Server Version#: 4.67.1
Player Version#: Various/Samsung: 5.25.3/LG: 5.25.2/Google TV: 8.24.0.28408/Web: 4.67.1
Wondering if anyone has seen this before, or can provide some insight into what’s wrong with my setup. My Plex server (sysinfo below) is pretty beefy. This is the third server dedicated to Plex that I’ve built, and it was designed to store and play back my higher bitrate 4K content, as that becomes more and more common.
For some reason, no matter what, I can not get stable playback on high bitrate content on my smart TVs, Web, or desktop apps. Here’s an example:
Media Info:
| Media | Part |
|---|---|
| · Duration: 1:44 | · Duration: 1:44 |
| · Bitrate: 50355 kbps | · File: LG Milano Demo.mp4 |
| · Width: 3840 | · Size: 626.89 MB |
| · Height: 2160 | · Container: MP4 |
| · Aspect Ratio: 1.78 | · Web Optimized: No |
| · Video Resolution: 4K | · Video Profile: main 10 |
| · Container: MP4 | · Codec: HEVC |
| · Video Frame Rate: 24p | · Bitrate: 49908 kbps |
| · Web Optimized: No | · Bit Depth: 10 |
| · Video Profile: main 10 | · Chroma Subsampling: 4:2:0 |
| · Codec ID: hvc1 | |
| · Coded Height: 2160 | |
| · Coded Width: 3840 | |
| · Color Primaries: bt2020 | |
| · Color Range: tv | |
| · Color Space: bt2020nc |
Yes, this is a big file, but I can play it just fine over the network without Plex. Trying to play this file results in 30-50 seconds of buffering before playback starts, and then only about 8 seconds of playback before it stops again.
My server lives in a co-lo datacenter, with a 1 Gbps uplink to the internet. While there is a site to site VPN between my house and the server, my smart devices don’t transit over that link for streaming, because they’re vlaned off. My downlink here at the house is also 1 Gbps, and the clients are mostly connected over Wi-Fi, with WAPs within 20 feet, line of sight.
Worse still, some media just refuses to play, with the transcoder exiting with an unknown issue. I understand that Anime with PGS subtitles is pretty much the worst thing you can throw at a Plex server, and most of my content is high bitrate as well.
Server Hardware:
- Host Name: BSTAD-GRDC-PLEX
- OS Name: Microsoft Windows Server 2019 Datacenter
- OS Version: 10.0.17763 N/A Build 17763
- OS Manufacturer: Microsoft Corporation
- OS Configuration: Member Server
- OS Build Type: Multiprocessor Free
- Registered Owner: Windows User
- Registered Organization:
- Original Install Date: 8/8/2020, 3:42:04 PM
- System Boot Time: 9/19/2021, 11:19:28 PM
- System Manufacturer: Dell Inc.
- System Model: PowerEdge R720
- System Type: x64-based PC
- Processor(s): 2 Processor(s) Installed.
-
- [01]: Intel64 Family 6 Model 45 Stepping 7 GenuineIntel ~2300 Mhz
-
- [02]: Intel64 Family 6 Model 45 Stepping 7 GenuineIntel ~2300 Mhz
- BIOS Version: Dell Inc. 2.9.0, 12/6/2019
- Windows Directory: C:\Windows
- System Directory: C:\Windows\system32
- Boot Device: \Device\HarddiskVolume4
- Total Physical Memory: 16,321 MB
- Available Physical Memory: 8,836 MB
- Virtual Memory: Max Size: 18,753 MB
- Virtual Memory: Available: 11,332 MB
- Virtual Memory: In Use: 7,421 MB
- Page File Location(s): C:\pagefile.sys
- Logon Server: \BSTAD-DC01
- Network Card(s): 6 NIC(s) Installed.
-
- [06]: Microsoft Network Adapter Multiplexor Driver
-
- Connection Name: TEAM NIC (Note here, This is bonded 4Gb link.)
-
- DHCP Enabled: No
-
- IP address(es)
This system has 2 Xeon E5-2630 CPUs @ 2.3 GHz. While sure, they’re not the fastest CPUs, they have a combined 24 cores, and from my understanding, Plex prefers cores over speed. I’m at my wits end trying to solve this problem. Is it my smart TVs? My Network? Do I need a Quadro in my server for transcode? Is my content simply to intense for plex? I’ve gone as far as to ensure that the transcode directory and metadata directory are stored on my boot SSD instead of the storage array.
Any help is greatly appreciated! I can provide logs or details I’m just not sure what to look for at this point.
