I would like to request a proper client-side playback/debug overlay for Plex Web and Plex Desktop, similar to the playback information overlay available on some TV clients.
Current situation
When debugging playback issues, Plex Dashboard is very useful for server-side decisions such as:
- Direct Play / Direct Stream / Transcode
- selected bitrate
- server-side codec/container decision
- bandwidth estimate
- remote/local playback status
However, it does not show enough detail about what is happening on the client side, especially in Plex Web or Plex Desktop.
For browser playback, the only real workaround is opening browser developer tools and checking the Media / Network tabs. That works, but it is not practical for normal users and does not expose Plex-specific playback state in a clean way.
Requested feature
Please add an optional playback/debug overlay for Plex Web and Plex Desktop showing information such as:
- playback mode: Direct Play / Direct Stream / Transcode
- container, video codec, audio codec, subtitle format
- selected audio/subtitle track
- current resolution and bitrate
- client-side buffer state
- dropped frames
- stream protocol: direct file, HLS, DASH, etc.
- whether hardware decoding is active
- audio/video sync issues if detectable
- reason why Direct Play failed, when applicable
- current connection type: local, remote, indirect/relay
- bandwidth estimate from the client side
Why this would help
This would make it much easier to debug issues like:
- browser playback looking worse than Plex Desktop
- color/HDR/SDR differences between clients
- buffering despite the server showing Direct Play
- subtitle burn-in or subtitle handling problems
- codec/container compatibility problems
- dropped frames or decoding issues
- “server says Direct Play, but the client still behaves badly” cases
The current Plex Dashboard is great, but it mainly explains the server decision. A matching client-side view would make troubleshooting much more complete.
Thanks!
