Looks like this option has been removed on the NVIDIA Shield client and AppleTV. Without those options, many of my media files won’t play unless I select a 4mbit stream, which looks like crap.
There is another post about this here – https://forums.plex.tv/discussion/272790/help-what-happened-to-direct-play-option-on-just-updated-atv-plex-app
Has anyone found a solution? I’m very frustrated.
Settings - Web - ‘Show Advanced’ - Debug
@OttoKerner - I am not sure that is helpful, is it? Wouldn’t that apply to the Web player itself, not other clients?
You are right.
Sorry, was not focused enough.
Yeah, I noticed these settings were missing last night on the Android TV. :’(
Yea, this is bad. Family keeps asking, “Why doesn’t plex work?” Since it just buffers forever on a LOT of my files. And even if I do go in and set a bitrate, the highest you can set is 4mbit, which looks terrible.
They have completely broken plex… If they want to do experimenting stuff, then do it on their own systems. You have removed my option to watch a movie in MY desired ORIGINAL format. Please fix ASAP.
many media files won’t play.
errr, I think you’ll find a lot more WILL play with direct play and direct stream on.
please provide more information about the files that will not.
Probably means they’re moving everyone to the automatic bitrate stuff that doesn’t work right at this point.
@KarlDag said:
Probably means they’re moving everyone to the automatic bitrate stuff that doesn’t work right at this point.
You can turn that off inside the app though…
Here is the media info from one of the files that buffer forever.
Media
Video Resolution 1080p
Duration 2:37:03
Bitrate 5243 kbps
Width 1912
Height 792
Aspect Ratio 2.35
Container MOV
Video Frame Rate 24p
Web Optimized No
Has 64bit Offsets 1
Video Profile high
Part
Duration 2:37:03
File Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005).mov
Size 5.75 GB
Container MOV
Has 64bit Offsets 1
Has Thumbnail 1
Web Optimized No
Video Profile high
Codec H264
Bitrate 4465 kbps
Language English
Bit Depth 8
Chroma Subsampling 4:2:0
Color Range tv
Color Space bt709
Frame Rate 23.976 fps
Height 792
Level 4.0
Profile high
Ref Frames 5
Stream Identifier 5
Width 1912
Codec AAC
Channels Stereo
Language English
Audio Channel Layout stereo
Profile lc
Sampling Rate 48000 Hz
Stream Identifier 1
Codec AC3
Channels 5.1
Bitrate 384 kbps
Language English
Audio Channel Layout 5.1(side)
Sampling Rate 48000 Hz
Stream Identifier 2
Codec AAC
Channels Stereo
Language Français
Audio Channel Layout stereo
Profile lc
Sampling Rate 48000 Hz
Stream Identifier 3
Codec AAC
Channels Stereo
Language Español
Audio Channel Layout stereo
Profile lc
Sampling Rate 48000 Hz
Stream Identifier 4
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language English
Stream Identifier 6
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language Français
Stream Identifier 7
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language Español
Stream Identifier 8
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language Español
Stream Identifier 9
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language Español
Stream Identifier 10
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language Français
Stream Identifier 11
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language Português
Stream Identifier 12
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language Português
Stream Identifier 13
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language Italiano
Stream Identifier 14
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language Deutsch
Stream Identifier 15
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language Nederlands
Stream Identifier 16
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language Svenska
Stream Identifier 17
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language Norsk
Stream Identifier 18
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language Dansk
Stream Identifier 19
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language Suomi
Stream Identifier 20
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language Ελληνικά
Stream Identifier 21
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language polski
Stream Identifier 22
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language bahasa Melayu, بهاس ملايو
Stream Identifier 23
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language ไทย
Stream Identifier 24
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language 한국어
Stream Identifier 25
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language Bahasa Indonesia
Stream Identifier 26
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language 中文
Stream Identifier 27
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language 中文
Stream Identifier 28
Codec MOV_TEXT
Stream Identifier 29
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language Magyar
Stream Identifier 30
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language Íslenska
Stream Identifier 31
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language Türkçe
Stream Identifier 32
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language العربية
Stream Identifier 33
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language עברית
Stream Identifier 34
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language русский язык
Stream Identifier 35
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language български език
Stream Identifier 36
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language українська
Stream Identifier 37
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language српски језик
Stream Identifier 38
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language hrvatski
Stream Identifier 39
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language Česky
Stream Identifier 40
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language slovenčina
Stream Identifier 41
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language slovenščina
Stream Identifier 42
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language eesti, eesti keel
Stream Identifier 43
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language latviešu valoda
Stream Identifier 44
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language Română
Stream Identifier 45
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language lietuvių kalba
Stream Identifier 46
Codec EIA_608
Language English
Stream Identifier 47Another example, just like the others this file wouldn’t play (buffered forever, playback never started) when set to “Original Quality” or “Automatic Quality” on the NVIDIA Sheild client. Again I had to set it to 4mbit manualy to get it to play.
