Hi everyone! Been reading through this thread, and I have managed to get my CCU to direct stream my 4K HDR HEVC movies with only the sound transcoding. I’m using the 1.9.6.4429 server and 5.9.1.758 app. However, though there’s no sync problem with sound or picture, the image isn’t smooth at all. There’s no lag or anything but you can clearly see that it’s not smooth. Any ideas? I have a LG OLED B6
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@ProShifu said:
Hi everyone! Been reading through this thread, and I have managed to get my CCU to direct stream my 4K HDR HEVC movies with only the sound transcoding. I’m using the 1.9.6.4429 server and 5.9.1.758 app. However, though there’s no sync problem with sound or picture, the image isn’t smooth at all. There’s no lag or anything but you can clearly see that it’s not smooth. Any ideas? I have a LG OLED B6
Hi 
Is your CCU connected via ethernet or wireless? If wireless then which protocol (ex: N, AC)? It may be that AC is required for this high data stream, but I haven’t tested this as I use ethernet. It should also go without saying that bandwidth being consumed on other network devices could slow down the stream.
Some other things to try would be in the Home app on your casting device. There’s a “Video smoothness” in the Devices>Settings section that you could play with, as well as a 50/60hz toggle.
Still no luck? What kind of device is your PMS installed on? What router is the CCU connected to?
FWIW I have noticed recently that you can use the latest PMS version, but the older casting app is still a requirement.
@only1hammy said:
@ProShifu said:
Hi everyone! Been reading through this thread, and I have managed to get my CCU to direct stream my 4K HDR HEVC movies with only the sound transcoding. I’m using the 1.9.6.4429 server and 5.9.1.758 app. However, though there’s no sync problem with sound or picture, the image isn’t smooth at all. There’s no lag or anything but you can clearly see that it’s not smooth. Any ideas? I have a LG OLED B6Hi
Is your CCU connected via ethernet or wireless? If wireless then which protocol (ex: N, AC)? It may be that AC is required for this high data stream, but I haven’t tested this as I use ethernet. It should also go without saying that bandwidth being consumed on other network devices could slow down the stream.
Some other things to try would be in the Home app on your casting device. There’s a “Video smoothness” in the Devices>Settings section that you could play with, as well as a 50/60hz toggle.
Still no luck? What kind of device is your PMS installed on? What router is the CCU connected to?
FWIW I have noticed recently that you can use the latest PMS version, but the older casting app is still a requirement.
Hi 
Thanks for the reply. I’m using the CCU wirelessly through AC to a powerful Asus router so that’s not the issue since there’s no actual lag or stutter/buffer issue. However, I tried what you said about the settings in the CCU and it seems like turning off the video smoothness and turn on the 50hz solved the problem! It might be that there’s interference between the CCU and my TV since the TV also has video smoothness settings
Another question is that I can’t seem to get SRT subtitles to work. I’ve renamed the subfile the same as the video file and they are in the same folder. Plex app recognizes the file since I can select it, but the movie just plays a few seconds then it just stutters and buffers. Is there still no fix to this? Thanks!
Well I’m tired of this. Lot’s of hours changing the XML profiles, then transcoding manually files, and a lot of other things. And all just to see UHD properly on my TV. I’m a two years Plex Pass users, and I expected to get some answer. But I see that all the support I received these two years come from the community. I would rather prefer to pay to the community, instead to Plex. So just some minutes ago, I deactivated the automatic subscription renewal. As I said, I’m tired.
I’m really sorry we haven’t been able to nail this down.
We’ve been refreshing our effort into the Chromecast to bring it up to date with the rest of the Plex ecosystem, and to make sure it can play back the content types our users are throwing at it.
Our initial efforts in this refresh focused on parity between the old player stack and the new. I personally have built up a large library of “problematic” content, and have worked to make sure that those items worked as well, or better on the new Chromecast receiver as they did on the old one.
I want to let you know that there’s ongoing effort to improve this platform. It’s especially painful to me when our new products fail to deliver the performance you have all already come to expect; navigating this space between what used to work and what we want to offer going forward is an annoying limbo.
We are listening, and we’re working to bring the whole platform up to par with what’s offered across the Plex ecosystem.
Any timelines for bringing CC in line with the rest of the Plex ecosystem? Transcoding of x265 content to the CCU is killing my plex server and is not an option at the moment.
I too was having extensive issues with Plex and the Chromecast Ultra and HVEC 4K videos, The one thing that is annoying but workable is I currently can’t start streaming from phone app, I have to initiate it from my PC with the Plex web interface then switch over to my HDMI input that has the Chromecast Ultra hooked to it, I can then watch the movie. What is truly annoying is lack of subtitle support, when I turn on subtitles in the web app and switch back to the CCU it drops out of HDR10 mode and starts transcoding the movie instead of direct playing which basically stutters and lags and has no HDR. I wish I could solve one or both of those issues, if you come up with something please let me know.
It’s now half a year later. Any update on this?
HEVC issues aside, I’m also finding that my Chromecast Ultras choke on anything with AAC 5.1 audio (a good third of my film library, probably over 1,500 films, and a fair few TV shows as well).
My elderly NAS is pretty low powered, but ought to be able to cope with transcoding AAC 5.1 to something else. Also, like others here, I have never been able to get HEVC to direct stream reliably. The CCUs are all on wired connections, so it isn’t a bandwidth issue on my network.
