Why Plex Playback Error Occurred & All Fixes

When playing a video via Plex, you may sometimes get into a playback error with different messages like error code: S1001(network), conversion failed, an error occurred loading items to play, this server is not powerful enough to convert video, etc.

No worries, in this post, we will discuss the possible reasons for these errors and share solutions and practical tips to fix and avoid these issues. Let's get started!

The reasons for each Plex playback error you may encounter are different. In this case, we share possible reasons for some common playback errors on Plex.

This error can be triggered by many factors, such as terrible updates, which may lead to the inconsistency of the Plex server, corrupted Plex database, a problem with the "trailers/pre-roll video", and third-party internet firewall or anti-virus software.

The Conversion failed error is common and can be caused by incompatible file codec and format, insufficient server resources, outdated Plex Media Server and Transcoder, incorrect transcoder configuration, high video resolution and bitrate, and a slow or unstable network connection.

The most common factor for this issue is a slow internet connection. Other possible causes are outdated Plex versions, corrupted Plex databases, wrong configuration, updated versions with bugs, corrupted files, or unsupported formats.

This error message usually means that Plex cannot find the content at the specified location, which can be caused by a renamed/moved file or drive with errors.

The above two errors are usually related to transcoding, especially when playing a high-quality video or complex MKV or HEVC videos. Moreover, incompatible streaming video quality settings and the video transcoding option being disabled can also trigger the issue.

Unstable network connections, outdated Plex versions, unsupported file formats, too many devices linked to your Plex account, and some outdated display drivers can cause the issue.

This issue usually occurs when playing movies on the smart TV. The possible cause is that an updated version changed something that may stop the support for the secure connection option with some older models. Moreover, the unoptimized or corrupted Plex database can also cause the error.

From the above possible reasons for Plex playback errors, you may find that the file format/codec and other issues with your media files can cause various Plex playback errors, like conversion failed, an error occurred loading items to play, and this server is not powerful enough to convert video. In this case, you can convert your media files to the best specifications that Plex supports to avoid errors due to your unsupported files that may require transcoding through Plex.

Best video specifications for Plex Direct Play:

• Container: MP4
• Resolution: 1920x1080 or lower
• Video codec: H.264 (level 4.0 or lower)
• Framerate: 30 fps (bit depth: 8)
• Audio Codec: AAC (2 channels)
• Bitrate: 20 Mbps or lower

WonderFox HD Video Converter Factory Pro is a powerful video converter that supports changing the video format and codec and modifying other video settings. It supports batch conversion and can export your videos without losing quality!

Download this tool and follow the simple guide below to start the conversion with HD Video Converter Factory Pro.

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Step 1. Launch it and open the Converter module.

Step 2. Click Add Files to import the video files you fail to play on Plex.

Step 3. Press the format image on the right side to expand the output format list. Then select MP4 from the Video tab.

Step 4. Open the Parameter settings window on the right side. Then, modify the video codec, resolution, bitrate, frame rate, and audio codec to Plex's best video specifications. Click OK to save the changes.

Step 5. Click the bottom ▼ button to specify an output path and press the Run button to start the conversion.

After finishing the conversion, it will pop up a window to show you the converted files. You can then play them via Plex without issue.

If this tip doesn't work for your playback error, go and see the following solutions.

Before starting the specific fixes to each playback error, you can first restart your device, check the internet connection, check the Plex server status, update your Plex server and the client app to the latest version, and clear caches to fix some potential bugs. These simple fixes won't take much of your time.

Restart your device to refresh the system. Then, exit your Plex account and log in again.

Make sure your device is connected to the correct Wi-Fi network. If your internet connection doesn't work, you can restart the router and your device. Moreover, run a speed test with an online internet speed test tool like Speedtest by Ookla, Fast.com, etc. to ensure your internet connection is fast enough to stream and play media via Plex.

If there is Plex server maintenance or downtime, it will also show you the playback error. Generally, the developers will inform the users if there is any issue with the Plex Server. If not, you can run a Plex server status test with some website down checker tools and report the issue to Plex.

Since there may be some issues with the recent update, you can uninstall the current Plex server and update to the latest version, which offers the latest functionalities to fix bugs and improve overall performance. Note that you must obliterate the Plex registry key before installing the latest version.

Accumulated caches can bring playback errors on Plex apps. You can open the settings on your phone and go to the application manager. Find Plex and go to the storage to clear the cache. Then, restart the app and play the file again to see if the issue is fixed or not.

If the above solutions cannot fix the playback error, go and check the specific fixes for each playback error.

Repairing or recovering the Plex database can help fix the S1001 (network) issue and more errors. Before starting, quit or exit your Plex Media Server and download SQLite3 tools from the SQLite.org download page for Windows. (The steps on Windows, macOS, and Linux are similar. Here, take Windows as an example.)

Step 1. Open the Command Prompt with administrative access. On Windows PCs, press Win + R to open the Run dialog box, enter cmd, and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open it.

Step 2. Enter the following commands and press Enter one by one.

