Plex Media server is running on a Mac Mini. The Mac Mini is wired to a high-end switch and the switch to a new WiFi router. I’ve a iPad Pro that with the Plex iOS app running on it. Streaming sucks. The app defaults to the original quality and no matter what conversion quality I select, each time I re-open the app it goes back to the default. Transcoding, I assume, is CPU limited operation that occurs on the underpowered Mac Mini and that may explain why it cannot stream to the iOS app very well… that’s an understatement, it’s useless.
So, I told the server to optimize first at original quality and then several other versions. I can see that it created Plex Versions, but I don’t know how to make the iOS app choose the right versions.
This is all rather new to me. I came into this with the expectation that locally hosted movies and shows would startup and even sync faster from my local network than say Netflix or iTunes. It doesn’t seem to be the case. Even syncing is crazy slow compared to Netflix sync. If I attempt to move files between the server hosting the system and other systems, my bandwidth is around 110 Mbps. So, I don’t think bandwidth is the issue here.
- What can I do to make the iOS app play the optimal versions?
- Is there something else going on here, some way to identify why “streaming sucks” (and even syncing) on a damn great network?
