Fix Plex ‘Server is not powerful enough’ Error on Android

plexPlex Media Server is by far the most popular media management system for home media server users. Both enthusiasts and casual users know that anybody: grandparents, children and non-tech savvy users will be able to navigate Plex. Plex supports so many devices that they have put controls in place to try to minimize the likelihood of laggy playback intending to improve the user experience. If you have ever seen the error message ‘The server is not powerful enough to convert this video for smooth playback' then Plex has calculated that you will get a laggy experience. This, however, is not always the case.

This tutorial will help you fix the Plex Server is not powerful enough error on your Android device by overriding this error. There are are no guarantees this will result in smooth playback, especially if you are using HD video and have a low bandwidth internet connection. It is however worth a try! This has been tested for Plex Media Server on the Raspberry Pi 2, 3, Banana Pi and Orange Pi, it may help with other NAS devices like less powerful Synology or ReadyNAS devices.

Pi Unit
Processor
RAM
RAM Bus
Network
WiFi
USB
SATA
Cost
Raspberry Pi 3
1.2 GHz ARMv8
Quad Core
1 GB DDR2
450 MHz
100 Mbit
Yes
4
No
$35
Raspberry Pi 2
900 MHz ARMv7
Quad Core
1 GB DDR2
450 MHz
100 Mbit
No
4
No
$35.00
Raspberry Pi
700 MHz ARMv6
Single Core
512 MB SDRAM
400 MHz
100 Mbit
No
4
No
$25
Banana Pi
1 GHz ARMv7
Dual Core
1 GB DDR3
432 MHz
Gigabit
No
2
Yes
$36.99
Banana Pi Pro
1 GHz ARMv7
Dual Core
1 GB DDR3
432 MHz
Gigabit
Yes
2
Yes
$45.00

You may get this frustrating error message in the Android Plex application when trying to play back your video collection.

plex-server-is-not-powerful-enough-error-android-min

Fix Plex Server is not Powerful Enough Android

Open your Plex app on your Android device

Tap the Settings icon in the top left corner then choose Settings

Plex-android-fix-server-not-powerful-enough-1

Tap Advanced

Plex-android-fix-server-not-powerful-enough-2

Tab Player

Plex-android-fix-server-not-powerful-enough-3

Tap Direct play

Plex-android-fix-server-not-powerful-enough-4

Choose Forced

Plex-android-fix-server-not-powerful-enough-5

That's it, now the server is not powerful enough error is solved, at least it will be gone on your Android Plex app.

If your internet connection has the bandwidth to serve the media directly, the playback should be smooth. You may experience issues with high bitrate videos.