# Disable Plex Transcoder Totally **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussions\ **Tags:** subtitles\ **Created:** [August 1, 2015, 1:37pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/disable-plex-transcoder-totally/110006 "2015-08-01T13:37:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![cayars](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/cayars/32/6296_2.png) [@cayars](https://forums.plex.tv/u/cayars)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2018, 1:15pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/disable-plex-transcoder-totally/110006/164 "2018-09-07T13:15:05Z")
> [@adamjsmith1\_gmail\_com](#): > > Thanks for the pointer, I have read some of your posts but the only thing I got from your messages was to use another application (emby) to direct stream. > I’m fairly technical but do not claim to understand the protocols used for streaming video etc. > I’m struggling to understand why the same web server (Plex) is capable of streaming a 1080p format file without transcoding but a 4K file is not possible? > > I assume Plex does not use a different protocol to stream different video formats? or maybe it does? > > You’ve suggested that its technically not possible which would be most disappointing and I should imagine impact more people as 4K is now main stream but many people will not have high-end PC’s with the capability to handle the transcoding for 4K > > Are you able to confirm if Plex is looking into this as an enhancement for a future release or is it just a case of not using Plex for 4K or spending thousands on a new PC? > > Thanks in advance You can stream 4K in Plex without transcoding if you have your media in a compatible format and have adjusted your client settings to not force it to transcode (turn off adjustable bitrates, make sure the bandwidth is set to original or the highest settings. Make sure there is a compatible sound track for your device). I stream 4K a lot so I know it works. HOWEVER, if it’s forced to transcode then you can end up with quality that is less than a 1080p file and put a big strain on your server (if it can handle it at all). Carlo ---
**Author:** ![trent.curtis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@trent.curtis](https://forums.plex.tv/u/trent.curtis)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2018, 1:43pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/disable-plex-transcoder-totally/110006/165 "2018-09-07T13:43:30Z")
It would be more for the Audio Codecs. Many MKV Rips will have DTS-HD, DTS-MA, DTS, DD, and AC3. Would be nice to prioritize those based of each player. ---
**Author:** ![cayars](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/cayars/32/6296_2.png) [@cayars](https://forums.plex.tv/u/cayars)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2018, 1:45pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/disable-plex-transcoder-totally/110006/166 "2018-09-07T13:45:49Z")
Oh, you mean for ALL clients to be able to follow a patter you setup of play codes available in this order type thing: DTS Dolby AC3 AAC etc (with 7.2, 7.1, 5,2, 5.1 in them). I’ve wanted/asked for this since forever and it’s long been overlooked. It just doesn’t make sense to not use he “best” audio track when it’s already there! ---
**Author:** ![HFChristie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c67d28/32.png) [@HFChristie](https://forums.plex.tv/u/HFChristie)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2018, 5:36pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/disable-plex-transcoder-totally/110006/167 "2018-09-07T17:36:05Z")
BUmmer ☹ Thank you for the clarification. ---
**Author:** ![mph8er](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@mph8er](https://forums.plex.tv/u/mph8er)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2018, 6:34am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/disable-plex-transcoder-totally/110006/168 "2018-09-16T06:34:29Z")
I read pretty much this entire thread and while I understand the developer mentality (I’m also a dev), I can’t stress how frustrating it is to have one user ruin the experience of streaming my plex server for the rest. Up to recently, a particular user on my server was using his pc and picked up a Raspberry pi which has no h.265 hw acceleration. My server is a 7 year old synology. Imagine how that went… I understand that disabling transcoding can’t be done completely. It’s integral to a lot of the back-end functionality. I think we can find a common middle ground here though. This is how I would like a new feature to flow. 1. User is given access to my library. As admin, I have options when giving them library access to force no transcoding for this user. I leave defaults allowing transcoding. 2. User connects to my library on a new device. This device is registered with my plex server. I have options to configure this client’s transcode abilities. User setting is inherited automatically, but can be individually overruled at the device level by the admin. 3. User plays content that requires transcoding A. Their client preference is to transcode. I. Client checks in with server and determines if the admin has configured a preference for this device. If no preference, use client config, otherwise server config overrules client and presents a server-centric error message. In the end, I believe a permissions hierarchy is the best way to go. Leave defaults how they are now and allow the admin to change them, but ensure we reflect the server config in error messaging. ---