Media
Video Resolution 1080p
Duration 2:11:14
Bitrate 6293 kbps
Width 1918
Height 1078
Aspect Ratio 1.78
Container MP4
Video Frame Rate 24p
Web Optimized No
Has 64bit Offsets 1
Video Profile high
Part
Duration 2:11:14
File Pacific Rim (2013).mp4
Size 5.77 GB
Container MP4
Has 64bit Offsets 1
Has Thumbnail 1
Web Optimized No
Video Profile high
Codec H264
Bitrate 5393 kbps
Language English
Bit Depth 8
Chroma Subsampling 4:2:0
Color Range tv
Color Space bt709
Frame Rate 23.976 fps
Height 1078
Level 4.0
Profile high
Ref Frames 4
Stream Identifier 6
Width 1918
Codec AAC
Channels Stereo
Language English
Audio Channel Layout stereo
Profile lc
Sampling Rate 48000 Hz
Stream Identifier 1
Codec AC3
Channels 5.1
Bitrate 384 kbps
Language English
Audio Channel Layout 5.1(side)
Sampling Rate 48000 Hz
Stream Identifier 2
Codec AAC
Channels Stereo
Language Français
Audio Channel Layout stereo
Profile lc
Sampling Rate 48000 Hz
Stream Identifier 3
Codec AAC
Channels Stereo
Language Español
Audio Channel Layout stereo
Profile lc
Sampling Rate 48000 Hz
Stream Identifier 4
Codec AAC
Channels Stereo
Language English
Audio Channel Layout stereo
Profile lc
Sampling Rate 48000 Hz
Stream Identifier 5
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language English
Stream Identifier 7
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language Français
Stream Identifier 8
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language Français
Stream Identifier 9
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language Español
Stream Identifier 10
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language Español
Stream Identifier 11
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language Português
Stream Identifier 12
Codec EIA_608
Language English
Stream Identifier 13Another example of one that won’t play in automatic or original quality
Media
Video Resolution 1080p
Duration 1:39:56
Bitrate 5662 kbps
Width 1916
Height 1032
Aspect Ratio 1.85
Container MP4
Video Frame Rate 24p
Web Optimized No
Has 64bit Offsets 1
Video Profile high
Part
Duration 1:39:56
File Mission Control The Unsung Heroes of Apollo (2017).mp4
Size 3.95 GB
Container MP4
Has 64bit Offsets 1
Has Thumbnail 1
Web Optimized No
Video Profile high
Codec H264
Bitrate 5146 kbps
Language English
Bit Depth 8
Chroma Subsampling 4:2:0
Color Range tv
Color Space bt709
Frame Rate 23.976 fps
Height 1032
Level 4.0
Profile high
Ref Frames 4
Stream Identifier 3
Width 1916
Codec AAC
Channels Stereo
Bitrate 131 kbps
Language English
Audio Channel Layout stereo
Profile lc
Sampling Rate 48000 Hz
Stream Identifier 1
Codec AC3
Channels 5.1
Bitrate 384 kbps
Language English
Audio Channel Layout 5.1(side)
Sampling Rate 48000 Hz
Stream Identifier 2
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language Deutsch
Stream Identifier 4
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language Español
Stream Identifier 5
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language Français
Stream Identifier 6
Codec MOV_TEXT
Language Italiano
Stream Identifier 7
Codec EIA_608
Language English
Stream Identifier 8Hey, I found one that works! Didn’t have to do anything with this file. Just hit play and it worked like in the old days. Maybe somebody can spot the difference between the working ones and non-working ones.
Media
Video Resolution 1080p
Duration 2:19:04
Bitrate 9084 kbps
Width 1920
Height 1036
Aspect Ratio 1.85
Container MKV
Video Frame Rate 24p
Audio Profile lc
Video Profile main
Part
Duration 2:19:04
File 8½ (1963).mkv
Size 8.82 GB
Audio Profile lc
Container MKV
Video Profile main
Codec H264
Bitrate 9084 kbps
Bit Depth 8
Chroma Subsampling 4:2:0
Color Range tv
Color Space bt709
Frame Rate 23.976 fps
Height 1036
Level 4.0
Profile main
Ref Frames 4
Scan Type progressive
Width 1920
Codec AAC
Channels Mono
Language Italiano
Audio Channel Layout mono
Profile lc
Sampling Rate 48000 Hz
Title Mono
Codec AAC
Channels Mono
Language English
Audio Channel Layout mono
Profile lc
Sampling Rate 48000 Hz
Title Mono
Forced true
Codec PGS
Language EnglishThe first difference I see is non-working files have video profile - high and working file - main . Is that an issue with this new versions of Plex?
Every movie that won’t play has “Web Optimized No.”
If this is the problem, and you’ve a Mac, you can use the “Optimize” feature in Subler, subler.org, to rearrange things to help with web streaming.
From the Subler FAQ:
What’s the “Optimize” function?
It interleaves the audio and video samples, and puts the “MooV” atom at the beginning of the file, restoring the Quicktime “fast-start” (also known as “pseudo-streaming”) ability of the file.
There’s probably s/w on the PC to do the same.
When using Handbrake, selecting “Web Optimized” on the “Picture” tab will accomplish the same.
Here’s an article on rigor.com with details about optimizing mp4s for web streaming.
https://rigor.com/blog/2016/01/optimizing-mp4-video-for-fast-streaming
FWIW, no idea if this is root cause of your issues, just noticed that the problematic files all had “web optimized no.” I’ve a couple hundred movies in my iTunes library, all processed with Handbrake & Subler using AppleTV 3 preset and “web optimized.” Never had a problem direct playing any of them with Plex.
PMS 1.8.1 on Win10 and Nvidia Shield. Client 6.4 on Shield TV.
Also, the movie that does play is in a MKV container. The problematic files are in MOV and MP4 containers.
You could try using MKVToolNix to remux the MOV/MP4 files into a MKV container.
