New Plex player classifies video quality incorrectly

Plex Players
1

Server Version#: latest docker
Player Version#: 2026.17.0

I have been using Plex from 2016 and I know how things work. Before you jump in and say this is “transcoding”, I want to tell you I have cut off ISP internet on my openwrt and playing Plex purely on lan, just to tell y’all here it’s not transcoding.

The video files are from some of the top tier private trackers and they are named 4k. Infact it’s a 4k web download. So classifying them as “HD” on the new Android mobile player window is nothing to do with file.

Additionally, the same file is marked as 4k on the player window on the old Android TV app. So this is something to do how Plex classifies 4k and hd for their new react app.

This is a problem with some files, not all. Willing to provide logs if told how to. I am forced to post here because my $750 pass doesn’t come with GitHub or a dedicated place to track issues.

I am a dev too so I know this is an issue on the dev side or its intended this way consciously, either ways I would like to know why this change.

2

Is this what you’re talking about? Video playback showing HD and Tautulli showing that it is 4k. I’ve seen the same on some files, haven’t dug into it to see what may be different between files that show HD instead of 4k.

IMG_8653
IMG_86532796×1290 121 KB

IMG_8654
IMG_86541289×2677 191 KB

3

Yes, this is exactly what I am talking about. This has been an issue for last few versions and nobody has gotten back.

4

Out of curiosity, what is the actual horizontal and vertical resolution of an affected file (vs. one which isn’t affected)?

5

I see where you are taking this Convo but resolution shouldn’t be a reason to name them as HD because

  1. My files are itunes web download which are actually 4k on the platform.
  2. This never happened with the old Plex players. In fact the old Plex app on my Android TV still shows it as 4k.

Minor variations in resolution will be there across movies and across platforms but naming a 4k wed-dl file as HD is not acceptable because the people on the server think I have a lower quality 1080p.

To answer your question, it’s 3828x1908 for one of my files which show as HD in the player window, when plexs own “resolution” stats say 4k in file info.

6

Please don’t be defensive. I wasn’t trying to steer the conversation anywhere. As I said, I was curious. It’s also a useful (and completely relevant) detail to have when you’re specifically discussing a problem with how a library item is labeled.

7

I respectfully answered your question with additional information and I personally don’t find anything defensive. When engaging in online forums, I believe it’s understood people are from various backgrounds and walks of life and culture. So assuming some reply to be of the standard of how you engage with people in your country is a stretch according to me. Thank you for looking into this, please spread the word about the issue.