Server Version#: 1.31.2.6810
Player Version#: 9.30.0.3604
We previously experienced transcoding problems when trying to watch a movie which was defaulting to TrueHD 7.1 audio. The stream kept buffering and complaining that the connection wasn’t fast enough, even though we were streaming locally.
While never finding a solution to this issue, we went along and set the audio to 5.1 instead. Then the buffering went away.
This weekend however a Plex Home user started a movie with TrueHD 7.1 without issue. No buffering whatsoever…
To test, I started the same movie from my profile. The buffering started immediately after the first second.
Being a bit puzzled I checked every quality setting I could find on both the AndroidTV app as the settings on Plex Web.
All were the same, except for the “Internet Streaminig - Video Quality” for the Plex Home user. This was set to 2 Mbps, so I don’t think is was relevant.
Also checking the Plex dashboard when the movie was being playing, I noticed something strange.
While the video stream was being transcoded when played from my profile, it was being Direct Streamed for the Plex Home user.
Movie settings, Plex Web stats for My Profile, Plex Web stats for Plex Home user:
- Video: 1080p (H.264), 1080P (H264) - Transcode, Direct Stream
- Audio: English (TRUEHD 7.1), OPUS - Transcode, OPUS - Transcode
- Subtitles: Dutch (PGS), Dutch (PGS), Dutch (PGS)
So not sure why transcoding is being enabled for my profile, but not the Plex Home user.
Is there a setting that I missed?
I also thought that when PGS subtiles are enabled, video is always transcoded? The subs were working for the Plex Home user and load on the server was significantly less.
Strangely enough, after changing the quality settings on Plex Web to lower values, saving, but the reverting to the previous settings, the buffering for 7.1 audio seems to have gone away.
Video stream is still being transcoded though…
