Transcoding H264 to H264?

Plex Media Server Desktops & Laptops
1

I’m curious. I have a lot of movies that I convert with Handbrake (latest versions 1.07), and I choose to encode with H264 (x.264). So how come when my girlfriend watches via the web interface from her house does Plex tell me that it’s transcoding H264 to H264? I understand why it would transcode audio AC3 to AAC, but why would it say it’s transcoding the video codec to the same video codec?

She has a Plex server at her house, but she prefers to watch mine. So she opens the web interface on hers locally, and switches server ti mine. Don’t know what version of Plex (and it’s web interface) that is, right offhand.

Any suggestions on what Handbrake settings in this version of Handbrake to use to avoid this?

Thanks

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If you inspect the Plex Media Server.log you will see the exact reason why the transcode occured. Seek for lines containing MDE:

Mostly though, transcoding is triggered due to:

  • subtitles which need to be ‘burned’ into the picture
  • bitrate limitations either set on your server or on her browser (bitrate cannot be reduced without transcoding)
  • automatic bitrate adaption due to transient ‘bottlenecks’ in the available bitrate between your server and her client
  • sometimes due to incompatibilities with the client (many ‘embedded’ clients cannot play H.264 with 10 bit color depth or more than 5 reference frames etc.)

Install her PMP and tell her to use this instead of her browser.
This will rule out subtitles and audio codecs as reason for transcoding.
(and maybe some other cases as well, like DIVX codec etc.)

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@OttoKerner said:
If you inspect the Plex Media Server.log you will see the exact reason why the transcode occured. Seek for lines containing MDE:

No lines in Plex Media Server Log have an MDE. Note I don’t have debug or verbose logging on. In fact, I see no references to even the movie name being currently played.

Mostly though, transcoding is triggered due to:

  • subtitles which need to be ‘burned’ into the picture

There are subtitles, yes.

  • bitrate limitations either set on your server or on her browser (bitrate cannot be reduced without transcoding)

No, none set.

  • automatic bitrate adaption due to transient ‘bottlenecks’ in the available bitrate between your server and her client
  • sometimes due to incompatibilities with the client (many ‘embedded’ clients cannot play H.264 with 10 bit color depth or more than 5 reference frames etc.)

Not 10bit color (at least , I see no mention of that using MediaInfo on the source video).

Install her PMP and tell her to use this instead of her browser.

That’s the Plex Media Player?

Mind you, she’s not complaining, it’s not like it seems to be interfering with her watching. I was just curious about how to avoid transcoding, if I was using the same codec as what it says it is transcoding to.

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@MikeLeone said:
No lines in Plex Media Server Log have an MDE. Note I don’t have debug or verbose logging on. In fact, I see no references to even the movie name being currently played.

Sorry, I forgot to mention that you need to activate debug logging.

Install her PMP and tell her to use this instead of her browser.
That’s the Plex Media Player?

Precisely.

Mind you, she’s not complaining, it’s not like it seems to be interfering with her watching. I was just curious about how to avoid transcoding, if I was using the same codec as what it says it is transcoding to.

Then tell her to use PMP to ease the load on your server. :wink:

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You people are so condescending . This is a real issue with people that should be looked at. Plex transcodes so much stuff is shouldn’t, even if you prepare your media

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