Judder in full screen 4k

Plex Players Desktop Players
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Server Version#: 1.19.5.3112
Player Version#: PMP 4.29.2 (old), PMP 2.58 (latest) and Plex for windows 1.16.0.1364
Plex Media Server Logs_2020-08-05_02-56-46.zip (4.6 MB)

fresh windows 10 install on a minisforum S40 computer-on-a-stick. Intel UHD 600 graphics. Output is a 65inch samsung 4k TV. Server is on windows 10, remote

Same problem occurs using Plex for windows and PMP: judder when running either desktop app in full screen on a 4k television.

When running windowed (i,e, not full screen), judder does not occur.

When running web player, judder does not occur, even in full screen. (edit: judder now occurs in plex web app)

I am always running original quality, file is only 2.7 mbps bitrate. Tried a lower bitrate file and same results.

Tried suggestions from another thread:

  • read only plex.ini, didn’t work
  • setting useOpenGL and useSystemVideoCodecs to true in plexmediaplayer.conf, didn’t work

Installed the intel graphics driver and software, instead of the microsoft driver, didn’t help.

Tried 60p and 30p output, problem still occurs.

I thought it might be some sort of refresh rate switching problem, but I can’t find any setting for that in the intel display adapter software

Tried the minisforum computer on a different TV, problem still occurs

Meanwhile, a separate older computer-on-a-stick (intel compute stick) works fine on both TVs running PMP, even though it has weaker CPU and GPU

:-((

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wow, that is a pretty neat looking device.

other than the plex issue, what are your thoughts on it?

as far as the judder, what frame rate is the video itself?

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all my media is 24p

Just had another look at the other computer … same problem now. PMP judders in fullscreen, web app doesn’t. I’m starting to think using the web portal is the only solution until plex dudes develop a better client. The web portal looks 10 times better than the plex desktop apps.

different computer, different TV, same results with PMP 4.29.2 (which is from a couple years ago) and PMP 2.58 (just downloaded)

will try it with plex for windows

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Now plex web app is juddering in full screen 4k also. :angry:

checked performance while this was happening
Memory utilization is at 75%
GPU at 40%
CPU at 40%

I notice that the problem occurs only when running full screen, or stretching the window close to full screen.

anybody have a clue ??

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I can download the 2GB movie file through plex in less than three minutes. I can then play it locally using windows media player and k-lite codec pack and it does full screen 4k perfectly. Obviously this is a problem with some crappy codecs that plex wrote.

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synced a 1080p movie to my local plex. Now the file is right on my hard drive. I can jump instantly to any point in the movie.

Still juddering in 4k fullscreen, still dropping frames

wtf ? Obviously this is a plex client codecs issue. Plex can’t fill in the extra pixels on a 4k screen without dropping frames. Is anyone else having this problem ?

I suppose that if you have a high powered GPU, you wouldn’t have this problem. But my hardware can play the same file in windows media player with k-lite codecs in full screen 4k - WITH NO PROBLEMS ! No dropped frames, smooth as silk.

:poop: :poop: :poop: :poop: :poop: :poop:

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Here is my hardware benchmark https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/31699296

admittedly a poor gaming computer, but I don’t have any problems playing a movie through VLC or WMP

So far, nothing but crickets from anyone at plex. what gives dudes ? do you not care ?

Tried PMP, now I’m using plex for windows Version 1.16.0.1364-da192ff7
same problem everywhere

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Can you share the mediainfo output from that file, or even better, make a sample available?

https://support.plex.tv/articles/201035968-generating-sample-files-from-media/

Can you get a sample from here, that is “similar” to your problematic files - same codec and dimensions - and test for playback?

http://www.jell.yfish.us

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it’s not a “problematic file”

it’s every file, regardless of resolution, regardless of bitrate, regardless of codec

Here are three files
notorious.txt (4.0 KB)

founder.txt (4.1 KB)

star trek.txt (4.2 KB)

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there’s no point in making a sample file. my friend at another location, with better hardware, played files from my server and had no judder in full screen. The problem lies with Plex on my hardware.

Here is my hardware benchmark and specs
https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/31699296

The questions is this, I can download and play these files with windows media player or VLC and they run perfectly in full screen using the computer above, with output to a 4k TV. But if I download them and play them in plex, I get the frame drops. Why ?

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I tried enabling hardware acceleration, same problem
I tried disabling hardware acceleration, same problem

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LOL, sorry. No implication implied. Files that demonstrate the problem, instead.

The two movies look like they were encoded by the same guy and have the exact same settings. I’ve seen similar samples and they’re … pretty darn boring and easy to play. Nothing “odd” about those at all.

The TV episode is different, but still looks darn “normal”. Different dimensions and audio codec, too.

I think your files, themselves, are absolutely fine.

I don’t really know how Plex gets video on screen. I wouldn’t expect your low benchmark results to matter for video, but it’s possible Plex is expecting some sort of graphics acceleration to be present.

We could look at the logs from Plex for Windows. Maybe it’s trying to initialize some type of accelerated playback and failing. (And you might as well share them, I’m hoping a Plex guru shows up.)

How do your video benchmark results compare to others with the same video chipset?

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But did you do the hokey pokey and turn yourself about?

It sure sounds like something about how Plex is interacting with your computer. You’ve done the obvious things. If I can think of anything else dumb to try I’ll suggest it.

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server logs are at the top of the thread

but now I’m not even using the server, I’m playing downloaded / synced files, same problem.

As you can see in the link above, my intel UHD 400 GPU is piss poor, but my computer is performing in the 75th percentile of all computers tested with this hardware

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That’s why I said Plex for Windows - the client/player logs, not the server. Not that I know what to look for. Just I’m not sure where else to look next. :slight_smile:

That benchmark site is cooler than I realized. It does show what I was asking - performance of your graphics compared to others with the same chipset. Which looks fine. I was hoping it would be bad and I could suggest “go fuss with your drivers more”.

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I’m working with two computer-on-a-stick devices, here is the other one. This one appears to be working a little better right now, much better than what I was experiencing before. At one point, both my devices were dropping frames like mad

https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/31705295

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I’ll post the debug log (if that’s what you’re talking about)
tomorrow, I’m going to sleep now

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I noticed comments in here about slowness on “similar” Intel integrated graphics.

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one thing to keep in mind, plex is not vlc or kodi or any other app. These are single apps with dedicated coding and codecs.

Plex is a client/server, which normally depends on the server to do most of the heavy lifting.

Just because something works in some other app, doesn’t really have any bearing on how well it works in plex.

Plex does not try to be those other apps.

With all that said, it does seem like there may be some issue with the plex player not working with the system/driver to smoothly play the video.

You mentioned that the judder only occurs full screen or nearly full screen, to me this implies a problem or limitation with the video ram (or related subsystem) being over taxed trying to display the high resolution image at a sufficient frame rate.