# Request option to force transcoding
**URL:** https://forums.plex.tv/t/request-option-to-force-transcoding/9852
**Category:** General Discussions
**Created:** [July 5, 2011, 1:27pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/request-option-to-force-transcoding/9852 "2011-07-05T13:27:58Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@classicspam](https://forums.plex.tv/u/classicspam)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2011, 1:27pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/request-option-to-force-transcoding/9852/1 "2011-07-05T13:27:58Z")
Was wondering if there could be an option put into place to always force trans-coding. It could be an advanced user option (i.e. in an ini file or something). This is due to the fact that the PMS seems to want to remux/direct stream files that should really be transcoded (i.e. 16 GB mkv still only gets remuxed when the desired quality is set to 2.3 mbps)
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### Author:  [@carlosrovira](https://forums.plex.tv/u/carlosrovira)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2017, 10:06pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/request-option-to-force-transcoding/9852/2 "2017-01-13T22:06:01Z")
Hi, +1
I think it would be great for server manager to be able to force transcoding from the server to get more control and be able to pass (if you want) all plays through the server.
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### Author:  [@OttoKerner](https://forums.plex.tv/u/OttoKerner)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2017, 10:09pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/request-option-to-force-transcoding/9852/3 "2017-01-13T22:09:03Z")
> @carlosrovira said:
> I think it would be great for server manager to be able to force transcoding from the server to get more control and be able to pass (if you want) all plays through the server.
Plays are always going through the server. There is no way to circumvent it.
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### Author:  [@carlosrovira](https://forums.plex.tv/u/carlosrovira)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2017, 11:24pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/request-option-to-force-transcoding/9852/4 "2017-01-13T23:24:06Z")
For what I know, “Direct Play” makes the media go directly from the cloud (if is there) to the user client (that could be a remote user
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### Author:  [@OttoKerner](https://forums.plex.tv/u/OttoKerner)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2017, 11:32pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/request-option-to-force-transcoding/9852/5 "2017-01-13T23:32:51Z")
No. That is a misconception. The data stream is always File storage -\> Plex Server -\> Client
Cloud Sync is a special case. It’s whole purpose is to allow clients to play files directly from the cloud storage. If you don’t want that, then don’t use Cloud Sync.
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### Author:  [@carlosrovira](https://forums.plex.tv/u/carlosrovira)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2017, 11:41pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/request-option-to-force-transcoding/9852/6 "2017-01-13T23:41:49Z")
If that is true that’s so great, since I want to use cloud providers like Google Drive and avoid to encrypt content. If my Plex is the only one making access (so will be a real proxy to the content) to the drive media in the account, I think it should be ok for google
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### Author:  [@OttoKerner](https://forums.plex.tv/u/OttoKerner)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2017, 11:45pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/request-option-to-force-transcoding/9852/7 "2017-01-13T23:45:39Z")
I don’t understand the desire to use cloud storage for a local plex server.
Any external plex client streaming from you will double tax your internet connection. Once for getting the content from the cloud drive to your server, second for streaming the content from the server to the client.
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### Author:  [@carlosrovira](https://forums.plex.tv/u/carlosrovira)
#### Post date: [January 14, 2017, 12:03am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/request-option-to-force-transcoding/9852/8 "2017-01-14T00:03:33Z")
Right, I didn’t think about it. But as well: think in having so much content that maybe you don’t want to have all local and want to remove from local to free disk space to put more content. Or maybe other people just to backup your local content 🙂
If you has Plex Cloud event better since that server is not run localy so remote users other than you are not using you internet connection at all 🙂
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### Author:  [@system](https://forums.plex.tv/u/system)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2019, 9:11pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/request-option-to-force-transcoding/9852/9 "2019-12-20T21:11:18Z")
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