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Hardware Transcoding

Hardware Transcoding

Section titled “Hardware Transcoding”

Hardware transcoding uses your GPU to encode/decode video, dramatically reducing CPU usage and enabling more simultaneous streams.

Requirements

Section titled “Requirements”
  • Plex Pass subscription (required for hardware transcoding)
  • Compatible GPU (Intel Quick Sync, NVIDIA NVENC, or AMD VCE)

Supported Hardware

Section titled “Supported Hardware”

Intel Quick Sync

  • Intel 6th gen (Skylake) or newer
  • Built into CPU
  • Best efficiency
  • Excellent quality

NVIDIA NVENC

  • GTX 1050 or newer
  • Dedicated GPU
  • High performance
  • Good quality

AMD VCE

  • RX 400 series or newer
  • Dedicated GPU
  • Good performance
  • Linux support varies

Platform Setup

Section titled “Platform Setup”

Intel Quick Sync

Section titled “Intel Quick Sync”
  1. Ensure Intel iGPU is enabled in BIOS
  2. Install latest Intel graphics drivers
  3. Enable in Plex: Settings → Transcoder → “Use hardware acceleration”

NVIDIA

Section titled “NVIDIA”
  1. Install latest Game Ready or Studio drivers
  2. Enable in Plex: Settings → Transcoder → “Use hardware acceleration”

Enable in Plex

Section titled “Enable in Plex”
  1. Settings → Transcoder
  2. Check “Use hardware acceleration when available”
  3. Restart Plex Media Server

Verify It’s Working

Section titled “Verify It’s Working”

Watch something that requires transcoding and check:

Terminal window
# Check GPU usage
# Open Task Manager → Performance → GPU
# Look for Video Encode/Decode activity

Tone Mapping (HDR to SDR)

Section titled “Tone Mapping (HDR to SDR)”

For HDR content on non-HDR devices:

  1. Settings → Transcoder
  2. Enable “Use hardware-accelerated video encoding”
  3. HDR content will be tone-mapped automatically

Troubleshooting

Section titled “Troubleshooting”

Hardware Transcoding Not Working

Section titled “Hardware Transcoding Not Working”
  1. Verify Plex Pass is active
  2. Check GPU drivers are updated
  3. Verify user permissions (video/render groups on Linux)
  4. Check Plex logs for transcoder errors

Quality Issues

Section titled “Quality Issues”
  • Adjust transcoder quality in settings
  • Try different hardware encoder if available
  • Ensure latest drivers installed

Best Practices

Section titled “Best Practices”
  • Prefer Direct Play when possible (no transcoding needed)
  • Use SSD for transcoder temp directory
  • Keep drivers updated for best compatibility
  • Monitor temperatures during heavy transcoding