How force 'Direct Play' on homevideo content?

Plex Media Server NAS & Devices
1

OK, so since the Direct Play setting has been removed (somehow) from the Settings section in Plex on the Shield, I can no longer play my homevideo content in 4k (made in iMovie).

Plex now tries to transcode the content, but the transcoder seems to crash or samething cause after pressing play the spinner will load forever and eventually say the content can’t be played. Also trying to let Plex ‘Create optimized version’ won’t work: the conversion will get stuck at 1%.

I used to work around this by enabling the Direct Play option in Settings, but that is GONE (sigh…).

I have read somewhere that creating a custom profile xml file for the Shield would help, and enabling/forcing the directplay option in there, but if I am correct running PMS on a Shield won’t let us anywhere near those files when the Shield is not rooted.

In short… I am stuck with many, many homevideos in 4k, which ONLY playback fine in a webbrowser with Plex, but they won’t play on iOS, chromecast or the Shield player itself. Any fix?

2

What formats is the media in the container, and what container is it?

If you have MediaInfo post what format the media is to see why it’s not playing directly, or maybe try muxing the video in a mkv container to see if it’ll play?

3

@aZOMBIEonCRACK said:
What formats is the media in the container, and what container is it?

If you have MediaInfo post what format the media is to see why it’s not playing directly, or maybe try muxing the video in a mkv container to see if it’ll play?

Thanks for the reply.

Hope this helps:

Algemeen
Formaat : MPEG-4
Formaatprofiel : QuickTime
Codec-ID : qt 0000.00 (qt )
Bestandsgrootte : 444 MiB
Duur : 2mn 32s
Totale bitrate : 24,5 Mbps
Datum codering : UTC 2017-09-21 20:03:55
Tagdatum : UTC 2017-09-21 20:06:49
Gebruikte encoderbibliotheek : Apple QuickTime
com.apple.quicktime.artwork : (Binary)
mdta/com.apple.quicktime.is-montage : iMovie

Video
ID : 1
Formaat : AVC
Formaat/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Formaatprofiel : High@L5.1
Formaatinstellingen : CABAC / 1 Ref Frames
Formaatinstellingen, CABAC : Ja
Formaatinstellingen, ReFrames : 1 frame
Format_Settings_GOP : M=1, N=15
Codec-ID : avc1
Codec-ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding
Duur : 2mn 32s
Bitrate : 24,3 Mbps
Breedte : 3 840 pixels
Hoogte : 2 160 pixels
Beeldverhouding : 16:9
Frameratemodus : Constant
Framerate : 30,000 fps
ColorSpace : YUV
ChromaSubsampling/String : 4:2:0
BitDepth/String : 8 bits
Scansoort : Progressief
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.098
Stroomgrootte : 442 MiB (99%)
Titel : Core Media Video
Datum codering : UTC 2017-09-21 20:03:55
Tagdatum : UTC 2017-09-21 20:06:49
colour_range : Limited
colour_primaries : BT.709
transfer_characteristics : BT.709
matrix_coefficients : BT.709

Audio
ID : 2
Formaat : AAC
Formaat/Info : Advanced Audio Codec
Formaatprofiel : LC
Codec-ID : mp4a-40-2
Duur : 2mn 32s
Source_Duration/String : 2mn 32s
Bitrate-modus : Constant
Bitrate : 128 Kbps
Kanaal(en) : 2 kanalen
Kanaalposities : Front: L R
Samplerate : 44,1 KHz
Framerate : 43,066 fps (1024 SPF)
Stroomgrootte : 2,32 MiB (1%)
Source_StreamSize/String : 2,32 MiB (1%)
Titel : Core Media Audio
Datum codering : UTC 2017-09-21 20:03:55
Tagdatum : UTC 2017-09-21 20:06:49

4

…Anyone? :slight_smile:

5

Here is the supported 4k info.

Your codec is showing as AVC1 not H265 AVC1 is a form of h264

Besides that your file looks right.

Is it possible for you to cut a sample video file and convert to H265 and see if it works that way?

355tibq2ngbg.png909×289 18.7 KB

6

@nokdim said:
Here is the supported 4k info.

Your codec is showing as AVC1 not H265 AVC1 is a form of h264

Besides that your file looks right.

Is it possible for you to cut a sample video file and convert to H265 and see if it works that way?

Thanks for the reply.

