Services

Q: How many concurrent streams can PlexBeam handle?

Each managed worker handles 1 concurrent transcode. You can add multiple workers for more simultaneous streams. The RTX 4090 NVENC encoder handles up to 8 sessions per GPU.

Q: What happens if my internet connection drops?

PlexBeam has automatic fallback. If the remote worker is unreachable, transcoding gracefully falls back to your local server. Playback never breaks.

Q: Can I self-host the GPU worker?

Yes. PlexBeam offers a self-hosted option for users with their own GPU hardware. The managed plan is for those who want zero maintenance.

Q: How does PlexBeam compare to running my own GPU server?

A DIY GPU server costs $800-2000+ upfront plus electricity and maintenance. PlexBeam managed workers start at $19/mo with no hardware to buy, no drivers to update, and automatic failover built in.

What PlexBeam delivers

Seven capabilities that replace a rack of hardware with a single cartridge install.

💻

Remote GPU Transcoding

Offload CPU-crushing transcodes from your server to a managed RTX 4090 worker. Full hardware decode, scale, and encode — your NAS just serves files.

Core service

⚡

4K HEVC → 1080p at 11× Realtime

267 FPS on the benchmark pipeline. A two-hour 4K movie transcodes in under 11 minutes. Your viewers never wait, even on slow connections.

267 FPS

📦

One-Click Plex Integration

Install the PlexBeam cartridge, point it at your worker URL, done. Native Plex protocol — no reverse proxies, no SSH tunnels, no port forwarding.

Plex native

🎨

Jellyfin Support

Same cartridge, same worker, same speed. PlexBeam treats Jellyfin as a first-class citizen — not an afterthought bolted on later.

First-class

👥

Multi-User & Concurrent Streams

Stack multiple workers for simultaneous transcodes. Each RTX 4090 NVENC encoder handles up to 8 hardware sessions — enough for the whole family plus friends.

Up to 8 sessions

🌐

Bandwidth Optimization

Transcode closer to your viewers, not at your upload-constrained home server. Reduce upstream bandwidth by 60–80% while delivering higher quality streams.

Save bandwidth

📈

Dashboard & Monitoring

Real-time worker health, active transcode sessions, GPU utilization, and stream quality — all in one panel. Get alerts before your viewers notice a problem.

Real-time

PlexBeam vs. the alternatives

See how managed GPU transcoding stacks up against doing it yourself.

	PlexBeam Managed	DIY GPU Server	Plex Pass Only	Bare-Metal Rental
Upfront cost	$0	$800–2,000+	$120/yr	$0
Monthly cost	From $19/mo	Electricity only	$0 (CPU only)	$80–200/mo
4K HEVC speed	11× realtime	Hardware-dependent	0.5–2× (CPU)	Hardware-dependent
Setup time	5 minutes	Hours–days	Built in	Hours
Maintenance	Zero	Drivers, OS, hardware	Minimal	OS & drivers
Automatic fallback	Built in	DIY scripting	N/A	DIY scripting
Plex + Jellyfin	Both	Manual config each	Plex only	Manual config each
Concurrent streams	Stack workers	GPU-limited	CPU-limited	GPU-limited
Dashboard & monitoring	Included	Self-build	Tautulli add-on	Self-build

Services FAQ

Common questions about PlexBeam capabilities.

What GPU hardware does PlexBeam use?

Managed workers run on NVIDIA RTX 4090 GPUs with NVENC encoding. Self-hosted workers also support Intel QSV and VAAPI acceleration. The 4K HEVC → 1080p benchmark hit 267 FPS (11× realtime) on Intel QSV.

How many concurrent streams can PlexBeam handle?

Each managed worker handles 1 concurrent transcode by default. You can stack multiple workers for more simultaneous streams. The RTX 4090 NVENC encoder supports up to 8 hardware sessions per GPU, so a single GPU can power several workers when demand scales.

Does PlexBeam work with Jellyfin?

Yes. PlexBeam supports both Plex Media Server and Jellyfin with the same cartridge system. Install once, point at your worker URL, and it works with either platform — no separate configuration needed.

What happens if my internet connection drops?

PlexBeam has automatic fallback built in. If the remote GPU worker becomes unreachable, transcoding gracefully falls back to your local server’s CPU. Your viewers won’t notice — playback never breaks.

Can I self-host the GPU worker?

Yes. PlexBeam offers a self-hosted worker option for users who have their own GPU hardware (Intel QSV, NVIDIA NVENC, or VAAPI). The managed plan is for users who want zero maintenance — we handle the GPU, drivers, updates, and monitoring.

How does PlexBeam compare to running my own GPU server?

A DIY GPU server costs $800–2,000+ upfront for hardware, plus electricity, driver updates, and ongoing maintenance. PlexBeam managed workers start at $19/mo with no hardware to buy, no drivers to update, automatic failover, and a monitoring dashboard included. Early adopters lock in 50% off for life.