Casting FLAC 96/24 Files

Plex Media Server Desktops & Laptops
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Server Version#: 1.41.3.9314-a0bfb8370
Player Version#: 10.26.0.2578

I’ve spent the last couple of hours with ChatGPT trying to fix playback of high resolution audio files to my Chromecast devices. Here’s the summary ChatGPT provided for me:

Hi Plex Support,

I’ve been troubleshooting an issue with streaming high-resolution audio files (96 kHz/24-bit FLAC) to my Chromecast. Despite numerous attempts and customizations to Chromecast.xml and Generic.xml, the files always fail to play on Chromecast. However, the following conditions apply:

  • 44.1 kHz/16-bit FLAC files play perfectly.
  • MP3 files stream without any issues.
  • All 96 kHz/24-bit FLAC files are skipped without even attempting to transcode or play.
  • When casting fails, the files are still playable locally on my Pixel device through the Plex app.

Steps Taken:

  1. I’ve customized the Chromecast.xml to force all FLAC files to transcode to 320 kbps MP3, assuming that would ensure playback for all sample rates. This had no effect on the 96/24 files—they still skip playback while the 44.1/16 files continued to play.
  2. I tested by removing the Generic.xml file to prevent any fallback behavior. This caused the Chromecast to outright refuse to cast FLAC files at all.
  3. Logs confirm that Plex detects and plays the 44.1/16 FLAC files but skips all 96/24 files without attempting to transcode.

Additional Info:

  • The 96/24 FLAC files are standard, not corrupted, and play perfectly in local playback modes.
  • I could attach logs but they are huge. I don’t know how to make them shorter. But ChatGPT assures me that my most recent tests show successful playback of MP3 and 44.1/16 FLAC files, followed by skipped 96/24 files, all without errors being recorded.

At this point, I’m not sure if this is a bug, a device limitation, or something else. Could you clarify if Plex supports transcoding 96 kHz/24-bit FLAC for Chromecast? Any guidance on what to adjust in the Chromecast.xml or server settings would be greatly appreciated.

And yes, I realize I could transpose everything to 44.1/16 but I don’t want to do that because I also play my music on high end audio equipment. I don’t want two copies of all files that I’d have to manage (one to play on the nice equipment and one to play more casually on Chromecast).

Thanks in advance for your help!

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