Server Version#: 1.18.2.2058 (On a beefy Windows computer)
Player Version#: 2.10.1.13626 (On an AppleTV 4k)
When playing any media from this server, the play starts, I see a ~500mbps buffer for a few seconds which then drops to 2mbps and stays there, even though the movies are typically between 10-50mbps average.
The AppleTV is connected through gigabit LAN to the Plex server.
Playing the same movie from the same server on an LG C8 TV connected to the same LAN works without issues.
Tried with a lot of movies, the only difference is how long it takes to deplete the initial buffer: usually between 30-45 secs.
The internet (LAN) connection of the AppleTV seems stable, I can conduct a longer bandwidth test to the internet, without drops and a constant sustained 600mbps+ bandwidth. The issue doesn’t seem to be with the LAN.
Thanks! I noticed this particular Apollo 13 file is UHD. Are you seeing the same behavior with SD or HD file types? If so, please capture logs of those repro events as well.
Also, do subtitles happen to be enabled for playback? I’ve encountered similar buffer-chug (my unofficial term ) when playing UHD files that happened to have bitmap PGS subs enabled. To workaround that I’d disable the PGS sub stream and instead fetch an SRT (text-based) subtitle within the Plex client, or remux the UHD file to remove the PGS subs and add in a vetted SRT file.
I’m going to preface this by saying that I didn’t look at your logs.
That said, can you check to see if you have a value other than 0 in the field for “Terminate Sessions Paused for Longer Than”?
This is under Settings -> Network then click Advanced at the top of the options list.
10th option down is the one I am referring to.
If there is a value in there, set it to 0 and then check to see if you are able to successfully watch anything.
Also, do subtitles happen to be enabled for playback?
No, subtitles were not in active when playing, but certainly the movie has PGS subs. Same happens with nearly all UHD films. (need to get some SD content to test…
That said, can you check to see if you have a value other than 0 in the field for “Terminate Sessions Paused for Longer Than”?
I did not touch this setting and it is set to 0. Now I set it to 1, saved, set it back to 0, saved again and will test.
Interesting. Are there any commonalities with the files that don’t exhibit the behavior in terms of audio and video codecs? Also, what are your video playback settings for the Plex client on Apple TV as well as the audio and video settings for the Apple TV itself?
Are there any commonalities with the files that don’t exhibit the behavior in terms of audio and video codecs?
My tests are so far not conclusive, I will play with it today a little more and report back if I find a pattern.
Also, what are your video playback settings for the Plex client on Apple TV as well as the audio and video settings for the Apple TV itself?
The ATV is set in DolbyVision, 4K HDR 60 Hz. Both match settings are enabled.
Plex client settings: Enhanced player: On, Auto adjust Off, Home streaming and internet streaming Maximum, Allow direct play On, displaytype HDR
Hmmm, now I found something interesting. I copied the same file over to my old Plex server, and playing from that server doesn’t experience this behaviour, albeit also not showing this “fast-start” boost.
(this server is “behind” a site-to-site VPN, but the ip address range is marked as local and the dashboard shows my AppleTV client as local as well. The site-to-site link is capable of 300mbps symmetric)
The new server I built (yesterday, newly downloaded and installed) is experiencing the issue. When playing from it, there’s this 500mbps spike, then drop to a constant 2mbps and soon stutter in the playback.
Are the network configurations for the old and new servers the same? At this point I’d recommend a ground up assessment of the connection pipeline, device configurations all along the chain, etc.
Doing some additional research I came across this older post that has some similar symptoms: Massive buffering - SOLVED
) when playing UHD files that happened to have bitmap PGS subs enabled. To workaround that I’d disable the PGS sub stream and instead fetch an SRT (text-based) subtitle within the Plex client, or remux the UHD file to remove the PGS subs and add in a vetted SRT file.
