Transcoding fails to Android clients

Plex Media Server
,
1

Server Version#: 1.41.4.9463
Player Version#:10.26.0.2578

All was previously working fine but suddenly this issue has arrisen (possibly due to andoid app update?). I updated the server version from previous stable release but this made no difference. No other changes to server. I’ve restarted the server but issue persists.

When requesting to play a transcoded video from the android app I get transcode related errors on the server and the file fails to play telling me an error occured and please check my connection. Direct play of content wihtout transcoding works as normal from the app. Transcoding of the same file to a web client (firefox) works fine.

Feb 19, 2025 23:46:02.996 [140458506373944] INFO - Plex Media Server v1.41.4.9463-630c9f557 - Synology DS423+ x86_64 - build: linux-x86_64 synology-dsm72 - GMT 00:00
Feb 19, 2025 23:46:02.996 [140458506373944] INFO - Linux version: DSM 7.2.2.72806-3, language: en-US
Feb 19, 2025 23:46:02.996 [140458506373944] INFO - Processor: 4-core Intel(R) Celeron(R) J4125 CPU @ 2.00GHz
....
Feb 19, 2025 23:46:03.174 [140458501581624] DEBUG - [GPU] Got device: Intel GeminiLake [UHD Graphics 600], intel@builtin, default true, best true, ID 8086:3185@0000:00:02.0, DevID [8086:3185], flags 0x34e7
Feb 19, 2025 23:46:03.174 [140458501581624] INFO - Preemptively preparing driver ivd for GPU Intel GeminiLake [UHD Graphics 600]
Feb 19, 2025 23:46:03.174 [140458501581624] DEBUG - [DriverDL/ivd] Skipping download; already exists

When attempting transcoded playback of file from Android client:

Feb 19, 2025 23:47:03.455 [140458438089528] DEBUG - [Req#567/Transcode] Found session GUID of 2d77b416e6715313-com-plexapp-android in session start.
Feb 19, 2025 23:47:03.455 [140458438089528] DEBUG - [Req#567/Transcode] TranscodeUniversalRequest: adapting profile with augmentation data: add-limitation(scope=videoCodec&scopeName=h264&type=upperBound&name=video.level&value=61)+add-limitation(scope=videoCodec&scopeName=*&type=upperBound&name=video.width&value=3840&replace=true)+add-limitation(scope=videoCodec&scopeName=*&type=upperBound&name=video.height&value=2160&replace=true)+add-limitation(scope=videoCodec&scopeName=hevc&type=notMatch&name=video.DOVIProfile&value=5)+add-limitation(scope=videoAudioCodec&scopeName=aac&type=upperBound&name=audio.channels&value=8&replace=true)+add-transcode-target-audio-codec(type=videoProfile&context=streaming&protocol=hls&audioCodec=mp3)+add-transcode-target-audio-codec(type=videoProfile&context=streaming&protocol=hls&audioCodec=ac3)+add-transcode-target-audio-codec(type=videoProfile&context=streaming&protocol=hls&audioCodec=dca)+add-transcode-target-audio-codec(type=videoProfile&context=streaming&protocol=hls&audioCodec=opus)+add-limitation(scope=videoCodec&scopeName=*&type=NotMatch&name=video.anamorphic&value=999&replace=true)+add-transcode-target(type=subtitleProfile&context=streaming&protocol=http&container=mkv&subtitleCodec=srt)+append-transcode-target-codec(type=videoProfile&context=streaming&protocol=hls&videoCodec=mpeg2video)+append-transcode-target-codec(type=videoProfile&context=streaming&protocol=hls&videoCodec=hevc)+add-limitation(scope=videoCodec&scopeName=hevc&type=Match&name=video.profile&list=main|main 10)+add-limitation(scope=videoTranscodeTarget&scopeName=hevc&scopeType=videoCodec&context=streaming&protocol=hls&type=match&name=video.colorTrc&list=smpte2084|bt709|bt470m|smpte240m|smpte170m|bt470bg|bt2020-10&isRequired=false)
Feb 19, 2025 23:47:03.456 [140458438089528] DEBUG - [Req#567/Transcode] TranscodeUniversalRequest: using augmented profile Android
Feb 19, 2025 23:47:03.456 [140458438089528] DEBUG - [Req#567/Transcode] Downloading document http://127.0.0.1:32400/library/metadata/36841?checkFiles=1&includeBandwidths=1&offset=-1&X-Plex-Incomplete-Segments=1&X-Plex-Session-Identifier=2d77b416e6715313-com-plexapp-android
Feb 19, 2025 23:47:03.462 [140458438089528] DEBUG - [Req#567/Transcode] We're going to try to auto-select an audio stream for account 1.
Feb 19, 2025 23:47:03.462 [140458438089528] DEBUG - [Req#567/Transcode] Selecting best audio stream for part ID 37396 (language: en)
Feb 19, 2025 23:47:03.462 [140458438089528] DEBUG - [Req#567/Transcode] Audio Stream: 72728, Subtitle Stream: 72729
Feb 19, 2025 23:47:03.464 [140458438089528] DEBUG - [Req#567/Transcode] Found session GUID of 2d77b416e6715313-com-plexapp-android in session start.
Feb 19, 2025 23:47:03.464 [140458438089528] DEBUG - [Req#567/Transcode] Using session GUID 2d77b416e6715313-com-plexapp-android for new transcode session.
Feb 19, 2025 23:47:03.464 [140458438089528] DEBUG - [Req#567/Transcode] Destroying existing session, reference count = 5
Feb 19, 2025 23:47:03.465 [140458438089528] DEBUG - [Req#567/Transcode] Cleaning directory for session 2d77b416e6715313-com-plexapp-android ()
Feb 19, 2025 23:47:03.465 [140458438089528] DEBUG - [Req#567/Transcode] Killing job.
Feb 19, 2025 23:47:03.465 [140458438089528] DEBUG - [Req#567/Transcode] Signalling job ID 8343 with 9
Feb 19, 2025 23:47:03.465 [140458438089528] DEBUG - [Req#567/Transcode] Job was already killed, not killing again.
Feb 19, 2025 23:47:03.465 [140458438089528] DEBUG - [Req#567/Transcode] Stopping transcode session 2d77b416e6715313-com-plexapp-android
Feb 19, 2025 23:47:03.469 [140458504194872] DEBUG - Jobs: '/volume1/@appstore/PlexMediaServer/Plex Transcoder' exit code for process 8343 is -9 (signal: Killed)