• copy com.plexapp.plugins.library.db com.plexapp.plugins.library.db.original
• sqlite3 com.plexapp.plugins.library.db "DROP index 'index_title_sort_naturalsort'"
• sqlite3 com.plexapp.plugins.library.db "DELETE from schema_migrations where version='20180501000000'"
• sqlite3 com.plexapp.plugins.library.db .dump > dump.sql
• del com.plexapp.plugins.library.db
• sqlite3 com.plexapp.plugins.library.db < dump.sql

Step 3. Delete or (back up or move folder) the two files below if they exist alongside the original database:

• com.plexapp.plugins.library.db-shm
• com.plexapp.plugins.library.db-wal

Step 4. Restart your Plex Media Server.

If there is a Skip or Retry option on the playback error message, you can click the Skip button to see if it works. If yes, the issue occurs due to the skipped media, which usually refers to the movie trailer/pre-roll video. Then, go to Settings > General > Extras to clear all the URLs in the Movie Pre-Roll Video section. You can also move the trailer video from G:\media\movies\ to another place.

You can rename the library folder to another name, like Videos to Videos1, and create a new folder with the same name as its original name (Videos). Then, refresh the library, and delete all trash and the newly created folder. Now, rename the original library folder back to Videos. This method has been proven useful for some users.

Add the server to the list of your security programs if this error persists after the above fixes.

Step 1. Open the Windows Defender Firewall from the Control Panel.

Step 2. Click on Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall from the left side.

Step 3. Select Plex Media Server from the list of programs and select the checkboxes of Private and Public options. Then click OK to save changes.

1. Remove the Transcoder's Temp Directory from the Windows' protected folder “C:Program Files (x86)" to another place.

2. Check if the Plex container is stored on a non-executable drive. If so, change it into an exec setting.

3. Disable the "Default Subtitle" option to avoid the error caused by problematic or blemished subtitles.

4. Check the validity of your Windows product key.

5. Re-download the DLL decoder for Plex if any one of the DLL files is missing.

6. Convert and adjust your media files to the Plex best format for Direct Play. See the conversion guide >>>

For more detailed solutions, refer to this post: Understanding Plex Conversion Failed Errors and How to Fix Them.

1. Try to repair the Plex database as the guide in "Playback Error: An error occurred trying to play ...".

2. If you recently renamed a directory/library folder, change the name to default paths like /shows, /movies, etc.

Simply go to the left side of the screen and click on the media type.

Click the three dots on the tab and select Manage Library > Edit.

Click General and change the name to the standard name of Plex.

3. If the error occurs when playing the podcast or music using TIDAL on Plex, check if you have a valid Tidal account.

4. Go to the Plex Settings window and find Transcoder. Change the Transcoder Quality to Automatic.

5. If possible, move the media drive to another computer and try again.

1. Check the path of the problematic media and compare it with a normal one to see if there are any invalid elements like slashes, blanks, digits, etc. in the library path.

2. Check if the Plex is linked to the correct media folder on your device.

1. Enable the "Use Hardware Acceleration when available" option and turn off the "Disable Video Stream Transcoding" option.

2. Go to Plex’s settings to reduce the streaming video quality to match your Wi-Fi speed.

3. Change/convert media files to the best video specifications for Plex Direct Play. (See the guide)

4. Upgrade your NAS to a more powerful system that fulfills Plex’s PassMark.

If your movie has a PCM 5.1 audio track in it, switch it to DTS 5.1 or AC3. Moreover, some users also confirmed that disabling the Audio passthrough option (go to Account Settings > Advanced > Player) can also fix the issue.

You can also try to disable the H264 maximum level in the Account Settings > Advanced section.

Step 1. Open the Plex account and click the Settings icon.

Step 2. Select Authorized Devices and click All.

Step 3. Delete other devices and confirm the delete operation. Restart the Plex app.

Step 1. Open the Device Manager and find the Display adapter.

Step 2. Right-click on the display driver and select Update Driver Software.

Then, follow the on-screen instructions to update your display driver.

To fix this unexpected playback problem, you can allow insecure connections for the Plex app and the Plex server.

Step 1. Open the Plex app on your TV and go to Settings > Advanced.

Step 2. Set the Allow Insecure Connections option to Always.

Step 3. On the server, set Settings > Network > Secure connections to Preferred.

Step 4. Restart the app on your TV.

The above is all I want to share with you about the reasons and solutions for various Plex playback errors. After reading this article, the Plex playback errors will no longer trouble you. Moreover, you can also try the recommended video converter to convert and adjust the media files when you encounter playback issues with your local files. If the above solutions still don't work for your issue, you can contact Plex support for help. Hope the playback errors on Plex you encountered can be solved successfully.

Thanks for reading till the end. Have a nice day!

The reasons vary for different Plex playback errors. However, the general causes can be an unstable internet connection, terrible updates with issues, corrupted Plex databases, incompatible file format/codec, incorrect transcoder configuration, outdated Plex versions, etc.

The best video format for Plex to play is MP4. You can also modify other video parameters to the best specifications for Plex:

• Container: MP4
• Resolution: 1920x1080 or lower
• Video codec: H.264 (level 4.0 or lower)
• Framerate: 30 fps (bit depth: 8)
• Audio Codec: AAC (2 channels)
• Bitrate: 20 Mbps or lower

No. Plex is a legal streaming service that has agreements with many distributors to offer media content for users to play, stream, and manage. Therefore, there is nothing to worry about when using Plex if you've paid for and legally downloaded the media content.