LG WebOs “Unexpected Playback error” when transcoding

Plex Players
1

Server Version#: 1.42.2.10156
Player Version#: Client-Version 5.93.2 Platform Version 10.2.2

I have to LG Smart TV’s a older OLED55C97LA running LG OS 5.50.00 and Plex Client-Version 5.93.2 / Platform Version 4.10.0 and a newer OLED42C47LA with LG OS 33.22.85 and Plex Client-Version 5.93.2 / Platform Version 10.2.2 . When a media is transcoded I get a error on the OLED42C47LA saying “Unexpected Playback error” but on the older TC it is played without error. When cheeking the logs I can see that I get a “Unable to find client profile for device;“ for both TV’s. But only for the effected device I see this errors.

eb 08, 2026 12:41:10.014 [134577696521016] DEBUG - Request: [192.168.11.17:44364 (WAN)] GET /video/:/transcode/universal/session/ttm1brb7e4l0qb50okcqce3u/base/index.m3u8 (10 live) #8c2 Signed-in
Feb 08, 2026 12:41:10.014 [134577696521016] ERROR - Error parsing HTTP request: %3Dvideo.height%26value%3D2160)%2Badd-limitation(scope%3DvideoTranscodeTarget%26scopeName%3Dmpeg2video%26scopeType%3DvideoCodec%26context%3Dall%26protocol%3Dhls%26type%3DupperBound%26name%3Dvideo.bitDepth%26value%3D8)%2Badd-limitation(scope%3DvideoTranscodeTarget%26scopeName%3Dmpeg2video%26scopeType%3DvideoCodec%26context%3Dall%26protocol%3Dhls%26type%3DupperBound%26name%3Dvideo.width%26value%3D1920)%2Badd-limitation(scope%3DvideoTranscodeTarget%26scopeName%3Dmpeg2video%26scopeType%3DvideoCodec%26context%3Dall%26protocol%3Dhls%26type%3DupperBound%26name%3Dvideo.height%26value%3D1080)%2Badd-limitation(scope%3DvideoTranscodeTarget%26scopeName%3Dmpeg4%26scopeType%3DvideoCodec%26context%3Dall%26protocol%3Dhls%26type%3DupperBound%26name%3Dvideo.bitDepth%26value%3D8)%2Badd-limitation(scope%3DvideoTranscodeTarget%26scopeName%3Dmpeg4%26scopeType%3DvideoCodec%26context%3Dall%26protocol%3Dhls%26type%3DupperBound%26name%3Dvideo.width%26value%3D1920)%2Badd-limitation(scope%3DvideoTranscodeTarget%26scopeName%3Dmpeg4%26scopeType%3DvideoCodec%26context%3Dall%26protocol%3Dhls%26type%3DupperBound%26name%3Dvideo.height%26value%3D1080)%2Badd-transcode-target(type%3DsubtitleProfile%26protocol%3Dhttp%26context%3Dall%26subtitleCodec%3Dass%26container%3Dass)%2Badd-transcode-target-settings(type%3DvideoProfile%26context%3Dall%26protocol%3Dhls%26ForceZeroByteEmptySegment%3Dtrue)&X-Plex-Client-Profile-Name=Generic
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Web0S; Lin
Feb 08, 2026 12:41:10.014 [134577696521016] DEBUG - Completed: [192.168.11.17:44364] 400 GET /video/:/transcode/universal/session/ttm1brb7e4l0qb50okcqce3u/base/index.m3u8 (10 live) #8c2 0ms 265 bytes
Feb 08, 2026 12:41:10.016 [134577694411576] DEBUG - Request: [192.168.11.17:44366 (WAN)] GET /video/:/transcode/universal/session/ttm1brb7e4l0qb50okcqce3u/base/index.m3u8 (10 live) #8c6 Signed-in
Feb 08, 2026 12:41:10.016 [134577694411576] ERROR - Error parsing HTTP request: %3Dvideo.height%26value%3D2160)%2Badd-limitation(scope%3DvideoTranscodeTarget%26scopeName%3Dmpeg2video%26scopeType%3DvideoCodec%26context%3Dall%26protocol%3Dhls%26type%3DupperBound%26name%3Dvideo.bitDepth%26value%3D8)%2Badd-limitation(scope%3DvideoTranscodeTarget%26scopeName%3Dmpeg2video%26scopeType%3DvideoCodec%26context%3Dall%26protocol%3Dhls%26type%3DupperBound%26name%3Dvideo.width%26value%3D1920)%2Badd-limitation(scope%3DvideoTranscodeTarget%26scopeName%3Dmpeg2video%26scopeType%3DvideoCodec%26context%3Dall%26protocol%3Dhls%26type%3DupperBound%26name%3Dvideo.height%26value%3D1080)%2Badd-limitation(scope%3DvideoTranscodeTarget%26scopeName%3Dmpeg4%26scopeType%3DvideoCodec%26context%3Dall%26protocol%3Dhls%26type%3DupperBound%26name%3Dvideo.bitDepth%26value%3D8)%2Badd-limitation(scope%3DvideoTranscodeTarget%26scopeName%3Dmpeg4%26scopeType%3DvideoCodec%26context%3Dall%26protocol%3Dhls%26type%3DupperBound%26name%3Dvideo.width%26value%3D1920)%2Badd-limitation(scope%3DvideoTranscodeTarget%26scopeName%3Dmpeg4%26scopeType%3DvideoCodec%26context%3Dall%26protocol%3Dhls%26type%3DupperBound%26name%3Dvideo.height%26value%3D1080)%2Badd-transcode-target(type%3DsubtitleProfile%26protocol%3Dhttp%26context%3Dall%26subtitleCodec%3Dass%26container%3Dass)%2Badd-transcode-target-settings(type%3DvideoProfile%26context%3Dall%26protocol%3Dhls%26ForceZeroByteEmptySegment%3Dtrue)&X-Plex-Client-Profile-Name=Generic
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Web0S; Lin

