Plex hardware transcoding without plex pass

This process is called Transcoding and can be quite powerful: Note: Subtitles can introduce a wrinkle here sometimes. This card is listed in the Nvidia Support Matrix identified whereas the Geforce GT 730 was not. The Plex Media Server is smart software that makes playing Movies, TV Shows and other media on your computer simple. . Jun 11, 2023 · Hook a compatible tuner and digital antenna up to your local Plex Media Server to let you watch and record free, over-the-air broadcasts available in your area. 7571-13cdc68dc September 27, 2023 All transcoder binaries / modules are the same May 25, 2023 · For example, to direct play that previous “3. Jul 4, 2021 · Transcode. NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 – A Reliable GPU for 4K Video Transcoding. There are other options but not many unfortunately. , as a native package or within an Docker container) can make it more complex to set up. Record content into your library to gain all the benefits of other personal media: beautiful metadata, access it anywhere and any time, and more. This is transcoding. Hardware transcode only works up to 1080p with H. System Details: Unraid Server Version: 6. Feb 13, 2019 · We want to provide our Plex container with access to one of the devices on our unRAID box. If you don’t have or want Plex Pass, you can still read on to set up Plex on k8s, just know that you are going to be limited to the beefiness of your CPU for doing software transcoding (which is a pretty intensive task). Mar 11, 2024 · Plex Media Server will attempt to use hardware-accelerated video codecs when encoding and decoding video. With Jellyfin, you can enjoy any multimedia format from your own server, including movies, TV shows, music, books, and photos. Make it a Plex Pass only feature! Sep 28, 2023 · There was an issue for HW transcoding on the version you have installed: PMS 1. With this configuration, you can stop docker, start native and continue without change. a different app with a smaller buffer might need ~8. DSM 7, with new Packaging 2. Jan 18, 2024 · Server Version#: 1. Hardware transcoding (direct hardware passthrough) is prohibited by Synology in the GUI. Once the Plex Media Server container is running, the following steps will turn on the Hardware Transcoding option: Open the Plex Web app. Hardware transcoding. 1 I moved my plex server to another computer that has similar specs. Also, I use Plex for like 80% of my media consumption and felt that they really just deserved my 100 bucks. Still running into the same issue with the server with the CPU hit 40%, but I'm pretty sure that's due to the audio transcoding. Feb 13, 2019 · Fortunately Intel CPUs have a little thing called Quick Sync which is their native hardware encoding and decoding core. Hardware transcoding is also only available if you have Plex Pass. The users that run their Plex Media Server on Windows may encounter an issue where hardware transcoding stops working. Go to [Settings], and switch to [Server] settings. Modern Intel CPUs with integrated graphics can easily transcode multiple 4K HDR movies at one time Nov 18, 2023 · Install App, Plex-Media-Server (official from Plex) - this is only version that natively supports HW TC without other extra parameters and craziness I'm aware of. upgrade your clients and TV to support 4K HDR. Hardware acceleration can make transcoding faster and allow more simultaneous video transcodes, but it can also reduce video quality and compatibility. Jellyfin is the best Plex alternative. 7557-1cf77d501 September 25, 2023 Beta 1. Any pointers on how can I further debug this would be greatly appreciated! Apr 18, 2023 · 1. Nov 17, 2023 · Hi there, I am relatively new to Unraid as well as Plex and am experiencing challenges with setting up hardware transcoding in my Plex Docker container. Jellyfin. 0, using the native data without change. Jan 3, 2023 · After installing an NVIDIA graphics card, follow these steps to allocate the graphics card to the NAS system: Go to Control Panel > Hardware > Hardware Resource. Was this article helpful? Jan 22, 2020 · Server Version#: 1. So far I have been tested running the Plex server on the two hardware configurations: System #1: System #2. 6. For future reference, here is the post from the Intel subreddit from 2016. Plex can realize this and convert the media to a format the player can understand so that players can always playback the media. NVIDIA Quadro P2200 – Best Budget GPU for Plex 1080p Streaming. 