The much-anticipated Plex app for the Apple TV is available for download on the new set-top box as of today, allowing users to stream content from their computers to the Apple TV using the Plex Media Server software. First announced in September, the official Plex app was still in review when the new Apple TV launched last Friday, but it's now been approved.

For those unfamiliar with Plex, it's a media server and personal library for content like TV shows, movies, and music. It's designed to organize personal media collections, allowing videos and music to be streamed to TVs and other devices, locally and remotely.

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Plex on the new Apple TV has a gorgeous interface that makes it easy to see all of your media content at a glance. Plex adds artwork for movies, TV shows, and music, plus it includes information like cast members, plot summaries, and Rotten Tomatoes ratings.

Plex has long been available on set-top devices like the Chromcast and the Fire TV, and it's popular with jailbreakers, but it has not previously been available on older versions of the Apple TV in an official capacity.

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The Plex app for the Apple TV can be downloaded from the tvOS App Store. The app is free to download, and unlike the iOS version does not require a $4.99 in-app purchase or Plex Pass subscription to unlock functionality. Apple TV and iOS App Store apps are universal, so if you've already downloaded the app for iOS, it can be found in the Purchases section of the tvOS App Store. [Direct Link]

Tag: Plex

Top Rated Comments

lewisd25 Avatar
125 months ago
Apple TV's first killer app.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jim.arrows Avatar
125 months ago
I don't understand. For video on Apple TV, Apple's page says ".264 video up to 1080p, 60 frames per second, High or Main Profile level 4.2 or lower".

As someone who currently uses Plex on a Mac Mini, what is the issue with not having 1080p24 on Apple TV?

(Sorry - I don't know what 1080p24 is). Thanks.
Briefly, the native frame rate of films is 24 frames per second, a 1080p60 television displays 60 frames per second so the 24 frames of the original film content don't divide equally into the 60 fps the tv is displaying. In order to work around this, some frames from the original content are shown 3 times each while others are only shown twice, a technique known as 3:2 pulldown. This results in a picture that isn't perfectly smooth, and the artifact of the technique is referred to as "judder." A 1080p24 device simply shows each of the original frames once each, for 1/24th of a second, resulting in a smooth "film like" quality preferred by enthusiasts. Hopefully this quick and dirty explanation helps...
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rdlink Avatar
125 months ago
Glad to hear this is available... the only downside is that my large library is made up of a both iTunes purchased content and my own Handbrake encodes. Until I can serve everything from one interface, it won't pass the wife factor.
Patience. Plex will soon gain access to the Siri Search API, so your wife will be using her voice to consume video before you know it.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macfoxpro Avatar
125 months ago
So, what was all that whining about the new ATV again?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rdlink Avatar
125 months ago
Can anyone explain the advantages of Plex vs what I do today... a fully tagged collection of movies I added to iTunes (iFlick 2 for the metadata) that streams to all my Apple TVs?
What does Plex do that AirPlay doesn't already do? Currently, I can stream anything I want from my computer to my ATV just by mirroring the display. Does Plex have a separate service apart from iTunes?

[Edit: canyonblue737 just beat me to it]
Plex provides a very nice interface that will pull your media from the server and display it on your ATV, automatically inserting cover art, metadata, rotten tomatoes ratings, etc.

So instead of having to drill down through the computer app on the ATV and find the list of movies, or pull the media up on your computer and push it through Airplay, you can just use your remote to browse or search your movies, and the experience is about as beautiful and convenient as looking at your iTunes movies on the ATV.


Apple TV's first killer app.
Yep. If/when Amazon submits a Prime app for ATV, the other media streaming devices will be running from behind.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
elmateo487 Avatar
125 months ago
The whole reason I bought AppleTV was to access my media collection through my MacMini running HomeShare. If I wanted Plex, I would've just bought a Roku. I don't see what everyone is so happy about having Plex on the ATV when HomeShare is free and native across Apples platform.
Wow. This guy and the people who liked this comment don't know what plex is for....

Plex is a full workflow with trailers, music, descriptions, any format, you can stream across the Internet... Have user accounts.

My plex setup goes as such. Buy a movie... Any movie... Place into a folder on my computer (rip of a bargain dvd, or digital format). And everything else happens automagically. Tagged, cover, renamed and organized into folders. Ready to watch on any device, anywhere with a network connection. Not just Apple devices. OR I can just click a button on the device I want the movie to be, and bam, synced and converted to my device.

If you don't need anything complex, sure go for free home sharing. But wait there is more.... Plex is free. Everything I mentioned is free besides the device syncing.

Not to mention..... Why would you buy a Roku? When you can now have an Apple TV to AirPlay to, AND have plex.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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