Server Version#: 1.15.4.994-107756f7e
Player Version#: Android, LGTV os,
I’m running a Synology DS718+ and it seems that every time any user (shared, or me as well) accesses the server indirectly and tries to play 1080p media the player tries and then switches to SD and transcodes (burning CPU power) rather than playing directly. I’ve used all my devices to connect and play 1080p media on the home network without issue, it direct plays.
Attempted this on a MBPro, 2.3GHz Intel Core i5 w/ 8gb Ram (as a guest and as myself); LG TV running their webOS platform, Pixel 2 phone (which can definitely play the vid itself as I’ve downloaded and played using VLC).
All the clients have been trialled using quality settings:
Auto adjust quality - on and off
Video Qual - Max, and all versions of 1080p (20, 12, 10, 8)
Play smaller vids - on / off
I’ve attached a sample of the logs taken during the MBPro attempting to play at Max, 12 and 20 mbps - happy to do it for the other devices if required.
Any help greatly appreciated, I feel I’m under utilising Plex without being to play my content remotely at full quality and the users I’ve shared it with really aren’t seeing the value with such poor quality streams.
When relaying a connection through us, there are limitations for the streaming qualities you can use:
Free users are limited to 1 Mbps maximum for streams
Plex Pass subscribers are limited to 2 Mbps maximum for streams
If the content you’re trying to stream has a higher bitrate, then your Plex Media Server will need to transcode the content down to fit the limitation.
You’ll need to open a port on your router/firewall. The support document linked above shows the settings, etc. Be sure and set the Internet upload speed to the uplink speed of your home (or wherever your PMS server is located).
Be sure and check the remote streaming bandwidth limitations on every individual remote client. The default is usually to limit streaming to 2 Mbps.
You have a Plex Pass so definitely enable Hardware Accelerated Streaming. Otherwise, the Celeron CPU in your NAS will struggle when transcoding.
Unless the remote clients are on a bandwidth limited connection, set Auto Adjust = Off. If somebody has a troublesome connection, then you can turn it on. But be aware that Plex adjusts quality by transcoding the video (and it will hit your server accordingly).
Based on other threads on the forum, getting remote access working reliably can take some work. The Troubleshooting Remote Access doc has additional information. And you can always open up a thread on the forum.
