# How to check transcoding speed on server **URL:** \ **Category:** Plex Media Server\ **Tags:** server-linux\ **Created:** [November 23, 2022, 2:05am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/how-to-check-transcoding-speed-on-server/819637 "2022-11-23T02:05:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![plxstrm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@plxstrm](https://forums.plex.tv/u/plxstrm)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2022, 2:05am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/how-to-check-transcoding-speed-on-server/819637/1 "2022-11-23T02:05:58Z")
Server Version#: 1.30.0.6406 (Ubuntu 20.04) I enabled verbose logging but there’s no line that matches `speed =>` in `Plex Media Server.log` or other VERBOSE lines that look like transcoding speed reporting as mentioned in this support article: [https://support.plex.tv/articles/201575036-why-is-my-video-stream-buffering/](https://support.plex.tv/articles/201575036-why-is-my-video-stream-buffering/) Is there a different way to do it? I have an `Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E3-1245 v3 @ 3.40GHz` with a built-in GPU and I’m surprised it can’t transcode 4K HDR → 1080p without the client buffering every 60s. It’s either not fast enough or something else going on. All CPU cores are at 100%, how much power does real-time transcoding really need for a single client? ---
**Author:** ![FordGuy61](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/22d042/32.png) [@FordGuy61](https://forums.plex.tv/u/FordGuy61)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2022, 2:26am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/how-to-check-transcoding-speed-on-server/819637/2 "2022-11-23T02:26:31Z")
Verbose logging not required. From `Plex Media Server.log`: `Nov 21, 2022 01:22:41.309 [0x7f7112f0ab38] INFO - [Req#d087a8/Transcode/c0e19fdf-90bd-4629-8833-949317dbe541/eba51361-31ac-445c-9608-b80a360d00e4] size= 543222kB time=00:26:53.40 bitrate=2758.2kbits/s speed=64.4x` You may need to add `TranscoderLogLevel="debug"` to `Preferences.xml`. 1. Stop PMS. 2. Edit Preferences.xml. 3. Add `TranscoderLogLevel="debug"` at the end of the file, before the `/>`. ex: `... ExistingSetting="value" TranscoderLogLevel="debug"/>` 4. Start PMS The transcoding speed is also displayed in Tautulli, https://tautulli.com/: ![Screenshot (1544)](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/4X/a/4/0/a40f4426ba76bcd2e4fb97b442d2f38b581f3852.png) ---
**Author:** ![plxstrm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@plxstrm](https://forums.plex.tv/u/plxstrm)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2022, 7:31am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/how-to-check-transcoding-speed-on-server/819637/3 "2022-11-23T07:31:01Z")
Excellent answer, thank you. I enabled `TranscoderLogLevel="debug"` and when playing an optimized version it direct plays, I can see log lines of the form: `Nov 22, 2022 23:24:52.855 [0x7f8e2ffcdb38] INFO - [Req#57090/Transcode/9s5e7ipubjt9gj9sl54hmf8a/17541e91-d194-46a8-b411-40fd506742e1] size=N/A time=01:39:59.31 bitrate=N/A speed= 472x` But if I select the original version which is `4K HDR10 (HEVC Main 10)` and look in the dashboard it is transcoding to `1080P (H264)` but **no log lines with speed info show up in the log**. Meanwhile the player buffers every 60s. Any ideas why the log is missing when it’s truly transcoding but it shows up on direct play? It seems backwards. Does transcoding from HDR10 have anything to do with it? Next I will install Tautulli maybe it has better reporting. ---
**Author:** ![plxstrm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@plxstrm](https://forums.plex.tv/u/plxstrm)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2022, 3:50am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/how-to-check-transcoding-speed-on-server/819637/4 "2022-11-24T03:50:16Z")
Tautulli doesn’t give any more info either, it shows `Transcode (Speed: 0.0)`. Something must be broken in PMS where it doesn’t report the transcoding speed correctly. ---
**Author:** ![ChuckPa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/chuckpa/32/79710_2.png) [@ChuckPa](https://forums.plex.tv/u/ChuckPa)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2022, 4:32am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/how-to-check-transcoding-speed-on-server/819637/5 "2022-11-24T04:32:38Z")
If you have all cores at 100%, you’re going to get near 0.0 speed. Your CPU does have Intel Quick Sync Video capability however it’s only a Haswell CPU and the QSV capability isn’t sufficient for HEVC. You have H264 only. > **[Intel® Xeon® Processor E3-1245 v3 (8M Cache, 3.40 GHz) - Product...](https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/sku/75462/intel-xeon-processor-e31245-v3-8m-cache-3-40-ghz/specifications.html)** > > Intel® Xeon® Processor E3-1245 v3 (8M Cache, 3.40 GHz) quick reference with specifications, features, and technologies. If you make certain DEBUG logging is on and start a playback, then download & attach those logs, I’ll show you how you can tell what’s happening. ---
**Author:** ![plxstrm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@plxstrm](https://forums.plex.tv/u/plxstrm)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2022, 7:27am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/how-to-check-transcoding-speed-on-server/819637/6 "2022-11-24T07:27:36Z")
Thanks for the info. It’s fine if it’s a CPU problem, I can just create optimized versions of these 4K movies, but that also doesn’t come free of issues with Plex on Android ☹ > [@Why does the Android client insist in transcoding AAC to Opus?](https://forums.plex.tv/t/why-does-the-android-client-insist-in-transcoding-aac-to-opus/819737/1): > > Server Version#: 1.30.0.6406 (Ubuntu 20.04) Player Version#: 9.11.1.36576 This is the Plex Android client running on a Chromebook tablet. I have optimized versions on the server, 1080p at ~18Mbps and ~6Mbps with AAC 5.1 audio (created by PMS from a 4K original). When I try to play either, the audio gets transcoded to Opus. [image] Any ideas why? Is it because of the AAC 5.1? The client quality is set to Maximum for both remote and local and this is playing from the local LAN. > [@Android Plex client how do you download a specific version?](https://forums.plex.tv/t/android-plex-client-how-do-you-download-a-specific-version/819752): > > Server Version#: 1.30.0.6406 (Ubuntu 20.04) Player Version#: 9.11.1.36576 On the server I have a 4K original plus 2 optimized versions (the screenshot is from the web interface, not from the Android client): I’m trying to download/sync a version (preferrably the smaller one), in the Android Plex client but it does not work, it results in a yellow triangle error right away. Other movies that do not have optimized versions on the server will start transcoding and they download. Is it … Not sure why it’s so difficult to make it work well. For now my workaround is to copy the optimized versions to the tablet and play them in Kodi or VLC. If I try to play the local copies in the Plex app, they play for a few seconds and it just stops with an error. The Android Plex client doesn’t seem great at all, or maybe the problem is the Exo Player it uses. Maybe I need an iPad instead … ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/3X/2/a/2acb9765406f63293d357b4ec509ec39aa28f2ad.png) [@system](https://forums.plex.tv/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2023, 7:27am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/how-to-check-transcoding-speed-on-server/819637/7 "2023-02-22T07:27:40Z")
This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.