My setup:
Home NAS running latest version of Plex server (1.41.6.9685)
Google Chromecast Ultra 4k connected to every TV; hardwired Ethernet to Gigabit network switch
Plex app on Google Pixel 8 Pro
Typical use:
We love controlling everything directly from our phones & Plex. Open app, select a movie or show to watch, hit the “cast” button, and “Play on living room Chromecast” or “Play on bedroom Chromecast”. Use our phones to control the media with the Chromecasts providing the actual playback.
Issue:
Since updating to the latest app versions (the “new” app), attempting to play h265 / HEVC files results in the video just skipping all the way to the end. They still play fine on the phone itself, or on a PC in a browser logged in to Plex. It’s only playback on the Chromecasts that this format file no longer works. h264 and other versions still play fine, when controlled by the app.
Uninstalling “new app” and reinstalling old version 10.26 directly from the .apk immediately restores full functionality, as described above. I’ve made no settings changes on app, server, or device. Simply roll back to the old version and I can play my h265 / HEVC files again. So something has changed in the “new app” to break functionality.
I realize mine is a “niche case” but it would be great to get this working again, as it worked successfully for years. Any suggestions?
I’ve not seen any “official” reply from Plex. There’ve been a few other posts on various forums from others reporting the same issue. Personally I’ve rolled my app back to version 10.26, the last version before the “new update” and disabled updates in the Google Play store.
Everything working fine with this version of app and latest PMS server. Hopefully they’ll address the issue at some point…
Hell HEVC has been broken for 2+ months on ChromeOS and Plex still hasn’t even acknowledge it. It isn’t even specifically HEVC, it is all playback breaks with a general “unable to determine HEVC Profile” warning no matter what the video is encoded with. Plex really messed up the android app and it is kind of upsetting how little they seem to care to even acknowledge issues.
It depends on your phone. For Android, you just download the .apk file for the older version and install it. For iPhone there’s a process. It’s a bit more involved, but lots of threads detailing it on sites like Reddit.
