Plex for Windows Locks Up After A Few Minutes Playing Video

Plex Players Desktop Players
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Server Version#: 1.23.1.4602
Player Version#: 1.31.1.2262-74fdc6b7

When using Plex for Windows the program will lockup after a few minutes of a video playing and I have to force close it when it does. I can see plenty of buffer on the timeline after the program freezes.

Watching in Chrome works without issue on that machine and Plex for Windows works fine on another machine. I’ve tried uninstalling and reinstalling on the problematic client.

This seems to only happen when using a GeForce 860M for Plex for Windows and not when using the Intel integrated GPU with Plex for Windows.

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Try updating your graphics driver software for the GeForce chip.
Preferably from the nVidia website.

You could also try the workaround described in here: Error message regarding OpenGL 2.0 Driver - #29 by mattseeley

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Sigh. Unfortunately, neither of those solutions worked for me. Though after changing Open GL in plex.ini – Plex for Windows played for a bit longer before the program locked up.

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Sounds to me like your device is simply overheating. You’ll have to open up your device and check the air vents and fans for accumulated dust and fluff, preventing air flow.

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You know that’s also where my mind went so I checked temps and they are all below any problematic levels. The GPU doesn’t get above 50C, according to HWiNFO, and 83C is the hottest core on the CPU (it’s a laptop with a i7 4720 HQ and Nvidia 860M).

I also checked GPU memory usage and that stays well below the 2GB available on the GPU (around .3 GB used).

Something new I found is that if I start the video and then pause and play it again the video will play for much longer before locking up.

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I’m now checking whether it’s a problem with 265 files. Playing a 264 file now and it has yet to freeze.

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Yeah, it played through the 264 file without issue.

I guess it’s a problem with the 265 and my Nvidia GPU while using Plex for Windows as it can play HEVC files with other players no problem.

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In my testing Windows went bad when trying to play HEVC+HDR without OpenGL 3 surface format.

You could try disabling Hardware Decoding in Plex for Windows advanced settings.

I’m also wondering if Microsoft’s HEVC extensions, HEVC Video Extensions - Official app in the Microsoft Store, somewhow improve playback for users. I’m not encouraging you to purchase these extensions but felt applicable to wonder out loud.

It very well may be that support for this GPU isn’t robust as it once was. I’m :crossed_fingers: you find a comfortable workaround.

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I appreciate your reply.

I can play HEVC with Plex for Windows on the iGPU without issue. It just seems switching it over to the Nvidia 860M causes the freeze. And using the iGPU isn’t a problem – I just assign other things (Chrome) to the 860M. My Plex server is quasi headless and I use Chrome Remote Desktop to manage it and that uses a bit of GPU grunt. So I try to spread all GPU usage evenly across the GPUs in my laptop.

And I do have the Microsoft HEVC extension and I got it for free and still know how to get it for free. But I appreciate you considering the cost to me when mentioning it.

My question to you is – how do you get HDR to not look like hot garbage in Windows? My PC monitor is a Samsung Q80T so when I want HDR I use the Plex app on my Samsung TV because Windows makes HDR look like a hot mess in anything other than the Microsoft Movies and TV program.

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In my testing turning on HDR mode always exaggerates colors of typical windows, text, etc. I personally can’t run with it on my desktop monitor. Like you, fullscreen video looks fine and, I’m guessing, some apps switch palettes when on HDR displays.

mpv will tonemap HDR->SDR so the colors looks less washed out when running on a SDR display. I haven’t found a good answer to determine if it’s still tonemapping when playing HDR on an HDR display.

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For me it’s not just the Desktop in HDR, but also Plex for Windows full screen in HDR. And it isn’t just Plex, but everything that isn’t Windows Movies and TV that looks like garbage in HDR. It’s been like that for far longer than I’ve been using Plex. Perhaps it’s the 1070ti on my main rig.

I’m not unhappy with Plex though as the Plex app on my Samsung looks fantastic when playing HDR off of my Plex server.

I really wish I would have decided to try Plex a lot sooner. Definitely before the pandemic and these terrible used hardware prices that seem to have resulted from it. I mean I got lucky on finding the server hardware I’m using at reasonable prices currently, but the deals I found are normal pre-pandemic prices. So actual deals back then would have been even better. Can you believe I found a Nvidia Quadro P620 for $50 a couple weeks ago? That was a good score.

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