My roommate and I are seeing the same thing on an LG CX and a 2018ish Samsung smart TV. With SRT subtitles enabled in Dr Strange 2022 (4k HDR HEVC), if you play it for a short time or jump ahead/back around the middle of the movie you will get this transcoding error and the stream will die. Easily reproducible, does not appear to happen on an android tablet or chrome browser.
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I have the same problem on an LG CX. Latest PMS and Plex app. If I have subtitles on any media file and try to skip forward or backward it will randomly cause the transcoding error. Has been happening for a long time at least 6 months, but to my recollection for years. I also sometimes get the transcoding error near the end of a media file if I have subtitles on.
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Same here, when skipping backwards, it’ll most of the time error out with the transcoder error shortly after the point where we skipped backwards from.
LG TV, and the transcoder is disabled on the Plex server.
@kaetemi Which model is your TV?
Can confirm same issue since recent plex server release on a Samsung Q70AA and a LG too.
Reverting the server to Version 1.32.1.6999 fixes the issues.
@VVagnard For the errors at the end of episodes/movies, that only started to happen recently, please see Transcoder crashing on Direct Play files with subtitles enabled near the end of the video
This thread is about errors after seeking/skipping, and that problem already happens for multiple months.
Was asked to repost this here (may be more appropriate thread)
Same “transcoder error” here but with both LG WebOS and Xbox One X with latest server version running on a Windows 10 Intel NUC. Seeking when subtitles are active on direct play content - both 4k and full HD. Shouldn’t be transcoding at all (my NUC hasn’t got the horsepower to transcode 4k anyway)
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@ChuckPa Here are new debug logs (both server and client) for the current versions.
Full log file: Plex Media Server.log (342.2 KB)
Some important parts that I found in the log file:
At playback start direct play works fine:
Sep 30, 2023 09:28:45.968 [140639437130552] DEBUG - [Req#c0/Transcode] Streaming Resource: Reached Decision id=47 codes=(MDE=1000,Direct play OK.) media=(id=47 part=(id=47 decision=direct play protocol=hls streams=(Video=(id=223 decision= width=1280 height=688) Audio=(id=224 decision= channels=0 rate=0) Subtitle=(id=225 decision=copy languageCode=deu location=sidecar))))
[...]
Sep 30, 2023 09:28:48.950 [140639480851256] INFO - [Req#b8] [Plex for LG] [cremor:hn3o5tiz99m0tzx1cji9svgs] [MDE] Server decision, directPlay: true, directStreamVideo: true, directStreamAudio: true
Then the errors start around here:
Sep 30, 2023 09:29:14.251 [140639480851256] ERROR - [Req#320/Transcode/f5ns50urbnaw9kcgb1p5cre3/64d639e9-b83d-4543-b064-f91b095a068d] [segment @ 0x7f5a975b8040] Failed to open segment 'chunk-00000'
Sep 30, 2023 09:29:14.252 [140639435021112] ERROR - [Req#321/Transcode/f5ns50urbnaw9kcgb1p5cre3/64d639e9-b83d-4543-b064-f91b095a068d] Could not write header for output file #0 (incorrect codec parameters ?): No such file or directory
Sep 30, 2023 09:29:14.252 [140639437130552] ERROR - [Req#322/Transcode/f5ns50urbnaw9kcgb1p5cre3/64d639e9-b83d-4543-b064-f91b095a068d] Error initializing output stream 0:0 --
Sep 30, 2023 09:29:14.253 [140639448193848] ERROR - [Req#323/Transcode/f5ns50urbnaw9kcgb1p5cre3/64d639e9-b83d-4543-b064-f91b095a068d]
Sep 30, 2023 09:29:14.255 [140639534918456] DEBUG - Jobs: '/usr/lib/plexmediaserver/Plex Transcoder' exit code for process 355 is 1 (failure)
[...]
Sep 30, 2023 09:29:14.256 [140639426583352] DEBUG - Streaming Resource: Terminated session 0x7fe92e1d2618:hn3o5tiz99m0tzx1cji9svgs with reason Conversion failed. The transcoder exited due to an error.
[...]
Sep 30, 2023 09:29:16.638 [140639435021112] WARN - [Req#31f] Denying access to direct play of part 47 due to terminated session
[...]
Sep 30, 2023 09:29:17.989 [140639437130552] ERROR - [Req#344] [Plex for LG] [cremor:hn3o5tiz99m0tzx1cji9svgs] Playback error occurred. Reason: ServerTerminatedStream, Server terminated stream: Konvertierung fehlgeschlagen. Der Transcoder wurde aufgrund eines Fehlers beendet.
PMS: 1.32.6.7557 (still happening with 1.32.8.7639)
Plex for LG: 5.69.1 (platform 4.9.0) (still happening with 5.85.0)
Also ping @sa2000 because you said that we can ping you with remaining subtitle issues after version 1.32.6.7468 here
Here is everything I know about the issue so far:
- The problem is that after seeking/jumping in the timeline of the file the client shows the following error: “Conversion failed. The transcoder exited due to an error”
- This only happens after seeking/jumping. Normal playing and pause/resume all work without errors.
- This only happens with an active subtitle stream. (I can confirm the error for SRT subtitles. I don’t know about other formats.)
- This happens with all video and audio codecs that I tested. Those are: H.264, HEVC (incl. HDR), DTS (no transcoding!), (E)AC3, AAC. Everything in an MKV container.
