This is a one-time change. Once you set it, Plex will remember it for every video you watch.
How to set it up
- Open the Plex app on your Apple TV.
- From the home screen, go to Settings in the app menu.
- Choose Video or Playback settings.
- Set Local Quality to Original.
- Set Remote Quality to Original or Maximum.
- Turn on Allow Direct Play and Allow Direct Stream if those options are listed.
- Back out of settings — you’re done.
Why does this help?
By default, Plex sometimes re-encodes video before sending it to your TV, which can lower the quality and cause buffering. Setting quality to Original tells Plex to send the file as-is, which means better picture and smoother playback when your device supports the format.
Still not working?
Apple TV handles most common formats well. If you're still seeing issues, the specific video or audio codec may not be supported natively. Let your Plex admin know.