# Hardware encoding not working reliably

**URL:** https://forums.plex.tv/t/hardware-encoding-not-working-reliably/835294
**Category:** Plex Media Server
**Tags:** server-linux
**Created:** [March 21, 2023, 9:46pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/hardware-encoding-not-working-reliably/835294 "2023-03-21T21:46:22Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 13

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### Author: ![spiceygas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5fc32e/32.png) [@spiceygas](https://forums.plex.tv/u/spiceygas)
#### Post date: [March 23, 2023, 2:17pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/hardware-encoding-not-working-reliably/835294/13 "2023-03-23T14:17:35Z")

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@ChuckPa  
It also crashes on the NVidiaShield Pro. And fails to play on the Android app on my phone.

PMS v1.29.2.6364 (I am using this version because in [this other thread](https://forums.plex.tv/t/hardware-transcoding-issue/826410/1) you said there’s a problem with transcoding on newer versions)

**NVidia Shield Pro**  
Plex App v9.19.0.177  
Video source: HEVC, 4K HDR, EAC3 audio  
Transcoding using NVidia Tesla P4, driver version 460.106.00 (most current available for this device)  
Transcode resolution: 720p @ 4 mbps  
Stops immediately. The app is still running and I can see the scrub bar across the bottom, but no video or audio ever starts. Tested multiple times.

**Android App**  
And on the Android app it just never starts playing the video. Period.  
PMS v1.29.2.6364  
Plex App v9.17.0.38861  
Pixel 6 XL.

Updated the Android app to v9.19.0.177 and… it still never starts playing.

**Plex/web**  
Plays, with the same symptoms described above (it will eventually die if I keep changing transcode resolutions).

**I turned off hardware encoding and reverted back to software**

- plex/web: Transcoding appears to work again (though, as expected, it’s crushing my CPU)
- Android app on Pixel 6 XL: Still refuses to play.
- Nvidia Shield still stops immediately upon selecting 720p 4mbps. Server CPU usage never ramps up, and it’s obviously not trying to transcode the video stream.

**Using PMS v1.28.0.5999**  
Same outcomes.

I’m running Plex in an LXC on Proxmox, so it only takes a couple minutes to spin up a new server for testing. If there’s an older version I should try then just say the word.

**Other observations**  
The problems on NVidia shield and Android phone appear to only happen when trying to transcode the 4K HEVC HDR video. If I instead use a 1080p SDR video, the apps don’t hang.

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