Server Version#: 1.14.0.5465
Player Version#:7.7.2.7701
I recently added a new streaming device, Xiaomi Mibox S; but for some reason, only this device is transcoding all video files regardless of the server settings, device settings, etc, etc. At the beggining I thought it was an issue with my firewall (pfsense) but all other devices (Xiaomi Mibox, Nexus player, Android devices, etc) on the same network as the Plex server are working properly, the issue is only with this new device.
I am completely confused, if I start playing a movie, I can go to the settings and request the original file to be played back; but Plex still shows as transcoding. I can tell that forcing it to “play original” has an effect as the movie on the screen looks 100x better than the previously showed transcoded version; but it is quite annoying to do this every time you want to watch any content.
I will provide logs (as PM) for further investigation. I have searched around, but almost all issues related to what I am experiencing are older and have been resolved. Maybe this is an issue specifically related to the device I am using (Xiaomi Mibox S US version - latest firmware version 8.1.0) . I have tried both wireless and wired connections to this device, ad the issue remains.
Any help will be greatly appreciated, seems like I have hit a wall on this one and it is driving me crazy.
App and server were set to maximum for both local and remote connections. No bandwidth limit set on the server for remote connections. Out of frustration, I performed a factory reset to the Mibox S device, and only used the wireless connection to perform more testing. To my surprise, when streaming device is using the wireless network, Plex client is able to direct stream. If I connect the USB to RJ45 dongle (USB3 Gigabit Ethernet - j5create) to try to connect to my network using a wired connection, Plex media client starts transcoding all my media.
Will it be possible that Plex client flags the USB adapter, and forces any traffic from this adapter to be perceived as “remote” rather than local even though the wired and wireless adapters are running on the same subnet as the Plex server?
I will try to perform some further testing, but if there is anything specific that @anon18523487 will like me to test / provides logs, I will be more than happy to do it. I think I have used the same adapter in other streaming devices (Xiaomi and Nexus) and do not remember seeing this issue.
Just PM you the logs requested. 2 logs from app, wired and wireless connection, and the latest plex server log file (not sure if you need anything else from the PMS log folder).
Looking at the wired log, it shows that you have the “automatically adjust quality” setting enabled and set to 720p, so PMS is transcoding to meet this starting point.
This doesn’t match what you said about having the quality settings set to maximum, so something is off.
The only thing I can think of that could cause this is if your internet is some sort of hotspot/satellite and not a land based connection. There is an issue when using these types of connections.
The logs provided were after the unit was completely reset to factory and the Plex app settings were left to default, so “remote” playback is limited to 720p 4Mbps. Both wired and wireless connections are local to the PMS, so this rule shouldn’t apply to either connection. The issue, the rule applies to the wired connection (exactly what you see on the logs), but not the wireless connection (you will see direct play on the logs, no transcoding of video, only audio).
Forgot to mention, both wired and wireless are running on the same LAN as Plex (one switch, one access point connected to the switch); that is why I do not understand why one (wired) is flagged as being remote (although is local) and the other (wireless) is correctly seeing as local.
Took the same adapter (USB to RJ45) to a different, older Xiaomi Mibox device, played the same movie (Avatar) and PMS did not transcode. At this point, I am assuming there is nothing on the Plex App side that is creating the problem, it might be on the Xiaomi device itself. I have sent you a PM with app logs of my recent test, hopefully it will help you to determine with might be the difference that is causing the issue (I am guessing streaming box is not fully compatible with the USB to ethernet adapter)
Hello, I have the same problem as you, specifically with the UGREEN 3.0 HUB Gigabit Ethernet Adapter, it only happens to me with Plex, with the rest of the applications there, even doing a speed test, it reaches 250MB / s. Hopefully Plex will correct the problem.
Has there been a solution found for this problem? From what I have been reading, the new Jetstream box suffers from this same issue. I have the Mi Box S and when using a usb ethernet adapter, everything that I play is transcoded.
@anon18523487 has all the logs showing the problem, but nothing so far. My assumption, there is no solution to this issue at this point. In a way, I am glad that the issue is not only specific to my Android box (Xiaomi Mibox S), but it is also happening to people with other android players,maybe that will be a incentive for Plex to look into it.
I can also confirm this issue, Mibox S with USB ethernet adapter defaults to super low transcoding no matter what I do. On Wifi the same video will direct play or direct stream with no issue, but with the Ethernet it’s garbage. You can pause mid-stream and modify the quality setting to fix it, but every time it plays something new (e.g. a new episode of a TV show) it reverts to the awful quality.
It’s also specific to just the Plex app, everything else works just fine with Ethernet.
Having this issue with the MiBox S when I was away from the server last week. Remote quality set to original but playback starts with 720p or less potato quality. Wish I had brought the Shield to try.
Nope, connected via WiFi. This issue only presents when using the Mi Box S but the Nvidia shield plays fine, no issues. I’d test with the old MiBox but it dead so I can’t compare. I’ve read other were having the same issue with the Jetstream media player from Walmart too. I might go grab one and see.
