Buffering Problem

Plex Media Server
1

Hi everyone,

This is my first post so be gentle with me, please.

I have the latest version of Plex media server running on a PC system used for Plex and Microsoft teams (I use my laptop for everything else).

In the past 2 weeks, my remote users (Around 10) are having buffering issues?

They can watch a file/media for around 15 minutes then they get buffering problems (Hanging or getting an error message saying this media cant be played)?

My broadband speeds are 80mb download and 20mb upload?

My PC hardware is an AMD Athlon 8 core CPU with 32mb of ram and an NVIDIA Geforce 1660TGPU

My media is on a combination of drives Internal (Sata 14TB) and external (14TB on 2 x 7TB Western Digital MyBook both using a USB3 connection

I never have more than 4 concurrent streams at the same time?

I run Tautulli with a GPS addon (So I can see more detail on whats streaming and how it’s transcoding or direct streaming)?

My users use my login details, (I have only recently discovered they could have individual logins)

The remote users use either a smart TV or a firestick and also a PC/Laptop? And all have over 20mb download speeds? On a mix of Ethernet and Wireless connections?

I have previously been running Plex with a Plex pass for over 2 years with no problems?

My question is what’s causing my problem?

Is it my hardware setup?

Is it my transcoding settings (What’s the optimal settings?)?

Is it Tautulli?

Is it the single-user login?

Is it the remote user connections?

Is it the version of the Plex media server?

Or is it something else?

I would greatly appreciate any advice on my issue/problem, so thanks in advance.

Alpha.

2

Welcome to Plex.
You might take a look at the server dashboard (or Tautulli) while they’re attempting to stream.
What information is showing in the “now playing” tile for that playback on the Plex server dashboard?
Exemplary screenshot from the "now playing" section

To be perfectly open… 20 Mbps upload speed are not super much if those users will start streaming content of higher quality. So this could easily be a bottleneck.

3

Hi all

Thanks for your reply’s most of which were helpful.

Just to let you know I solved it. The problem turned out to be failing internal hard drive (Go figure) It was a 7-year-old 3TB and had my most recent files on.

So people were trying to stream from a failing hard drive.

Thanks again

4

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