1 - I have a problem with DTS movies and shows with a few frames of audio cutting out every now and then. I did some looking around the forums and it seems Linux graphic cards are questionable, in the sense that some have drivers that decode but don’t encode. Hope this post helps people decide if they want to use Plex with quicksync/hw transcoding on TrueNAS Scale. Nov 8, 2019 · Are you logged into the plex server with your plex account that has the plex pass? Have you checked the use hardware acceleration when available box on the transcoder page of the server settings? Jul 1, 2021 · Hi, I have been using the plex app on my old Samsung F8000 (Direct Play). Mar 18, 2022 · Bringing this back to the top with updates and a new GPU, Nvidia Quadro K620. Sep 21, 2018 · To enable hardware transcoding with Plex, first you’ll need to get Plex Pass. This can dramatically reduce the CPU overhead required for transcoding and Plex can leverage this using their Hardware Acceleration feature. The settings for my new media server are exactly the same as my old one. Turn on Show Advanced in the upper-right corner to expose advanced settings. 265 source content. apt install pve-kernel-6. Reply. 10 votes, 16 comments. 2. One of the quick and instantaneous speedups to watching a transcoded video was switching over the Plex temporary transcode directory to be /dev/shm – Linux’s temporary filesystem stored in memory. I checked Plex Server on my Synology 918+ and noted that CPU usage is very low (around 5% due to hw decode and encode is being used). Head over to the Docker Tab, click on the your Plex container. Plex with Plex Pass and Emby Premier will both transcode. All of my stuff is mkv and it all plays fine in Plex on my Roku Ultras without transcoding. 99. Award. It often alarms people when their CPU suddenly is at 100% because of Plex. Select QTS mode. hardware transcoding allows you to use a GPU to transcode the video to a client instead of relying on the CPU to perform the transcoding. 7. Plex Media Server 1. Reinstall PMS including a rollback to v1. I am asking that if you are to respond to this thread that you kindly use screenshots and detailed instructions to explain how to perform a specific task. Money well spent! Enable hardware transcoding in Plex. However, neither Plex itself nor intel_gpu_top indicate any activity on the iGPU when transcoding. But Plex Pass is absolutely worth it for Skip Intro, PlexAmp, and Editions, among other things. It allows you to pick which GPU to use for each program if you have Nvidia cards. You are free to go use that hardware feature you own for any other non-Plex related purpose. I think the default is still 60 these days. But I also see the Plex-Transcoder process eating the whole CPU and the movie May 23, 2023 · Mezzmo. Photo by Jellyfin. Open the Plex Web app. One of them is playback of videos with ASS subtitles. Useful if you don't have the transcoding capacity or if you want to utilize any old or low-spec devices, such as RPIs, old laptops, desktops, etc. exe”, and “plex transocder. When using iGPU hardware transcoding, the server's CPU offloads the transcoding process to the iGPU, which results in faster transcoding times and lower CPU usage. Was this article helpful? Yes. With just docker containers, multiple containers can use the iGPU simultaneously. Is there any preformance difference if i go for this? Dec 5, 2023 · Configure Plex to use a ramdisk for temporary transcode files. But I've heard that in general hardware transcoding with Plex doesn't produce as good of an image. It is a free and open-source media server solution. 99 and an annual one for $39. 2260 Player Version#: Version 4. 2. 6. In Transcoder tab, the GPU is listed as Sep 24, 2021 · Hi, Since I upgraded to Plex Pass and starting using Hardware Transcoding I have had a few issues. exe” programs to the list, but you might just need the transcoder executable - though adding them all won’t hurt. When set to nothing, it uses the default Plex application support directory. Use Google to troubleshoot why said feature doesn't work on your setup specifically. If an app tells the server it can’t handle the video or audio in the stream at all, the server will convert the incompatible tracks to a compatible one and send that to the app. tv/t/dsm-7-packaging-2-0-docker-the-how-to/737361Plex DSM 7 Setup Instructions: https://forums. exe", "plex media scanner. 20. Hello, I am new to Plex and bought the premium membership to try out Plex features. It would be nice to be able to only disable video transcoding on the server side. I am running Debian but whenever I try to stream 4K, my system load shoots up and video won’t even load. Edit 2: My first Gold! Edit 3: A lot of people suggest just buying a quicksync cpu. Once you are at the Plex main dashboard, click on Remote Access in the left pane. 12. Edit: For those looking for the TL;DR, It lets you cluster a bunch of devices to handle transcoding workloads in Plex. Turn on Use hardware acceleration when available. I've only been using it for a day, but I'm impressed so far. It will rarely work, but yes, it will be compatible. tv/plexpass (compensated affiliate link) - Plex offers a great free server for hosting your personal media on your local network May 16, 2023 · Complete the remaining setup (specify your local media folder and set a transcode directory, preferrably a location on your cache pool) and click apply to create the docker. As far as I know, Plex doesn't give you that option. 