# Allow Remote Server Transcoding **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussions\ **Created:** [September 3, 2019, 6:01pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/allow-remote-server-transcoding/456519 "2019-09-03T18:01:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jiru443](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/jiru443/32/148052_2.png) [@jiru443](https://forums.plex.tv/u/jiru443)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 6:01pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/allow-remote-server-transcoding/456519/1 "2019-09-03T18:01:57Z")
Hello Everyone! I was wondering if there is a way to share the plex library with another user and allow that user’s server to do the transcoding before delivering the media to external user’s client. For example, I have a fellow tech friend, let’s call him Jim. Jim has a nice home server to support streaming for his small family. I also have a modest server, but it’s just powerful enough to serve my own needs. But I really want to share my library with him (and vice versa). Neither of us can spare the transcoding power, so right now we resort to giving each other ro access to each other’s media. What we really would like is for my server to allow Jim’s server to transcode media from my library for delivery to his clients (like a transcode proxy for his clients). Is an option like this available? If not, where do I post to get this feature requested? ---
**Author:** ![JasonNalley](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/jasonnalley/32/24210_2.png) [@JasonNalley](https://forums.plex.tv/u/JasonNalley)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 6:08pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/allow-remote-server-transcoding/456519/2 "2019-09-03T18:08:26Z")
There is no way to accomplish this. You can try to post in feature requests, but his clients cannot access your server anyways without them being invited by you, and vice versa… This is implemented this way for quite a few reasons, the biggest being (Imagine he had 40+ users, and was invited to your server, then all of a sudden you have 40 new users taking away from your bandwidth and processing power which degrades the experience for your users). Servers are managed and handled by a single admin, and it’s up to that admin to manage the hardware and clients… This will never be the way you want it to be, and for many good reasons… ---
**Author:** ![jiru443](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/jiru443/32/148052_2.png) [@jiru443](https://forums.plex.tv/u/jiru443)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 6:13pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/allow-remote-server-transcoding/456519/3 "2019-09-03T18:13:05Z")
> his clients cannot access your server anyways without them being invited by you I think I should clarify, I like the way Plex has it now, where you have to be invited. I dont want that to change. I simply want where the transcoding takes place to change. If an authorized, invited user of my server wants to watch something on my server but s/he has his own server, let his server do the transcoding. That’s the only change. ---
**Author:** ![FordGuy61](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/22d042/32.png) [@FordGuy61](https://forums.plex.tv/u/FordGuy61)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 6:26pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/allow-remote-server-transcoding/456519/4 "2019-09-03T18:26:01Z")
> [@jiru443](#): > > If not, where do I post to get this feature requested? [https://forums.plex.tv/c/general/feature-suggestions](https://forums.plex.tv/c/general/feature-suggestions) Possibly an extension of the Distributed Transcoding request? The servers would have to have knowledge of each other to hand off transcoding. Also use knowledge of who “owns” each server to make decision on where to transcode media (not just based on load). > [@Distributed Transcoding/Scaling](https://forums.plex.tv/t/distributed-transcoding-scaling/76681): > > I realize this is a longshot but right now my plex server is a quad socket system and it's barely keeping up with user load, looking at 8 socket systems and they are just astronomically expensive which got me thinking about the huge surplus of cheap dual socket blade servers   what if there was a way of scaling plex itself to have separate compute/transcode nodes instead of just having one giant server...   so for example, you have one box running plex itself, then several slaved boxes that … ---
**Author:** ![Achilles](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/achilles/32/16864_2.png) [@Achilles](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Achilles)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 6:36pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/allow-remote-server-transcoding/456519/5 "2019-09-03T18:36:02Z")
You basically want to give Jim access to your media files. If you have the upload bandwidth (read symmetrical Gigabit Internet), you could create VPN tunnel and allow him access via a file sharing protocol to access your media files and vice-versa. ---
**Author:** ![jiru443](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/jiru443/32/148052_2.png) [@jiru443](https://forums.plex.tv/u/jiru443)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 6:38pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/allow-remote-server-transcoding/456519/6 "2019-09-03T18:38:38Z")
> [@Achilles](#): > > allow him access via a file sharing protocol > [@jiru443](#): > > right now we resort to giving each other ro access to each other’s media. What we really would like is for my server to allow Jim’s server to transcode media from my library for delivery to his clients (like a transcode proxy for his clients). This is what we are doing, but the feature request (which I will post in a bit) is to not rely on third party tools or file sharing protocols to share the media. I’d love to implement a feature that allows plex to do it securely, all in one place. ---
