Server Version#: 1.22.2.4282
Player Version#: 8.16.0.24423 (Nvidia Shield Pro)
I am having issues playing 4K UHD files with TrueHD and/or Atmos audio and the issues seem to have worsened over time. I’m hoping someone here can help point in the right direction or help me rule out a few possible causes to the buffering I’m seeing.
Here’s my setup
Router: Netgear Nighthawk R8500
Synology NAS – connected to router via ethernet
WD 10TB Drive – connected to router via USB 3.0 port
HTPC – aging PC with Plex Server running and sourcing from both the NAS and WD External Drive. Connected to router directly via wired Ethernet. HTPC and router sit upstairs in living room. Running Windows 8.1 pro
Media room:
TP-Link TL-SG108 8 Port Gigabit Unmanaged Ethernet Network Switch – connected to router upstairs via ethernet
LG C9 TV – connected to switch via wired connection. Connected to AVR via HDMI
Denon 6400H AVR – connected to switch via wired connection
Nvidia Shield Pro – connected through AVR via HDMI and to switch via wired ethernet
When playing large files on the Shield, I am getting buffering every minute or so. A few notes:
· Confirmed that both audio and video are Direct Play via Plex Server Dashboard
· Firmware up to date on router and through the chain
· When reviewing the HTPC network settings, I see 1 Gbps capability
· HTPC task manager shows 40% or less load on memory and CPU. Network doesn’t appear to spike at all
· Looking at the dashboard during playback, the movies seem to average around 40 mbps, which I would think this should be able to handle
Does anyone have any advice for me as I feel like I’ve tried a bunch of stuff and have reached the end of my technical capabilities
· Do I need to be mindful of ARC or eARC at this point?
· Which logs would be most useful? The plex server logs? Any logs on the client side?
· I don’t think any of the ports on the switch are limited in bandwidth. Should I be looking at which port on the TV or AVR this is connected?
· Would it be better to run the Shield directly to the TV? Or is the LG port likely to top out at 100 mbps and possibly stutter at any peaks over that?
Just a complete shot in the dark, but I had a similar issue with a hardwired device playing 1:1 Blu-ray rips (not 4k). I was oddly able to play them fine over wi-fi, but not over ethernet. And after a long while and testing, I realized it was actually a switch in between the server and the device. After I changed out that switch which I had had for years, it worked just fine. 🤷 Have you tried doing a speed test on the switch? I remember I was only getting less than 20mbps for some reason until I switched mine out.
Where are the 4K HDR rips located? On the HTPC, on the Synology NAS, or on the HD attached to the router?
Make sure the Synology is also connected at 1 Gbps. DSM: Control Panel → Network → Network Interface.
Copy a 1+ GByte file from the PC to the NAS, then from NAS back to PC. What throughput do you see each way? Windows 10 shows throughput in Task Manager and the file transfer window. I don’t remember if 8.1 does so. The transfer doesn’t have to complete. Just looking for an indication of the transfer rate between the PC & the NAS.
When using the Shield: No. ARC/eARC is for audio from the TV to the AVR. Since you’ve the Shield connected to the AVR, ARC/eARC does not come into play.
When using the Plex LG app: Yes. Note that TrueHD will not be passed to the AVR due to LG restrictions, even when using eARC.
No.
When using the Shield:
If you are using the Plex app on the Shield, the TV network connection does not matter, as it is not used.
When using the LG Plex app:
The Ethernet port on the LG is 100 Mbps, not 1 Gbps. As you correctly surmised, this will matter if you use the LG Plex app, as some 4K HDR media may burst above 100 Mbps.
If you’ve a strong 802.11ac 5 GHz WiFi signal at the TV, you will most likely get higher throughput using WiFi, compared to physical Ethernet.
I’ve a B7 OLED. It connects to my WiFi access point at 433 Mbps, so the actual throughput is 200+ Mbps even after taking WiFi overhead into account. Movies that buffer when the TV is connected via Ethernet cable play without issue when the TV is connected via WiFi.
Thanks for this suggestion. I tried earlier today and at first thought I had an issue when I was only getting ~70 mbps. I freaked out a bit thinking either the switch was limited or, even worse, the line that was run through the wall had an issue with the cable.
Turns out I was just using a laptop with an old 100 mbps network card. Once I used a different machine, I was able to get internet speeds over 400 mbps (not file transfer).
Thank you for the response. I have 4k rips on both the NAS and the external drive.
When I tested moving files from the NAS to the PC I got transfer speeds of 112 MB/s with dips into the 70 MB/s range. Going the other direction I had speeds averaging around 80 MB/s with dips into the 50’s.
I exchanged out and tested a few cables, different ports on the router, and kept banging my head against the wall.
I noticed my Shield had reverted (not sure when, but according to the people in that article, it happened after the Shield goes to sleep) to 100 mbps connection on the ethernet port. Simply toggling the ethernet off and on brought it back to 1000 mbps and 20 minutes of the movie played flawlessly.
I don’t know the root cause of this or how to stop it from happening in the future, but for now I have the likely culprit to my issues.
Thanks to both of you for responding as it helped me focus on where my issues were and re-validated that my setup and chain is a good one (just need to figure out what’s causing this weird behavior.
