Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

PLEX is coming to the new Apple TV

dearfriendx

dearfriendx

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 3, 2011
356
283
San Diego, CA
The co-founder of PLEX has confirmed they are ready to make a PLEX app for the new Apple TV in this article: http://www.itworld.com/article/2982961/hardware/exclusive-plex-is-coming-to-apple-tv.html

Quote:
“We are very excited to have a crack at bringing our users Apple TV. It’s been a long requested platform and we’re excited to work on it. We want it, our users want it…and we’re anxiously awaiting the tvOS developer beta info, so we can finally dig in.”
 
  • Like
Reactions: Frosties
Boyd01 said:
That sounds nice, but not worth spending $150 for a new AppleTV just to get Plex. :)
Click to expand...

I don't think anyone would dish out money for one small, sole feature on anything haha. Just sharing because I've read the complaint about no PLEX on Apple TV for 5 years
 
dearfriendx said:
I don't think anyone would dish out money for one small, sole feature on anything haha. Just sharing because I've read the complaint about no PLEX on Apple TV for 5 years
Click to expand...

I ditched my ATV2 for a Roku 3 purely to be able to run Plex which plays a key part in my media set-up, so having Plex back on the new ATV will definitely be enough for me to go back and lay down some £££ for it. The next thing will be if you can load UK apps (iPlayer, 4oD) with US apps (Hulu) etc... I doubt it but you never know!
 
  • Like
Reactions: aarond12 and pollaxe
This pretty much locked it in for me. Not having to run PlexConnect on my desktop PC and keep it running all the time will certainly get me to spend the money for the new ATV.

The question is: Will the Universal Search be able to search my Plex content (or other 3rd party apps) as well as the content of built in apps?
 
  • Like
Reactions: GoGa
PilotC150 said:
This pretty much locked it in for me. Not having to run PlexConnect on my desktop PC and keep it running all the time will certainly get me to spend the money for the new ATV.

The question is: Will the Universal Search be able to search my Plex content (or other 3rd party apps) as well as the content of built in apps?
Click to expand...

I think the answer is no. Engadget wrote on one of their posts the other day that searching within apps will be added to universal search by Apple on an "app-by-app basis."
 
Plex is terrible, Never finds all my files, it has to scan folders. Something like Stream to me is much better, all you do is add a folder and no scanning and all your files no matter how you name them are there. Plex might be good for access to other channels but as far as local content it really is not that great. It has nice metadata but if doesn't find all your files it is worthless and also i don't think it has a shuffle option on alot of Apps like Roku so it probably won't on ApplE tv. Kodi blows it away, you don't need a server running on your computer
 
  • Like
Reactions: phrehdd
JoeShades said:
Plex is terrible, Never finds all my files, it has to scan folders. Something like Stream to me is much better, all you do is add a folder and no scanning and all your files no matter how you name them are there. Plex might be good for access to other channels but as far as local content it really is not that great. It has nice metadata but if doesn't find all your files it is worthless and also i don't think it has a shuffle option on alot of Apps like Roku so it probably won't on ApplE tv. Kodi blows it away, you don't need a server running on your computer
Click to expand...

But Kodi can't sync watch-status across different devices (Laptops, Desktop, Phones, Tablets, TVs, gaming consoles...pretty much everything with a display) with multiple-user-support.

If you want such a solution there is basically only Plex at the moment (Emby still has no iOS app). And Plex finds everything IF you name it right;) (which you also have to do using Kodi)
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: aarond12 and DavoteK
Now do I burn my roku' or just bin them oooo will it blend hahah
 
Wunderwally said:
But Kodi can't sync watch-status across different devices (Laptops, Desktop, Phones, Tablets, TVs, gaming consoles...pretty much everything with a display) with multiple-user-support.

If you want such a solution there is basically only Plex at the moment (Emby still has no iOS app). And Plex finds everything IF you name it right;) (which you also have to do using Kodi)
Click to expand...

No plex does not find everything, Kodi works perfectly as does Stream to me and neither one has to scan your folders which can take long. I have files split into parts and the most are MP4, the only difference is one is named part one , one part 2 Etc, plex fails to find all of them.
 
Yes Kodi also scans your folders or how else they gonna load the right metadata for movies and tv shows? (and if you don't use the library with metadata and covers and so on why use it in the first place?) And regarding plex...okay let's be more precise...Plex is finding everything FOR ME and everyone i know IF you name your files correctly (like explained here Naming you Mediafiles).