**Author:** ![cayars](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/cayars/32/6296_2.png) [@cayars](https://forums.plex.tv/u/cayars)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2018, 6:52am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/disable-plex-transcoder-totally/110006/169 "2018-09-16T06:52:45Z")
That’s the way Emby does it and it does work well. In Plexville you would also want to be able to turn off the “Automatically adjust quality” feature as well, because this will ALWAYS use the transcoder even when it was not needed in the first place. In your situation it would be just as helpful upfront to deny H.265 video to this user/device combo. Don’t even give them the Play button since they won’t be able to play it. Instead give them an “Incompatible” format message or something. ---
**Author:** ![mph8er](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@mph8er](https://forums.plex.tv/u/mph8er)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2018, 7:38am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/disable-plex-transcoder-totally/110006/170 "2018-09-16T07:38:23Z")
Have not used Emby yet. Their reputation with their customers is worse though from what I’ve read. The obtrusive nagging about premium… Plex is also more mainstream though it’s not as open source as I’d like it to be. Drop in a few Javascript calls to the database, add a column to what I assume is a devices table with an ID that ties to the user’s table and a few if statements and I don’t think this would be a difficult addition to the code. The ties to external auth I’m sure makes this much more complicated to test however. ---
**Author:** ![cayars](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/cayars/32/6296_2.png) [@cayars](https://forums.plex.tv/u/cayars)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2018, 11:02pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/disable-plex-transcoder-totally/110006/171 "2018-09-16T23:02:56Z")
You can chat directly with the developers in the forum. The “nagging” is different in Emby and Plex. In Emby it can pester you in certain apps but in Plex you can be limited to 5 minute playback. Which is worse? No idea what you’re talking about with Javascript calls to the database and adding a column and the whatever but that has nothing to do with this conversation about the transcoder that I’m aware of. ---
**Author:** ![mph8er](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@mph8er](https://forums.plex.tv/u/mph8er)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2018, 11:24pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/disable-plex-transcoder-totally/110006/172 "2018-09-16T23:24:44Z")
I was just referencing what it would likely take to add such a feature. Alot of the people on this thread think it’s just a checkbox without understanding what has to happen on the backend. I was being sarcastic. There has to be code additions to each of the client apps, to PMS, to the web interface (which is not open source), to the plex website, and to the database containing a user’s device list. This isn’t a change that the community could do themselves via a pull request on github. This is a major change request. ---
**Author:** ![cayars](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/cayars/32/6296_2.png) [@cayars](https://forums.plex.tv/u/cayars)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 4:12am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/disable-plex-transcoder-totally/110006/173 "2018-09-17T04:12:26Z")
Yes, it’s a change that requires rewrites of the whole ecosystem and how ffmpeg is used. ---
**Author:** ![jano1959\_gmail.com](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/jano1959_gmail.com/32/97236_2.png) [@jano1959\_gmail.com](https://forums.plex.tv/u/jano1959_gmail.com)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 9:45am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/disable-plex-transcoder-totally/110006/174 "2018-09-17T09:45:26Z")
First post, first time user, just bought Plex Pass prem this week. And now I sit with a regretting feeling! Why force users to transcode at all? Let it be up to the users to decide if they need it?? I think the dev. team should reconsider! It is 100% sure that I will not continue my subscription if I am not able to disable Transcoding once and for all in Plex. They way I use Plex I have absolutely NO USE for transcoding anything period! For now I have used the replace ffmpeg with script as described earlier in this thread, and hope this will make this enforced “nuisance” transcoding go away. If there is no way to disable it, I will be forced to try Kodi again, Kodi has never been to my liking. Where as Plex just looks good and easy to use for my household. A crying shame. ---
**Author:** ![cayars](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/cayars/32/6296_2.png) [@cayars](https://forums.plex.tv/u/cayars)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 2:57pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/disable-plex-transcoder-totally/110006/175 "2018-09-17T14:57:05Z")
Maybe you misunderstand. If you set the correct setting on the clients then they will always use the files as is from the server if they can. The client will only request a transcode if it can’t play th media AS IS. So with the right settings and the right format of your media in a streaming format you won’t need to worry about it. ---
