it.  Now my PS3 has died and I need an alternative.  I don't like the way my 2021 LG or 2018 Panasonic TVs work with UMS.  I am looking for advice on what currently available renderers can best meet my needs.  I started looking at Roku Ultra, Fire TV Cube and Apple TV 4K but am open to anything.  Could also consider a DVD/Blue Ray device.  Looking for the below features to work with my AV receiver setup but could consider a change.  

Needs: 
Fast Forward:  Multiple levels 1.5x - 10x for seeking.  Actual FF and not jump forward 6-30 seconds.
  Transcode Friendly:  a significant portion of video needs MEncoder or FFmpeg to seek or even play properly
  Large library Support:  8,000+ video clips/movies 
  HDMI Out:

Wants: 
IR Remote Support:  Love my Harmony and would like to stick to one remote   Frame Search:  PS3 will show the video frames in 1 minute intervals for 5 minutes before and after current location for easy scanning
  Text File Subtitle Support:
  Large Folder Support:  500+ in some folders I am too busy to sort
  Ethernet:

I got no specific reconsiderations but you should try and get something that supports as many formats as possible to reduce the need for transcoding. I would say one of the most common formats used these days is h265 so make sure this is supported.

If transcoding is avoided then a lot of renderers should be able to fit your needs, if the video is transcoded then that can limit how it is played or even seeking.

I was using my PS3 slim for a long time for this but did not like the built in player so since I had CFW installed I used a better player called Movian. The only downside was lack of seeking with transcoded video.

I don't think most renderers have a proper fast forward like you want, its more like moving to a specific time in the video. I now use a PS4 but seeking is a pain to do accurately as the time bar moves too fast.

Maybe some android/linux box that runs media player software might be best. I have heard of kodi boxes before which do this but have no experience with them.