Hello,
Just wanted to know why do I have a transcode process ongoing, when there is actually no one transcoding:
Kind regards
Insufficient information to diagnose… “Top” + one screenshot is not enough.
By all indication, at face value, you have someone playing from your server.
Go look at the dashboard for this server. What does it show?
Please attach the DEBUG logs ZIP file
Hello,
The issue was happening around 23:27
Are these logs enough?
Do these usernames mean much ?
Jun 27, 2021 22:53:19.680 [0x7f7124ae5b38] DEBUG - Completed: [127.0.0.1:35292] 206 PUT /video/:/transcode/session/F7B1CB9F-49D5-4852-8830-F3E546931342/2d74192c-b76c-4b11-92d9-98239488c798/progress?progress=30.3&size=-22&remaining=-1 (9 live) 0ms 371 bytes (pipelined: 663) (range: bytes=0-)
Jun 27, 2021 22:53:19.853 [0x7f7124ac2b38] DEBUG - Auth: authenticated user 83295281 as gilginkute@gmail.com
Jun 27, 2021 22:53:19.853 [0x7f7124825b38] DEBUG - Request: [XXXXXXXXX1:56863 (WAN)] GET /:/timeline?bufferedTime=151&col=0&context=home%3Ahub.continueWatching&duration=7861440&key=%2Flibrary%2Fmetadata%2F2633&location=wan&playQueueItemID=716&playbackTime=1488&ratingKey=2633&row=0&state=paused&time=2080161 (9 live) TLS GZIP Signed-in Token (gilginkute@gmail.com)
Jun 27, 2021 22:53:19.854 [0x7f7124825b38] DEBUG - Client [67D68097-F75A-4370-9481-FB0645BE6A7D] reporting timeline state paused, progress of 2080161/7861440ms for guid=, playbackTime=1488ms ratingKey=2633 url=, key=/library/metadata/2633, containerKey=, metadataId=2633, source=
Jun 27, 2021 22:53:19.865 [0x7f7124825b38] DEBUG - Play progress on 2633 'La ladrona de libros' - got played 2080161 ms by account 83295281!
Jun 27, 2021 22:53:19.865 [0x7f7124825b38] DEBUG - [Now] User is gilginkute@gmail.com (ID: 83295281)
Jun 27, 2021 22:53:19.865 [0x7f7124825b38] DEBUG - [Now] Device is iOS (iPad de Rolanda).
Jun 27, 2021 22:53:19.865 [0x7f7124825b38] DEBUG - [Now] Profile is iOS
Jun 27, 2021 22:53:19.865 [0x7f7124825b38] DEBUG - [Now] Updated play state for /library/metadata/2633.
Jun 27, 2021 22:53:19.865 [0x7f7124825b38] DEBUG - Statistics: (67D68097-F75A-4370-9481-FB0645BE6A7D) Reporting active playback in state 1 of type 1 (scrobble: 0) for account 83295281
Jun 27, 2021 22:53:19.869 [0x7f7124ac2b38] DEBUG - Completed: [85.136.228.251:56863] 200 GET /:/timeline?bufferedTime=151&col=0&context=home%3Ahub.continueWatching&duration=7861440&key=%2Flibrary%2Fmetadata%2F2633&location=wan&playQueueItemID=716&playbackTime=1488&ratingKey=2633&row=0&state=paused&time=2080161 (9 live) TLS GZIP 15ms 772 bytes (pipelined: 30)
Jun 27, 2021 22:53:19.873 [0x7f7124ae5b38] DEBUG - Auth: authenticated user 1 as el_pedriyo
Jun 27, 2021 22:53:19.873 [0x7f7123f65b38] DEBUG - Request: [192.168.1.207:51164 (Subnet)] GET /status/sessions (10 live) GZIP Signed-in Token (el_pedriyo)
Jun 27, 2021 22:53:19.873 [0x7f7123f65b38] DEBUG - [Now] Adding 1 sessions.
Jun 27, 2021 22:53:19.874 [0x7f7124ac2b38] DEBUG - Completed: [192.168.1.207:51164] 200 GET /status/sessions (10 live) G
Jun 27, 2021 22:53:54.543 [0x7f7124ac2b38] DEBUG - Auth: authenticated user 83295281 as gilginkute@XXXXXXXXX
Jun 27, 2021 22:53:54.543 [0x7f7123f65b38] DEBUG - Request: [85.136.228.251:56863 (WAN)] GET /video/:/transcode/universal/ping
40 minutes of playback.
Jun 27, 2021 22:54:47.199 [0x7f7124767b38] DEBUG - Play progress on 2633 'La ladrona de libros' - got played 2111276 ms by account 83295281!
Hello,
Yes, that user is the first streaming of the image I sent before. But Plex is just saying reporting it as direct streaming 
The transcoder is also used to change the “container” of the video, depending on the client type.
So even if both video and audio stream are compatible with the client device, Plex will sometimes need to change the container (e.g. from MKV to TS or mp4) to make them compatible with the used transport protocol.
Also if your source file has several audio and subtitle streams, these may get left out and only the selected streams are being “remuxed” by the transcoder.
TL;DR the transcoder is being used in a lot of cases, even if there is nothing to “transcode”.
