Unexpected Playback error at end of TV episodes

Server Version#: 1.32.0.6973
Player Version#: 5.59.3
<If providing server logs please do NOT turn on verbose logging, only debug logging should be enabled>

Near the end of an episode (various shows), right before the ‘skip credits’ option pops up, the player will sort of crash with the error ‘ Unexpected Playback error. An unexpected playback problem occurred.’ and stop responding.

I have a video of it happening (linked below). Server logs (with client logging to server enabled) attached.
Plex Media Server Logs_2023-04-28_22-59-26.zip (6.5 MB)

Console logs on the TV say this:

03/05/2023 22:55:15:239 (uneaqs:eyo3oj4barqtcajypghwh8cb] INFO [AVPlay[1] (PLAYING)] Buffering Complete

03/05/2023 22:55:15:256 (uneaqs:eyo3oj4barqtcajypghwh8cb] INFO (PlaybackSessionController] playback state changed to: playing

03/05/2023 22:55:15:269 [uneaqs:eyo3o)4barqtcajypghwh&cb] ERROR [AVPlay[1] (PLAYING)] onAVPlay Error: PLAYER_ERROR_CONNECTION_FAILED

03/05/2023 22:55:15:289 uneaqs:eyo3oj4barqtcajypghwh8cb] INFO [PlaybackSessionController] playback state changed to: stopped

03/05/2023 22:55:15:386 [uneaqs:eyo3oj4barqtcajypghwh8cb] ERROR Playback error occurred. Reason: BufferingTimeout, Player took too long buffering, stopping playback

03/05/2023 22:55:15:410 (uneaqs:eyo3o]4barqtcajypghwh8cb] WARN (PlaybackSessionController] could not retry, reporting error

03/05/2023 22:55:15:432 [uneaqs:eyo3oj4barqtcajypghwh8cb] INFO Opening modal: ActionsModal

03/05/2023 22:55:15:472 (uneaqs:eyo3oj4barqtcajypghwh8cb] INFO Opened modal: ActionsModal

03/05/2023 22:55: 15:974 (uneags:eyo304barqtcajypohwh8cb) INFO [AVPlayf11 (PLAYING) Playback completed.

Starting my own thread after commenting in a similar one for the same issue: Unexpected Playback error at end of movies/episodes - #8 by uneaqs

Any chance I could get some support with this issue? It seems to be affecting a number of people. Thanks.

Hello? Is there a better way to get support? Thanks!

I may be having the same problem. The symptom is that on some shows I’ll get the error near the end of the show. And then it marks the show as played (even though it hasn’t finished), so I can’t resume it.

Trying to fast forward on Plex is an exercise in frustration; it will frequently just crash with the same playback error. So I end up just playing the end in either a web browser or a video player.

(This is on a Sony Android TV)

I got this today, though mine says “conversion error”, after an episode. I found in the Console these two Warning entries:

  • Denying access due to session lacking permission to transcode

  • [Req#452055/Transcode] Streaming Resource: Reached Decision id=43368 codes=(General=1001,Direct play not available; Conversion OK. Direct Play=3000,App cannot direct play this item. Direct play is disabled. Transcode=1001,Direct play not available; Conversion OK.) media=(id=57558 part=(id=311424 decision=transcode protocol=http streams=(Subtitle=(id=925187 decision=copy languageCode=eng location=embedded))))

I’m on the Tizen app - Client Version 5.60.2 - Platform version 4.

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I’m having the same issue as cadtek91. This started happening after I upgraded Plex Media Server from 1.31.3.6868 to 1.32.3.7162. On the older version, everything was fine. On the newer version, on my 2018 Samsung TV, most episodes seem to crash near the end, with the “Conversion error” message, and the logs show the same " Denying access due to session lacking permission to transcode" entry

It also happens on LG TVs.

Additional information:

It occurs at the end of the stream. Approx. 1 min left.
It occurs only, at least for me, when the stream has subtitles (text subtitles) marked as FORCED, and probably in use. Could you also verify this, guys?

From my tests, the client is using direct play/direct stream, and the error message is related to transcoding, which is not happening, in my tests.

As detected by @hyperion306 something changed in the server.

Happens to me too on a Vizio TV. I did notice that one time it didn’t do it for me but I suspect that it was because this was the last episode of the series therefore there was no new episode to go to. So the problem may not be at playing the end of an episode but in starting the next episode.

Just dropping a comment here noting that I’ve been seeing this exact issue recently on my LG TV.

I’m quite sure this started occurring after upgrading my server to 1.32.3.7162.

I’m having the same exact issue on LG C2.

Plex for LG (Client: 5.62.0, Platform: 7.3.0)
Server: 1.32.3.7162

Please see Playback suddenly stops when subtitles are over for more info on this issue.

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