Server Version#: 1.23.3.4707
Player Version#: Plex Web 4.57.4 (not sure of the LG TV client version)
OS Version: Ubuntu 20.04
Host Hardware: Dell R710 with dual Xeon E5640 CPUs
Host OS Version: VMWare ESXi 6.7u3
Host GPU (additional): NVidia P2200 (successfully passed through and working with ffmpeg)
Like the topic subject asks … have I got this right?
To use the NVidia P2200 in Ubuntu, I must also have an i915/QuickSync-capable CPU?
But to use the same NVidia P2200 in Windows 10, I do not an i915/QuickSync-capable CPU?
I have the NVidia P2200 working perfectly in ESXi passthrough mode, because this same Ubuntu VM is also running ffmpeg, and I have full hardware acceleration working with ffmpeg.
I simply cannot get any kind of hardware acceleration working for Plex.
Should I abandon the Ubuntu VM and go with Window 10 while still using the Dell R710? Or should I abandon the Dell R710 for Plex altogether?
[quote=“voiceovers, post:1, topic:727220”]
To use the NVidia P2200 in Ubuntu, I must also have an i915/QuickSync-capable CPU?
[/quote] False
You do need a version of the Nvidia Drivers that match the kernel and are recent enough to work with Plex (460). I see that in the beta releases, work is being done to make this more reliable.
So, I’ve managed to solve the issue, but largely by accident.
I was using a high bitrate 4K HEVC file to run one of my HW transcoding tests, because instead of Direct Playing like it should, it was constantly trying to transcode the audio, even though my LG TV and Onkyo receiver can handle direct play of DTS-HD Master Audio.
After everything I had done to get hardware acceleration working with my NVidia P2200, nothing would work … ever.
So I tried some other tests…
in the LG TV client app, I changed the maximum local and remote levels down to 720p, then tried playing a 1080p file, but of course, it Direct Played … duh.
I then disabled Allow Direct Play and Allow Direct Stream then tried again with the same 1080p file, and voila! HW transcoding is suddenly working for the first time ever.
Leaving both Allow Direct Play and Allow Direct Stream disabled, I then went back to the original high bitrate 4K HEVC file expecting that maybe I might see HW transcoding on the problem audio, but I didn’t. Instead, the file played back flawlessly in Direct Play mode, even though, remember, the LG TV client app still had both Allow Direct Play and Allow Direct Stream disabled.
Frankly, I’m stumped by this, other than perhaps the custom LG TV profile that I’d put in place with its Direct Play settings has kicked in properly with the client settings adjustment on the LG TV. But the big question is, why? And maybe a second question is, how?
Anyway, I’m glad to finally see HW transcoding working after literally months of battling with this, but as I said, how and why it is, just on the basis of disabling both Allow Direct Play and Allow Direct Stream on the LG TV client app is anyone’s guess.
Maybe a Plex team member could help me understand it.
