I have a newer computer to use as my Plex server, I exported all settings etc from the old PC to the new one.
The old PC produced a really sharp image on my Samsung TV the new one is really blurry showing the same media.
I have been through all the settings and both servers show the same. If I connect the TV to the PC and run VLC the picture is really sharp so I don’t think it is network / PC related, any ideas please.
Old PC Spec
AMD A4-5300 with Radeon HD graphics, 16Gb Ram
What information is showing in the “now playing” tile for that playback on the Plex server dashboard?
I’m primarily interested in the network/stream details (local/remote/indirect).
Are the video/audio/subtitles being transcoded?
I’m not exactly sure what CPU the new machine got (cannot find an i3-530 reference) – so I cannot tell if there’s some limitation with that one.
Found it… that’s a relatively low performance CPU… so it’s very likely that any transcoding will produce a super low quality picture or won’t work at all.
If you are Local to your server, are you Transcoding or Direct Play. You should be Direct Play and get the movie as a straight pass through to the client. Check that setting on your client and ‘Force’ direct play.
Thank you,
the new pc is transcoding, the old one was direct. I have tried disabling video code transcoding but it just gives me an error on the TV.
The “new” computer is not new but is a lot newer spec than the old one, so I expected at least the same performance, which was fine.
There’s a number of reasons, why your device might be transcoding media… e.g.
the device isn’t capable of playing the video/audio/subtitles as-is
you have configured the client app to play videos in a certain quality (=not the original)
you have configured your server to limit the streaming quality (this should only apply for remote streaming)
If you disable transcoding on the server but the client wants/needs that transcoded version, you’ll see an error message that the file cannot be played.
While the CPU might be newer/better than your old one… keep in mind it’s still almost 12 years-old technology. Based on its best performance, the CPU might get lucky to handle a 720p or DVD quality file – those usually need a CPU with a passmark score of approx. 1500 while yours has a score of approx. 1440. TL;DR: anything that prevents playback from being direct (as-is) will likely be too much.
I am not sure where you find the passmark score but I would think the old computer was lower.
Another difference is the old computer has a graphics card and the new one does not, I read that plex does not use the graphics card to stream is that true ?
Our clue in this screenshot is the word “indirect”.
This means your Samsung and the Plex Media Server cannot see each other inside your home network and are therefore relaying the stream over the internet.
The most common issue would be both devices being in different subnets inside your home network. This can happen if you have a 2nd router or access point in your home network which create their own network with its own IP addresses; some routers also use different subnets for wired/wireless connections or to separate devices in a guest network.
Those relayed connections are limited to 1 Mbps (2 Mbps for Plex Pass members). Given your file’s bitrate exceeds that limit, your Plex Media Server attempts to transcode the file to a significantly lower quality (1080p->SD).
PS: getting an “indirect” connection implies some additional issues with the remote access configuration – though let’s address one issue at a time.
The two computers both plug (ethernet) into the same hub, the new computer is 192.168.1.114 the old computer is 192.168.1.168 the tv IP is 192.168.1.105 (wireless on the same router)
You mentioned that you exported all your settings to create the new media server.
I’m not sure but I vaguely remember something about having to claim the server. It will be tied to your account already and be on your local network but you still have to go through the claim process.
[Excess Info: Plex became stuck ‘Updating Metadata’. I moved the files out of a Plex scanned folder and Plex becomes stuck on the next file. Meanwhile the Plex Console was being filled slow queries. Other functions of the server were not working. I rebooted the server and it basically told me there was no server]
Okay if it doesn’t have in bright orange, in the settings page of the new server. You should be fine, but it’s most definitely a network issue. I would say mess around with the ‘Network’ segment of the new server. You’ll know it’s working correctly when your TV says ‘Direct Play’.
I have claimed the new server, now the TV says the new server is offline or unavailable.
I tried to uninstall plex from the new computer / restarted and reinstalled, all the libraries reappeared, so it did not fully uninstall and I still get the same message.
ITS WORKING
I am not sure what fixed it but I also had a problem with the firewall on the PC once I changed that it picked the server up again and now is doing direct play.
Thanks for your help.