Hello,
But even if thats the case, normally Plex reports it on the control panel. This time what I saw, was plex saying everything was under direct stream
You must differentiate between Direct Stream and Direct Play.
Direct Stream is what I described above: the container is changed and the file is also chopped into chunks which are transferred to the client bit by bit.
Direct Play is taking the file as it is, and forwarding it to the client totally unchanged.
So:
Direct Stream: transcoder is involved
Direct Play: transcoder is not needed
Sorry, I did not translate the word correctly. Seeing the original image again, it seems to be direct play the 3 of them
If you inspect the command line in full, it mentions something about “analyzeduration”.
I think it hints at the use of the transcoder as a media info tool.
The Plex transcoder is basically a modified ffmpeg. Apart from transcoding, it can also be used to query technical information about the makeup of a media file.
Plex is also utilizing this aspect of ffmpeg. It will often be used at the start of playback, when refreshing or updating a library, or when entering the preplay page of a library item.
Even when you’re simply browsing the library, ffmpeg is used to resize the larger poster pictures down to smaller sizes which fit into the currently used client user interface.
Well, one thing I noticed, was that it was all time active during the play of the first stream of the image, so it seems it is somehow related with that playback.
Enable debug logging in Plex server, then start playback and fetch the logs after a few minutes. The calls to the transcoder are included in the logs, completely with parameters. So you should be able to discern what it is doing.
(If you take a look at the lines beginning with MDE: you should even be able to tell why.)
I think I have those. What is the name of the file, I need to look at? I have a look of them.
This afternoon I will check it 
The relevant lines are in the main log, named Plex Media Server.log.
hmmm, so they should have been in the same file I uploaded, right? That means then, that the debug logging was not active 
I will try to reproduce the same issue with the device that was watching the movie, and will enable it to trace whats going on
The file you uploaded was named Plex Media Server.2.log which means it covers an earlier time span. And unfortunately it didn’t cover the start of playback of that file, which is when the most informative messages appear in the logs.
Ah! oki, so I need to go to the first part of the log, where the movie started being played, good to know. Will check this afternoon and will let you know, whats in there hopefully.
Well thinking it better let me a couple of min and will check it now 
Hello,
Here the other back log
Plex Media Server.3.log (10.0 MB)
Has it something to do with:
Jun 27, 2021 22:47:56.085 [0x7f71258f2b38] DEBUG - [Transcode/F7B1CB9F-49D5-4852-8830-F3E546931342] [Universal] Using local file path instead of URL: /mnt/media/Peliculas/La ladrona de libros (2013)/La ladrona de libros (2013).mkv
Jun 27, 2021 22:47:56.085 [0x7f71258f2b38] DEBUG - [Transcode/F7B1CB9F-49D5-4852-8830-F3E546931342/JobRunner] Job running: FFMPEG_EXTERNAL_LIBS='/var/lib/plexmediaserver/Library/Application\ Support/Plex\ Media\ Server/Codecs/fa235d6-3858-linux-x86_64/' X_PLEX_TOKEN='xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx' '/usr/lib/plexmediaserver/Plex Transcoder' '-codec:0' 'h264' '-ss' '2070' '-noaccurate_seek' '-analyzeduration' '20000000' '-probesize' '20000000' '-i' '/mnt/media/Peliculas/La ladrona de libros (2013)/La ladrona de libros (2013).mkv' '-map' '0:0' '-metadata:s:0' 'language=eng' '-codec:0' 'copy' '-map' '0:1' '-metadata:s:1' 'language=spa' '-codec:1' 'copy' '-map' '0:3' '-metadata:s:2' 'language=spa' '-codec:2' 'copy' '-map' '0:t?' '-codec:t' 'copy' '-segment_format' 'matroska' '-f' 'ssegment' '-individual_header_trailer' '0' '-flags' '+global_header' '-segment_format_options' 'output_ts_offset=10' '-segment_header_filename' 'header' '-segment_time' '10' '-segment_start_number' '207' '-segment_copyts' '1' '-segment_time_delta' '0.0625' '-segment_list' 'http://127.0.0.1:32400/video/:/transcode/session/F7B1CB9F-49D5-4852-8830-F3E546931342/2d74192c-b76c-4b11-92d9-98239488c798/manifest?X-Plex-Http-Pipeline=infinite' '-segment_list_type' 'csv' '-segment_list_size' '5' '-segment_list_separate_stream_times' '1' '-segment_list_unfinished' '1' '-max_delay' '5000000' '-avoid_negative_ts' 'disabled' '-map_metadata:g' '-1' '-map_metadata:c' '-1' '-map_chapters' '-1' 'media-%05d.ts' '-start_at_zero' '-copyts' '-y' '-nostats' '-loglevel' 'quiet' '-loglevel_plex' 'error' '-progressurl' 'http://127.0.0.1:32400/video/:/transcode/session/F7B1CB9F-49D5-4852-8830-F3E546931342/2d74192c-b76c-4b11-92d9-98239488c798/progress'
Jun 27, 2021 22:47:56.085 [0x7f71258f2b38] DEBUG - [Transcode/F7B1CB9F-49D5-4852-8830-F3E546931342/JobRunner] Jobs: Starting child process with pid 1611
???
