Plex is designed to let many Apps play media from a central Server. You can playback media on your local network, stream it over the internet, or physically sync media to a mobile device. This flexibility isn’t hassle-free, though. Can a device handle this format? Is it powerful enough to playback this high-resolution file?
The Server has been designed to remove these complexities so you don’t have to worry about the geeky stuff. There are 3 types of possible outcomes and some Apps have options that let you control how they are used.
Media can be Direct Played on a device if the source media is compatible with the client’s playback capabilities, meaning that the source media:
Basically, the file is 100% compatible with your device. To find these requirements for your device, you should consult your device’s documentation.
When a media item is Direct Played on an App, the file is sent directly to the device without being changed.
Note: Subtitles can introduce a wrinkle here sometimes. Even if a file’s audio, video, and container are all compatible with a Plex App, if a subtitle stream is selected and is not compatible with the Plex App, then the Server will “burn in” the subtitle text within the video. This requires a full transcode of the video stream.
If you have two devices on which you commonly watch your media (e.g. a powerful HTPC and a tablet) you might have a high-bitrate, full-HD file but would like to avoid transcoding it on the Server for playback on the tablet. In this case:
When playing content, the Plex App will use a series of heuristics to determine which file version to play. The decision may include things like connection type, resolution, device audio configuration, device capabilities, and more.
Most Plex Apps allow you to enable or disable Direct Play within their settings. Disabling Direct Play forces every item played on the App to be transcoded. This is useful sometimes if you’re having trouble with media playback on a particular device.
Most people will want to leave the Direct Play setting enabled.
You may have some media that is compatible with your device regarding resolution and media type (H.264, AC3, etc.), but is in an incompatible file container (.mkv, .avi, .wmv, etc.). In this case, the file can be Direct Streamed to your device. This means:
Direct Streaming a file uses very little processing power without any loss in video quality.
Note: Subtitles can introduce a wrinkle here sometimes. Even if a file’s audio, video, and container are all compatible with a Plex App, if a subtitle stream is selected and is not compatible with the Plex App, then the Server will “burn in” the subtitle text within the video. This requires a full transcode of the video stream.
You might have a file that has a stream-compatible video track, but an audio track that needs transcoding. For example, your playback device cannot handle DTS tracks, but works with AC3. In this case:
Most Apps allow you to enable or disable Direct Stream within their settings. Disabling Direct Stream forces every item played on the client to be transcoded. This is useful sometimes if you’re having trouble playing back media on a particular device.
Most people will want to leave the Direct Stream setting enabled.
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