Unable to play VLC downloaded YouTube videos on Nvidia Shield

I'm using the current server and player versions. For some time I've been unable to play YouTube videos I've downloaded using VLC on Plex on my Nvidia Shield. Most of these are in the .mp4 format. They play fine through Plex on my computer, but the Plex server on my Shield can't seem to decode them. I get a spinning cursor that lasts forever until I finally exit out of the player. I can't understand what's causing this error, especially because it plays fine on my pc through Plex. I'm not sure if this is a Shield error or a problem with the Plex app on my Shield. Has anyone experienced this or found a way to fix it? Thanks for any help or suggestions.

Does anything pop up in the dashboard on the server when you try to play it?

No. I just downloaded another one to try it out. I get the first frame of the video and then a spinning cursor that lasts forever. The very few times they have played, they buffer every two-three seconds, like Plex is unable to decode them.

I never used VLC for downloads. I would normally be suspicious the download is AV1 which Plex doesn’t support, but you said this works with Plex on your computer

You can try to play it on the Shield and then post your logs

MediaInfo tells me it’s an AVC (High@L.3.1) file. Does that help?

Where is Plex Media Server installed and what version(s)?

What client are you using on your computer - Plex Web, Plex Desktop, etc?

The media server is installed on my PC.
Plex Web Version 4.84.1

I’m unable to find a version number for the server file, can you tell me where to find it?

Plex Web: Accessing Plex via a web browser - https://app.plex.tv/desktop/

Plex Desktop: A Windows/Mac/Linux application.

Plex Media Server Version: Settings → Server_Name → General. It will be something like 1.26.x, 1.28.x, etc.

OK. 1.28.1.6104

I got that by right-clicking the server file in Windows. No where in my settings for Plex Web do I have a “server” category.

The name of your server should be listed directly below the settings for Plex Web.

Ok, I misunderstood and had been looking for an actual category on the left named ‘Server.’

Yes, it’s 1.28.1.6104.

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