iTunes vs Plex

[nrc2112]

Originally Posted by phrehdd

THX issue - have you tried going into the Viera settings and changing one of the other options such as Game or Custom to be idential to THX Cinema? I have taken custom and set it first on THX settings then tweaked it a bit based on home needs and also other calibration listings by others elsewhere. It looks very close to THX but you could just put in the THX settings. I went to Netflix on the VT50, opened up a movie. A few moments in, I went to the menu and it shows it is set up on my "custom" setting.

If you go to the settings and look up the THX Cinema, you can go in and see what all the settings are. Simply copy them to custom or any other display setting that you normally would not use. Once done, set your system to use that particular custom settings. You should have THX Cinema settings working with custom. You may need to go in deeper for other advanced settings but start by giving this a try.

XBMC and Plex - I find it is good for movie playback more than music. I'll give a nod to iTunes and ATV for being more familiar to most Mac users. You can however set up XBMC and Plex to have other interfaces and apps incorporated to expand beyond a 'directory' like structure.

I would normally just copy the settings in Custom like you state, however with the THX there are settings in the hidden menus that are set by the factory that users cannot get to without a password. So the THX settings are calibrated internally to the set at the factory in order to he the THX certification. So just copying the THX settings into custom will not be the same.

[dwward]

Originally Posted by nrc2112

I connect my Apple TV and Mac mini directly to HDTV via HDMI.

is this redundant in my setup with no optical media?

I can't remember the last time I watched a movie on disc. I stream everything now. I recently upgraded my home theater with a Denon 3313 AVR and Samsung 65". I use ATV3 and home share with my iMac in the adjoining room via my Apple wifi network.

I'm considering a Mac Mini connected by hdmi directly to my AVR to handle all my movies/TV shows. Everyone loved Front Row and so many seem to recommend Plex once they reach the 5th stage of grief and accept the death of Front Row. I've looked at Plex but find it completely overwhelming.

If I'm content to get all my movies from iTunes, Netflix (via ATV) or Amazon Prime (via Smart TV but maybe Mac Mini) is there really any reason for a Plex like software? 1080p picture and Dolby multichannel sound are important to me.

I'm sorry if I hijacked this thread, but I've struggled to find info on this topic and my quest has led me here. I appeal to your grace, as well as your knowledge.

[tmanto02]

PLEX fo sho! All my movies and most of my tv shows are in .MKV format and there is no way i'm converting 8TBs of content. Plus I love the PLEX interface and metadata handler.

However music will always be in iTunes.

[MonkeySee....]

i use iTunes for everything.

Wish they had Frontrow still though

[Hail Caesar]

iTunes gets most of the action. Never used plex or need too. Handbrake rips and encodes, iFlicks adds, bags and tags everything into iTunes, and then streams to ATV3.

[spencers]

I chose Plex. But I really use XBMC (which is what plex is based on).

All content is stored on my NAS. I have a HTPC running XBMC, where I primarily watch the media on my TV. The NAS is also running Plex Media Server, so all of my media is streamable to my iOS devices, wherever I may be in the country/world. Yes, even works in France. Came in handy a couple months ago.

[nrc2112]

Originally Posted by dwward

I can't remember the last time I watched a movie on disc. I stream everything now. I recently upgraded my home theater with a Denon 3313 AVR and Samsung 65". I use ATV3 and home share with my iMac in the adjoining room via my Apple wifi network.

I'm considering a Mac Mini connected by hdmi directly to my AVR to handle all my movies/TV shows. Everyone loved Front Row and so many seem to recommend Plex once they reach the 5th stage of grief and accept the death of Front Row. I've looked at Plex but find it completely overwhelming.

If I'm content to get all my movies from iTunes, Netflix (via ATV) or Amazon Prime (via Smart TV but maybe Mac Mini) is there really any reason for a Plex like software? 1080p picture and Dolby multichannel sound are important to me.

I'm sorry if I hijacked this thread, but I've struggled to find info on this topic and my quest has led me here. I appeal to your grace, as well as your knowledge.

Since plex cannot stream iTunes movies it is not needed unless you are copying your discs to your pc.

[kumquat]

I've been using iTunes 10.7 on my old white Santa Rosa MacBook HDMI'd to my TV to watch my 2TBs of movies/tv shows/music. I started messing around with Plex yesterday because my TV has the client for it built in. I just linked my TV Show folder as a test as it is the smallest one. None of the metadata or art work I have meticulously added to my files for iTunes using iFlicks, MetaX, MetaZ, etc. is showing up at all and the interface is really ugly. Also, there are some episodes it puts a red X through even though they work fine in iTunes. I can't imagine it really being worth the time to go through every single file (e.g. every episode of all 9 seasons of the X Files, etc.) in my 2 TB library to re-add all this metadata. Why is it not finding the metadata and artwork already assigned? I really liked the idea of it and it would make for a much cleaner media area to just keep all my drives upstairs hooked up to the Mini Server, but I can't imagine myself having the time or patience to re-add all of this info and double check every single file to see if it is showing up there or not or with or without a red X. I did like that it would automatically go on to the next episode if you're on a tv show binge and I had no problems with buffering or anything like that.

[AppleDeviceUser]

Originally Posted by nrc2112

I have no idea what Torrent is.

I am pretty sure it's pirating.

----------

I use iTunes for everything, including all my purchases. Yup that's right nothing illegal here!

[Uofmtiger]

Prefer Plex, but use them both. As others mentioned, Plex works with more video file types.

[urkel]

I use iFlicks to tag and iTunes to organize my media but Plex doesn't recognize a large portion of my TV shows library. It's a shame because I would prefer to use a Roku box but if it can't see my files then I'm better off with AppleTV.

