Direct Play route data through the Plex Server or right from NAS?

Plex Media Server
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Question: If I have a Plex Server (Windows, latest public release) with a library source on a separate NAS device, and I can Direct Play on yet another networked client device like a Shield TV, all on same LAN, does the Direct-Played stream data travel from the NAS through the Plex Server to the client, or does the client pull the stream right from the NAS?

Background: My PC running the Plex Server is connected to router via Wifi w/ a quite strong connection (~200kmbps) to the router. The client is hardwired to the router (1Gb). I have a handful of high-bitrate 4K HDR files and I have an old “NAS” i.e. an old Intel NUC w/ a USB3 HDD also hardwired to the router. I’m wondering if it’s viable to bypass the WiFi by putting the 4K files on the “NAS” but still run the Plex Server from my PC because it has much much more content. The WiFi connection is the weakest link, basically; even at ~200kmbps it’s prone to unpredictable dips and such that make reliable 4K streaming a bit sketchy. And it makes sense that any stream mode besides Direct Play would need to route through the server because it’s being manipulated in some way. But all that aside I’m wondering if I can eliminate the weak-link WiFi as long as I can ensure Direct Play, or if all content must pass through the Plex Server regardless of play mode. If that’s the case then I think I would set up a Plex Server on the NUC to serve the 4K content even though it’s a small bit of hassle to switch servers from the client when browsing content. Any suggestions for a better setup would be appreciated.

BTW I don’t have the client device yet, otherwise I would just test it myself. The clients I currently own can’t direct-play any of my high-bitrate files. My Shield TV is set to arrive on Monday.

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Communication is always between the client and the Plex Media Server. The client doesn’t know the data is physically stored on a NAS – it might not even have access.

As for your WIFI… I hope you refer to 200 Mbit/s as 200 kbit/s is barely enough to stream some music. Knowing how WIFI works… even a nominal 200 Mbit/s could easily turn into a massive bottleneck as you’ll rarely get that in real life (e.g. due to neighboring competing WIFIs, walls/furniture/… getting in the way, additional traffic in your WIFI etc.).

If you want to stream high quality 1080p content (or some halfway decent 4K) you better go with a wired connection.
You might be better off to install the Plex Media Server right on the NAS or the Shield.

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Got it, thanks for the info. And yeah the connection is >200mbps (tested), not 200kbps - edited the post - thanks for the catch!

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For anyone with a similar line of inquiry, I also learned about a relevant feature of PlexKodiConnect called “Direct Path” where PKC/Kodi on client grabs the content’s local address from your Plex Server and plays it directly from there without relaying through the server.
So when I get my new, more capable client device, my order of business will be:

  1. Test stability of 4K streaming direct from current server. 200Mbps may be enough bw to handle these high-bitrate files. If it’s not…
  2. Move 4K files to NAS and set up Kodi/PKC w/ Direct Path. If that doesn’t work well for w/e reason…
  3. Host a second Plex Server from the NAS (it’s a low-power PC, not actually a NAS) just for the 4K content.

Info WRT Direct Paths: https://github.com/croneter/PlexKodiConnect/wiki/Direct-Paths-Explained