You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time. Watch Together is supported on the following devices: Step 1: To start Watch Together, select a movie or show you want to watch in your Plex app, and then select the Three dots / more button, followed by Watch Together. If you know that you will mostly want to play your files on a single TV at home, buying a more powerful client device that can handle lots of file types on its own without needing the server to transcode is a great alternative to a more expensive server machine. If so, a Plex Media Server might be just what you need. Poster/Background: There are two images that will show up in your librarythe poster for the movie/episode, and a background image that will appear in some apps. When available, it can be displayed on the artists page. Alternatively, check out some of the best Plex alternatives. Related Page: Cinema Trailers, Extras, & Related Albums. they can access. support page that discusses the minimum requirements, how to know if youre getting Dolby Atmos sound guide, Simply download the appropriate installer, How to watch Amazon Prime Video on your Chromecast, How to build the ultimate Zoom setup for all your Thanksgiving video calls, Plex adds a new artwork-centric option to its visual experience, Plex now lets you skip the credits on movies and TV shows, The best places to watch free movies online, Locast shutters operations heres how to keep watching your local channels, You can now watch Peacock on all Fire TV devices, ahead of Tokyo Games, How to connect Alexa to your home speakers. There's no way to do that, at least that I'm aware of. It might sound tedious, but it's a habit that will pay off in the long run. Editing a film or series title will change the name of the movie as it's displayed in your library. Theyre both a great way of putting an old computer youre no longer using to good use. Within that screen, you can add additional users for the people who live with you, as well as giving access to friends via the Shared Libraries option. In the "Add Library" window, select "Movies" and click "NEXT". Just like Plex, Kodi can scrape the web and build a detailed library of content including cover images, descriptions, ratings, and more. The Plex server uses a process called transcoding to make all of your media playable on any device. Our mobile apps allow you to easily modify what appears on your Home screen, which sources of media are available, and how to arrange the available sources. In cases where you choose not to pin a particular source, you can still access it whenever you want. So it shouldn't be possible for anyone to snoop on what you're doing unless they gain access to your devices. Choose any quality and bandwidth limitations you want to put on the new version. The unofficial add-ons can also leave you vulnerable to undesirable third parties, including malware, hackers, and snoopers. A window will pop up with space to edit the title and other info. Choose whether or not video preview thumbnails will be generated for this particular library if the main setting is enabled for the Plex Media Server. The default Scanner is automatically selected when you create the library but you can change it if necessary. You can adjust the order of pinned content while editing the sidebar. Plex is software that you can use to store, locate, and access all of your media in one place. When you set up the Plex server and app, you'll be prompted to select from a big list of streaming services, including the major ones you're likely subscribed to, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, Hulu, HBO Max, and more. However, in order to pull this information into your library, your files will need to be formatted and organized properly. He is currently a full-time contributor to Digital Trends' Audio/Video section. Tim Brookes is a technology writer with more than a decade of experience. Both Plex and Kodi are available to download and try out for free. If youd like to be able to access your library away from your home network, Plex makes it easy to do so. The media server will scan your library and scrape relevant cover images, descriptions, ratings, and more. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Most users wont need to alter the Advanced options, but theyre available when necessary. First, while it's not strictly necessary, it's often best to create nested folders for every show, season, and possibly episode, if the episode is broken up into multiple files. Whereas you might run Plex on a server thats tucked away in a cupboard, Kodi works best on a dedicated home theater PC (HTPC) or similar. Related Page: Library Kodi is an endpoint for your media that needs to run on a device thats connected directly to your main TV (or projector). Lastly, Kodi is a completely free and open-source solution. Upcoming concert information can be gathered from Last.fm. Tip! With Plex, you can also access two other kinds of free streaming media: web shows and podcasts. Eric Ravenscraft is a freelance writer and tech nerd working out of the geek capital of the world, Atlanta, Georgia. In the Kodi versus Plex battle, there are some big differences. Similar in many ways to free, ad-supported services like the Roku Channel, Plex Free Movies and TV is both an add-on to your personal Plex experience and a standalone service. The guide provides a thorough understanding of the possible legal ramifications of using those third-party add-ons. Choose the basic type of media this library represents. This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. When available, those popular tracks are displayed on the artists page. If youre not a fan of maintaining a highly connected, centrally managed media library that clients stream from, then Kodi is for you. For instance, you might have your own library of photos as well one to which a friend or family member has granted you access, or maybe you have multiple TV libraries of your own. Follow him on Twitter or Instagram. Though Plex is free to download, some features require Plex Pass or a one-time fee. This way, you can search for something to watch without switching back and forth between different apps. Settings to control actual playback are available in the Plex apps themselves. Highlight a Row Using Conditional Formatting, Hide or Password Protect a Folder in Windows, Access Your Router If You Forget the Password, Access