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Media Server Plex Releases Major Update

Monday October 31, 2011 12:04 pm PDT by Jordan Golson
A major update to the Plex Media Server was released over the weekend, with significant updates to both the server and client software.

Plex is a media player, similar in some ways to Apple's Front Row, but much more powerful. The software automatically organizes movie and television files ripped from DVD's or acquired from other sources and pulls title and plot descriptions from online databases. Plex also integrates with iTunes and iPhoto giving a unified interface for collecting all media (photos, music, and video) in one application. It also supports a number of plugins to pull content from other sources, such as YouTube, TED, or The Daily Show websites.


The new version of Plex, code-named Laika, includes a large number of new features, some of which are covered in this video. One of the largest updates is a new feature called MyPlex, a cloud service that allows easy remote access and sharing of media to other users.

There is also an updated version of the Plex app for iOS. The software allows users to browse media, play video, and control Plex installations, including playing back media on the iPad, including remotely.

The Plex Server and Client are free downloads from the Plex website, and the universal Plex for iOS app is available on the App Store for $4.99.
[ 33 comments ]

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AriX
Posted: 7 months ago
Plex is like Front Row, but not discontinued.
Rating: 2 Positives / 0 Negatives
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Wild-Bill
Posted: 7 months ago
Sweet! Now I just need to wait until the Plex app gets updated for the Synology Disk Station, and then I can truly stream my videos hassle-free from the DiskStation to my AppleTV and PS3, without having to keep my Mac Pro on all the time !!!!!
Rating: 1 Positives / 0 Negatives
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Mark Octavian
Posted: 7 months ago
Lol, you actually have to download the server separately. What's the point if you can't do anything in the media center without the server? And they don't even say that anywhere. So much for user-friendly.
Rating: 1 Positives / 0 Negatives
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slicecom
Posted: 7 months ago

AirVideo is excellent too and I use it for remote streaming, but the interface is frankly primitive and clumsy.

Plex has worked very well so far with the new myPlex remote streaming. I think it will replace AirVideo as my primary video streaming app. The interface and search functions are polished and elegant. Does require tweaking sometimes to get the files to scrape correctly, but a big thumbs up from me for the latest version.

Oh, and now you can stream remotely to a Mac too with Plex!


Agreed. I used to use AirVideo but moved to Plex mainly because the interface is SO MUCH nicer, and it streams just as well as AirVideo.
Rating: 1 Positives / 0 Negatives
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Fisch
Posted: 7 months ago
Sweet. Love this application!
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives
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slicecom
Posted: 7 months ago
Probably my favourite 3rd party app, and the update is great as well! :)
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives
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braintumor
Posted: 7 months ago
This version is still a bit buggy to be honest, but it looks very promising...
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives
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talmy
Posted: 7 months ago
I use it regularly but it has needed more work in stability of both client and server as well as occasional sync issues. I hope that has improved rather than just the eye candy.

Anyone have a link to the video about the server? plexapp.com seems swamped at the moment -- I can't reach the site.
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives
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LastLine
Posted: 7 months ago
I've beent rying to figure out - is it possible to just navigate folders using Plex? I used to use Front Row to just point at my Movies folder and navigate from there - I've not figured out a real alternative yet. Anyone know?

Also does anyone else have Apple Remote issues in Full Screen apps in Lion?
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives
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thermopyle
Posted: 7 months ago

I've beent rying to figure out - is it possible to just navigate folders using Plex? I used to use Front Row to just point at my Movies folder and navigate from there - I've not figured out a real alternative yet. Anyone know?

Also does anyone else have Apple Remote issues in Full Screen apps in Lion?


It doesn't have folders, no. It just provides all the movies or shows in the subdirectories of wherever you pointed the section at. If you wanted to separate them, you could make a second section pointed at the other folder.
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives

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