Not sure if this is the route cause so I attached the log file.

Plex Media Server.log (1.1 MB)

2

I’m experiencing the exact same issue on my LG OLED48A26LA after it updated to webOS 10.2.2 (Plex for LG 5.94.1, PMS 1.43.1.10561 Plex Pass). I spent several hours doing deep debugging on this and can share detailed findings. Disclaimer - LLM was heavily used during debugging and for compiling this summary, I have too little subject matter expertise to accurately judge if the conclusions are correct.

Summary

After the webOS firmware updated to 10.2.2, all video playback fails with “Unexpected playback error.” Playback works fine from the Plex web interface on a computer hitting the same server. The issue affects all content, not specific titles.

Environment

  • TV: LG OLED48A26LA, webOS 10.2.2
  • Plex for LG: 5.94.1
  • PMS: 1.43.1.10561-69cc2fd8d (latest Plex Pass, Ubuntu 20.04 LTS on LXC)
  • Hardware transcoding: Intel Quick Sync VAAPI on i5-7500T (works fine — verified with other clients)
  • Network: Wired LAN, same subnet, no firewalls between TV and PMS
  • Content tested: Multiple titles, MKV containers, H.264/1080p, various audio codecs (EAC3, AAC)

Log files
Raw logs pms-raw-logs.log (405.6 KB)
Annotated logs pms-log-webos-10.2.2.log (11.8 KB)

Root cause

There are two problems:

1. Missing client profile

PMS logs show:

ERROR - Unable to find client profile for device; platform=webOS, platformVersion=10.2.2, device=webOS 10.2.2, model=OLED48A26LA

The server falls back to the Generic profile (which is an empty XML), and the client’s augmentation data uses container=mpegts with ForceZeroByteEmptySegment=true. For comparison, a previously working client on the same network used container=mkv with CopyMatroskaAttachments=true — a much more capable profile.

