Hi everyone. I enabled the GPU transcoding and when playing multiple movies I still see cpu at 99% and GPU not even being touched. I am attempting to play 4k hdr remux files btw quite large. Any suggestions? Specs below.
UserBenchmarks: Game 103%, Desk 77%, Work 68%
CPU: Intel Core i7-5930K - 70.4%
GPU: Nvidia GTX 1080 - 125.2%
SSD: Kingston HyperX Predator AHCI PCIe M.2 480GB - 121.2%
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 8TB (2017) - 85.2%
HDD: Seagate Archive HDD 8TB (2015) - 59.2%
RAM: Corsair Dominator DDR4 2400 C14 4x8GB - 105.1%
MBD: Asus X99-A
as far as I am aware, the āHardware Transcodingā feature only works on Intel chips that support graphics on them. It will not use a GPU connected to a PCI-E slot.
You can use it when transcoding using Handbrake and other encoders, but not Plex as far as I know. Plex has never touched my GPU while transcodingā¦
@aesposit0 what operating system? linux hardware decoding is not currently supported, so you wonāt get gpu help for decoding 4k material.
@JasonNalley this is false, plex does fully support nvidia gpuās on windows, and it supports nvidia encode on linux (not decode on linux).
you both might find some useful info @ Plex, 4k, transcoding, and you - aka the rules of 4k - a FAQ
all that to say, hardware transcoding is not without issues, so if are using a supported os/gpu, then you post the exact setup and full details along with logs and any helpful screenshots.
also, searching the forum for others with the same problem, may also help you save time with a known issue and/or solution.
I think the problem is the searching. Iāve read multiple posts saying itās only possible with NVIDIA chips with embedded graphics⦠As I said, I have it set to use Hardware Acceleration, and itās never once touched my GPU while transcoding⦠So I have no idea why it wouldnāt work otherwise⦠I just assumed the people replying with āIt only works with Intel chips with embedded graphicsā were correct, as I do not have an Intel Chip with Embedded graphics, I am on a Ryzen machine⦠soā¦
I cannot recall seeing any posts or threads that indicate or prove that embedded nvidia chips are the only ones that work.
I have in fact been using nvidia gpuās (pcie) for year+ on linux (currently) and windows (previously).
the official info is always @ https://support.plex.tv/articles
specifically @ https://support.plex.tv/articles/115002178853-using-hardware-accelerated-streaming/ has the hardware requirements.
1 Like
Ahah! So hereās the culprit: Plex uses Intel Quick Sync Video for decoding and encoding, which is available in all recent Intel Core processors as well as some other Intel processors (such as some Xeon, Atom, or Celeron models).
So while it doesnāt need to be a chip with Embedded graphics, it DOES need to be a modern Intel Chip, which I donāt have⦠If I read that correctly
Intel QSV ASIC was introduced alongside the iGPU by Intel with the 2nd Generation Sandy Bridge Core CPUs.
Thanks for the clarification, and that may be where the misinformation or at the very least my misreading of the information may have come from. I have an AMD chip, so it doesnāt work for me at allā¦
That being said, I donāt really need it, I am able to transcode what I need to, and most of my library direct plays for most people with them making smart audio choices 
1 Like
Ubuntu 18.04.2 LTS using 6th Gen QSV on 7th Gen Core Kaby Lake
libva info: VA-API version 1.1.0
libva info: va_getDriverName() returns 0
libva info: Trying to open /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/dri/i965_drv_video.so
libva info: Found init function __vaDriverInit_1_1
libva info: va_openDriver() returns 0
vainfo: VA-API version: 1.1 (libva 2.1.0)
vainfo: Driver version: Intel i965 driver for Intel(R) Kaby Lake - 2.1.0
vainfo: Supported profile and entrypoints
VAProfileMPEG2Simple : VAEntrypointVLD
VAProfileMPEG2Simple : VAEntrypointEncSlice
VAProfileMPEG2Main : VAEntrypointVLD
VAProfileMPEG2Main : VAEntrypointEncSlice
VAProfileH264ConstrainedBaseline: VAEntrypointVLD
VAProfileH264ConstrainedBaseline: VAEntrypointEncSlice
VAProfileH264ConstrainedBaseline: VAEntrypointEncSliceLP
VAProfileH264Main : VAEntrypointVLD
VAProfileH264Main : VAEntrypointEncSlice
VAProfileH264Main : VAEntrypointEncSliceLP
VAProfileH264High : VAEntrypointVLD
VAProfileH264High : VAEntrypointEncSlice
VAProfileH264High : VAEntrypointEncSliceLP
VAProfileH264MultiviewHigh : VAEntrypointVLD
VAProfileH264MultiviewHigh : VAEntrypointEncSlice
