It would be great if one could limit the number of transcodes available per user. In my particular use case, I do not mind users transcoding, but I don’t want them going crazy with it.
However, neither of these really address the issue of being able to limit the number of transcodes per user. The closest I’ve seen is Transcoder restrictions per user - General Discussions - Plex Forum which is not a feature request and is from 2017. I’m hoping that it can be its own feature request as I’m not seeing it addressed/requested specifically. If I am wrong, please let me know and if you can direct me to the right location, I’ll gladly add my vote it instead.
You’re going on a lot about how this isn’t a duplicate. Would you mind elaborating that use case of yours a bit?
Also for clarification:
You’re asking for an option to apply Settings > [Server Name] > Transcoder > Maximum simultaneous video transcode for individual users?
I see how your suggestion is different from the others but I’m not sure how that difference is applying to a real-world scenario (beyond being a technicality). [no offense… just trying to understand what you’re aiming for, especially because you stated that the transcoding doesn’t matter all that much to you]
@tom80H, the primary reason for limiting transcoding on my Plex server is to ensure that the server does not become overloaded and that devices that can direct play content are able to do so. By limiting the number of simultaneous transcodes to the actual number of devices that need transcoding, I can ensure that everyone who needs to transcode can do so, while also preventing the server from getting overloaded.
For example, my father-in-law uses a mobile phone to watch some things, and he will usually need to transcode due to connection quality issues. However, his two grandchildren also frequently visit his home, and the smart TVs in their house never seem to keep his Plex settings. This means that the TVs often try to transcode content when they do not need to, which can overload the server if there are other people trying to transcode as well. By limiting the number of simultaneous transcodes to one per user, the TVs will automatically switch to direct play when possible, which will improve the performance of the server. I know this is the case as I have tried to set the max transcodes server-wide to one and it does just what I’m saying.
I believe that this is a sensible approach to limiting transcoding, as it allows for transcoding when needed, while also preventing unnecessary transcoding that can overload the server.
I actually think adding a way to control transcodes per device on server-side would be great as well, however, it is likely overkill for most people. However, I think limiting by the user over all is a better option than this as it will also take care of the one-off time where a transcode is actually needed on the TV, which I have yet to see, when he is home and not using his mobile.
If a client requests a transcode (e.g. because it’s not capable to direct stream or the client quality settings) and your limit is exceeded, the video won’t play at all and Plex will give you an error message instead.
If a home has four TVs that can direct play a vast majority of the library and there are say two mobile devices that will always need it, due to internet connection issues, then one could set the transcode limit to two and then the TVs would be forced to direct play when someone else needs to transcode. The only real sticking point would be if the TVs are transcoding first, then how can one prioritize transcoding on mobile devices. This of course would be a completely different request. As mentioned in my original post an even better way of handling this would be to set transcode settings per device, however, this too would be a different request and limits per user seems more attainable than per device on the dev side.
I see this all the time on my server. I’ll have someone watching a cartoon that is 1080p, they have more than enough bandwidth to play it (7mbps) but the device chooses to play it at 720p (4mbps). Then later someone will be watching on a mobile device and the same TV tries to play the same type of file, same encoding settings used to make the episode, and it direct plays as 1080p no problem. Now I will completely acknowledge that this is a client config issue, however, baring taking a trip to said location every time it happens, there is noting that one can do to prevent it without some kind of server-side controls.
Just in case you are curious as to why the server-wide option does not fit the bill, let’s say I set a server-wide transcode of four and someone consumes them all, then, as you alluded to, another person that actually needed to transcode would not have it available. This would allow one to handout transcodes on an as needed and per account basis.
I’m open for suggestions, however, the only feasible, and I use this term lightly, solution is to run a plex server–VM, LXC, etc.–for each person and limit it server-wide, knowing that only one user has access to each server.
