Forum Discussion

Luminary

Dec 22, 2016

Solved

Suddenly, as of this morning (1.00am), my system can no longer play MP4 720p HD files

Dear Forum Members, especially Plex users Yesterday, Wednesday 21st December, I was happily playing my MP4 720p files without any problems, which I have done for the past 2 plus years. Then sudde...

No longer able to play MP4 720p files.

Streaming Video & Audio

ukbobboy
Jan 02, 2017
Hi StephenB

I've re-edited and summerise my last post to show the solution and to thank you for your help in my time of dire need, now on with the solution:-

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I think I've found the reason why my system so was so suddenly and unexpectedly went belly up, the clue lays in one of our discussions, especially about the Plex app installed on my player, i.e my NowTV black box (Roku 3 clone).

The morning when I was going to watch some films my bandwidth suddenly dropped, Plex responded by making some automatic changes to it's own settings. However, when the bandwidth came back up again Plex did not reset itself back to it's original settings.

When accessing the Plex app I scrolled down to the Preferences menu and found that the quality settings had been reset from 4.0mps - 720p to 1.5mps - 480p, I was stunned because I had not touch those or any other settings, also the text at the top of the screen suggested that my Internet bandwidth had dropped, at the time I had no idea this had happened.

I'm guessing that the settings dropped to accommodate the lower bandwidth and so could no longer play any files above 480p.

Anyway, I reset the quality settings from 1.5mps - 480p up to 3.0mps - 720p and I can now play 720p HD files again.

Thanks for you help because without it I would not have stumbled across the solution.

UK Bob

ukbobboy

Luminary

Dec 31, 2016

Hi StephenB

I've read through your post and away around the problem has jumped out at me, but first let me supply answers to your questions:

1) I'm not familiar with the Logic 250. Can you send a link to the manual or datasheet (if there is one)?

I'm sorry I got the name wrong but here is the URL that leads to the tech specs and manual:

Please note, my sound-system is connected to my TV via an optical cable, plus I only turn this system on, and mute the TV sound, when I want to play music via Plex.

http://www.lg.com/us/support-product/lg-LAP250H

Saying that, I don't think my stereo sound system has anything to do with my Plex problem.

2) Many movie files have surround-sound audio tracks - in the case of an mp4, that could be aac 6-channel or (in some newer MP4s) ac3 (dolby digital). If your players are stereo-only then some device needs to downmix to stereo. That could be the the player (and my players have settings for that). It could also be done in the server (if it could transcode).

Good suggestion but all my MP4 files are either stereo or mono, plus my latest MP4s are mono only.

3) What device(s) do you connect to the chromecast with? if it is a mobile device you could install the plex app on it, and see if that also has the transcoding problem. Plex on a phone or tablet should be able to cast. There are also several dlna clients available for Android and iOS.

So far, I've only used my Android Tablet with chromecast, which seems to work OK. Mind you, I only got the chromecast device because it was on sale at 40% off it's normal price, otherwise I would not have bought it.

However, if I can cast my films via chromecast to my TV then my problem is solved, I would still keep my NAS to store my films and play my music but watch my films/movies via chromecast. To make this work I will now need to find the appropriate Plex app to install on my tablet.

Finally, you mentioned, "....Plex thinks it needs to transcode these 720p movies. If we knew why it thinks that, it might help. It could be thinking it needs to transcode the video, but it's also possible that it thinks it needs to transcode the audio."

I agree, Plex for some unknown reason now thinks that all the 720p files it quite happily played before now suddenly all need to be transcoded. As a rule I do not ness around with a working system, I leave well enough alone, so I don't know how or why this "transcoding" affliction attacked my installation

OK, I hope I've answered all your queries but get back to me if I've missed anything, right now I'm off to see if there is a Plex/Chromecast/Android app available.

Catch you later, however if we don't get in contact before the new year then have a good one.

UK Bob

ukbobboy

Luminary

Dec 31, 2016

Hi StephenB

Just have bit of info to pass on:

I just finished playing a full MP4-720p HD feature film via chromecast without any problems, I'm now finishing an SD film I started a couple of days ago and so far that looks OK as well.

The only problem I can see with the Plex android app, at the moment, is that it cannot see all of my Plex database, just a sub-section. This could be because I am using the free version of the app, there seem to be no indication that all of my database will be available if I get the paid version.

I will delve a little deeper and then get back to you.

UK Bob

ukbobboy
Luminary
Dec 31, 2016
Hi StephenB

Just to let you know before the new year comes in (well, it's already started for me and will probably be in another 5 or so hours for you).

I've bought the Plex for android app to unlock it and, as far as I can tell, I can once again play 720p HD files from my Plex database, but this time via chomecast.

So this is where I am at the moment:

1) I can still play music (MP3 files) via my Plex database, RNDuoV2, and black Now TV box.

2) Likewise for all my MP4 SD files.

3) However, MP4-720p HD files will now only play via chromecast using my tablet as the control, it now takes a little longer than before to queue up a film before it can be watched, but now it can be watched.