I have a 3 second clip, straight from iPhone 7, which does NOT play and seems to crash the transcoder:

Algemeen
Volledige naam : /Users/michelkoenen/Desktop/original_from_iphone7.MOV
Formaat : MPEG-4
Formaatprofiel : QuickTime
Codec-ID : qt 0000.00 (qt )
Bestandsgrootte : 17,5 MiB
Duur : 2s 848ms
Totale bitratemodus : Variabel
Totale bitrate : 51,6 Mbps
Datum codering : UTC 2017-09-27 18:43:33
Tagdatum : UTC 2017-09-27 18:43:33
Gebruikte encoderbibliotheek : Apple QuickTime
com.apple.quicktime.location.ISO6709 : +51.9626+004.6023-009.628/
com.apple.quicktime.make : Apple
com.apple.quicktime.model : iPhone 7
com.apple.quicktime.software : 10.3.3
com.apple.quicktime.creationdate : 2017-09-19T17:45:57+0200

Video
ID : 1
Formaat : AVC
Formaat/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Formaatprofiel : High@L5.1
Formaatinstellingen : CABAC / 1 Ref Frames
Formaatinstellingen, CABAC : Ja
Formaatinstellingen, ReFrames : 1 frame
Codec-ID : avc1
Codec-ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding
Duur : 2s 848ms
Source_Duration/String : 3s 833ms
Source_Duration_FirstFrame : 33ms
Bitrate : 38,3 Mbps
Breedte : 3 840 pixels
Hoogte : 2 160 pixels
Beeldverhouding : 16:9
Frameratemodus : Variabel
Framerate : 26,087 fps
Minimale framrate : 15,000 fps
Maximale framrate : 30,000 fps
ColorSpace : YUV
ChromaSubsampling/String : 4:2:0
BitDepth/String : 8 bits
Scansoort : Progressief
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.177
Stroomgrootte : 12,2 MiB (70%)
Source_StreamSize/String : 17,5 MiB (100%)
Titel : Core Media Video
Datum codering : UTC 2017-09-27 18:43:33
Tagdatum : UTC 2017-09-27 18:43:33
colour_range : Limited
colour_primaries : BT.709
transfer_characteristics : BT.709
matrix_coefficients : BT.709

Audio
ID : 2
Formaat : AAC
Formaat/Info : Advanced Audio Codec
Formaatprofiel : LC
Codec-ID : mp4a-40-2
Duur : 2s 848ms
Source_Duration/String : 2s 926ms
Bitrate-modus : Variabel
Bitrate : 82,7 Kbps
Kanaal(en) : 1 kanaal
Kanaalposities : Front: C
Samplerate : 44,1 KHz
Framerate : 43,066 fps (1024 SPF)
Stroomgrootte : 28,8 KiB (0%)
Source_StreamSize/String : 29,5 KiB (0%)
Titel : Core Media Audio
Datum codering : UTC 2017-09-27 18:43:33
Tagdatum : UTC 2017-09-27 18:43:33

Ander #1
Type : meta
Duur : 2s 848ms

Ander #2
Type : meta
Duur : 2s 848ms

I converted this .mov to an .mkv with h.264 with Handbrake, and that DOES play:

Algemeen
Volledige naam : /Users/michelkoenen/Desktop/original_from_iphone7.MOV
Formaat : MPEG-4
Formaatprofiel : QuickTime
Codec-ID : qt 0000.00 (qt )
Bestandsgrootte : 17,5 MiB
Duur : 2s 848ms
Totale bitratemodus : Variabel
Totale bitrate : 51,6 Mbps
Datum codering : UTC 2017-09-27 18:43:33
Tagdatum : UTC 2017-09-27 18:43:33
Gebruikte encoderbibliotheek : Apple QuickTime
com.apple.quicktime.location.ISO6709 : +51.9626+004.6023-009.628/
com.apple.quicktime.make : Apple
com.apple.quicktime.model : iPhone 7
com.apple.quicktime.software : 10.3.3
com.apple.quicktime.creationdate : 2017-09-19T17:45:57+0200

Video
ID : 1
Formaat : AVC
Formaat/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Formaatprofiel : High@L5.1
Formaatinstellingen : CABAC / 1 Ref Frames
Formaatinstellingen, CABAC : Ja
Formaatinstellingen, ReFrames : 1 frame
Codec-ID : avc1
Codec-ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding
Duur : 2s 848ms
Source_Duration/String : 3s 833ms
Source_Duration_FirstFrame : 33ms
Bitrate : 38,3 Mbps
Breedte : 3 840 pixels
Hoogte : 2 160 pixels
Beeldverhouding : 16:9
Frameratemodus : Variabel
Framerate : 26,087 fps
Minimale framrate : 15,000 fps
Maximale framrate : 30,000 fps
ColorSpace : YUV
ChromaSubsampling/String : 4:2:0
BitDepth/String : 8 bits
Scansoort : Progressief
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.177
Stroomgrootte : 12,2 MiB (70%)
Source_StreamSize/String : 17,5 MiB (100%)
Titel : Core Media Video
Datum codering : UTC 2017-09-27 18:43:33
Tagdatum : UTC 2017-09-27 18:43:33
colour_range : Limited
colour_primaries : BT.709
transfer_characteristics : BT.709
matrix_coefficients : BT.709