2. webOS 10.2.2 HLS player can’t reliably fetch segments over TLS

This is the critical issue. I traced the full playback flow through server logs:

Step 1 — Decision cascade (client-side fallback chain):

The TV first tries directPlay=1&directStream=1&subtitles=sidecar. The server returns 200 OK with a direct play decision. The TV fails to use it (~5 seconds), then retries with directPlay=0&directStream=0&subtitles=burn, forcing a full transcode. Sometimes it retries a third time with directStreamAudio=0.

Step 2 — HLS manifest fetched successfully:

The TV successfully fetches start.m3u8 (master playlist, ~335 bytes) and sometimes session/<id>/base/index.m3u8 (variant playlist). Both return 200 OK over TLS. These requests are made by the Plex app’s own HTTP client.

Step 3 — Segment fetch fails:

The native webOS HLS media player (which is separate from the Plex app’s HTTP client) then needs to fetch .ts segments. This is where it breaks. In most attempts, it fetches zero segments and stalls until timeout (timeStalled=5, playbackTime=0). In one attempt it fetched exactly one segment (6.3MB, 304ms response time), played 48ms of video, then never requested another segment — stalling for 36 seconds before giving up.

Throughout all of this, the Plex app’s own API calls continue working fine over TLS — timeline updates, session pings, transcode stop requests all succeed. The failure is specifically in the webOS system HLS player that handles segment fetching.

Evidence it’s a TLS issue

All connections to PMS go through HTTPS (Plex always serves TLS on port 32400 when certificates are available). I confirmed:

  • curl http://192.168.1.190:32400/identity → connection refused (HTTP not served)

  • curl -k https://192.168.1.190:32400/identity → 200 OK

The Plex app’s HTTP client handles the *.plex.direct certificate fine for API calls. But the webOS native HLS player uses a different TLS stack that appears broken in 10.2.2. It either fails the TLS handshake entirely (no segments fetched) or drops the connection after one segment.

What I tried (nothing worked)

Attempt Result
Reinstall Plex for LG from Content Store No change — same failure pattern
Sign out/in on TV No change
Force-close and restart app No change
secureConnections=0 in PMS PMS still only serves HTTPS on port 32400, setting only affects URL advertisement to plex.tv
customConnections=https://plex.mydomain.com (Traefik reverse proxy with valid LE cert) TV ignores it, still connects directly to PMS
Custom server-side XML device profile for webOS Modern Plex apps use client-side augmentation, server XML profiles are ignored
Disable hardware transcoding (force libx264 instead of h264_vaapi) Same failure — rules out VAAPI-specific encoding issue
Change “Burn subtitles” setting on TV App still sends `subtitles=burn` in requests
AirPlay from iPhone Still uses TV’s broken native HLS player

Comparison: working vs broken

Before the webOS 10.2.2 update, the same TV played content fine (same server, same content, same network). The key differences in the client behavior:

- Before update (working) After update (broken)
Profile Matched (no error) Unable to find client profile → Generic
Augmentation container mkv mpegts
Augmentation features CopyMatroskaAttachments=true ForceZeroByteEmptySegment=true
Codec support h264, vp8, vp9, hevc, av1, + many audio h264, hevc, mpeg2video, mpeg4 only
Direct play Worked Server returns 200 OK, TV fails to use it
HLS segment fetch Worked over TLS Fails — 0 or 1 segments, then stalls
3

same issue on my lg c5. out of 100 tries it works just once, no format of the video is working, they used to work great until my tv updated and also updated plex app to 5.94.1.

Any workarounds at least?

Thanks

4

@markus101 what were the bug fixes and enhancements in 5.94.1?

5

Same issue on my C4 and B4 TV’s

6

Issue on mine as well. Nothing is working now

7

I’ve verified that the PLEX app for WEB/OS is absolutely to be avoided!
I tried playing a high-bitrate movie, and the app crashes every 10 seconds (horror)!
Is it possible to update this app that’s causing so many problems???

8

Joining in as also having issues with LG B5

9

After a while it goes back to working again but I haven’t figured out a pattern.

Just had the problem come back again so tried a few things.

Closing Plex and opening again didn’t fix it.

