Even if you can transcode, that doesn’t mean you should transcode. If you are not using a debrid provider, then storage space might be a concern for you and you want to keep that library small. If you. like most of us these days, have moved onto utilizing a debrid provider for your Plex needs…storage concerns are a thing of the past! When you can maintain both HD and 4K copies of your content (when available), it becomes much easier to avoid transcoding.
Recommendations
| Task | Best Practice | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Organize by resolution | Separate HD and 4K libraries (/movies/, /movies-4k/, etc.) | ||
| Add libraries in Plex | Use one per resolution/type, such as Movies (HD) and Movies (4K) | ||
| Set client quality settings | Always to “Original” or “Max / Maximum”. Each Plex client app will have option for this in the settings. | ||
| Enable Direct Play / Direct Stream | Enable settings for Direct Play / Direct Stream | ||
| Disable Burned-In subtitles | Burning in subtitles requires that they be inserted into the video stream. SRT subtitles are the better option. | ||
| Monitor playback behavior | Monitor playback behavior | ||
| Control access (optional) | Use managed users or library sharing. You can choose to only give a user access to HD libraries if giving them access to 4K libraries would cause transcoding. |