Audio
ID : 2
Formaat : AAC
Formaat/Info : Advanced Audio Codec
Formaatprofiel : LC
Codec-ID : mp4a-40-2
Duur : 2s 848ms
Source_Duration/String : 2s 926ms
Bitrate-modus : Variabel
Bitrate : 82,7 Kbps
Kanaal(en) : 1 kanaal
Kanaalposities : Front: C
Samplerate : 44,1 KHz
Framerate : 43,066 fps (1024 SPF)
Stroomgrootte : 28,8 KiB (0%)
Source_StreamSize/String : 29,5 KiB (0%)
Titel : Core Media Audio
Datum codering : UTC 2017-09-27 18:43:33
Tagdatum : UTC 2017-09-27 18:43:33

Ander #1
Type : meta
Duur : 2s 848ms

Ander #2
Type : meta
Duur : 2s 848ms

I used to be able to play the original files (those directly from iPhone 7, but also made with iMovie) by enabling the direct play option I believe in Settings. That option is now gone. I think Plex Player on Shield is telling PMS on Shield that it needs transcoding - but that should not be the case right? Kodi and other players play these files just fine.

Can I test or do something more to fix this? :slight_smile:

7

Have you tried muxing your content to a MKV file?
Yes, you are on something about what PMS see’s what it thinks Shield is and NOT what it actually is capable of. I have mentioned this on a question I posted without any replies…other than myself. :frowning:

8

@aZOMBIEonCRACK said:
Have you tried muxing your content to a MKV file?

I haven’t “remuxed” before, so not quite sure how that is done, can you explain a bit how to remux something? Thanks.

/edit:
I found this article, will give it a try later today:
https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/201097958-Remuxing-Files-to-MKV

@aZOMBIEonCRACK said:
Yes, you are on something about what PMS see’s what it thinks Shield is and NOT what it actually is capable of. I have mentioned this on a question I posted without any replies…other than myself. :frowning:

Let’s hope this is something they can fix.

Personally, I think it is fixable by tweaking the ‘profile’ for Plex Player on Shield/Android TV to let PMS know it doesn’t have to transcode. But that’s just a guess.

9

I tried remuxing the .mov file, but that also did not play. This is the mediainfo output for the remuxed file:

Algemeen
UniqueID/String : 170042981928366813874126534083255308719 (0x7FED164A6869E04DA7EC4441F7F191AF)
Volledige naam : /Users/michelkoenen/Desktop/remux.mkv
Formaat : Matroska
Formaatversie : Version 4 / Version 2
Bestandsgrootte : 17,5 MiB
Duur : 3s 873ms
Totale bitrate : 37,9 Mbps
Datum codering : UTC 2017-09-28 07:58:34
Gebruikt programma : mkvmerge v15.0.0 (‘Duel with the Devil’) 64-bit
Gebruikte encoderbibliotheek : libebml v1.3.5 + libmatroska v1.4.5

Video
ID : 1
Formaat : AVC
Formaat/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Formaatprofiel : High@L5.1
Formaatinstellingen : CABAC / 1 Ref Frames
Formaatinstellingen, CABAC : Ja
Formaatinstellingen, ReFrames : 1 frame
Codec-ID : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duur : 3s 838ms
Bitrate : 38,2 Mbps
Breedte : 3 840 pixels
Hoogte : 2 160 pixels
Beeldverhouding : 16:9
Frameratemodus : Variabel
Framerate : 26,055 fps
ColorSpace : YUV
ChromaSubsampling/String : 4:2:0
BitDepth/String : 8 bits
Scansoort : Progressief
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.177
Stroomgrootte : 17,5 MiB (100%)
Default : Ja
Forced : Nee
colour_range : Limited
colour_primaries : BT.709
transfer_characteristics : BT.709
matrix_coefficients : BT.709

Audio
ID : 2
Formaat : AAC
Formaat/Info : Advanced Audio Codec
Formaatprofiel : LC
Codec-ID : A_AAC-2
Duur : 2s 926ms
Bitrate : 82,5 Kbps
Kanaal(en) : 1 kanaal
Kanaalposities : Front: C
Samplerate : 44,1 KHz
Framerate : 43,066 fps (1024 SPF)
Video vertraging : 947ms
Stroomgrootte : 29,5 KiB (0%)
Default : Ja
Forced : Nee

10

Some more findings from my testing…

I tried two video clips from my iPhone, one works and one crashes Plex.

