Server Version#: 1.18.9.2578
Player Version#:
I’m using Plex server on PC and on a Samsung SmarTV. I download 1080p or higher quality movies and TV shows, but when I’m streaming on TV the quality (of everything) gets so low, although the settings are the original quality. This has been going on for a few days and there’s nothing else I can do. I have already reinstalled and reset the app several times both on PC and TV and it doesn’t work. Plex on PC doesn’t have this problem, just the SmarTV app. I don’t know what to do anymore.
When you play a movie, is it transcoding? You can check it on your dashboard
Yes, it’s set on Automatic
Enable debug logs and play a movie for a minute then post the logs here
debug log.txt (1.2 KB)
I put it as a file. But again, the video quality issue persists just on the TV app, not desktop
Settings → General → Enable Plex Media Server debug logging (NOT VERBOSE)
Play the video for 30 seconds, stop, then:
Settings → Troubleshooting → Download logs.
Upload the zip file here.
Also, set the Samsung Plex app to log to server at the debug level.
Is the TV local or remote to the server?
The log files have entries regarding a bandwidth limit of 1000 kbps. This indicates the TV may be connecting via Plex Relay, which has a 1 Mbps limit.
The log files also show the video transcoding from 1080p to lower resolutions.
Please do the following:
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Turn off verbose level logging. Verbose records too much info and makes it hard to read the log files (Two-thirds of the log entries in Plex Media Server.log are verbose). See Reporting Issues with Plex Media Server → How to Enable Debug Logging for instructions.
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Set the Samsung Plex app to log to server at the debug level.
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With no other users streaming, play a video with subtitles disabled and AC3/Dolby Digital audio selected.
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Monitor playback via Plex Dashboard → Now Playing.
Are the video or audio streams transcoding?
Is the connection displayed as local, remote, or indirect?
Attach a screenshot if possible.
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If the video is transcoding, stop playback, pull log files, and attach to the thread.
The TV is local. I put this, the same movie playing on Plex PC and TV, to comparison. It’s transcoding everything to SD.
The verbose level logging was already turned off and the Samsung Plex was already logged to server at the debug level.
Plex Media Server Logs_2021-05-06_16-01-06.zip (3.2 MB)
No matter what I do, it continues to transcode to SD.
Your tv is using Plex relay servers. What did you change on your network? Did you add a new router? The server and the tv are connected to different devices, right?
Literally nothing changed, it suddenly started to transcode to SD. I’m using Plex for years connected on the same network (in both devices) and never did anything like this.
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I tested it on my phone to see if the problem is with server settings or on the TV, and it streamed directly. I don’t know what it might be because the settings on the TV app are correct.
Edit: If you phone & TV are on the same WiFi then this isn’t an issue. Public/Private would affect all devices.
Check the network settings on your server. Make sure it is set to a private, not public, network. If set to public, your server cannot communicate directly with other devices on your local network.
Windows 10 Settings → Network & Internet. If the network is set to Public, select Properties to change it.
Yes, it’s set as private. The phone and TV are connected to the same WiFi.
I don’t know if it’s related, but the Samsung Plex app was updated 2 weeks ago. That’s about the time the issue started.
Here’s some other items to check/try:
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Set your TV & server to use public DNS servers such as Google, (8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4), Cloudflare (1.1.1.1), etc. This can help if you are using secure connections. See the DNS rebinding section of the Using Secure Connections support document.
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Disable IPv6 on the TV and Plex Server (Settings → Network).
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Allow Insecure Connections on your LAN
- Set the server for Preferred (Settings → Network → Secure Connections).
- Set the TV to use unsecured connections to your local server.
In the Plex app on my LG it is in Settings → Advanced. There are two settings, Allow Insecure Connections and Prefer Insecure Connections. Both set to On Same Network As Server.
It should be similar for a Samsung.
- Reboot your network.
- Shutdown your Plex server.
- Power off the TV and remove from AC power for ~20 seconds (so it fully powers off, not just sleeps).
- Power off / Power on your router.
- Once the router is fully back online, boot up the Plex server.
- Once the Plex server is back online, turn on the TV.
Now it finally worked. Thank you! In case it happens again should I do the same steps?
Hopefully it does not happen again, but the steps above are the basic checklist to run through when you have indirect connections on a local network.
One other item to add to the list is to check for AP isolation in your router. It would be something to check if you ever swap out your router and all WiFi devices have indirect connections.
AP Isolation keeps WiFi devices from communicating with each other or with any LAN devices. They can only communicate to the Internet. It is used in coffee shops, hotels, etc to keep people from snooping on other people’s traffic.
Since your phone had a local connection it meant AP isolation was not part of the problem
Glad you have things working.
Cheers!
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