VAProfileH264StereoHigh : VAEntrypointVLD
VAProfileH264StereoHigh : VAEntrypointEncSlice
VAProfileVC1Simple : VAEntrypointVLD
VAProfileVC1Main : VAEntrypointVLD
VAProfileVC1Advanced : VAEntrypointVLD
VAProfileNone : VAEntrypointVideoProc
VAProfileJPEGBaseline : VAEntrypointVLD
VAProfileJPEGBaseline : VAEntrypointEncPicture
VAProfileVP8Version0_3 : VAEntrypointVLD
VAProfileVP8Version0_3 : VAEntrypointEncSlice
VAProfileHEVCMain : VAEntrypointVLD
VAProfileHEVCMain : VAEntrypointEncSlice
VAProfileHEVCMain10 : VAEntrypointVLD
VAProfileHEVCMain10 : VAEntrypointEncSlice
VAProfileVP9Profile0 : VAEntrypointVLD
VAProfileVP9Profile0 : VAEntrypointEncSlice
VAProfileVP9Profile2 : VAEntrypointVLD
tail -f /var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application\ Support/Plex\ Media\ Server/Logs/Plex\ Media\ Server.log | grep TPU
Aug 10, 2019 17:38:10.246 [0x7fe5bb7fe700] DEBUG - TPU: hardware transcoding: using hardware decode accelerator vaapi
Aug 10, 2019 17:38:10.246 [0x7fe5bb7fe700] DEBUG - TPU: hardware transcoding: zero-copy support present
Aug 10, 2019 17:38:10.246 [0x7fe5bb7fe700] DEBUG - TPU: hardware transcoding: using zero-copy transcoding
Aug 10, 2019 17:38:10.246 [0x7fe5bb7fe700] DEBUG - TPU: hardware transcoding: final decoder: vaapi, final encoder: vaapi



Intel is the generally the āembeddedā gpu, inside most of the modern intel cpuās.
Each generation usually improves upon the other, so older cpus have lesser capable gpu, and newer gpus have more capable and powerful gpus.
As far as I am aware, your amd cpu should be irrelevant if you have a supported nvidia gpu.
Neither of you have said what OS you have, which does make a difference in support and various known problems.
Do please take the time to read the FAQ link I posted above, it will help you understand transcoding especially involving 4k.
1 Like
I have read your post before TeknoJunky, and itās very informative. I am on Windows 10. According to the page you linked (not your article). It requires an Intel Core or later processor from Intel, as it uses Intel Quick Sync Video. This is not a feature in an AMD CPU. Even when you click the āLook up your processorā link next to it, it brings you to Intels site with no mention of AMD chips at all. So, itās a hinderance. I transcode files using Handbrake and MCEBuddy with Hardware acceleration all the time, so itās definitely not limited in that regard. But for Plex, since theyāre using Nvidia Quick Sync, it seems to be limited to Intel CPUās onlyā¦
Sorry guys little over my head. Youre saying GPU arenāt supported but I see new plex builds that say to install a NVida P2000 card?
Weāve got it narrowed down⦠You CAN GPU transcode, as long as your CPU is an Intel processor that supports it⦠Which yours isā¦
You can gpu transcode with
- new enough intel cpu with a intel igpu
Windows and Linux
- new enough nvidia gpu with any intel or amd cpu
Windows decode/encode
Linux encode only (currently)
This is directly counter to the official page that you posted earlier where it explicitly says one of the requirements is an Intel CPU supporting Quick Sync Video.
My AMD CPU Is a Ryzen 2700X (Last gen since Ryzen 3 just came out), it does not allow Plex to use GPU to transcode (GTX 1070Ti), using Windows 10. So Iād be very curious to know How you know that this is possible on AMD CPUās, and what I am missing to allow mine to take advantage of it, if it is indeed possibleā¦
Thatās for motherboard with Embedded Graphics, no?
If you have an AMD cpu, and an nvidia GPU, you should be able to enable hardware transcoding.
If it does not work for you, then you need to post a new thread, with ALL your system details, plex versions, clients and server, which os is involved.
There should be NO reason that your nvidia gpu doesnāt work with an amd cpu.
1 Like
Thanks, I will figure it out on this side since I know itās possibleā¦
if your amd cpu/motherboard has an integrated āapu/gpu/videoā card, you might try disabling that in the bios.
some additional tips, @ Plex Web > settings > console, you can watch the logs and filter for specific things.
I suggest setting the filter for MDE: and then trying to play a video that transcodes, the MDE: lines should tell you why plex transcoded, and the lines before/after mde should tell about the hardware transcoding detection and if/why it is failing.
some other words to check filtering
- MDE:
- TPU:
- ffmpeg
- codec
- decoder
- encoder
- hardware
2 Likes