PLEX Server Buffering Issue

[DDonlien]

Hello all.

Recently I find my PLEX is always buffering when I'm streaming 4K video at home

My PLEX Server is my windows PC and I'm watching it on my MacBook (connected to the same router via WiFi right next to PC)

It's bit strange because it's using 5Ghz which should provide 1300Mbps speed. And the video keep buffering when the bit rate when over about 12Mbps

Local upload speed and download speed peaks around 6Mbps and no HD bottle neck appears.

So is it a bug always happens on PLEX? Or it's due to WiFi connection? Or I'm not setting the server right?

 

 

[Slottr]

What cpu and gpu does the server run? Do you pay for it and have hardware acceleration?

[Jarsky]

16 hours ago, DDonlien said:

Hello all.

Recently I find my PLEX is always buffering when I'm streaming 4K video at home

My PLEX Server is my windows PC and I'm watching it on my MacBook (connected to the same router via WiFi right next to PC)

So are both connected via WiFi? it doesnt matter how far the computers are from eachother, it matters how far they are from the Access Point (WiFi Router)

16 hours ago, DDonlien said:

It's bit strange because it's using 5Ghz which should provide 1300Mbps speed. And the video keep buffering when the bit rate when over about 12Mbps

1300Mbps is the maximum connect rate with MU-MIMO 4X4.....both your Wifi Adapters and Router/AP need to support it, and your AP needs to be configured to a channel width of 160Mhz to get maximum speed.....you need to see what your computer(s) are actually connected at. 

 

16 hours ago, DDonlien said:

Local upload speed and download speed peaks around 6Mbps and no HD bottle neck appears.

Well if the peak is 6Mbps from machine to machine, and you're trying to run video at 12Mbps and buffering, you need to re-check your wireless

 

16 hours ago, DDonlien said:

So is it a bug always happens on PLEX? Or it's due to WiFi connection? Or I'm not setting the server right?

Check your transfer speeds between the computers, if 6Mbps is between your computers, it's your Wifi. 

As for 4K, keep in mind its extremely heavy on Plex to transcode this if whatever you're playing it through doesnt support it natively. Transcoding will hit your CPU hard if using Software transcoding. It's a lot more forgiving using a GPU that supports H265/AVC/HEVC (i.e the Nvidia 10 series or Intel HD600 series)

[DDonlien]

On 5/13/2020 at 9:49 PM, Slottr said:

What cpu and gpu does the server run? Do you pay for it and have hardware acceleration?

Well Sever runs i5 8500 with RTX 2070. No I did not pay for the PLEX Pass because I don't need those functions I suppose?

[DDonlien]

On 5/14/2020 at 2:14 PM, Jarsky said:

So are both connected via WiFi? it doesnt matter how far the computers are from eachother, it matters how far they are from the Access Point (WiFi Router)

1300Mbps is the maximum connect rate with MU-MIMO 4X4.....both your Wifi Adapters and Router/AP need to support it, and your AP needs to be configured to a channel width of 160Mhz to get maximum speed.....you need to see what your computer(s) are actually connected at. 

 

Well if the peak is 6Mbps from machine to machine, and you're trying to run video at 12Mbps and buffering, you need to re-check your wireless

 

Check your transfer speeds between the computers, if 6Mbps is between your computers, it's your Wifi. 

As for 4K, keep in mind its extremely heavy on Plex to transcode this if whatever you're playing it through doesnt support it natively. Transcoding will hit your CPU hard if using Software transcoding. It's a lot more forgiving using a GPU that supports H265/AVC/HEVC (i.e the Nvidia 10 series or Intel HD600 series)

Hello, much thanks for the reply. 

Well only my Sever (PC) is wired to the router, the rest are all linked via WiFi. So I think it might be a problem with WiFi (Although I'm use either iPhone 11 or MacBook Pro with ASUS router?)

 

Since you've mentioned, I've never noticed that there is an option on PLEX to encode the video by GPU?

[Donut417]

1 hour ago, DDonlien said:

Since you've mentioned, I've never noticed that there is an option on PLEX to encode the video by GPU?

Hardware transcoding requires Plex pass. Otherwise you have to use the CPU to brute force it. If your video files are in the right format for the device your streaming to then transcoding is not nessisary. That being said at least according to the guys on the Plex forum, you should not be transcoding 4K, it’s highly discouraged. 

[dalekphalm]

On 5/13/2020 at 9:45 AM, DDonlien said:

Hello all.

Recently I find my PLEX is always buffering when I'm streaming 4K video at home

My PLEX Server is my windows PC and I'm watching it on my MacBook (connected to the same router via WiFi right next to PC)

It's bit strange because it's using 5Ghz which should provide 1300Mbps speed. And the video keep buffering when the bit rate when over about 12Mbps

Local upload speed and download speed peaks around 6Mbps and no HD bottle neck appears.

So is it a bug always happens on PLEX? Or it's due to WiFi connection? Or I'm not setting the server right?

 

 

From what you're saying, you're trying to watch a movie that is 12 Mbps bitrate, but your WIFI connection is running at 6 Mbps. That means your bitrate is twice as high as your connection speed. That will obviously cause buffering.

 

Your WIFI connection seems to suck.

 

I would try running an Ethernet cable to your Mac and try again.

 

Although there's definitely an issue with your WIFI, as 6 Mbps is really really bad, even for WIFI.