Server Version#: PMS Version 1.21.0.3711 on Windows 10
Player Version#: Roku Plex App version 6.6 - build 16, and a variety of other Roku devices
This has started in the last week. My server has around 20 users and any of them, including myself, who attempts to play a video using a Roku device of any kind, the media will load to 33%, start over, go back to 33%, 3 times, and then fail with the “too many playback errors” issue. If you keep trying it will eventually play, though sometimes it takes as many as 5 or 6 tries to get it to go. Some of these are files that worked normally as little as a week ago.
To be clear, this is specific to only Roku devices. Any other device tested, the media plays immediately and flawlessly.
This is obviously frustrating for my Roku users who assumed there was something more flawed about the server itself.
I have rebooted the server, rebooted the roku devices, ensured that both of them are up to date, and cleared out the downloaded codecs from \Plex Media Server\Codecs, and allowed them to redownload.
.
Other data asked for:
“Information About the Media” - Local/Video
“Is the media transcoding or direct playing?” Stream Transcode (Speed: 8.1) Container Transcode (MP4 MPEGTS) Video Transcode (H264 1080p H264 1080p) Audio Transcode (AAC Stereo AAC Stereo)
I am attaching a random video XML that is being affected, though literally any video I try from a Roku platform exhibits the same behavior.
Also attached are my server logs, taken right after replicating this issue(File removed) SampleFilexml.txt (3.4 KB)
While I appreciate learning about the Plex preview client, I have not installed it on my devices, and I’m positive none of my less technical users have either. I may try to install it to see if it makes a difference, but something else has changed.
Have you checked your settings on the Roku? Sometime when there is an update Options mysteriously change.
I would also check your Transcoder options on your server. There was a change in how some of them operate. I have had the last three tickbox options ticked since I built my Ubuntu 20 box and on the last update something changed and despite the fact it didn’t need to transcode, it was doing it anyway, or at least trying to.
That’s the thing, it’s not just one Roku or even one model. I have an ultra and a stick, and the same thing is happening on both, notwithstanding all my users who have a variety of Roku devices.
I’m happy to check out the transcoding settings, though I often transcode from a variety of codecs/containers with subtitles, and I know my users are lowering the bitrate to accommodate various internet speeds.
FWIW, this has been occurring intermittently with various users for some time. I’ve read threads in these forums which attribute the problem to various causes including specific brands of routers, poor server specs and unsupported codecs.
In my case, it began when the PLEX channel on my ROKU updated. Suddenly, movies that used to play flawlessly were problematic (i.e. transcoding nightmares). Generally speaking, anything that wasn’t encoded with H264 and AAC was suddenly an issue when it hadn’t been in the past. The problem was so prevalent that I had to re-encode a big batch of “problem files” using FFMPEG. Once I did, voila’, the problem disappeared.
Conclusion: PLEX on ROKU is finicky and the development team release updates that (unintentionally?) break things. Your mileage may vary.
After sleeping on it, I would suggest you:
Open Options.
-Find Debug (under Plex Web) and make sure Debug Level is set to Enabled.
-Find Troubleshooting (third option from the bottom in the left menu) and Download Logs.
-Attach the log files to the thread.
Someone will be by the thread and have a look at them. Rather than conjecture and theories you should get a real answer for what is going on.
I appreciate what you’re saying, but it would take about a year to re-encode the media I have to prevent transcoding, and these files were working until some time last week.
As regarding the second point, I enabled debug level logging, recreated the issue, and immediately downloaded the logs and attached them to the first post. Did I do that incorrectly to the point where they aren’t visible to others?
Regardless. thanks for taking the time to reach out and share your experience.