- From the logs it looks like the server switches the client from direct play to transcoding for some (wrong) reason. But I’ve disabled video transcoding on the server!
I assume this “falling out of direct play” then causes the transcoder error if video transcoding is disabled. - I can reproduce the issue on a LG OLED C9. @Sptz87, who initially created this topic, also confirmed it for a LG C9. Multiple other users also confirmed the bug on a LG OLED CX (see post #75, post #84, post #85). And we also have one confirmation for the LG NANO99 (see post #102).
- I couldn’t reproduce the issue with the alternative LG client “XPlay”. So this is either a bug in the Plex for LG app, or it is a bug in Plex server that is only triggered by the Plex for LG app.
- I also couldn’t reproduce the issue with Plex for Samsung or Plex for Windows. But @Xorag and @sa2000 also get the error on a Samsung TV (see post #84 and post #108) and @kevin_marchant gets it on an XBox (see post #90).
- The issue started with a client or server version that was released sometime in Q4 2022. (I never had this problem before Q4 2022.)
- I currently don’t know of a way to create a short sample clip to reproduce the issue. (The issue isn’t reproduceable with a short clip.)
But I’ve already provided a full sample movie to @ChuckPa and @sa2000
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@sa2000 Could you please take a look at my logs (2 posts above)? You said that we can ping you with remaining subtitle issues after version 1.32.6.7468 here
looked at the logs - probably some timing issue because when seeking we kill the current transcoder job and start a new one. Will discuss with chuck - re provided actual media file for this
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@sa2000 Thanks for looking at my logs and sample and for confirming the issue in the PM!
Can you share any news about a fix?
I have not as yet reproduced the issue on the Smart TV Plex app. Hope to do that within the next few weeks. Suggest you avoid doing a lot for fast forwards/rewinds
I have tried the media file and steps to repro on a number of other Plex apps and have encountered a crash in the Plex for Android app which has been referred to the development team. As mentioned in my PM reply, the provided file has very sparse forced subtitles and I was wondering if that was a factor when seeking. You mentioned to me that the issue arises with normal subtitles - I would not mind getting another sample to try out with the smart tv app and android app.
FYI - this article gives information on how to use mkvtoolnix to produce a short clip of the mkv file (eg 5 minute clip) - of course need to confirm that the clip also exhibits the same failure - see Generating Sample Files from Media | Plex Support
I’ve tried to create a sample file before but I could never reproduce the problem with it (even though I can reproduce it with all “full” files). See my post #42 above for details.
That’s the reason why I provided a full movie as a sample.
I could also try to find my smallest full file with “normal” subtitles to provide it to you.
But as I said, I can reproduce the problem with all MKVs that contains SRT subtitles that I’ve tried. So you could also try any such file that you already have.
I have the same experience on my LG plex app and it ONLY occurs on 2 occasions::
- it happens at the end of the movie/episode when subtitles are ON (no problem when subtitles are off)
- and it happens randomly when i skip back the movie while playing and than still only when subtitles are on.
The error dont seems to apear when there are no subtitles and i think it only happens when the subtitles are SRT files that are rendered into the movie.
I have been fooling around with srt files and i think the cause of it in the first case is because the SRT file may not be ending properly, e.g. there maybe many cariage-returns or illegal characters at the end. The second instance may be that SRT files are depending greatly on the file structure that should be
Subtitle line one
Subtilte line two
2
Subtitle line one
Subtilte line two
etc.
Now if you start skipping things could go wrong when the skipping may be at a crucial moment in the rendering process, because the subtitle numbering may go haywire, causing the process to crash.
Thusfar i have only seen this happening on my LG tv, no other client platform has this problem as far as i know, so i think it’s a bug in the LG plex app.
This is the problem handled in this thread here. Thanks for speaking up, I’m glad that a few more people confirm the issue. Could you please share your details, e.g. server version, TV model, etc?
This is a separate problem, see for example that thread: Conversion failed playback error when subtitles are over (usually at the end)
No problem, it’s been an anoying problem for as long as i can remember, my Server Version# = 4.116.1, the app i’m not sure, not near my tv now, but it’s updated automatically and my lg playstore is the one on recent tv (6.2 if i remember correctly) so it should be all up to date.
But it might be the same cause, it looks to me as if the player is looking for input from a (subtitle) file and interprets it as a bad request. I didnt test it yet, but is the first problem still there after your latest update?
i’ve moved on to using an apple tv, so i’m not using the lg app anymore, however, i’m running into this problem now and this problem doesnt occur on the lg app, so i might start using it again, fortunately it’s not possible to have subtitles on audiotracks 
That server version can’t be correct. Looks like you got the version of the Plex Web app. The server version should be something similar to 1.32.8.7639 (that is the current version).
The version of the Plex app on your TV is not relevant since it updates automatically as you said.
But it would be interesting which model your TV is (e.g. LG OLED C2).
Yes, the problem after skipping in the movie is still there on the latest Plex versions.
But the problems at the end of the movie should have been fixed some time ago via an Plex server update. That’s why I asked about your server version and that’s why I posted the link to the other thread (where the problem and the fix were discussed).
haha yes, you are right… my server version number is 1.32.8.7639
Client is a TV plex client version 5.74.0, platform 5.5.0 on a LG 75NANO996NA
Running webOS 5.5.-15, and having 6 out of 9Gb free.memory. It’s black.
I understand your frustration, but please don’t derail the thread. I’m trying to get the Plex team to fix a bug here 
And you still haven’t told us which model your TV is.