265 8-bit. That transcoding support is available to any software running on the NAS, though how it is run (i. Transcoding 4k isn't possible. b. Feb 19, 2019 · A: go to Plex > settings > console > filter > type “mde” without the quotes. 4. So if you want 4k transcoding, you are going to have to build a PC that has the processing power to make this possible. Off topic I think PLEX team should make a few technical instruction videos on this matter for the purpose of Audio transcoding is a piece of cake for most computers. 29. magkliarn. That page about only supporting mp4 is ancient, and somehow Plex never updates it. This system is an Alienware laptop with an external amplifier running a full size 5700XT. Interestingly, when typing the console command "ls dev/dri" without quotes it would return card0, card1, render D128, and render D129. I do use Jellyfin and on my LG C1 TV it's working well (with hardware transcoding for some non-supported audio codecs mostly)…. I set up my Plex library and enable hardware transcoding in the settings. 7571-13cdc68dc September 27, 2023 All transcoder binaries / modules are the same Nov 30, 2022 · Tip!: HDR to SDR tone mapping support is currently available as a Plex Pass preview and requires an active Plex Pass subscription for the main Plex Media Server account. Use hardware-accelerated video encoding. From personal media on your own server, to podcasts, web shows, and news, to streaming music, you can enjoy it all in one app, on any device. Below are a few pictures to help you configure hardware transcoding. Nowhere in the OP the model is mentioned. 32. 3. ) Oct 17, 2023 · As a minimum, we recommend: Intel Core i3 (or equivalent) or faster. I can confirm that this did, in fact Not so straightforward. Run a transcode with the discrete GPU disabled, reboot and enable. 3. Nvidia Titan RTX – Extremely Powerful Graphics Card for Plex Servers. This may sound crazy but I read someplace where if I change the For questions and comments about the Plex Media Server. 2 (to support 13th gen Intel CPU) apt update. I read up on hardware transcoding using Intel Quick Sync and since I have Plex pass, I decided to buy new hardware for my server. Another option: have a look at NVidia Control Panel -> Manage 3D settings -> Program settings-> Preferred graphics processor. 24. Apr 28, 2022 · Regarding hardware transcoding, there are exceptions for Plex Media Server running on embedded platforms. When the player is not capable or option is set to force burning. Feb 7, 2020 · Raspberry Pi4 HW transcoding: Found. We need to change the relevant permissions on our Quick Sync Device which we do by typing into the terminal window: chmod -R 777 /dev/dri. examine the log entries with the MDE: and TPU: lines, these should help explain why plex is transcoding. Once that's done. Plex Pass is absolutely worth it. Tip!: While Plex Media Server can install and run on a computer with a slower processor, you might not have a very good experience, depending on your usage. Or enjoying karaoke with timed lyrics. 7621 Happy holidays, forum users! We've got something special in store for you with this release: it enables hardware transcoding for Windows, macOS, and Linux for Plex Pass users. 6316. Aug 18, 2021 · That’s it. Click on Show Advanced in the upper-right corner to expose Plex asking you to pay a fee to use a non-essential feature is not unreasonable at all. EDIT/SOLUTION: Install the Intel Media SDK. reboot. 4 Mbps of bandwidth because the smaller buffer can’t tolerate spikes as well. After setup, dont forget to enable hardware transcoding (requires plex pass) in the plex settings. (Recording of broadcasts requires a Plex Pass subscription. Transcoding is the process of converting media from one format to another so it can be played by a device. Audio transcoding is multi-threaded - typically 10-15% but up to 25% per stream. Certain other cards don’t seem to work with Plex. If it can't be played, Plex will determine what will need to be converted in order for the media file to play on Dec 20, 2019 · I want to start out by saying that lately reading threads about 4K transcoding issues I am confused what solutions to follow. The CPU in that box will choke on a single 1080p transcode trying to