And as i said above yes Kodi works perfectly depending on what you want. (I don't know "stream to me" but i assume is similar to AirVideo). I need an app that's handling my media for a desktop-machine (Mac Mini) two Laptops(Macbook Pro&Air), two iPhones (5s&6) and an iPad Air. Everything has to be in sync like progress, watch status etc across all these devices, it should look good with nice covers, metadata and extras like trailers and all this for two users with two different accounts. It should work when at home (in local wifi) the same as when i'm in the train on cellular or with synced content or when i'm at a friends home using his wifi. Kodi can't do this and isn't supposed to! As i said it depends on what you need and what you want.

If you want all that and are a mac and ios user you have basically no choice other than using plex und it works very well.
 
I'd love to get the new AppleTV, it really looks nice but right now I just don't see the point -- even with the addition of PLEX. I've been using a Mac mini running PLEX with a 4TB external HDD hooked up to my TV as a media server and it does everything I want. As much as I'm intrigued by the new ATV I would lose the ability to directly access and play all my media files so I just don't see the point of getting one even though I'm really tempted.
 
MILE said:
I'd love to get the new AppleTV, it really looks nice but right now I just don't see the point -- even with the addition of PLEX. I've been using a Mac mini running PLEX with a 4TB external HDD hooked up to my TV as a media server and it does everything I want. As much as I'm intrigued by the new ATV I would lose the ability to directly access and play all my media files so I just don't see the point of getting one even though I'm really tempted.
Click to expand...
Having the same setup i just would like a box where everything i watch, listen to, etc is in one place that i can control with a remote. Yes i can watch Netflix and Amazon Instant Video in the Browser but it's not really convenient (the same with Spotify). The Apps of my TV are sluggish and not fun to us. I currently use a Logitech Harmony Touch, but after all using it is a bit complicated, especially for my girlfriend.

So with the new Apple TV, assuming Siri and Universal Search is working good, i would have everything i need (Plex, Netflix, Amazon Video, Spotify, Youtube and more) in one place, with a nice and fluid interface and a nice remote.
 
Wunderwally said:
So with the new Apple TV, assuming Siri and Universal Search is working good, i would have everything i need (Plex, Netflix, Amazon Video, Spotify, Youtube and more) in one place with a good remote.
Click to expand...

I totally get that, that's what I thought at first, too. But what good is PLEX on the ATV if I can't access all my own external video files that I've stored on the external HDD?! That is what I use PLEX for 85% of the time.
 
MILE said:
I totally get that, that's what I thought at first, too. But what good is PLEX on the ATV if I can't access all my own external video files that I've stored on the external HDD?! That is what I use PLEX for 85% of the time.
Click to expand...
But you can? You have the server running on your mac and the plex app stream it directly from your mac mini!
 
Wunderwally said:
But you can? You have the server running on your mac and the plex app stream it directly from your mac mini!
Click to expand...

Yes, but that's just my point: instead of playing the files directly through the Mac mini that is already hooked up to my TV I would have to stream them to the ATV that's standing like 2 inches next to the Mac!? What is the advantage there?!

Maybe I just don't get it but just like I think that using a wired connection is preferable to wifi I think that playing a file directly is preferable to streaming it. Especially when everything is already hooked up and running. Adding the ATV to that mix would just make it more convoluted, don't you think?

My current setup is: download and manage all the downloaded or ripped files on the Mac mini using PLEX, play them directly to watch them on my TV.

The new setup then would be like: download and manage all the downloaded or ripped files on the Mac mini using PLEX, then stream all those files to the ATV right next to it which is also using PLEX and then watch the streaming version on my TV.

Don't get me wrong, I really like the new ATV and what it seems to offer, I just think it would be a step back for someone who already has a Mac hooked up directly. But maybe that's just me.
 
Yeah i absolutely see your points! For me the advantage over "just" using the mac mini is having apps like Netflix etc. I watch about 50% of movies and tv shows on plex, 40% on netflix and the rest on amazon instant video. As said the apps of my TV (LG from 2013) are just bad und slow, using the browser on the mac mini is not really convenient from the couch and i don't really want to use my ps4 for watching movies. So it basically comes down to the user what he needs and wants. I want a box with a nice easy-to-use remote where everything is in one place and easy accessible (strongly hoping that apps can tap into universal search and siri). The new Apple Tv at least looks like a good solution for my "needs", i hope it also turns out this way:D
 
Actually I think it might be just right for your needs, I'm just not sure yet if it will do for me. I'll probably get one anyway and then play around a bit, see how I can make use of it.

One more thing that I am skeptical about is the usability of apps over here in Germany. While there are lots of apps that might have great content for US users the selection here is pretty scarce, but maybe that will also change with the new ATV, we'll see. :cool:
 
Hm, before I ditch my Mac Mini HTPC, I would like to know if Plex will play back HD content without transcoding on these Apple TVs. That's the biggest issue I have with Plex Server/Clients - the server needs to be beefy, and so does the client. :/

So, I remain cautiously optimistic.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back