Your Linux Partitions From Windows, How to Connect to Localhost Within a Docker Container, How to Run Your Own DNS Server on Your Local Network. Support documents from Plex(Opens in a new window) recommend using a folder system like this: You can further divide your library folders however you prefer, such as adding a new folder for each movie or show. It will ask you to create a new Plex account and then take you through a setup wizard that mostly involves helping the server track down your media files. For Plex Media Server: PC, Mac, Linux, FreeBSD computer, Nvidia Shield/Shield TV, Netgear Nighthawk router, or supported NAS, For Plex Client Player: Any supported streaming device. Click, Next, add the folders with the media files. Best of all, your Plex library can also be shared with other Plex users, making it an ideal way to give friends and family members access to your media without having to upload all of it to a third-party cloud service like Google Drive or iCloud. Enabling this option will attempt to import your music playlists from iTunes. Intro PLEX - Add a movie collection to the home screen for yourself and/or your users for the Hoildays. Using theentry you can pin new items to appear in the main navigation sidebar area (By default, new items will be placed at the end of the list). Plex's Watch Together feature allows users to watch their favorite movies and TV shows with friends. For the Plex Media Server, you will need to pick a device on which to install and run it. Plex pulls multiple versions of each that you can choose from, or you can upload your own if you don't like any of them. The Discover section will now appear on the left menu, under the home navigation. Plex will automatically pull this information into your library, making it easy to browse titles without leaving the app. One limitation here is that there are only a few types of compatible devices. Kodi is a powerful media center software interface that does many of the same things as Plex. We've all experienced the problem of content overload, when you have an idea of what you want to watch but you just can't quite narrow it down with so many options available. But since they come from third parties, you can end up with spoilers in your descriptions. To solve this, Plex recently announced a new feature to help you find any content on all your streaming services in one place. You can always skip this step Plex will still let you access and play your files even if they arent named using Plexs conventions, but it may have a hard time identifying what the file is, so you may not get all of the rich data from the web that makes using Plex so enjoyable. For example. In fact, you can even add unreleased movies to your Watchlist. But large libraries can be cumbersome if they're not properly organized. The streaming service conveniently allows users to search by general categories, but if you want to get even more specific, there's a trick to help you out. mlbarratt. But in the past few years, Plex has also added a massive library of over 50,000 paid and free movies, over 250 free Live TV channels, and additional features that set it apart from most other streaming services. Can Power Companies Remotely Adjust Your Smart Thermostat? The free, ad-supported service has a growing catalog of content from sources such as Paramount, Warner Brothers, MGM, Legendary, Magnolia Pictures, Lionsgate Films, and Crackles library of content. When enabled, trailers and extras will automatically be retrieved for your movies when available. For Apple TV, for instance, its in the App Store. Simon Cohen covers a variety of consumer technologies, but has a special interest in audio and video products, like whole-home music systems, true wireless earbuds and headphones, 4K HDR TVs, and surround sound technologies like Dolby Atmos. Let's dive in. Many of these web shows and podcasts can be found on other services, like YouTube, but having them accessible within Plex is a little more convenient. If you cant access the new Plex features, check out our list of the best streaming devices for any budget. Alternatively, you can run some combination of the two since theres an official Plex add-on available for Kodi. This can include the title, release year, cast list, description, trailers, and movie poster for the movie. Podcasts are the same idea, but for audio-only. Open up Plex Media Server on your server device (laptop, desktop, etc). Thats where the ability to customize things comes in. Both will scan and organize your media for you, download covers and descriptions, and present it in an eye-catching manner. (Plex Pass required), When available, include additional extras that have subtitles matching your librarys language. 2 yr. ago. Kodi is a media center application that runs on a computer or other device plugged into your main TV. When this option is enabled, album reviews from Gracenote will be gathered when available. While it once seemed like a gimmick, co-watching content online is now a much-in-demand activity. But every once in a while a movie will be missing a poster, or a TV show will get split up. These are available for the major desktop operating systems but also most smart TVs, set-top boxes like the Apple TV and NVIDIA Shield, mobile platforms like Android and iPhone, and even VR headsets. Locally, Plex allows you to add your own movies, TV shows, music, photos, and home videos. When that fails, you can manually edit your library's info. If you have a data cap, as an increasing number of home internet users do(Opens in a new window), you could hit that limit quickly. {{navSearchSanitizedItem( item, 'title' )}}. You can also choose theMoreentry to view additional items or to pin them to the sidebar. If youre a frequent downloader of new media, you can set it so that Plex automatically updates its library any time it detects a new file has been added. If you have a huge library of TV shows and movies, Plex is one of the best ways to manage and stream it to all your devices. (Plex Pass required), When enabled, extras that are not trailers will be skipped. He's invested in the Apple ecosystem, with experience covering Macs, iPhones, and iPads for publications like Zapier and MakeUseOf. Plex has a wide range of client applications to choose from. If you have a Tidal subscription, you can add it to Plex. 22K views 3 years ago Video showing how to set up Plex so that you have all of your movies