When requesting playback of same file from Firefox web client it works, even with transcoding enabled:

Feb 19, 2025 23:48:22.646 [140458423634744] DEBUG - [Req#8e2/Transcode] Found session GUID of c6yzxbyn64h50tqscrbzv46j in session start.
Feb 19, 2025 23:48:22.646 [140458423634744] DEBUG - [Req#8e2/Transcode] TranscodeUniversalRequest: adapting profile with augmentation data: add-limitation(scope=videoCodec&scopeName=hevc&type=upperBound&name=video.bitDepth&value=10&replace=true)+append-transcode-target-codec(type=videoProfile&context=streaming&protocol=dash&videoCodec=hevc)+add-limitation(scope=videoTranscodeTarget&scopeName=hevc&scopeType=videoCodec&context=streaming&protocol=dash&type=match&name=video.colorTrc&list=bt709|bt470m|bt470bg|smpte170m|smpte240m|bt2020-10|smpte2084&isRequired=false)+append-transcode-target-codec(type=videoProfile&context=streaming&videoCodec=h264%2Chevc&audioCodec=aac&protocol=dash)
Feb 19, 2025 23:48:22.646 [140458423634744] DEBUG - [Req#8e2/Transcode] TranscodeUniversalRequest: using augmented profile Firefox
Feb 19, 2025 23:48:22.646 [140458423634744] DEBUG - [Req#8e2/Transcode] Downloading document http://127.0.0.1:32400/library/metadata/36841?checkFiles=1&includeBandwidths=1&offset=-1&X-Plex-Incomplete-Segments=1&X-Plex-Session-Identifier=johfaqe26fjjpclrz5ujp8es
Feb 19, 2025 23:48:22.652 [140458423634744] DEBUG - [Req#8e2/Transcode] We're going to try to auto-select an audio stream for account 1.
Feb 19, 2025 23:48:22.652 [140458423634744] DEBUG - [Req#8e2/Transcode] Selecting best audio stream for part ID 37396 (language: en)
Feb 19, 2025 23:48:22.652 [140458423634744] DEBUG - [Req#8e2/Transcode] Audio Stream: 72728, Subtitle Stream: 72729
Feb 19, 2025 23:48:22.653 [140458423634744] DEBUG - [Req#8e2/Transcode] Found session GUID of c6yzxbyn64h50tqscrbzv46j in session start.
Feb 19, 2025 23:48:22.653 [140458423634744] DEBUG - [Req#8e2/Transcode] Using existing transcode session.
Feb 19, 2025 23:48:22.654 [140458423634744] DEBUG - Content-Length is -1 (of total: -1).
Feb 19, 2025 23:48:22.654 [140458350189368] DEBUG - [TranscodeOutputStream] Input processing thread started at offset 0 for -1 bytes.
Feb 19, 2025 23:48:22.654 [140458350189368] DEBUG - [TranscodeOutputStream] Changed instance plex-transcode-c6yzxbyn64h50tqscrbzv46j-88a5d055-34ba-4760-854f-5006456f2bd6 which had to -1; was at chunk -1 with offset -1.000000 now at chunk -1
Feb 19, 2025 23:48:22.654 [140458350189368] DEBUG - [TranscodeOutputStream] Input processed first bytes after 0 ms.
Feb 19, 2025 23:48:22.755 [140458491632440] DEBUG - [TranscodeOutputStream] Sent back first bytes after 101 ms.
2

I have been testing again today - if I start the video over my local network in direct play (no transcode) it works ok. I can then manually select a transcode quanity (eg 720p HD) and it will transcode without issue. If I select “Convert Automatically” then I get the transcoder error and it fails to play.

So it seems maybe something to do with the specific resolution/format that it is trying to automatically convert to?

I have cleared my Codecs and Drivers directories and allowed them to redownload but this made no difference.

3

Don’t use that.

Instead, select a sufficient quality for remote connections for your screen size. In the app’s settings, right below the “Automatic Quality” switch.

4

The problem with this approach is that if I am starting playback remotely in the Plex app (limited bandwidth, transcode required) I don’t get an opportunity to select my transcode quality as playback fails as soon as I open the file (I assume it defaults to ‘convert automatically’).

5

No it doesn’t, if you disable it in the settings.

The idea is to set one in the preferences, for remote connections.

7

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