In other word, what I have now is not quite as good as the facilities I had before but I now have a fully working audio visual system again.

Cheers and happy new year.

UK Bob
StephenB
Guru - Experienced User
Jan 01, 2017
ukbobboy wrote:

In other word, what I have now is not quite as good as the facilities I had before but I now have a fully working audio visual system again.

Progress anyway.

Since the current plex app on the tablet doesn't have the problem, that suggests that there might be some issue with the plex app in the player.

Did you figure out how to play via DLNA on that device (via the media channel I think).
ukbobboy
Luminary
Jan 01, 2017
Hi StephenB

You asked, "Did you figure out how to play via DLNA on that device (via the media channel I think)."

No I haven't, I spent most of last night working out how to get Plex on my tablet and Plex/NAS database working together and casting to my TV, then I watched a full HD movie, three 45 minutes HD episodes followed by a number of Apple HD movie trailers. Everything seems OK, apart for some visual glitches, i.e. a second or two drop in resolution.

You also said, "Since the current plex app on the tablet doesn't have the problem, that suggests that there might be some issue with the plex app in the player."

I totally agree but, at the moment, I have no idea how to find that problem or, even if I do find it, how to fix it.

The problem, when it occurred, was sudden and unexpected, i.e. no previous signs of anything going wrong.

Therefore, I'm guessing that to find where my Plex player went wrong would need a Plex programmer to go through the software itself line by line, and as my version of PMS is no longer supported, we know that's not going to happen.

BTW, I've still got a few other kinks to work out, e.g. why won't my latest version of Plex update itself with my new files, can this PMS version see my entire database (seems that some older HD files are now missing from the database but are still in the directory/folder).

You know, this seems to be the way things work when dealing with IT equipment, we trade one set of problems for another.

Catch you later.

UK Bob
ukbobboy
Luminary
Jan 01, 2017
Hi StephenB

I think I've found the reason why my system went belly up and the clue lays in one of our discussions, precisely the following:

-----------------------------------------------------------

You also said, "Since the current plex app on the tablet doesn't have the problem, that suggests that there might be some issue with the plex app in the player."

I totally agree but, at the moment, I have no idea how to find that problem or, even if I do find it, how to fix it.

The problem, when it occurred, was sudden and unexpected, i.e. no previous signs of anything going wrong.

-----------------------------------------------------------

While watching TV, I decided to check on my Plex database, using the Plex app, to see if it had picked up the new files I had put in last week, i.e. 30th December, and some older ones that somehow have gone missing, but are not deleted.

Anyway, I scrolled down to a "forgotten" settings (aka Preferences) menu and found that the quality settings had dropped from 4.0mps - 720p to 1.5mps - 480p, I was stunned because not only have I not touched those settings at all but the text at the top of the screen suggested that my Internet bandwidth had dropped.

OK, this is what I think happened, which is pure guess work on my part:

It seems that on morning when I was going to watch some films my bandwidth suddenly dropped, Plex responded by making some automatic changes to it's settings. However, when the bandwidth came back up again Plex did not reset itself back to it's original settings.

You know, the funny thing is that I thought it was a "Plex app" issue too and I did delete that app, Plex-NowTV-2_8_2.zip, and replace it with PlexClassic.v3.1.9.zip but that made no difference what so ever, the problem still persisted. And because there was no difference and I did not like the PlexClassic's display I reinstalled the original app.

Anyway, I reset the quality settings from 1.5mps - 480p up to 3.0mps - 720p and I can now play 720p HD files again.

OK, the only problem I have now is that this latest version of Plex, for my RNDuoV2, cannot see new MP4 files and has somehow failed to see some of my existing files.

Catch you later.

UK Bob
ukbobboy
Luminary
Jan 02, 2017
Hi StephenB

I've re-edited and summerise my last post to show the solution and to thank you for your help in my time of dire need, now on with the solution:-

------------------------------------------------------------------

I think I've found the reason why my system so was so suddenly and unexpectedly went belly up, the clue lays in one of our discussions, especially about the Plex app installed on my player, i.e my NowTV black box (Roku 3 clone).

The morning when I was going to watch some films my bandwidth suddenly dropped, Plex responded by making some automatic changes to it's own settings. However, when the bandwidth came back up again Plex did not reset itself back to it's original settings.

When accessing the Plex app I scrolled down to the Preferences menu and found that the quality settings had been reset from 4.0mps - 720p to 1.5mps - 480p, I was stunned because I had not touch those or any other settings, also the text at the top of the screen suggested that my Internet bandwidth had dropped, at the time I had no idea this had happened.

I'm guessing that the settings dropped to accommodate the lower bandwidth and so could no longer play any files above 480p.

Anyway, I reset the quality settings from 1.5mps - 480p up to 3.0mps - 720p and I can now play 720p HD files again.

Thanks for you help because without it I would not have stumbled across the solution.

UK Bob
StephenB
Guru - Experienced User
Jan 02, 2017
I'm glad it's fixed - it's very frustrating when the media doesn't play, especially during holidays.