CAT6 Gigabit Ethernet connects ALL the hardware listed above, no wireless being used at all
Issue:
Many videos do not play properly in the AppleTV Plex app but they play perfectly in 1) the Plex for iPadOS app and 2) the FireCore Infuse app for AppleTV (connected to my Plex Media Server using Infuse’s built-in Plex Connection).
Videos that play have audio sync/lag issues while some videos simply do not play (showing the spinning gear icon instead).
The fact that the videos do not play using Plex for AppleTV but work fine using Infuse for AppleTV is significant.
This has been happening since summer 2022 when I was still using the AppleTV 4K (2021) model. I update Plex as soon as an update becomes available in the hopes that it will fix the issues, so I’m not using old versions of Plex. I also update the AppleTV firmware immediately.
Is there something going on with the Plex organization that I should know about? Are other customers experiencing similar problems? Despite being a paying customer for the better part of a decade, Plex does not offer any way to contact technical support, instead they drive customers to this forum.
Any details about the streams from your server dashboard’s “Now Playing” section? I’m specifically interested in the transcoding and streaming mode (local/remote/indirect).
Have I answered your questions below? Let me know if I’ve missed anything:
QUESTION
How exactly are the videos not playing properly? Are they stuttering, not playing at all, wrong audio/subtitles, dropping frames…??
ANSWER
Video play improperly in 2 ways: 1) Not playing at all, 2) audio/video sync failure, 3) video flickering almost like watching a 3D video without 3D glasses.
QUESTION
Any details with regards to what media is giving your Plex app issues or does it happen with all media?
ANSWER
1080p and 720p x264 and x265 MKV files (I have very few x265 files because everything I encode in Handbrake uses the same process I’ve used for years; I have experimented with x265 since getting the AppleTV 2021 and newer 2022 model because they have faster CPUs to cope with the newer x265 codecs)
QUESTION
Any details about the streams from your server dashboard’s “Now Playing” section? I’m specifically interested in the transcoding and streaming mode (local/remote/indirect).
ANSWER
I have experimented with Transcoding and Streaming settings during ongoing troubleshooting. Rather than use the highest quality I have opted for 20 Mbps/1080p since I see no difference between that and the higher quality. As to streaming, everything is local (MKVs stored on a Synology NAS DS718+; AppleTV and NAS connected via gigabit ethernet on the same local network at my home). No remote streaming. During troubleshooting in the AppleTV Plex app, I have also enabled/disabled DirectPlay, disabled Auto Adjust Quality and disabled Old Player.
Sorry for the delay, I had to negotiate for 10 minutes of time in front of the AppleTV to get the information you requested!
Also, I stupidly missed that I provided the Plex Web version rather than the PMS version! It’s not like I haven’t manually updated the PMS a bunch of times over many years. I’ve got a thermos for brains today.
Here are the updated (and corrected) details:
AppleTV 4K (2022) firmware version 16.2
Plex app for Apple TV version 8.13 (4532)
Plex Web: 4.98.2
Plex Media Server: 1.30.1.6562
Synology NAS DS718+
Dashboard’s Expanded View while streaming two videos that are not playing properly (these two were not encoded by me):
Local
Video: 1080i (H.264), Direct Stream, 10 Mbps
Audio: AAC Stereo, Direct Stream
Local
Video: 720p (H.264), Direct Stream, 5 Mbps
Audio: AAC Stereo, Direct Stream
Hopefully these details will help clarify things for you. I’m here if you need me to try something or need more info! I understand that this will only be fixed via updates sometime in the future and thats totally acceptable, I’m not looking for a fix right now!