and TV shows in place with all of your other media. Does anyone know of a way to pin specific media to the home screen? An Apple TV 4K, for instance, only plays video files encoded in H.264, or MPEG-4, using the .m4v, .mp4, and .mov formats. Because Kodi is open-source software, there are a fair amount of third-party extras available for it. It will cause problems. Including, but not limited to: Title: Editing a film or series title will change the name of the movie as it's displayed in your library. Click on the Settings icon in top-right corner of the Plex web interface. This is how it can tell the difference between Aladdin (1992) and Aladdin (2019) and give each the proper artwork. Click this and a small window will pop up with boxes you can edit. So your most frequently watched playlists are generally early on the list. You can find all the movies and shows saved in your Watchlist by navigating to the Plex home page and selecting Watchlist at the top of the screen. Select the folders where your content is located. Kodi doesnt come with any media and youll instead need to add libraries for music, movies, TV shows, and photos. Here's how to get remote access working across your Plex-powered hardware. Depending on what device you are using, selecting a streaming service will open the app or website directly, so you can start watching it right away. Thank you for helping us improve our articles. There are no premium passes required to unlock functionality but, by the same token, this functionality is a bit more limited. It's worth pointing out that you don't need to use a VPN exclusively for Plex traffic. and our It's worth diving into Plex's documentation for both movie files(Opens in a new window) and TV shows(Opens in a new window) for some of the more nuanced exceptions, such as if a movie is split across multiple files, or for handling TV shows with standalone specials, like Doctor Who. Every client device possesses different capabilities, which means each Plex client also possesses different capabilities. However, it doesn't always get it right. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. For folks who run their own Plex Media Server, you can have even more control over which rows will appear on an app home screen for a particular pinned personal media library. Fortunately,Plex has a bounty of client applications available for most modern systems. and our That would cause the row of playlists to appear right below Continue Watching. Since we launched in 2006, our articles have been read billions of times. The media sources you have pinned in the sidebar are the main thing that determines what appears on your Home screen. These can be locally attached internal or external drives or network locations like Windows SMB shares and NASdevices. This page is community-driven and not run by or affiliated with Plex, Inc. You can sign up for a free account, or just use a guest account and start streaming now. What is SSH Agent Forwarding and How Do You Use It? If a librarys language is set to French, for example, the French plot summary, etc., will be downloaded when available. Content in the folders must prepared like the exampleslinked on the Add folders tab. A sufficiently fast Wi-Fi network (routers and devices that support 802.11ac are best) can work too, but youll need excellent signal strength to support streaming in 4K/HDR. You can log in to your Plex account and stream your media over the internet from anywhere. Scanners analyze the folder structure and filename of your content for information about that particular item. Plex has much more detailed step-by-step instructions on this process here(Opens in a new window). To vote if this article was helpful, please sign in with your plex account. A custom app for remote server monitoring. Step 2: The web app is your main way of configuring the Plex server, but it also doubles as a way to look at your library and play your files on your computer. Beyond that, there are several useful tricks and tools you can find buried in the server application's settings that can help you keep things organized, make sure your computer runs well while it's in use, and even protect you from anyone who might try to peek into your stream. You can also just select the Start button to start immediately. What about Kodi versus Plex? You will generally find the one for your specific device in the online download store for that platform. Make an appropriate folder and put your media in that, such as D:/Movies. Thank you for helping us improve our articles. Doing so has two big advantages: First, Plex can automatically transcode any music files that Sonos cant play like hi-res FLAC files so you can enjoy your full music library. Adding content from other servers. But since they come from third parties, you can end up with spoilers in your descriptions. How to show my library directly on the Home (front) screen. The library will keep track of what youve watched and organize content by season. to the Plex. Select the library the media you wish to update is located in from the left hand navigation panel. Select your E: drive and select the Movies folder. How to watch local channels on your Roku device, How to use Netflixs secret category codes to find what you want to watch, Plex Arcade brings classic Atari console titles to your TV for $5 per month. One of the most powerful features of Plex is the ability to configure the Plex server for remote access. Open app.plex.tv and click the "Activity" button in the top right corner of the interfaceif an update is available, it will tell you so. That means you will have to set up each Kodi device as though it were the first time. To add a movie or TV show to your Watchlist, select a magnifying glass icon in the top-left corner of Plex and search for it. And if that isn't enough, Plex also operates its own ad-supported, free streaming video service known as Plex Free Movies and TV, which can be accessed alongside your personal media, as well as live TV and DVR features you can access with the Plex Pass subscription. Plex adds a new artwork-centric option to its visual experience By Simon Cohen August 19, 2021 Plex, the company that gives folks a way to easily manage and access their personal library of. Open ports on Plex with PureVPN's Port forwarding Add-on Your subscription has been confirmed. Unlike iTunes, Plex can read just about every media file format you can think of.