So i have been to so many topics and really can’t seem to find a “cure” to my problem.
Server Version#: 1.27.2.5929-a806c5905
Player Version#: 5.41.2
Server PC AMD 5800x, 32GB ram, 3080ti.
I was so pumped new tv, HDR 4K, got the plex subscription to get the HDR functions.
I really love to watch movies with subs.
Problem is whenever i add subtitles the HDR is lost and movie is buffering every 5 sec.
I have tried i think everything.
Disabling transcoding in plex settings to force direct play./stream resulting in an playback error on TV player.
Changing subtitles settings, “burn only image files”. The result:
Tautulli shows still srt subs being burned.
without subs, not sure why it shows throttled (everything was working really smooth, HDR and everything):
And im still completely lost, it can’t be hardware issue, it feels more like some PLEX bug.
If anyone has any references to other topics that might help i’ll try them.
I really rarely make topics in forums but i made it to get help and to even more to point this issue out to plex devs. I really care about PLEX and love the other functionalities.
Right now im leaning to canceling my subscription until this issue is fixed.
Anyone?
The problem you are experiencing is due to the limitations of the LG TV and the Plex webOS app.
LG TVs do not support DTS (any version) or TrueHD audio. Because of this, Plex Media Server must transcode the audio to a supported format.
Furthermore, due to a limitation in the streaming protocol used between Plex Server & the TV, if audio is transcoding, enabling any form of subtitles results in a video transcode to burn subtitles into the video stream. Plex must do this to keep the video, audio, and subtitles in sync with each other.
FYI, enabling PGS or VOBSUB subtitles also results in video transcoding and burning subtitles.
Options:
Do not use PGS/VOBSUB subtitles.
Do not use SRT subtitles when audio is transcoding.
Use XMedia Recode or similar tools to re-encode the audio. Passthrough the video stream and transcode the audio to a supported format, such as Dolby Digital Plus (EAC3). This should work for HDR10 video. Unsure about HDR10+, Dolby Vision, or HLG video. The process should be relatively fast, as transcoding audio does not require many CPU cycles. Do not use Handbrake for this task, as it cannot passthrough the video stream.
Use a streaming device such as a Nvidia Shield Pro, Amazon FireStick 4K, or similar device that does not require subtitle burning. The Shield will also passthrough DTS and TrueHD audio to a soundbar, receiver, etc. * The FireStick does not passthrough DTS or TrueHD, but does not require subtitle burning when audio is transcoding.
* LG TVs block DTS passthrough from attached devices. The Shield must be connected directly to the soundbar or receiver, not to a HDMI input on the LG TV.
Additional Comments:
Disabling transcoding does not force direct play. It means Plex will not play the video if transcoding is required.
When transcoding, Throttled is not bad. It means the transcoder is running faster than real time, has filled the buffer, and waiting. When enough of the video has streamed and emptied the buffer to a lower level, transcoding will resume. See If a transcode is “throttled”, is that bad?
