Server Version#: 1.22.0.4163
Player Version#: 4.53.0
I’m running Plex on a Synology DS920+ with HW encoding support. It is connected to internet through a fiber connection with a steady 500Mb/s upload rate. I have an active Plex Pass.
Yet, when I stream a HD movie to a remote Plex client, I only get SD quality with a 500-700kb/s bitrate, and the image quality is poor.
I have set the internet streaming quality settings to 3Mb/s 720p on the server and tried various settings on the clients, but I always got SD and the bitrate never got higher than 733kb/s. Whether the client is the Plex mobile app with a good quality 4G/LTE connection, or a web client on a Wi-Fi network with a high speed internet connection, it makes absolutely no difference.
If you have set the speed to 3mb/720 that may be the reason. Set your internet speed and remote limit speed for the max speed/quality you want to stream at. This can be found under remote access. The clients also have options for remote streaming speed/quality.
Check the settings on the remote devices. Plex clients default to 2 Mbps/720p for remote streaming. The setting must be changed on each individual client. You cannot change it remotely or force it from the server.
Does the connection show as Remote or Indirect? If Indirect, the connection is via Plex Relay, which is limited to 2 Mbps (w/ Plex Pass).
Why? You’ve 500 Mbps upstream.
Let the media direct play if possible. If a remote client has bandwidth restrictions, then change the quality settings on that client. Don’t restrict all remote clients just because one has network constraints.
I think I nailed it: I realized that the Plex support says the public port should be between 20,000 and 50,000. As the port I had chosen was outside this range and it was not redirected to 32,400, I corrected both issues. The “Direct access” indicator in the Dashboard is now green and stable
Then, by adjusting the quality settings on the server and the clients I can get what I want.
