Plex suddenly transcoding mp4 to Apple TV

Plex Media Server Desktops & Laptops
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Server Version#: Version 1.16.3.1402
Player Version#: Apple TV v 2.4

Help! I have just upgraded to v1.16.3.1402 and have started getting th4 dreaded “your network isn’t fast enough message” that we all know is rubbish. Looking at my server, I can see that Plex was transcoding my MP4 which it normally direct plays. I make a point of converting to mp4 to ensure direct play.

Can anyone please advise?

thanks!
James.

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Screenshot 2019-07-24 at 21.14.16.png812×612 106 KB

Plex Media Server Logs_2019-07-24_21-21-48.zip (1.8 MB)

[edit: removed IP address]

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What are your quality settings for the video after you’ve started playing it?

Also, are you using the enhanced video player?

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Hi,

Yes, Advanced video player is “on”
Auto adjust quality is set “on”.

thanks.

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well, it’s just packed up and refuses to play at all now due to the “bad network connection”, This is my Speedtest result…

IMG_1832
IMG_1832770×650 81.5 KB

[edit: typos]

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Are playing this locally or remotely?

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Locally.

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Plex > settings > console > type “MDE:” in the filter

play the video and monitor the log to see what the MDE lines tell you why plex is transcoding.

In your screenshot above, it says LOCAL but has a non local ip address.

If that is your internet WAN ip, then I would guess that plex is confused and transcoding because it is not on a 10.x or 192.168 ip address.

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@TeknoJunky thanks. That was my external IP and have removed it.

However, my AppleTv is on my internal network, and its real IP address is here"
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Why would Plex think my Apple TV is remote when it is local? That would be forcing it to transcode as I have limited my remote stream bitrate:
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I got nothing from filtering by “MDE”. These are the logs I did get…

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431062×519 454 KB

Do you think the NAT: PMP error is relevant?

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did you try to play the video after putting mde: in the filter?

mde lines will show up at the start of the video transcoding.

removing the wan ip from screenshot doesn’t do anything, the point is that plex is detecting the wrong ip and (probably) applying the remote bandwidth restriction and/or using the ‘relay’ connection which also is a slow speed bw restriction.

it may not have anything to do with the ATV, but instead the SERVER and how it is detecting the local ip.

possibly, it sounds like plex server is not able to do the port mapping.

do you have a green check in the server setttings > remote access?

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If I may answer here?

plex.direct domain (private domain which overlays your LAN) is not being allowed by your DNS resolver / modem / router.

Without this exception being added, most equipment flags as a DNS rebinding protection error.
This results in PMS and clients going out to plex.tv and back for connections, resulting in the WAN IP being seen.

In pfSense, adding the exception is simple:

Screenshot%20from%202019-07-24%2017-59-01

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thanks for you fast responses! :smile:

Yes, I did.

I only removed it for my personal security…

Hi @ChuckPa. Thanks, but killing the app on my AppleTV (and restarting it) solved the issue.
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Does that maybe help explain the error? I changed nothing else about my setup.

thanks,
James.

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