[JGRE]

Originally Posted by robertpolson

I am curious, what do you use for your media needs, iTunes or Plex.

Ever since iTunes 11 came out I began thinking of using it (with iVI) for playing my videos instead of using Plex. However, iTunes has a clunky NAS support and is not as convenient as Plex.

I am curious, what do you use for your media an why?

For movies off less than 4GB I use Beamer, no need to jailbreak and no need for iVI. Larger video files tend to stutter using Beamer; so I remux them with iVI and run them via iTunes.

PS: Plex is 32bit only, XMBC comes in 64bit mode.

[adnbek]

Originally Posted by jdag

I am a HUGE fan of Plex. That being said, I recently converted all of my videos over to M4V and now use iTunes exclusively. It is simply a more fluid user experience to use the AppleTV interface than to use the Plex app on an iOS device and then AirPlay to the AppleTV. The family appreciates it.

I also find that using iTunes is more stable and I don't get any buffering or drop outs at all. Using Plex and AirPlay would occasionally hiccup (say 1x out of every 10 videos I watched).

If Plex were to have a native AppleTV app I would certainly go back to using it.

Try Beamer! Will stream any video format through Airplay to an Apple TV as seamlessly as iTunes does. Love that app. No jailbreak required.

[phrehdd]

I use iTunes for my iphone Music that consists of both cd converted to lossless Apple files and a handful of iTunes store downloads (I don't do the latter any more). I play the above on my phone with earphones and also airplay to my AVR system via airplay.

I prefer using other sources for movies and the like. I find ATV to be pretty on the screen but mediocre for my purposes. I archive my movies on my NAS in native format and use my blu ray player, my Dune player and my Mac Mini with XBMC for playback via my AVR/TV.

I wont knock the ATV as it is a nice little vehicle for playing iTune downloaded movies or rentals but that is exactly what it was designed for - it is akin to the early days of Kodak Instamatic Cameras that were designed to sell Kodak film.

Plex and XBMC on a computer renders better quality in the hi def arena than an ATV. Either of the software used on Windows or Linux can provide HD audio while ATV cannot (or software on OSX).

Depending on what you want should determine what you use. I have gifted ATV's to friends who just think its about the best gadget they have ever owned. It simply works for their needs. As for me, it is kind of a very last choice item as I prefer higher fidelity audio and less limitations on the types of files that can be played whether it is a 1080p mkv or m2ts movie file or 96/24 (or 192/24) Flac audio files and so forth. To each their own.

[jdechko]

The both serve a purpose, even on the same machine.

Plex has a 10-foot interface that makes it useful from across the room in a way that iTunes isn't. Plex also has some really nice plug-ins that let you access so much more content than iTunes. Plex is also much more open, so features will get added and tweaked, while iTunes remains only as Apple says.

iTunes has a great ecosystem behind it as well: Movie & Music stores that no other provider can even begin to approach (at least in the US). Sometimes, being in the walled garden can be really nice. Having all content accessible across multiple computers, AppleTV's, iPhones & iPads is great. Plex can also reach into the iTunes folder to serve up media content, so +1 for being able to have media in a single place that works with multiple devices.

If I had a Mac Mini instead of an ATV, I'd definitely be running either Plex or XBMC as my interface, with iTunes in the background. Like I said, they both have their merits.

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

Originally Posted by macUser2007

And having said that, if anyone came out with a small, polished sub-$200 Plex box, I'd dump my Apple TV (and iTunes by extension) in a second and move to Plex.

You can get Plex for jailbroken ATVs.


I use iTunes for music and Plex for videos. Simply because of the delicious remote app for iTunes, and Plex stinks for music IMO.

For videos, Plex wins hands down. I just toss a movie file into the Movies folder on my Mac mini, and Plex automagically has it in its library within seconds along with meta data. And as easy as it can be video playback over LAN or WAN, makes it a no brainer. <3 Plex.

[Uofmtiger]

It seems that some are talking about the Plex app being used via Airplay. I was referring to Plex playing on a Mac or via a Roku box. The issue with Airplay for video is the lack of surround sound. I use atvflash for my jb AppleTV2s.

[urkel]

I just returned my Roku3 because I could never get Plex to recognize all the files in my iTunes managed library.

But that doesn't mean I vote for iTunes. IMO, iTunes as a media center is incomplete without front row. So I feel Apple killing Front Row ruined my love of the Mac Mini/iTunes as the best Media Center.

[Plutonius]

Originally Posted by urkel

I just returned my Roku3 because I could never get Plex to recognize all the files in my iTunes managed library.

But that doesn't mean I vote for iTunes. IMO, iTunes as a media center is incomplete without front row. So I feel Apple killing Front Row ruined my love of the Mac Mini/iTunes as the best Media Center.

Plex will not play iTunes movies / shows that have DRM. The only way to play those is through iTunes.

[robertpolson]

After recent Plex updates and improvements, I switched from iTunes to Plex for anything related to video.

[stavs]

Originally Posted by tmanto02

PLEX fo sho! All my movies and most of my tv shows are in .MKV format and there is no way i'm converting 8TBs of content. Plus I love the PLEX interface and metadata handler.

However music will always be in iTunes.

Hit the nail on the head. Plex may be a little difficult for some to get started, but once its set up, it is truly the bees knees. For video it wins hands down because it will handle anything thrown at it. Also, the fact that you can set it up so you can watch/listen to your media anywhere in the world on any plex compatible device is fantastic.

[Scarpad]

I use both. My TV's have an apple Tv 3 on them so I stream from ITunes for those. But for all my IOS and Android devices I stream with Plex server.