Plex Server Chokes on 4K Video

Yes, you are right, transcoding is always done by the server, and requires a decently powerful CPU. The Plex client determines if transcoding is required by the server, Plex clients do not need a very powerful CPU as they only need to receive the (transcoded) stream from the server. A powerful CPU on the server is not required if your clients can direct play/direct stream your media
 
The answer is to get better clients in almost all cases when these kind of issues crop up. Seek out devices that can always direct play / direct stream your desired content. Transcoding is always going to pound the hell out of a server, it simply isn't worth it. Odroid C2 is a popular cheap option that will play more h265 / HEVC content than the rokus.
 
arnemetis said:
The answer is to get better clients in almost all cases when these kind of issues crop up. Seek out devices that can always direct play / direct stream your desired content. Transcoding is always going to pound the hell out of a server, it simply isn't worth it. Odroid C2 is a popular cheap option that will play more h265 / HEVC content than the rokus.
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This defeats the entire purpose of Plex, at that point it's just a glorified media manager. Plex does occasionally release some duds, like the current Xbox One client and you do have to work around some issues, but transcoding is definitely something you want to make sure works.
 
ND40oz said:
This defeats the entire purpose of Plex, at that point it's just a glorified media manager. Plex does occasionally release some duds, like the current Xbox One client and you do have to work around some issues, but transcoding is definitely something you want to make sure works.
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You know, you're right. I apologize, I was focused on h265, which you need a monster of a server to reliably transcode. I feel that's another animal altogether when compared to every previous method of encoding files.

I personally feel plex is great to make sure it can play, if something crops up that causes an issue. I personally don't feel like you should be transcoding everything, because at that point you should just encode the file appropriately in the first place if you're going to transcode all the time. Another great purpose of plex is remote access and sharing with friends. I actually actively go out of my way to set my friends up with ways to direct play / direct stream, for optimal quality. I find transcoding to be a fallback safety net, not the first thing you're hoping for.

I do however recognize that with limited upload people would want to transcode on purpose. However if it's for local play, I honestly don't understand why you wouldn't make it direct play, by either getting things encoded in a compatible way or by using appropriate clients. Especially for 4k content. It's a hell of a lot cheaper to upgrade clients than a server for 4k.
 
Roku 4 and up supports h.265 HEVC. I only use h.265 for any new content and have no issues direct playing to my 4 and Ultra. My server is also my rig sig'd below. It has no issues transcoding HEVC or 4K content when needed. Burning subtitles from .SRT hurt my CPU more than transcodes, if that makes sense.
 
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