So I have built a Plex Media Server:

CPU: AMD® Ryzen 7 3800x 8-core processor × 16

RAM: Corsair Vengence 32GB 3200MHZ

GPU: NVIDIA EVGA RTX 2080TI

STORAGE: I used to mine Chia which was a proof of storage coin so I have about 200TB of HDDs (18 Drives) all connected to a SAS card.

NETWORK: I have Verizon fios 1gigabit connection

SOFTWARE: Ubuntu 22.04.2 LTS (Running all Plex-related apps in a Docker container)

What is the problem:

So everything is setup such as Plex, Heimdall, *arr apps, etc. I have also edited my compose file to enable HW encoding for plex and paid for plex pass and enabled in-app the HW encoding feature. But when it comes to playing content, it does not do so with much ease for users connecting remotely from another state. It seems their stream connection is either poor or having issues when trying to run 4K REMIX files on their NVIDIA Shield Pro. And when I try to watch the content on my TV with my Shield, it is slow to skip ahead and sometimes buffers. My upload speed is around 300 Mbps so I am unsure as to what I am doing wrong and I fear that HW encoding isn’t actually happening. I am down to share any files that may be needed but I am unsure as to what might share private info so I have refrained from doing so as of now. From my understanding, my system is fully capable of streaming at least 2-3 4K streams at once, but it can barely handle 1. The sole purpose of this server is to provide content for my entire family around the country. Any advice would be great. Thank you!

  •  Parsnip8904   ( @Parsnip8904@beehaw.org ) English
    3•1 year ago

    Hey person :) First of all I get your frustrations. Hopefully you can figure this out!

    Have you verified that the card is working outside of Plex, i.e. using glxspheres/gears and other tests?

    Can you verify using the nvidia-smi command if Plex is using the card;

    1. For local playback
    2. While you do a remote stream?

    On your local network (TV/Shield) make sure you’re accessing Plex by IP address and that IP is in the remote access list in Plex server settings. If you use fqdn or reverse proxy url Plex will (infuriatingly) assume that you’re accessing stuff remotely and slow down.

    In my own experience, after facing similar issues, I spun up jellyfin using their HW acceleration wiki instructions and left both running. My family seems to find it more problem free than Plex. I still have Plex but only use it rarely for few things that jellyfin doesn’t support.