Hi,
I am hoping someone will be able to help me. When I am trying to play an MKV file I get the following error message “Conversion failed. A required codec could not be found or failed to install.”
MP4 files work completely fine however any MKV gets this exact error message. I have restarted the server as well, however, no luck.
I am running Windows 8.1 and My Plex Version is Version 1.10.1.4602
I have attached my log files below:
Plex Media Logs
Feb 15, 2018 15:17:47.481 [2324] DEBUG - [Now] Device is Internet Explorer (Plex Web (Internet Explorer)).
MKV won’t play on Plex web with Internet Explorer 11 on Windows 7 (and apparently, Windows 8)
Been known since v1.8. Last update to the forum post by a Plex employee was mid-January.
Use a different browser. I prefer Firefox over Chrome for privacy.
(For whatever reason, it works on IE11 on Windows 10)
Convert everything to mp4.
I decided 3 years ago that mp4 was the best format. (some will argue but that’s my opinion from my experience)
Now I have software that automatically converts all mkv into mp4.
If it wasn’t clear, my presented solution was meant to be 'use a different browser temporarily until the bug gets fixed"
That being said, there’s no guarantee Plex has it high on the roadmap of things they are looking at. There’s been no mention of MKV in any of recent beta releases. It’s possible it’s mentioned another way though. You may wish to ask in the link I posted to if anyone with Plex Pass using IE11 on win7 and Win8 can confirm it’s working or not in newer PMS releases.
@spikemixture - The mp4 container, though a very versatile one and very compatible across devices, has limits to what it can store if the container is truly being used with 100% compatibility to it’s original design. It’s also patented, likely meaning it won’t be upgraded, but instead, a new format will be created when it goes to show it’s age so the MPEG group can continue to earn more money off it’s use.
Though I can’t say converting everything to mp4 isn’t a possible solution, I can’t agree that it’s a good one.
As my primary viewing both personally and those who I share with are 80% Roku users, and, Roku seems to historically in my experience have trouble maintaining MKV support consistently, I too have used Mp4 as my primary choice for encoding my own content.
However, if I ever need multiple subtitles, or wish to start storing full uncompressed 7.1 surround (DTSHD or Dolby), I too would likely move to MKV.
What software are you using?