handle it through the regular CPU core. I know the Nvidia ShieldTV can hardware transcode without plex pass, and I think there are some WD NAS devices that do it too. The "Skip Intro" button will not be displayed on clients that don't have the Plex Pass. plex. It's a client sided limitation. After this, you should consult the Using Hardware-Accelerated Streaming article to enable hardware acceleration within the Plex app. Plex supports mkv just fine. upgrade your server to support transcoding 4K HDR. VM also has a hack to enable more than 2 simultaneous nvenc streams. Aug 22, 2022 · Supported Video Formats for Plex. In the case of Plex, it will look at the source media file and determine if can be played on the client requesting the file. 7 I run my Plex in docker. Feb 18, 2023 · Plex hardware transcoding is Plex Pass-reserved to help convert videos faster to ensure smoother HD or 4K video streaming to more devices at once. Plex Media Server will attempt to use hardware-accelerated video codecs when encoding and decoding video. Our 'Movies & Shows' streaming service is free to all users and ad-supported. TL;DR. I have had HandBrake and Plex both using the iGPU at the same time for hw transcoding. No. One thing to note is that hardware transcoding is a benefit of Plex Pass. You'll have to try it to see what happens. Jun 24, 2023 · I get the transcode rate on the Samsung TV Plex client when showing “Playback Information”. 4 Plex Version: 1. Sep 18, 2023 · Get the Lifetime Plex Pass for a Lifetime of Fun and Entertainment Many more reasons make Plex Pass a must-have, like the convenience of keeping multiple editions of your favorite movies in one place. I was able to setup hardware transcoding using my NVIDIA card. This issue happens when using the Windows remote desktop application to connect to their server. Update Kernel to 6. Also to be considered is that Plex has a hardware transcoder version now for servers with Intel CPUs. Plenty of other features too like PlexAmp. 7571 (Plex Pass Beta) works Public: 1. Mar 1, 2021 · It had troubles transcoding 4K HEVC streams to the point where they were unplayable. Picking out a Plex server AKA "Right Sizing" your plex server:https://www. tv/plexpass - For this month's Plex sponsored video we take a look at hardware transcoding and how it can dramatically improve th May 1, 2023 · Plex gives you one place to find and access all the media that matters to you. I also confirmed the HardwareDevicePath was set accurately; the previous post was a typo from reading my notes. Plex Pass truly turns your Plex Media Server into a personal streaming service. Dec 8, 2018 · General Discussions. TL;DR: its a way to use the processing power of the server to make sure all media can be played VM uses nVidia docker runtime to run Plex in docker container with HW acceleration working just fine. If I turn off HW transcoding, the video playback is very smooth (although CPU usage is high at 70%+) If I turn on HW transcoding, the video playback stutters regularly (although CPU usage is at around 25-30% only). 7557 (Public) works 1. mde: will tell WHY something is transcoded. Subtitle burning (Image based) a. Jan 3, 2023 · Plex Pass. Plex has not officially tested hardware transcoding on the 920 yet, the plex official lists is here, plex just uses native intel quick sync support for transcoding, this only requires specific intel CPUs to be in the NAS. This feature allows Plex Media Server to maintain high visual fidelity of content, by applying tone mapping to convert HDR (high dynamic range) color content to SDR (standard May 10, 2021 · Video Encode is multi-threaded - depends on codec but typically 3-4% with HW. Zotac GeForce GTX 1660 – Best Mid-Range Transcoding GPU. Tried to force direct streaming or transcoding on these files and i get the error: Unable to connect to the content server Oct 17, 2018 · Hardware accelerated transcoding performance in plex with AMD Graphics cards. downgrade your media files to ones without HDR. In order to test if transcoding is working, it’s easiest to setup inbound internet access to your Plex server and then use a device like a phone on a cellular connection (NOT WiFi) to stream media and verify Plex is hardware transcoding. Written Instructions: https://forums. 5. This page is community-driven and not run by or affiliated with Plex, Inc. I have an amd rx 570 that I would like to use for hardware transcoding. Build a NAS like option 2, but istead of using a gpu to handle the transcoding i buy plex pass. I have some 4K HEVC/x265 content I would like to stream to various devices and browsers which is requiring the content to be transcoded to x264. 18. 5145 - New Transcoder Preview. 