Plex is in the TV app store and it works GREAT!In my previous post I briefly mentioned the rolls I configured on my reclaimed Windows XP, (circa 2004) Dell Optiplex that I wiped and rebuilt with Ubuntu 14.04. I got quite a few comments and questions about that diatribe, the most common being questions about how I configured my media server. Obviously, given this post’s title, I chose Plex. Why?
Well, using Plex only happened after a long, arduous journey through a number of software solutions available for a 64 bit Linux machine. I have been a long-time XBMC fan, so it was the first solution I tried, and tried and tried again. More on those tribulations in a moment. For now, suffice to say I picked Plex because of its capability and polish. Plex is a commercial application and while Plex offers free versions, they are what I call “crippleware” that provide only the most basic features. To make Plex sing you’ll need to spend a few bucks, but only a few. How much depends on what you need it to do. I wanted a media server to run on my Linux box whose primary function is serving my movie library to all my computers, set top boxes, iOS and Android devices. That includes Macs, Windows 10 and Windows 7 computers, DirecTV DVRs, iPhones, iPads, AppleTVs and a Nexus 7 Android tablet. That is what differentiates Plex from all the other media servers I experimented with. It is as ubiquitous as any application I’ve seen, working flawlessly everywhere I’ve installed it. While I’m an Apple guy at heart who’s completely bought into the iTunes ecosystem, I found myself monkeying with too many workarounds getting my movies to play on non-Apple devices. Let’s face it, even us die-hard Apple fans have to live in a world that includes hardware from other vendors. The Windows machines were no problem. Apple does a good job keeping iTunes 100% functional and up-to-date on the Redmond platform. Android proved problematic. I tried countless “iTunes compatible” Android apps and never found one I was completely happy with. When I did find one that worked fairly well, Apple would update iTunes and break it. My DirecTV DVRs have no idea my iTunes library even exists. To be fair, DirecTV equipment is only slightly more advanced than the antiquated cable boxes from Comcast and Time-Warner. They do have a built-in DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) compliant app called MediaShare that’s in beta. Plex has a built-in DLNA server you turn on by clicking a checkbox. Both of my DirecTV boxes see the Plex server and stream movies, music and display photos without (too many) problems. The MediaShare app sucks large, but it does work (mostly).
The people at Plex have obviously devoted a great deal of development resources to their apps. Everything I’ve installed the Plex app on has worked flawlessly. And Plex has apps for everything. This is where you may spend a few bucks. The iOS and Android apps are free, unless you want to use them in something other than a crippled “Trial” mode. This is the one beef I have with Plex. I don’t like the whole “in-app purchase” model they’ve elected to employ. If your free app is nothing short of crippleware, then just own up and charge customers up front. The $4.99 price tag isn’t crazy. On iOS, you pay once and install it on every device that uses the same AppleID. Note to Plex: Your “Free” app is a joke. Tell me what it costs to make it work and let me decide at the outset. I think your in-app purchase model borders on deceptive trade.
OK, I’m done bitching.
When all is said and done I now have a 300+ Movie library, a 10,000+ photo library and a 5000+ song music library available on every computer, set top box (including my new AppleTV), game console and portable device I own. It works on my home network and streams over the Internet anywhere I am. So far, I’ve spent a grand total of $9.98 ($4.99 each for iOS and Android apps). Plex sells something called “Plex Pass” for $40/yr. or $4/mo. That adds extra features like syncing mobile content for off-line use, multi-user control, extra movie trailers and the like. So far I haven’t found the need for it, but that may change over time.
Installing Plex couldn’t be easier. There are server versions for Mac, Windows and Linux free to download at plex.tv. Just pick which computer you want to use as your server, download the appropriate Plex version and run the install. Once complete, you launch Plex via your default browser. The GUI is 100% web based and I haven’t found a browser it doesn’t work perfectly on. Configuration is as simple as pointing Plex to your media folder and clicking “Submit”. Plex sifts through all your media and finds and organizes your movies, music and photos in its interface. It doesn’t move or change your files in any way, it just presents them in a very organized, user-friendly fashion. It uses its on-line database to add movie posters, descriptions, album art and all that other metadata you never seem to have time to gather and builds a beautiful web interface with built in filters to present your media in a beautiful, searchable manner. The Plex web site has guidelines on naming your media files so the Plex software can more accurately determine what they are, but for movies and music, if the filenames of your media is anywhere near their titles, Plex will figure things out amazingly well. It has built-in handlers for iPhoto and Aperture libraries so grabbing and organizing your pictures couldn’t be easier. It even works with the new Apple Photos database.
OK, so that’s why I chose Plex, but why not my previous favorite XBMC? Well, XBMC is a great interface for viewing media. It is by far the prettiest and most extensible GUI around with huge community support, but as a server it just falls short. I’ve used XBMC with great success building set-top boxes using Windows, Linux and even a Raspberry Pi platform. I still prefer XBMC for it’s superior “ten foot” GUI. Meaning it is easy to manipulate from the sofa with a simple remote. Plex is built as a server first and client second. I wanted an app that would 1) scour my (rather un-organized) media library, 2) organize my media and doll it up, then 3) serve it to all my boxes and devices. Without question, Plex does this better than any app I’ve found. XBMC is great at 1 & 2, but falls short on number 3. While it is a fairly decent server, there just aren’t the client apps available for all the boxes and portable devices like the ones Plex provides. I’ve installed Plex clients on iPhones, iPads, a Nexus 7 Android Tablet, an Xbox One, Playstation 3 and Sony Vaio Windows 10 laptop. When configuring your Plex server you create a user ID at plex.tv. Plex keeps all your server configuration data in the cloud. With a one-time sign-in on each device, Plex connects to your server (either locally or on the net) and runs flawlessly. You never have to configure the Plex client apps. Your movies, music and photos are available everywhere, no matter which device you happen to be using at the time. And Plex is rock-solid dependable. My Linux PC host runs weeks on end with low CPU load and stable memory usage only needing restarts when the occasional critical Linux system update requires it. My experience with XBMC’s stability has not been so positive.
With just a couple of simple Automator workflows I’ve automated the process of syncing my iTunes folder and Photos database on my Mac to the Linux machine daily and the Plex server automatically sees the changes and updates new movies, music and photos with no intervention from me. I simply add media to iTunes and Photos like I always have and within a few hours its available on Plex. I could speed the process up if I wish, but so far I haven’t been compelled to do so.
So, what more could I ask from a media server? Plex installs anywhere, is inexpensive to own, easy to setup and maintain, feature rich and has apps available for every device I use. I’d be an idiot to use anything else.
Shut up.