Given its popularity and the huge number in service, a separate profile for the CCU seems to be warranted. And should to my mind be a higher priority than VR, changing the android interface that was working fine previously, or developing a news feed.
Just wanted to chime in and say that I am also having issues with my CCU. The majority of average data plays with no Issues. However, I have some content that will not play on the CCU. The 4k content constantly stuters/buffers and the other content just comes up as green distortion on the screen.
Server:
Windows Server 2016 (ESXI 6.5)
8 Core CPU
12GB RAM
SSD with more than 50% free space
10Gbps NIC
4K Media:
Media
- Video Resolution 4K
- Duration 2:19:57
- Bitrate 80007 kbps
- Width 3840
- Height 2160
- Aspect Ratio 1.78
- Container MKV
- Video Frame Rate 24p
- Video Profile main 10
Part
-
Duration 2:19:57
-
File Ready Player One (2018).mkv
-
Size 78.22 GB
-
Container MKV
-
Has Thumbnail 1
-
Video Profile main 10
-
Codec HEVC
-
Bit Depth 10
-
Chroma Subsampling 4:2:0
-
Color Primaries bt2020
-
Color Range tv
-
Color Space bt2020nc
-
Color Trc smpte2084
-
Frame Rate 23.976 fps
-
Height 2160
-
Level 5.1
-
Profile main 10
-
Ref Frames 1
Green Playback Media
Media
- Video Resolution 720p
- Duration 25:00
- Bitrate 712 kbps
- Width 1280
- Height 720
- Aspect Ratio 1.78
- Container MKV
- Video Frame Rate 24p
- Audio Profile lc
- Video Profile main
Part
-
Duration 25:00
-
File One Piece - S01E01 - I
m Luffy! The Man Whos Gonna Be King of the Pirates!.mkv -
Size 127.33 MB
-
Audio Profile lc
-
Container MKV
-
Video Profile main
-
Codec HEVC
-
Bitrate 712 kbps
-
Bit Depth 8
-
Chroma Subsampling 4:2:0
-
Color Primaries bt709
-
Color Range tv
-
Color Space bt709
-
Color Trc bt709
-
Frame Rate 23.976 fps
-
Height 720
-
Level 4.0
-
Profile main
-
Ref Frames 1
-
Width 1280
Also wanting an update.
I’m having a minor problem. I was previously using a Chromecast gen 2 and it would play h.264 videos with AAC audio. I’ve upgraded to a Chromecast Ultra and have tested hevc videos with AAC audio. The video direct streams but the audio shows it is being transcoded from AAC to AC3. Why is this happening? The google page that shows what codecs the Chromecasts can play shows AAC as a valid codec.
I just got this from Chromecast support. They tell me that AAC 5.1 support was removed.
Robert Foster
9:49 PM
I just received two Chromecast Ultras that I purchased on black friday special.
Robert Foster
9:49 PM
I’m having a problem because when I try to play a video with AAC 5.1 audio, it doesn’t work. the audio gets downgraded to 2 channel.
Robert Foster
9:50 PM
Is there a new firmware or something?
Jane
9:50 PM
Let me help you with that right away!
Jane
9:50 PM
In case our chat session cuts off, what’s your phone number where I can reach you?
Robert Foster
9:51 PM
972-265-9762
Jane
9:51 PM
Got it!
Jane
9:51 PM
Is your Chromecast connected to an AVR?
Robert Foster
9:52 PM
I don’t know what AVR means
Jane
9:53 PM
Sorry. It’s audio/video receiver.
Robert Foster
9:53 PM
I’m using a Plex server.
Jane
9:54 PM
From what app are you trying to play with 5.1 surround sound?
Robert Foster
9:54 PM
Plex
Jane
9:57 PM
Have you tried from a different app like Netflix?
Robert Foster
9:58 PM
Yes. Surround sound works from there but it’s not a good comparison. Netflix doesn’t stream in AAC format audio.
Jane
9:59 PM
There are some videos from Netflix that has 5.1.
Robert Foster
10:00 PM
Yes. And those work. I think Netflix uses AC3 audio format
Robert Foster
10:00 PM
For instance, if I play AC3 audio in Plex, that works.
Robert Foster
10:00 PM
but AAC is not playing in 5.1
Robert Foster
10:01 PM
that’s weird because the Ultra should be able to play that, right?
Jane
10:01 PM
I actually just checked on that.
Jane
10:02 PM
AAC5.1 support was recently removed to better align with industry standards which is focused on Dolby Digital (DD) and Dolby Digital + (DD+) surround sound.
This thing is going on since 2017. I can’t believe there’s no solution yet.
hey look its sept 2019 and still no fix for this yet. think they gave up on the ultra?
Yup, still an issue. H264/AAC level 5.0 forces a transcode due to the augmented profile regardless of what’s set in my Chromecast.xml. Overridden profiles should take precedence over the augmented profile pulled down from the web, please make this change or update the web version to be in line with the CCU’s actual capabilities!
Hey Plex - we’re still waiting.
We need a fix for this.
Or give the community control of the default profile.
Is there likely to be any update ever on this from Plex? Do I have to switch to something else?
Switch to something else. I’ve already switched to Emby and the problem is solved.
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