diff --git a/frigate/api/transcode.py b/frigate/api/transcode.py
index 71c246f4d..a469a9c5e 100644
--- a/frigate/api/transcode.py
+++ b/frigate/api/transcode.py
@@ -93,13 +93,16 @@ def _build_ffmpeg_cmd(
         "pipe,file,http,tcp",
         "-i",
         input_url,
+        # Scale down to 720p max, preserve aspect ratio
+        "-vf",
+        "scale=-2:'min(720,ih)'",
         # Encode to H.264 (software — universally available)
         "-c:v",
         "libx264",
         "-preset",
-        "fast",
+        "ultrafast",
         "-crf",
-        "23",
+        "26",
         "-profile:v",
         "high",
         "-level:v",
diff --git a/web/src/utils/codecUtil.ts b/web/src/utils/codecUtil.ts
index 729da8592..43299f772 100644
--- a/web/src/utils/codecUtil.ts
+++ b/web/src/utils/codecUtil.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ let hevcResult: boolean | null = null;
  * Result is cached after the first call.
  */
 export function isHevcSupported(): boolean {
+  if (localStorage.getItem("forceTranscode") === "true") return false;
   if (hevcResult !== null) return hevcResult;
 
   const codecs = [