**Author:** ![Achilles](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/achilles/32/16864_2.png) [@Achilles](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Achilles)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 6:42pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/allow-remote-server-transcoding/456519/7 "2019-09-03T18:42:13Z")
You would still need the bandwidth even if something were created to do this. Does bandwidth exists between you two that would support reading the original media remotely before transcoding it? ---
**Author:** ![jiru443](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/jiru443/32/148052_2.png) [@jiru443](https://forums.plex.tv/u/jiru443)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 6:42pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/allow-remote-server-transcoding/456519/8 "2019-09-03T18:42:38Z")
yes, I have gigabit fiber. ---
**Author:** ![jiru443](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/jiru443/32/148052_2.png) [@jiru443](https://forums.plex.tv/u/jiru443)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 6:46pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/allow-remote-server-transcoding/456519/9 "2019-09-03T18:46:27Z")
I imagine a feature where the invited remote client selects “Prefer Local Transcoding for Remote Servers” If they have that feature on, then it uses their own local server to transcode. I also imagine a setting on the server that is sharing the library where it prefers or forces client server transcoding. Hope those ideas make sense. ---
**Author:** ![TeknoJunky](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/teknojunky/32/165055_2.png) [@TeknoJunky](https://forums.plex.tv/u/TeknoJunky)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 6:50pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/allow-remote-server-transcoding/456519/10 "2019-09-03T18:50:23Z")
> [@jiru443](#): > > I imagine a feature where the invited remote client selects “Prefer Local Transcoding for Remote Servers” > > If they have that feature on, then it uses their own local server to transcode. the only way this would work is if you both have fast enough bandwidth to direct play the content. Then the local server would simply be a proxy for the remote server. And if you both have high enough bandwidth, you can avoid transcoding in the first place, by simply setting the proper quality settings on both servers/clients. clients should have remote quality = maximum servers should have upload bandwidth set to whatever your upload speed is, and any remote quality setting to maximum/original quality. then you should both direct play from each other server (no transcoding), unless your clients are not compatible with the content (ie trying to play 4k content on 1080 player/tv). ---
**Author:** ![jiru443](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/jiru443/32/148052_2.png) [@jiru443](https://forums.plex.tv/u/jiru443)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 7:07pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/allow-remote-server-transcoding/456519/11 "2019-09-03T19:07:16Z")
> [@TeknoJunky](#): > > And if you both have high enough bandwidth, you can avoid transcoding in the first place, by simply setting the proper quality settings on both servers/clients. Although I get what you mean, this completely misses the mark. If this is the best way to do it, then why have transcoding at all. The fact is, not all devices can play the various formats out there, which is why we have transcoding. I simply want some flexibility on who is required to transcode. > [@TeknoJunky](#): > > local server would simply be a proxy for the remote server. This is pretty much what I’m going for. A way to push the responsibility of the transcode off to the remote server of the invited user accessing my server. ---
**Author:** ![Achilles](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/achilles/32/16864_2.png) [@Achilles](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Achilles)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 7:09pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/allow-remote-server-transcoding/456519/12 "2019-09-03T19:09:13Z")
To many variables and I doubt Plex devs will innovate some new protocol to do this when file sharing over tunnels is already a method. ---
**Author:** ![TeknoJunky](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/teknojunky/32/165055_2.png) [@TeknoJunky](https://forums.plex.tv/u/TeknoJunky)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2019, 7:15pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/allow-remote-server-transcoding/456519/13 "2019-09-03T19:15:29Z")
Well, as achilles suggests, it is unlikely that plex will attempt to re-invent the wheel, when a solution is already available. Besides the fact this is such an esoteric idea that would only be of use to those which have extremely high internet speeds, and plex servers of poor power. In any case, feel free to submit an actual feature request in the applicable forum, and hope that you get enough votes and support that plex would feel it is worth investing the engineering and man hours of programming over any of the other existing feature requests that are not yet implemented. Otherwise, like I suggest above, increase your quality settings to avoid transcoding, and/or get better playback devices which are compatible with more media, and/or buy/build more powerful plex servers that can cope with any necessary transcoding loads for your local and remote users. Your situation is not any different than any other plex user with under-powered servers. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/3X/2/a/2acb9765406f63293d357b4ec509ec39aa28f2ad.png) [@system](https://forums.plex.tv/u/system)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2019, 7:15pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/allow-remote-server-transcoding/456519/14 "2019-12-02T19:15:33Z")
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