I could suggest lots of things that I would like to see Plex be able to do but it would be great if it could do the basics well enough before anything else.
I have the hardest time playing x.265 files (locally not remote). I usually give up and watch with MPC, which just works.
Playing locally should just work, no buts. If something like MPC can support a format then Plex should also. End rant.
Soā¦ whatās your feature suggestion?
Thereās an extensive thread with tips and tricks on how to deal with 4K or h265 files and to bypass the common obstacles related to those.
The suggestion is for an engine that just works like other products that have been around for as long or longer.
I donāt have 4k videos on Plex because of the inherent issues with ālocalā playback.
Iām not a command line/config file person. If I can configure and troubleshoot through the GUI then great. I donāt have time to deal with niggly stuff, just config and go. Sorry, I gave up the CL long time ago and donāt have time for that kind of rabbit hole. I payed for my pass and just hoping that someone can figure it out before adding on extras. Get the basics right first. Sometimes good enough is not good enough.
Not even sure what issue you experience. At least with Plex for Windows, those h265 files should play just fine ā unless youāre having some exotic files / subtitles that require transcoding and turn out to be too much for your respective server (thought thatās reaching into the ābutā you donāt want to deal with).
Are you the local guard dog that berates and scares everyone that isnāt part of your click? Are you going to amaze me with your knowledge of plex and how my stupidity doesnāt even allow me the opportunity to participate and ask questions because I donāt have 10+/- years experience using and tweaking Plex and Iām just a regular user that can be easily abused?
Thanks for your help. I donāt know whats wrong, I have 1080 & 720p files (only). Iāve been running Plex on Windows for the past 3 years and it works generally well with x.264 and older file formats.
Since x.265 formats also provides the benefit of taking up less space on the HD Iāve been trying to use that. However, it seems that the transcoding or video play back codec doesnāt like certain types of x.265 and the system either never plays the file or it takes (literally) 5-6 minutes to start playing, and if you touch a control, the video hangs.
All I was ranting about was it would be nice if the codecs just worked. I donāt know the system well enough to tinker with it and I donāt have the time to become a plex config/script expert to get it to play nice.
All Iām saying is get the basics working well so it just works for the average person and the tweaking and scripting gets easier when the foundation is sound and works well.
I donāt really mind of folks rant. It is helpful to know how frustrating something is. It would be helpful to know which app you are using (PMP or Plex for Windows) itās version number and a log from that player after it fails.
I donāt know if you create your own files with the same ripping settings or get them from elsewhere. Often a sample file that the issue is easily reproducible with can help greatly.
A web browser is about the most unlucky media player environment. It looks like you used only that, so far.
Tip: if you want a player which comes closer to the abilities of MPC-HC, download and install either āPlex for Windowsā or āPlex HTPCā or both.
Download links below.
You need to take a deep breath and come back to this when you are calmer. Toms responses were fine.
As for your issue, like has been stated you have not provided nearly enough info to try to diagnose what may be going on. Plex in general has no issue playing back 265 as long as the client it is being played on has the capability of decoding 265.
Hi, I have Windows 10 Pro 2004 with all the latest updates running on my laptop to a few externally based USB drives. Iām running Plex Server v 1.24.5.5160. I access plex through my browsers FF/Chrome. I play the files on the same system that is the server so it should be a direct play and not over the network.
The player does not crash, the files just donāt play the player just sits there or it can take (literally) 5 minutes to start playing.
I am running this on an older Thinkpad X1 Carbon with an i7-6500U. Slow by todayās standards but generally runs just fine for what I have.
I am not generally creating my own files, I have over 1K movies and 1K tv episodes and at this point to go and re-rip new images of each file is not realistic.
Just so you know, if it doesnāt work or its wonky, I just exit and watch it from MPC and it works just fine. That is what got my goat on this whole thing. I know there are many different rip types and versions out there but if it works fine in MPC, one would think, it should work fine with Plex.
Iāve been running Plex for years and have never complained or really used the support forum. I try to keep things simple (1080/720p). Until recently Iāve always made sure files were .264 which āusuallyā works. However with .265 files it seems to be hit or miss. Space is limited and using the .265 format saves on a ton of space. Iām not going to re-rip anything but would like to use the newer format going forward.
My main PMS and Plex HTPC is on a Windows 10 machine with a basic AMD Ryzen 2700X and rather old video card (RX580X).
Plays h265, 4K, everything Iāve thrown at it, both within the PMS web browser (FF) and on Plex HTPC.
Edit - my format of choice is h265 btw, hundreds of them.
Your solution is still to take @OttoKerner advice and try one of the options he mentioned.
Both far more capable than a web browser, especially with x265.
ādirect playā is not related to it being on the same network or not, but if the file is playing without any conversion. The two reasons for conversion are;
When a device needs conversion the transcoder either direct streams it ( removes it from it format like MKV to the raw video/audio/subtitle streams.) or is it completely transcoded ( the videos stream in the container is converted say from h265 to h264 and/or audio from DTS to Dolby for example)
Every device or app has different codecs that it has native capabilities to play. a web though on a computer browser has very few it can play natively. I donāt think any can play h265/HEVC natively. Smart TVās can play a few more but usually not too many. Dedicated devices like a Nvidia Shield, or Roku can generally play many more.
Then there are dedicated desktop computer player apps like MPC, VLC, MPV which can usually play almost anything. The equivalent of those apps for Plex would be Plex for Mac or Windows which @OttoKerner mentioned in his post that is available on our downloads page.
H265 video codecs (which a web browser cannot play natively) are very processor intensive to covert to another format on the fly. That is likely why it takes a while to start as it needs a certain amount of buffer. You can try turning on hardware transcoding in the servers transcoder settings which can help if you have a compatible CPU but if you use the dedicated Plex app mentioned ( which has basically the same interface as web browser player) it will likely not need any conversion and start quickly like the dedicated MPC app you are using
OK, well it seems that the Plex app and the HTPC app appear to work, which I find weird but having to open another app instead of a tab is inconvenient but I guess I can deal with that.
The HTPC version is weird, it has very little mouse support and have to go between the mouse and keyboard to navigate. I guess I wonāt be using that one.
Thank you for the alternate solution. I will try to use the system properly going forward and try to not get upset (1st world problems).
Edge does, because MS licensed with MPEG for the codec.
FF will via PMS as it transcodes it. As I said, working fine for me.
The OP said he couldnāt via FF on PMS so would appear his Plex setup has an issue ?
Edit - Safari does as well
It is designed to be used with a remote.
Well then, I guess thatās why. Good to know.
Thank you everyone for your patience, advice and help.
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