I am streaming video’s from my Plex server, which is on a Raspberry Pi 3B.
this device is not very powerful, so I have to avoid transcoding.
recently I was trying to stream some video’s and Plex was going to transcode.
the maximum bitrate of that video is 8.255 Kbps.
other video’s with a bitrate of 5.453 Kbps will play without transcoding.
next to Plex, I also have miniDLNA running as a video-server and using this, I can stream the video of 8.255 Kbps without a problem. so, I assume the bottle neck is not in my TV, but in Plex.
therefore, the question: what is the maximum bitrate that Plex will stream without transcoding ??
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Whatever your network will deliver. You do have to get it to Direct Play however. That will depend what types of streams the file contains and what types of streams your device can handle. The quality setting in the Plex app on your device/client has to be big enough to accept the full bit rate/resolution of the source file - or - instant transcode. Typically local content is set to ‘Original Quality’ in the device app. If your network can deliver that original bit rate and the formats of the video and audio track are compatible with the target device - win.
Knowing what you’re trying to play it with may lead to a more detailed response.
thank you for yr reaction.
let me clarify a few things.
my server is a Raspberry Pi 3B, with Plex version 1.5.5.3634
as far as I know, this is the most recent version.
the Raspberry is wired to my local network, so is my Samsung Smart TV
this means there is a 100 Mb connection, which should be more than adequate.
when I want to watch a stored video, I open the Plex app on my TV, find the server, and stream. and this usually goes very well indeed.
I am not aware of any quality settings on the Plex TV app.
any directions, may be ??
the specs of the video, that will cause transcoding, are in the attachment BM S05E07.txt
the other attachment goes without transcoding, as it has a lower bitrate.
Well, every Plex app I’ve ever seen has ‘Settings’. In those settings are settings for Quality. There are usually 3 Quality Settings: Local, Remote and Online. Local needs to be ‘Original’.
As for what’s going to play natively on a Samsung? I haven’t got a clue. Maybe someone else does.
When you’re playing something on the TV you can open Plexweb on the server and check 'Status/Now Playing/. Roll the mouse over the Now Playing window and that may indicate what’s happening to the stream well enough for you to determine what you can do about any transcoding that may be happening.
Smart TV’s aren’t really that smart and Plex apps on Smart TVs are really not that smart. Plex doesn’t develop those. The best possible situation is to have an actual Device plugged into the HDMI port on the TV and have a real Plex app on that device that Plex has developed.
Having said that I see the file that Direct Plays has a 264 level of 4.0. The File that transcodes has a 264 level of 4.1. If the Plex app setting has a max 264 level setting I’d change it to 4.1. I know nothing about that Samsung Plex app, but it’s possible the bit rate has nothing to do with it. One file also has AC3 audio, the other has EAC3. I also have no idea what that’s going to do to that Samsung.
the settings I found in the TY app are:
local quality: 10
external quality: 7
always use highest resolution: checked
did not find any settings about 264.
I hovered over “Now playing” in the web-interface, and it showed
- transcoding video H264 to H264
- transcoding audio EAC3 to AC3
looks like the problem is in audio and not in video.
@fred44nl said:
the settings I found in the TY app are:
local quality: 10
external quality: 7
always use highest resolution: checked
That looks like Orca’s Samsung SmartHub app.
https://forums.plex.tv/categories/samsung-smart-hub
I hovered over “Now playing” in the web-interface, and it showed
- transcoding video H264 to H264
- transcoding audio EAC3 to AC3
Inspect your Plex Media Server.log
seek for lines containing MDE:
they will tell you why transcoding was activated.
thanks 
any idea where I can find the log on my Raspberry Pi ??
the strange thing is, that I can stream this video with EAC3 sound with miniDLNA.
@fred44nl said:
any idea where I can find the log on my Raspberry Pi ??
Download the logs in Plex Web
https://support.plex.tv/hc/en-us/articles/200250417
the strange thing is, that I can stream this video with EAC3 sound with miniDLNA.
Doesn’t mean much. There are many devices where the inbuilt DLNA player has different abilities than what 3rd party apps are allowed to use.
Tell me the specification of the file you were playing and I can tell you very likely why it transcoded.
Plex XML info
the reason for decoding must be EAC3
Check your logs - that will tell you exactly why it’s transcoding.
@fred44nl said:
the reason for decoding must be EAC3
not necessarily. could be subtitles as well.
as @kegobeer-plex said, check the logs.
