From b6e00ca33acd1340338f8e1852d9d96fbac826ee Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Cal Corum Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2026 06:55:04 -0500 Subject: [PATCH] =?UTF-8?q?docs:=20sync=20KB=20=E2=80=94=20Roku=20WiFi=20b?= =?UTF-8?q?uffering=20fix=20in=20troubleshooting.md?= MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) --- media-servers/troubleshooting.md | 14 ++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 14 insertions(+) diff --git a/media-servers/troubleshooting.md b/media-servers/troubleshooting.md index bb89425..85a4507 100644 --- a/media-servers/troubleshooting.md +++ b/media-servers/troubleshooting.md @@ -548,6 +548,20 @@ tar -czf ~/jellyfin-config-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz ~/docker/jellyfin/confi - Test on non-production instance if possible - Document current working configuration +## Roku Buffering on Weak WiFi — Client Bitrate Cap (2026-03-26) + +**Severity:** Low — single device, non-critical viewing location + +**Problem:** Roku in a far corner of the house with poor WiFi signal was buffering/failing to play videos. Content was not being transcoded down to accommodate the limited bandwidth. + +**Root Cause:** Jellyfin does not dynamically adapt bitrate mid-stream (no HLS ABR like Netflix). The server's `RemoteClientBitrateLimit` was set to `0` (unlimited), and LAN clients are treated as "local" anyway so that setting wouldn't apply. The Roku Jellyfin app was requesting full-quality streams that exceeded the WiFi throughput. + +**Fix:** Set **Max Streaming Bitrate** in the Jellyfin Roku app settings (Settings > Playback) to a lower value (4-8 Mbps). This forces the server to transcode down via NVENC before sending. No server-side changes needed. + +**Lesson:** For bandwidth-constrained clients, the client-side bitrate setting is the first lever to pull. For a server-enforced cap that survives app resets, create a dedicated Jellyfin user for that device and set a per-user bitrate limit in Dashboard > Users > Playback. The `RemoteClientBitrateLimit` in system.xml only applies to clients Jellyfin considers "remote" — LAN devices are always "local." + +--- + ## Related Documentation - **Setup Guide**: `/media-servers/jellyfin-ubuntu-manticore.md` - **NVIDIA Driver Management**: See jellyfin-ubuntu-manticore.md