Force Plex to Just Decode and not Transcode, like VLC player

General Discussions
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I have a Synology NAS 1019+, which can decode my 4k movie files with zero lag and issues to my TV (Nvidia Shield) or my PC. But my CPU on my NAS isn’t powerful enough to keep up with transcoding. It only has a passMark score of around 2,500. Plex recommends a passMark score of around 17,000 for transcoding 4k files.

Decoding is much different than transcoding. For example, on my TV, with my Nvidia Shield, I can use the VLC app to stream 4k files with no lag/buffering. VLC simply decodes the file. When I try to use Plex on the same setup, Plex tries to transcode the 4k file, but it’s unwatchable with the amount of buffering that happens. Even with Plex Pass and the use of hardware acceleration, which says it supports decoding and makes transcoding faster, it still is an unwatchable experience for me.

I’ve tried every configuration with the Plex playback quality and transcoding settings, but nothing works. I often get the “server is not powerful enough…” error, or buffering for days. And yes, I’ve tried “Disable video stream transcoding”. I get the “This server is not powerful enough to convert video” message.

If VLC can work to stream a 4k file, why can’t Plex? Is this a licensing issue that Plex must transcode some of the data (audio for example)? Obviously Plex Pass doesn’t make a difference and isn’t worth the upgrade for this situation. Are there any settings that I’m missing in order to simply decode like VLC?

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It can, if you use the right type of Plex app.
You won’t have success with the web app.

Try Plex for Windows/Mac or Plex HTPC.
Or perhaps the nVidia Shield Pro console.

That’s not decoding, that’s just “Direct Playing” i.e. copying the file as-is to the client.

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Thanks for the reply, OttoKerner

I’ll look into both of these. I’ve been considering upgrading my Shield as it is in fact older (2015 model). So this might be a good excuse for an upgrade.

Does Plex not offer any sort of direct play solution to accomplish such a smooth playback experience?

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The three Plex clients I mentioned already do support Direct Play for most media formats.

Unless there is a bandwidth restriction. Then transcoding is inevitable.

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Confirmed Plex for Windows streams with zero lag on 4k! Next step: upgrading my Nvidia Shield.

Thanks, OttoKerner!

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