Server Version#:1.13.6.5339
Player Version#: various (primarily MPC-BE launched from the Plex for Kodi add-on and Plex Media Player on my Windows HTPC)
I’m having a problem consistent w/ 2 different HTPCs now (1 Win 7 and a replacement Win 10, each running Plex server also) where videos play perfectly for the first 20-30 min (or sometimes all the way through) and only then start stuttering, sometimes to the point that I have to kill playback. I’ve done extensive testing to eliminate a number of possible culprits and am now thinking the issue is most likely with the gigabit switch or with the file server (unRAID) where all my MKVs are stored – ie. some latency being introduced that’s interrupting Plex server on the HTPC from keeping the file in steady stream during playback.
So my first question is whether this is even a valid hypothesis to test? I don’t know what goes on between Plex server on the HTPC and the unRAID file server during playback so is there actually a continuous call and response kind of dynamic that could get interrupted if too many packets were being dropped or if the file server’s incredibly weak CPU was somehow struggling to continue to serve it up? (Understand that I’ve already tested with different software players and different graphics cards as well as the 2 HTPCs with entirely different hardware otherwise which would seem to rule out the problem being anywhere on the front end.)
Second question, if there is any chance it’s LAN or file server causing it, is there anything I should look for in the Plex Server logs that might confirm this? I’ve attached a log taken from when I was trying to watch Avatar (MKV full rip from the bluray) a couple days ago and had this problem pop up again (perfect playback for the first 20-30 min followed heavy stuttering). If anyone who knows how to decipher these things can tell me if they see anything suspect there I would surely appreciate it. (BTW I do HDMI audio passthrough through my AVR so there should be no transcoding happening even for the HD audio). Thanks.
Plex Media Server.2.log (3.6 MB)