Using the memory clearing tool in the system settings (to fully close Plex) didn’t fix it.

Turning TV off and on again via remote didn’t fix it.

I then turned off Quick Start so that turning off the TV performs a full shutdown, did that and then on restart, Plex started to play videos again. Give this a go as a workaround.

Note: leave TV off for 30 seconds to be sure. I think even with Quick Start off, it doesn’t always do the full shutdown if turned on again “too quickly”

10

Same issue on an LG 32 Inch 32LR60006LA it’s an older Model but supports HDR content .

When I use a Roku stick works no problem. When I use the native app it throws an unexpected error message, 1080p work ok though. It’s a new tv I bought last week so a bit disappointed the native app won’t play HDR 4K content :frowning:

The wife’s not happy guys, help Me out ??

11

@BigDan tried my temporary fix above? Turn off quick start and restart TV.

12

Yup, no dice :weary_face:

image
image1920×1440 368 KB

13

Yeah that didn’t work for me either. I was able to “break” a working TV my putting it on a remote network, then the same issue was happening as with my other TV (which is remote). Putting it back on local and it was fine. (Yes, remote works for other devices, that’s not the path of the problem)

Not even sure I’m having the same issue, but obviously something is wrong with all the recent “LG NOT WORKING” threads.

Would be nice for Plex Staff to look into it.

14

I later discovered that it was due to incorrect audio decoding. I’m sorry to say this, but given these recurring problems on WEB OS, I switched to Jellyfin and haven’t encountered any more problems. I hope this gives someone something to think about.:weary_face::weary_face::weary_face:

15

I did the same but still issues on the other platform. (Everything works, but EVERYTHING transcodes by default and HDR is removed). However, the other platform lets you create custom device profiles, which has helped (but I haven’t been able to solve).

I’m convinced Plex just needs to reifine their internal profile to allow more direct streamin on the new WebOS.

The other platform really dislikes certain combinations of HDR and AUDIO and will force transcodes and remove the HDR. But telling it to direct stream everything gets you 90% of the way there.

So yeah, Plex dev’s let’s go please. :slight_smile:

16

I’m also experiencing this error. The exact error that I get on the WebOS app: Playback error occurred, Reason. Unknown, An unknown prayer error occurred. ode: 4, message: MEDIA_ELEMENT_ERROR: Format error

17

I ended up writing a little app to tackle this. It’s working for me, but it’s a little skippy on playback start (i’ll look at it again tonight to see if I can get that part working). Since direct play seemed to work and transcoding was broken, I basically did a direct-play patch by burning in subs on the fly.

I just launch the app on my desktop and it handles the rest - intercepts plex transcoding requests and swaps it with a custom transcoding that works.

PRs welcome.

18

Thank god, imagine having to watch dubs.

Would be nice if a mod could bring this to a dev’s attention.

19

I’m seeing the same issue on an LG G5.

Setup:

  • TV: LG OLED77G55LW
  • webOS: 10.3.0
  • Plex Media Server: 1.43.1.10576
  • PMS running in Docker on NAS
  • Other clients work fine (web/mobile/other devices)

Symptoms:

  • The Plex app opens normally on the TV
  • Browsing the library works
  • Playback fails almost immediately
  • In many cases the server starts a transcode session and the TV aborts playback after a few seconds

Relevant server log lines:

  • Unable to find client profile for device; platform=webOS, platformVersion=10.3.0, device=webOS 10.3.0, model=OLED77G55LW.DEUQLJP
  • Got a request to stop a transcode session without a valid session GUID.

What I have already tried:

  • Updating Plex Media Server to the latest available version
  • Full power cycle of the TV
  • Testing with subtitles disabled
  • Testing with different quality settings
  • Testing different files
  • Other Plex clients on the same server still work correctly

From my testing, this looks like a bug in the LG/webOS Plex app or its device profile handling, especially when transcoding is involved.

Please let me know if you want a longer log extract or any additional diagnostics.

20

Same problem and same troubleshooting on my end.