This one WORKS:

This one CRASHES:

Tried this on two different Shields, both running latest PMS en Plex apps.

Please, anyone from Plex know how to fix this? I just want the Direct Play option back, cause that used to be the fix.

11

Just to be sure: these forums are the only support Plex offers right? Or can I submit support tickets somewhere?

12

Update:

Made a new homevideo with Final Cut Pro X, based on content shot with iPhone 7. I rendered this in 2 versions: 1080p and 4k.

The result: the 1080p plays fine, the 4k version crashes. sigh

The mediainfo specs:

1080p (which plays OK):

Algemeen
Formaat                                  : MPEG-4
Formaatprofiel                           : Base Media / Version 2
Codec-ID                                 : mp42 (mp41/mp42/isom)
Bestandsgrootte                          : 939 MiB
Duur                                     : 6mn 27s
Totale bitratemodus                      : Variabel
Totale bitrate                           : 20,3 Mbps
Datum codering                           : UTC 2017-09-30 14:36:06
Tagdatum                                 : UTC 2017-09-30 14:54:16

Video
ID                                       : 2
Formaat                                  : AVC
Formaat/Info                             : Advanced Video Codec
Formaatprofiel                           : High@L4
Formaatinstellingen                      : CABAC / 2 Ref Frames
Formaatinstellingen, CABAC               : Ja
Formaatinstellingen, ReFrames            : 2 frames
Format_Settings_GOP                      : M=1, N=30
Codec-ID                                 : avc1
Codec-ID/Info                            : Advanced Video Coding
Duur                                     : 6mn 27s
Bitrate-modus                            : Variabel
Bitrate                                  : 20,1 Mbps
Maximale bitrate                         : 768 Kbps
Breedte                                  : 1 920 pixels
Hoogte                                   : 1 080 pixels
Beeldverhouding                          : 16:9
Frameratemodus                           : Constant
Framerate                                : 30,000 fps
ColorSpace                               : YUV
ChromaSubsampling/String                 : 4:2:0
BitDepth/String                          : 8 bits
Scansoort                                : Progressief
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)                       : 0.323
Stroomgrootte                            : 928 MiB (99%)
Titel                                    : Core Media Video
Datum codering                           : UTC 2017-09-30 14:36:06
Tagdatum                                 : UTC 2017-09-30 14:54:16
colour_range                             : Limited
colour_primaries                         : BT.709
transfer_characteristics                 : BT.709
matrix_coefficients                      : BT.709

Audio
ID                                       : 1
Formaat                                  : AAC
Formaat/Info                             : Advanced Audio Codec
Formaatprofiel                           : LC
Codec-ID                                 : mp4a-40-2
Duur                                     : 6mn 27s
Source_Duration/String                   : 6mn 27s
Bitrate-modus                            : Constant
Bitrate                                  : 223 Kbps
Nominale bitrate                         : 256 Kbps
Kanaal(en)                               : 2 kanalen
Kanaalposities                           : Front: L R
Samplerate                               : 48,0 KHz
Framerate                                : 46,875 fps (1024 SPF)
Stroomgrootte                            : 10,3 MiB (1%)
Source_StreamSize/String                 : 10,3 MiB (1%)
Titel                                    : Core Media Audio
Taal                                     : Nederlands
Datum codering                           : UTC 2017-09-30 14:36:06
Tagdatum                                 : UTC 2017-09-30 14:54:16

And the 4k version which crashes immediately:

Algemeen
Formaat                                  : MPEG-4
Formaatprofiel                           : QuickTime
Codec-ID                                 : qt   0000.00 (qt  )
Bestandsgrootte                          : 2,81 GiB
Duur                                     : 6mn 27s
Totale bitratemodus                      : Variabel
Totale bitrate                           : 62,2 Mbps
Datum codering                           : UTC 2017-09-30 14:23:28
Tagdatum                                 : UTC 2017-09-30 14:33:39
Gebruikte encoderbibliotheek             : Apple QuickTime

