4K movies still transcodes and constantly buffers - Direct Play checked and Direct Stream unchecked in Debug Settings

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I have no idea where to post this so why not start here.

I am trying to play 4K movies mostly mkv files in Plex for Kodi. When I go to the Dashboard my CPU is at 98-100% and it transcodes both video and audio. Movies constantly buffers every 5 seconds.

I am just going to lay it all out here because I’ve tried just about everything I can with my current setup :

Firestick 4K plugged into HDMI port on A/v receiver, connected to Ethernet cable to wall outlet. My router is too far to connect Firestick. Does this make a difference. If so I guess I need to buy a long ethernet cable that can reach my Firestick.

Plex server running on Dell Optiplex, Windows 7 Pro, Intel i5-3470S CPU @ 2.90 GHz, 8 GB RAM, 64bit

Plex version 1.18.5.2309, updated to 1.18.7.2457 but rolled because 4K will not play on the latest update in Plex for Kodi. Get Playback failed errors on several movies I tried to play.

Plex web Version 4.26.1

As I put in the post title I have Direct Play checked and Direct Stream unchecked in Debug Settings.

Transcoder Settings:

Background transcoding x264 preset - Very fast

Disable video stream transcoding - checked

Transcoder temporary directory - blank

Transcoder default throttle buffer - 60

Use hardware-accelerated video encoding - checked

Maximum simultaneous video transcode - Unlimited

I bought a Nvidia Shield TV cubed version but haven’t opened it yet because I don’t know if that will make any difference and need assistance/advice on whether it is worth trying or return and get something else.

I am just looking for help and assistance on what/if I am missing and if I need new and better equipment to watch my 4K movies without buffering constantly.

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You should allow Direct Stream, DirectStream means one thing needs to be changed. So if Audio needs to be transcoded because it’s HD and the device you’re on doesn’t support HD Audio, it should be allowed to transcode. Otherwise, it will trigger a full transcode. Or if the container needs to be changed because your file is .mkv and the apple tv someone/you are trying to play it on doesn’t support mkv, it will be allowed to change it without triggering a full transcode.

Wall outlet is not a good solution. Those things are spotty at best. If your 4K Movie is a 4K Remux, it will need the ability to burst well above 100Mbit, and in my experience (4 houses, with 4 attempts of Gigabit powerline solutions and none of them sustained over 100Mbit speed, it would certianly spike for a second or two over 100Mbit, but it would never go over 100Mbit). You’d be better off using Wifi (Wireless N = 300Mbit, Wireless AC = Up to 1Gigabit (I think).

The Shield might do the trick, if you can get a truly hardwired solution down there, or your wifi is spotty, as it likely has a better antenna array than the firestick.

Other than that, “Disable Video Stream Transcoding” doesn’t seem to be working, I’d uncheck that… Allow Direct Stream, and try over wifi, or look at a solution that gets a true gigabit cat-6/7 down there.

Edit: The other thing you should do is get the “WHY” it’s transcoding. Go to settings on the FireTV Stick, turn on the information overlay. Then go to the “Enable New Player” under Advanced and turn that off. Play the movie again, and press the up arrow. If you look at the top left of the screen, it will give you details as to why there’s a transcode.

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Thanks for your input Jason. When you say get a true gigabit cat-6 down there, do you mean get a cable long enough to go from my router to the Firestick or Shield?

I will try the Fire TV settings thing and see how that goes as well.

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Yeah, a long enough Cat-6 or Cat-7. I ran mine in the upper level of the house underneath carpet along the edge of the wall. Pulled up the carpet and put the cat-7 between the tack strip and the wall, and then laid the carpet back down on the tack strip. you can’t even tell. But I realize not everyone has carpet these days. So try and figure out another solution if that doesn’t work for you… (Fish up to the attic or down to the basement, and run it that way if possible, etc)

Also, the Ethernet adapter for the FireTV Stick is only 100Mbit, so that could also be a limitation. Full on Remuxes will usually need 200Mbit connections or better, so you really want a Gigabit port on the firestick, however, since they don’t make one, you’re stuck either using Wifi, or switching over to the shield which DOES have a gigabit port. The other option you have (which is not a great one) is to use Staxrip to compress the file down a bit (25Mbit with 75Mbit bursts still looks good to me, but mileage on that will vary eye to eye).

Edit: For a little more clarification. I have a 2 Story house w/ a full Finished basement. The internet connection is on the first floor (Middle floor of the house). So what I did was ran Cat-7 ethernet along the edge of the wall to the nearest closet, in that closet sits a 10Gbit switch (overkill for most people, but my ISP is going to be 10Gbit soon) and then ran another Cat-7 up the closet wall, then drilled up into the other closet directly above it. From there, I routed to a Router on one side of the upper level. I put that router in access-point mode. I then repeated the process, and ran to the other side of the upper level, and put in another router. I drilled down into the basement, ran another Cat-7 to another router down there. So I have 3 more than capable Routers providing high quality Wifi to my entire house, plus my ISP’s Wifi router which services the few things on the first floor. It was a lot of work, but it was well worth it in the end. All TV’s and Streaming devices are on Wifi 5GHz connections (save for 1 that is on 2.4GHz because there’s a wall separating it and the router so the 2.4 is stronger in this instance). All my wireless security cameras are setup throughout the house and along the exterior, and everything runs butter smooth.

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That’s awesome about all of your setup. Thanks for your input

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Was more to let you know what’s possible with some out of the box thinking. But thanks. I think I spent about $100 total on the wiring, and I splurged a bit on the routers and switch. it can definitely be downscaled. I just wanted to be prepared for 10Gbit really.

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