Server Version#: 1.43.3.10896 / 1.43.4.10903
Player Version#: 2025.28.0
Device: Fire TV Stick HD with Vega OS 1.2
Issue: Even when the client and server are on the same local subnet (192.168.1.x), and the media is fully compatible (H.264 + AAC Stereo, bitrate well under 7 Mbps, 720p), the server always treats the connection as Indirect / WAN.
Dashboard shows:
- “Indirect — 575Kbps ”
- Video: 720p (H.264) → SD (H.264) — Transcode
- Audio: AAC Stereo → AAC — Transcode
The TV screen was completely black, with no video or audio. A few minutes later, an error message appeared: “Conversion failed. The transcoder exited due to an error.”
What I’ve already tried:
- Local Quality = Maximum
- Allow Direct Play + Direct Stream enabled
- Secure Connections = Preferred
- Added LAN Networks and Custom Server Access URLs
- Cleared cache, reinstalled app, etc.
Silk browser on the same Stick plays the exact same files with Direct Play without any problem. It seems the current Vega OS (Kepler) client is falling back to a generic profile and is being treated as a remote client. The server log has been provided for investigation.
Thanks for looking into this!
Plex Media Server.log (346.8 KB)
I am experiencing what appears to be the same issue on a Fire TV device running Vega OS/Kepler, model AFTCA002, connected to a Plex Media Server running on a Synology NAS.
The Fire TV and the Plex server are on the same local network, but the Plex app does not consistently treat the server as a local/direct connection. Instead, Plex may identify the connection as Indirect/Relay, which causes unnecessary bandwidth limitations and/or transcoding and leads to playback problems.
This does not appear to be a Plex Media Server performance issue or a general LAN connectivity problem.
In our troubleshooting we found:
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The Plex Media Server is reachable locally from the Fire TV network.
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Other clients can access and play content from the same Plex server normally.
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The problem is specific to the Plex client on this Fire TV/Vega OS setup.
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Plex can incorrectly establish an Indirect/Relay connection even though client and server are on the same LAN.
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This affects whether Plex uses Direct Play / Direct Stream and can trigger unnecessary transcoding.
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Playback can consequently fail, stall, or behave differently from playback through another client against the same server.
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We investigated local server discovery and plex.direct/DNS behavior because the Vega client appears not to reliably recognize or use the local Plex server path.
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The Synology server itself remains available and responsive when the Vega client has the problem.
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Changing the network/server configuration can work around parts of the problem, but this should not be necessary for a client and server located on the same LAN.
The important point is that the problem appears to be at the Vega/Kepler Plex client or its local-server connection/discovery layer, rather than at the media server itself.
The behavior is also consistent with other recent Vega/Kepler reports where the Plex client establishes an indirect connection or has playback/segment-request problems while the server remains available and other clients work correctly.
Device: Fire TV AFTCA002
OS/client platform: Vega OS / Kepler
Server: Plex Media Server on Synology NAS
Network: Fire TV and Synology on the same LAN
Expected behavior: Local/direct connection to Plex Media Server, with Direct Play/Direct Stream whenever the media is compatible.
Actual behavior: Plex can classify/use the connection as Indirect/Relay, affecting playback quality, transcoding decisions and playback reliability.
I am adding this report because it seems to reproduce the same Vega/Kepler-specific problem on another independent setup. I would be happy to test a Vega/Kepler client update or beta if Plex releases a fix for local server discovery, plex.direct, Direct/Indirect connection detection, or playback on AFTCA002.