Video
ID                                       : 1
Formaat                                  : AVC
Formaat/Info                             : Advanced Video Codec
Formaatprofiel                           : High@L5.1
Formaatinstellingen                      : CABAC / 2 Ref Frames
Formaatinstellingen, CABAC               : Ja
Formaatinstellingen, ReFrames            : 2 frames
Format_Settings_GOP                      : M=2, N=15
Codec-ID                                 : avc1
Codec-ID/Info                            : Advanced Video Coding
Duur                                     : 6mn 27s
Bitrate-modus                            : Variabel
Bitrate                                  : 62,0 Mbps
Maximale bitrate                         : 768 Kbps
Breedte                                  : 3 840 pixels
Hoogte                                   : 2 160 pixels
Beeldverhouding                          : 16:9
Frameratemodus                           : Constant
Framerate                                : 30,000 fps
ColorSpace                               : YUV
ChromaSubsampling/String                 : 4:2:0
BitDepth/String                          : 8 bits
Scansoort                                : Progressief
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)                       : 0.249
Stroomgrootte                            : 2,79 GiB (100%)
Titel                                    : Core Media Video
Datum codering                           : UTC 2017-09-30 14:23:29
Tagdatum                                 : UTC 2017-09-30 14:33:39
colour_range                             : Limited
colour_primaries                         : BT.709
transfer_characteristics                 : BT.709
matrix_coefficients                      : BT.709

Audio
ID                                       : 2
Formaat                                  : AAC
Formaat/Info                             : Advanced Audio Codec
Formaatprofiel                           : LC
Codec-ID                                 : mp4a-40-2
Duur                                     : 6mn 27s
Source_Duration/String                   : 6mn 27s
Bitrate-modus                            : Constant
Bitrate                                  : 90,6 Kbps
Nominale bitrate                         : 128 Kbps
Kanaal(en)                               : 2 kanalen
Kanaalposities                           : Front: L R
Samplerate                               : 48,0 KHz
Framerate                                : 46,875 fps (1024 SPF)
Stroomgrootte                            : 4,19 MiB (0%)
Source_StreamSize/String                 : 4,19 MiB (0%)
Titel                                    : Core Media Audio
Datum codering                           : UTC 2017-09-30 14:23:29
Tagdatum                                 : UTC 2017-09-30 14:33:39

Ander
ID                                       : 3
Type                                     : Time code
Formaat                                  : QuickTime TC
Duur                                     : 6mn 27s
TimeCode_FirstFrame                      : 00:00:00:00
TimeCode_Striped/String                  : Ja
Titel                                    : Core Media Time Code
Datum codering                           : UTC 2017-09-30 14:23:29
Tagdatum                                 : UTC 2017-09-30 14:33:39
13

~~Could this be because of the framerate for video? ~~

EDIT: I just duplicated this and looked at the logs and what Plex is doing is trying to transcode instead of direct play and Shield will time out because of the long buffering. After trying to play the file for some time an error message appears and says " Playback has stopped because the connection to the Plex Media Server has been lost. Please ensure the server is available and retry."
I have my media connected to my Shield via NAS

14

@aZOMBIEonCRACK said:
~~Could this be because of the framerate for video? ~~

EDIT: I just duplicated this and looked at the logs and what Plex is doing is trying to transcode instead of direct play and Shield will time out because of the long buffering. After trying to play the file for some time an error message appears and says " Playback has stopped because the connection to the Plex Media Server has been lost. Please ensure the server is available and retry."
I have my media connected to my Shield via NAS

Exact same behavior here.

And: I tried to let Plex create an ‘Optimized’ version for the 4K version: it will start but crash at 0% or 1%. PMS crashes most of the time entirely.

Surely we can get a confirmation or response from Plex staff right?

15

@MelMicNL said:
Surely we can get a confirmation or response from Plex staff right?

I wouldn’t hold my breath…
What I’m going to do now is mix different codecs together to see what will work and different containers.

16

@aZOMBIEonCRACK said:

@MelMicNL said:
Surely we can get a confirmation or response from Plex staff right?

I wouldn’t hold my breath…
What I’m going to do now is mix different codecs together to see what will work and different containers.

I’m going to try to find out which mods are active in the Shield section and get their attention. This problem is 100% clear and not a user issue.

17

Tried to find the relevant Plex people for the Shield, but gave up. I have no idea who to contact about this issue. Everything points to these forums for support. But it’s awful quiet here.

18

Maybe @“MovieFan.Plex” or @sixones or @sa2000 can help out?

19

sigh… no response from Plex at all?

20

Guess not…

@aZOMBIEonCRACK Did you find anything new? :slight_smile: Guess Plex isn’t interested…