In the screenshot below of the Conversion / aka Media Optimizer, it would be very handy to know WHAT conversion profile(s) are being used in another column. this would help with real time conversions.
In addition, it would be helpful if there was a statistics page that showed what conversion profiles were utilized most often ( per day/week/month) so I can make better judgements preemptively what should be optimized ahead of time.
Lastly, if conversions are enabled for a media file and for some reason they are NOT used, it would be helpful to show/log WHY it was not used.
I would also like to see some statistics on the media, not just the conversions, but over-all. Something similar to the Transmogrify plug in, but more relating to the formats, codecs, audio tracks languages, etc.
Transmogrify is not being developed any more, and I’m sure as Plex matures the functionality of this plugin is going to change, until it’s usefulness is gone. The developer is a Plex Employee but as I understand it, he’s no longer got time to work on this plugin…
What would be also nice if there is another column showing who (which user) has triggered the sync/conversion process. Since the “Actually Playing” section does show the user, I guess this information would be available here as well.
I like the media optimizer feature. However a littler more information and fine tuning of the profiles or a total flexible custom profile would be nice. So far I use Handbrake for converting meida files. But it is only available for x86-platforms and a pc consumes more power and is noisier than my DS216Play. Therefore I have the following recommendations and ask your for these details:
does Plex media optimizer (now i only use PMO for further) use constant or variable bitrate for conversion
could the PMO be made more flexible for custom settings e. g. keeping the original audio tracks (DTS) and add an AAC stream additionally
more tunable options for aligning the decoding and transcoding of media (GOP, B frames, Reference B frames, lokkahead,…)
more export formats like mkv(preferred), VP8 etc.
defining the final file size depending on bitrate and media analysis
Of course I understand Plex wants to offer hazzle free and easy to use media transcoding for every.body. But especially a lot of nerds use a nas very sophisticated.
MKV is definitely NOT preferred if you want to maximize Direct Play and minimize Transcodes. There is a reason the OM feature uses MP4 for it’s converted media container.
You like MKV because you get one file with all of the associated stuff inside it. That very flexibility makes that container one of the worst for streaming.
And this from one of your nerds, I guess. My NAS direct plays over 95% of my media, but still has the horses to transcode if needed. With over 5K passmarks I think it can hold it’s own fairly well…
I think we need way more information on every aspect of Plex and how our media is being used. Historical information without having to rely on 3rd party apps to give us that reporting would be great, as well as the information this request asks for.
