+1 for this please!
My long distance girlfriend (1Gb down, 50Mb up) and I (100Mb up/down) want to watch content on my Plex server and we’re having huge buffering problems.
It looks like the buffer isn’t aggressive enough and the connection latency is causing big problems.
YES, YES, YES.
I have noticed this too… it’s all about latency and less about raw speed… I think that the buffering would fix the latency issues.
@anon18523487
This is the part that is the problem. There is no buffer. When using HLS, it can’t save these chunks ahead of time, that’s not the way the protocol works. There is not transmission protocol designed to handle this situation. Plex would need to write our own protocol to do what you describe. And that would only work on clients where Plex could implement this new protocol, which would be impossible on things like Smart TV’s where it’s controlled by the firmware.
How does YouTube and Netflix do it… they have apps on smart TVs that seem to buffer.
Sorry, not trying to be argumentative, i legitimately don’t know and want to find out.
They are direct streaming the file. Plex also buffers when direct playing. The problem comes when the video is transcoded. See me explanations above. The most recent from May 1 has a quick summary.
This could possibly help me too. When watching a recorded show, I want to skip commercials (I don’t trust the commercial removal feature). I can start skipping ahead quickly on my nVidia Shield, but before I hit the end of commercials, the skip forward feature bogs down.
Is it possible to just get rid of the current transcoding steaming method (eleiminate the need for the limitations of streaming transcodes via a limited protocol), and use the optimized method instead (auto-converts the video), then start streaming chunks of the optimised version?
I’m unclear on your question.
That’s the same thing as regular streaming except it can change the bitrate of the file, but it uses the same protocol (streaming method).
+1. We need that 
Hi, sorry if I take up this topic again, but it is really interesting.
I’ve always used direct streaming, I have files already encoded and perfect for streaming, very compressed files …
I have a 1GBPS VPS and a 30 / 40mbps home connection, the files weigh at most 3 / 4gb.
I always have buffering even if I don’t transcode, I see through Smart TV, but if I use Netflix no problem, if I see from the browser no problem, if I see youtube no problem, if I see primevideo no problem.
Why am I having problems with PLEX? Why doesn’t Plex make a more decent buffer system? Why don’t I have the option to manually select the cache?
After 10 years in business, is it possible that you still haven’t found a solution?
Thanks
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This should be implemented 5 years ago
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Configurable cache size on thick clients +1
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Please please do this! Voted!
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Another vote, would be a great feature for Starlink users.
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Please.
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This feature request will be ten years old soon. Any preparations for its big birthday? Should we make a party?
This is one of the dumbest ideas I have ever seen suggested…
“Buffer content Youtube-style. When I pause a stream, keep caching it ahead as much as I want it to.”
Maybe on a pc - anything else wont have the buffer space you are seeking - and on a pc; why not just download?
So this suggestion makes no difference what-so-ever 
My files are generally about the same size as yours. They generally direct stream at 3-4Mbps. I frequently have three people direct streaming remotely at the same time, and very rarely have any buffering issues reported to me (it’s all family, so I regularly ask). The only time I’ve had a problem is when Spectrum was having some problem at a network switch somewhere in the neighborhood that was messing with the uplink reliability…
Better buffering is desperately needed on devices. I am direct playing from my server in another country using a brand new Roku Ultra 4800 (2GB RAM). Downloading the files, I can easily sustain 25mbps on my 50mbps broadband at peak times, but the ping is 200+ms. I have 1gbps at the server end. Anything over a 5mbps video file stops constantly and eventually fails.
In the browser, I can see the cache fill up to about 1 minute within a few seconds of playing. I switch over to the Roku, it fails.
It would be nice to be able to see something like Youtube’s “stats for nerds”… show us buffer size, fullness, average download speed last 1s, 5s, 10s. Roku doesn’t even show buffer like the browser does. It seems like we could at least give some informed feedback with these stats.
Maybe you do not understand the idea… so what does that mean?
Anyhow, it would be useful to at least be able to manually change the actual buffer size…
Maybe I don’t… Maybe you don’t…
My point is mostly that most devices used for Plex are small devices without the buffersize you seek… If you are talking about a pc that would offer the size you seek you could just download the file…
Trying to stream content that are above your network capabilities by increasing buffersize and then pausing is not the way to go…