1. However if I start the same movie from my LG TV. Live TV transcoding/buffering issue on Samsung TV client. in the logs, look for entries with. In the PLAY series synology includes another playback chip that DS PLAY can use to transcode, it does not use quick sync. Can consume an entire CPU core (additional “25%” usage) Plex Hardware Transcoding (encoding) in Windows 10. However, I still could not see the iGPU on the GPU statistics plugin (only my nvidia card appeared) or get the iGPU to perform hardware transcoding in Plex even after installing the intel_gpu_top plugin. 1. Select [Transcoder] and then click [Show Advanced] 3 The Intel Quick Sync Video (iGPU) is a hardware component integrated into Intel CPUs, which provides hardware-accelerated video encoding and decoding. May 4, 2018 · The hardware transcoding options for Plex may be significantly sub-optimal, but permanently doubling your storage requirements from now until the end of time isn’t much of an alternative. TL;DR: Problem is that Plex will only hardware transcode when hardware-accelerated video encoding and HDR tone mapping are both disabled. Oct 30, 2022 · And by default, Plex really likes to transcode as transcoded will always be compatible. Once you have it, sign in to Plex with your account and you will be able to enable it. And doing online conversion is a waste of resources. Does everyone on my server benefits from hardware transcoding? Sep 9, 2020 · To avoid Plex transcoding, you need to know the client devices that are connected to your Plex Media Server, including your devices and others outside your home. Many years ago, probably more than a decade ago, I bought a lifetime Plex Pass subscription for myself for Christmas. If you are debating getting Plex Pass just for hardware transcoding, I'd recommend you either don't or pay for a month and really try it out. 611 Nov 8, 2019 · Would adding a Graphics Card bring down the CPU usage to a reasonable level for transcoding and optimizing/. Hardware transcoding makes media streaming from your NAS faster and more efficient. Feb 3, 2024 · This post assumes that you already have a Plex Pass subscription, which is required to use the hardware-accelerated streaming. Normally if a video player can not understand the media format it is unable to playback the media. Get a Plex Pass: http://lon. However, I have some users that are computer illiterate and somehow "reset" their remote stream setting to NOT be MAXIMUM or ORIGINAL quality. The dashboard states 720p (H. Additionally, Plex Pass gives you some awesome quality-of-life features. 5 Mbps average bitrate” file: an app that has a large buffer might only need ~5. This means that it can utilize hardware-accelerated video codecs to enhance the process of encoding and decoding video files. You can, of course, also watch content Nov 27, 2023 · Plex Media Server supports hardware transcoding. The right approach would be to create optimized versions of media in advance, using actual compute hardware and plex supports that. Generally, the more powerful the Plex Media Server’s CPU the better, as transcoding is a CPU intensive process. 264) (hw) → 720p (H264) - Transcode (hw). Pyraxic December 8, 2018, 5:48am 1. To take advantage of hw decode you need plex pass. I tried to enable PCM+DD only on the app but then i get no surround sound, only stereo PCM. 6+ HW transcoding issues and corrections Desktops & Laptops. Very nice to see someone else show that they have hardware transcoding working. If I (the Server owner) buy Plex Pass. Upgrade to Plex Pass; Hardware Transcoding Use the dedicated video decoder and encoder hardware support in your computer/device to convert videos and stream HD or I would get a plex pass to support the devs! Yes. I still can see a new process in the nvidia-smi. Feb 5, 2024 · I added the “Plex commercial skipper. play the video on the device in question. Without hardware acceleration, transcoding is a struggle, especially with 10-bit h. Is hardware transcoding turned on on your Plex server settings? Open the Plex Web app. e. The Best Graphics Cards for Plex Video Transcoding. You can purchase a monthly subscription to Plex Pass for $4. I can't speak to hardware transcoding personally. Navigate to Settings > Server > Transcoder to access the server settings. Hardware transcoding for more platforms (RPI, Synlogy, etc) Hardware Accelerated Streaming support on Raspberry Pi 4. Generally, any modern computer should meet that minimum. Aug 29, 2021 · Hi folks, recently got the Plex Pass and an NVIDIA Quadro card to enable hardware transcoding so I can watch stuff on the go, but it’s not working as expected. At the same time, switching from software-based transcoding to GPU hardware transcoding can also allocate the heavy decoding & encoding task from CPU to GPU, so as to help