How Streams Manager enforces transcoding rules?

Streams Manager provides plan level and server level transcoding limits enforcement functionality. Please note that only transcoding of video is enforced (audio is allowed to be transcoded). Each plan can be configured to allow or disallow transcoding and each server can also be configured to allow or disallow 4K video transcoding. The process works as follows:

• Every 5 minutes, Streams Manager collects streaming activity on all your Plex servers

• Streaming activity data indicates which user is doing the streaming, from which device, which IP address, from which server, at what resolution and whether a user is transcoding

• If a user is transcoding, Streams Manager then checks currently active plan for the user doing the transcoding and whether their plan allows it. If their plan does not allow transcoding, their session is stopped and message on user's device is displayed and a warning for that user is logged. A notification will be sent to the user also indicating that they are transcoding video when their plan does not allow it. To modify the content of this notification, see notification templates in settings

• If a user is transcoding 4K video, Streams Manager then checks the server from which the user is streaming and whether that server allows 4K transcoding. If it does not, their session is stopped and message on user's device is displayed and a warning for that user is logged. A notification will be sent to the user also indicating that they are transcoding 4K video. To modify the content of this notification, see notification templates in settings

This process requires your Plex account to have a Plex Pass as stopping of the stream feature requires it. If your Plex account does not have it, all the above actions will be performed except of stopping of the stream and showing the message on user's device.