**Author:** ![jano1959\_gmail.com](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/jano1959_gmail.com/32/97236_2.png) [@jano1959\_gmail.com](https://forums.plex.tv/u/jano1959_gmail.com)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2018, 6:46am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/disable-plex-transcoder-totally/110006/176 "2018-09-18T06:46:44Z")
Thats comforting. I will primarily use Plex on our Samsung Series 9000 Tizen smart TV and the Plex app on the TV set works superbly. With its simplicity (and behind the scenes, configurability) I think I will be able to convince the family that this is the way we can organize and enjoy our media collections. Best regards ---
**Author:** ![pressmangoss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9e5f3/32.png) [@pressmangoss](https://forums.plex.tv/u/pressmangoss)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2018, 4:42am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/disable-plex-transcoder-totally/110006/177 "2018-09-24T04:42:57Z")
Yea ok, you go on thinking that, the rest of us wil go on enjoying what we have without acting like a snob. ---
**Author:** ![pressmangoss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9e5f3/32.png) [@pressmangoss](https://forums.plex.tv/u/pressmangoss)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2018, 5:15am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/disable-plex-transcoder-totally/110006/178 "2018-09-24T05:15:51Z")
this would be kind of moot were it not for the fact that just about everyone who rips movies, legally or otherwise, just has to be part of the edgy crowd and convert everything into stuff that isn’t 100 percent compatible with the majority of players. I dont mean make everything into mp4s, but a lot of us could do without the ac3 or the dolby 7.1 or whatever the latest audio format is. When I look at what is actually being converted, most of the time it’s audio. ---
**Author:** ![spookyiness](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/spookyiness/32/95561_2.png) [@spookyiness](https://forums.plex.tv/u/spookyiness)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2018, 5:54am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/disable-plex-transcoder-totally/110006/179 "2018-09-24T05:54:50Z")
If you can only transcode a specific number of users at a fine, that should be how many users you have, and no more. The is no magic switch or seeing that will allow every possible device not require transcoding. I can transcode up to 6 users and still have a working computer because i do everything on it. Because if this i only have 6 users si that it never becomes a problem. If you have 100 users and can only support 3, you only have 3 people that can actually use the service and 97 that can’t. If transcoding is your birth, or bandwidth is your bottleneck, you use those values to determine how many users can use the system at once, and that’s his many users you should have. ---
**Author:** ![pressmangoss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9e5f3/32.png) [@pressmangoss](https://forums.plex.tv/u/pressmangoss)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2018, 2:28pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/disable-plex-transcoder-totally/110006/180 "2018-09-24T14:28:01Z")
read somewhere it could be done on windows firewall ---
**Author:** ![spikemixture](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/spikemixture/32/7233_2.png) [@spikemixture](https://forums.plex.tv/u/spikemixture)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2018, 2:05pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/disable-plex-transcoder-totally/110006/181 "2018-09-26T14:05:38Z")
Freaking transcoding! Really ? It seems many just don’t understand what it does… If you don’t want to transcode - Buy a Big CPU Format your media correctly Have the right player/s And don’t have any remote players. - easy really ! Additionally if you have a big enough CPU u won’t care if your media needs to transcode ! ---
**Author:** ![HFChristie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c67d28/32.png) [@HFChristie](https://forums.plex.tv/u/HFChristie)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 8:35pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/disable-plex-transcoder-totally/110006/182 "2018-09-27T20:35:11Z")
spikemixture if you don’t ask a question, you can’t learn the answer. Also, I’ve been dicking around with buffering issues since installing Plex. I’ve GOT a BIG CPU (just bought an i7 quad core), and even then the previous i5 should have been more than enough. And yet IT STILL BUFFERS MORE THAN IT PLAYS. So, the problem CANNOT be solely the CPU. It has to be something to do with Plex, it’s configuration, or how it’s handling the hardware. No need to respond to this post; probably scrapping Plex and moving to another platform. ---
**Author:** ![spikemixture](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/spikemixture/32/7233_2.png) [@spikemixture](https://forums.plex.tv/u/spikemixture)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 8:52am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/disable-plex-transcoder-totally/110006/183 "2018-10-02T08:52:41Z")
I gave u 4 reasons why it might be transcoding. You have one of the 4 !! _ **Buy a Big CPU** _ - tick 1 _ **Format your media correctly** _ ?? _ **Have the right player/s** _ ?? _ **And don’t have any remote players !** _ ?? [Previous page](https://forums.plex.tv/t/disable-plex-transcoder-totally/110006.md?page=8) [Next page](https://forums.plex.tv/t/disable-plex-transcoder-totally/110006.md?page=10)