your computer do more Sep 28, 2023 · There was an issue for HW transcoding on the version you have installed: PMS 1. Even if a file’s audio, video, and Get a Plex Pass: http://lon. Software transcode for live playback sessions gets crunched through as fast as the CPU can handle it until the transcode buffer is topped up. I'd only ever recommend someone buy a Synology NAS for hosting Plex as long as they get Jan 3, 2023 · After installing an NVIDIA graphics card, follow these steps to allocate the graphics card to the NAS system: Go to Control Panel > Hardware > Hardware Resource. Apr 21, 2023 · Processor Usage: Transcoding a media file can be CPU intensive. • 3 yr. Everything else works fine with the system GPU related and once I do a simple restart of the docker container (not the entire docker daemon) it works fine again for a while. You can mitigate that a bit by lowering the transcode buffer from the default to 30. It offers a versatile platform for managing and streaming media. I have a lot of videos with Oct 5, 2022 · A Plex Pass subscription lets you stream media from your server to devices outside your home, including those owned by friends and family. It takes work on the part of the developer to design and implement these features. When I first started my server, my cpu would stay at 100% load while someone was watching a 4k file that needed to be transcoded. Upgrade to Plex Pass; Hardware Transcoding Use the dedicated video decoder and encoder hardware support in your computer/device to convert videos and stream HD or Advertising this as Plex Pass feature is a pure scam, given it is a non working for its intended target of decoding 4K files, the ones most of us cant decode on cpu, and as such, hardware decoding should never have left the alpha/preview stage, in the state it currently is. 7089 Player Version#: NA I have noticed periodically that Plex will stop communicating with my GPU and go back to transcoding via CPU. 04. May 26, 2023 · Server Version#: 1. 4 Mbps of bandwidth to ensure smooth playback. Quote. Click Save Changes at the bottom. exe to Graphics settings. Then it becomes all subjective on if it is really worth it. For example a CPU that would use 100% CPU while transcoding one 1080p 10Mbps stream will now only use 30% CPU. It’s possible to have HW encoding, but you need to have proper setup for it. Using hardware transcoding reduces CPU usage and power consumption, and may substantially improve transcoding performance. Mar 22, 2023 · Would be great to see if someone tries with this guide and system-d, I’m just wiped and not going to try. I put together an i7-10700k system and installed Ubuntu Server 20. The resolution of this is to use Docker compose or Docker run and add the clause I am using the tteck Plex helper script (can't link to it or post will be deleted) with the default configuration. When I start a 4K movie in the browser I can see the new process in the nvidia-smi and the CPU load is low. This is working great with my Ryzen 5 5500U with Radeon iGPU. Feb 13, 2019 · In some cases, a server reboot may be required in order to use the GPU again once you try to use it with both a docker container and VM. Choose one of the following -. Apr 4, 2024 · The Plex Media Server is free to use. The Shield has hardware transcoding, but it's only just barely up to the challenge for the type of files that are popular for Anime, and it might buffer while transcoding. youtu Transcoding on a synology DS918+ will work fine for 1080p and 4k content. tv/t/dsm-7-plex Switch PMS between application and service (currently application) Remove and re-add plex transcoder. exe”, “plex media server. If you plan to stream movies and TV shows from many different media types, then this feature of the Plex Pass along is worth the expense. If hardware transcoding (or any other feature) does not work, it should not be related to this repository. 2 LTS and the latest version of Plex media server on it. Disabling and reenabling transcoding. I noticed these logs: May 26, 2023 23:17:39. apt full-upgrade. Login to Proxox, Check/Test your DNS from proxmox, change repositories, update. With hardware acceleration it will do significantly better routing the transcode through the built-in H264 encoder. This will dramatically reduce the requirements. Connect a compatible tuner and antenna to your server to let you watch over-the-air broadcasts available at your location live. Its worth it to support the ongoing development of the software. Despite various attempts and configurations, it seems like hardware transcoding is not functioning as expected, and I would greatly appreciate any guidance or suggestions. Without Plex Pass, hardware transcoding won't be an option. ago. ax th ki us ow ka ea cy jo qa