Strange behavior on chromecast with google TV

Plex Players Streaming Devices
1

Server Version#: 1.41.3.9314
Player Version#: 10.26.0.2578

Hello! I think this has been going on for some time, but I only noticed it recently. I have a CCWGTV running plex (consistently on the most recent version) into an LG C3 TV. In general, it does just fine. It direct plays dolby vision and HDR 10 files well, and direct streams video and transcodes audio when audio isn’t compatible. I noticed recently, though, that things seemed to be transcoding things it shouldn’t (Going HEVC 4K Dolby Vision/HDR 10 to HEVC (HW) 4k Dolby Vision/HDR10)

I dug into the logs and found the following on a video that seemed to be transcoding inappropriately:

Feb 07, 2025 09:38:01.339 [133320102914872] DEBUG - [Req#18fe0c/Transcode] Streaming Resource: Calculated bandwidth of 235855kbps exceeds bandwidth limit. Changing decision parameters provided by client to fit bandwidth limit of 200000kbps

Now, the reason for transcoding seems obvious…the bandwidth is exceeding some limit. But I have no limit set up in my server and I don’t see any way to set a bandwidth limit in the CCWGTV plex app either. Everything is hardwired with a 1gb connection. Any sense of how to fix this?

ETA: These direct play/direct stream just fine to the web player on my PC, so the issue seems to be some bandwidth limitation within the android TV player

2

  1. Monitor a playback via Plex Dashboard → Now Playing + Expanded View.
    Is the stream local, remote, or indirect?

  2. Check the Video Quality settings in the Plex client app on the CCwGTV:

  • Adjust Automatically = Off
  • Home Streaming = Maximum/Original
  • Quality Suggestions = Off
3

Thanks for the response.

The stream reads as loca.

I checked the video quality settings and had quality suggestions turned on. I turned that off. The others were already set appropriately.

Still having the same issue.

4

Looking at the error message again…

235855kbps is 235.855 Mbps.

It is exceeding the 200 Mbps limit of the CCwGTV (This might be an Android TV limit. Nvidia Shield has same limit).

Please post the Plex XML info (save as .txt file or zip. the forum does not support .xml attachments).

Also post the server log files.

See if the file is really 235 Mbps or if Plex is mis-identifying it somehow.

What might be happening…

  • The file is ~115 Mbps.
  • Plex has not run a full analysis (usually runs during scheduled tasks)
  • Therefore, Plex tries to reserve 2x bandwidth during playback.
  • The 2x exceeds 200 Mbps. Hence the error message and transcoding.
5

Plex Media Server.log (5.1 MB)
PlexMetadata.txt (22.2 KB)

Here is the server log and metadata.

Deleted the last part of my post. You already answered that question.

6

Thanks for the files.

From the XML Info:
<Stream id="93575" streamType="1" default="1" codec="hevc" index="0" bitrate="36989" DOVIBLCompatID="1" DOVIBLPresent="1" DOVIELPresent="0" DOVILevel="6" DOVIPresent="1" DOVIProfile="8" DOVIRPUPresent="1" DOVIVersion="1.0" bitDepth="10" chromaLocation="topleft" chromaSubsampling="4:2:0" codedHeight="1920" codedWidth="3840" colorPrimaries="bt2020" colorRange="tv" colorSpace="bt2020nc" colorTrc="smpte2084" frameRate="23.976" height="1920" level="153" profile="main 10" refFrames="1" requiredBandwidths="223591,187607,126687,55041,52362,50705,50060,50060" width="3840" displayTitle="4K DoVi/HDR10" extendedDisplayTitle="4K DoVi/HDR10 (HEVC Main 10)"> </Stream>

Key Parts:
bitrate="36989"
and
requiredBandwidths="223591,187607,126687,55041,52362,50705,50060,50060"

Bitrate is the average bitrate of the file, essentially size divided by duration.

Plex Media Server also analyzes the file at various points, looking at peak bandwidth requirements. This is the “extensive media analysis” in Settings → Scheduled Tasks and sometimes referred to as “deep analysis.”

There is one section of the video stream that uses 223591 kbps. This exceeds the 200000 kbps device limit.

That is why Plex is transcoding the video.

I’m unsure if there is a way around this. I’ll see if I can find similar reports.

Regarding the transcoding…

Feb 07, 2025 09:07:03.292 [133320111303480] DEBUG - [Req#18b5f8/Transcode] Streaming Resource: Reached Decision id=8651 codes=(General=1001,Direct play not available; Conversion OK. Direct Play=3000,App cannot direct play this item. Direct play is disabled. Transcode=1001,Direct play not available; Conversion OK.) media=(id=19393 part=(id=20651 decision=transcode container=mkv protocol=hls streams=(Video=(id=93575 decision=transcode bitrate=49152 encoder=hevc_vaapi width=3840 height=1920) Audio=(id=93576 decision=transcode bitrate=1024 encoder=libopus channels=8 rate=48000))))

Good: Plex is using HEVC transcoding, so HDR should be retained: transcode bitrate=49152 encoder=hevc_vaapi width=3840 height=1920.

Bad: When Plex transcodes to get under bandwidth limit, it also transcodes audio. The TrueHD is transcoded to 1024kbps Opus. Atmos info, if present, is lost in the process.

7

Thanks. This is helpful. I had noticed the bitrate and bandwidth areas when I looked at the xml file.

I wonder why there is a the bandwidth limit within android TV? Is that android TV’s limit or is that the plex app within android TV?

8

Another follow up question for you. If there’s no work around for this, I’ve always thought of the shield as the ultimate streaming box for Plex, but what would be an alternative with similar compatibility/codec support?

9

Short Answer:

  • Plex is aware and investigating removing the 200 Mbps limit.
  • It will be awhile until resolved,
  • A Shield won’t help.
  • Switching to an Apple TV, Roku, etc. won’t help.

Longer answer:

The 200 Mbps limit is set by Plex, not by Android or a device manufacturer. It also applies to other platforms such as Apple TV, Roku, etc.

So, the issue will exist with a Shield, other Android TV devices, and other devices such as Apple TV, Roku, etc.

Plex is investigating removing the limit.

The work will happen as part of the app redesigns (see Plex Experience Preview).

A preview for Android TV does not yet exist, but seems next on the list as Android mobile is available.

So, to sum up, Plex is aware and investigating, but it will be awhile before a resolution is available.

10

This is a super helpful and informative response. Appreciate all the help you’ve given me in getting this figured out!

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