[Archived] Plex

[ABBEY]

Got told to try plex . I had not heard of it .

Anyone used it ? Is it legal ? Any good ?

[Glenn]

I've been using Plex for a few years and I'm a HUGE advocate. I know a few other BRFCS members are users too.

Frankly, all it really is is your own personal media server allowing you to share your own films, pictures and music between your own devices. It's great for me, I can listen to my own music collection at work, watch my own movies on the train, grab the chromecast or Now TV box from my TV and take it on holiday to access my 1500+ legitimately bought and paid for movie collection anywhere. Nothing more legally or morally dodgy about that other than format shifting (i.e. copying CDs and DVDs to your own computer).

Where things start of get questionable is one thing Plex makes really really easy is sharing your content with your mates. If you share your home movies and personal pics, no problem there, if you share your DVD collection, even with your own family, then you're technically distributing copyrighted movies. The fact the Plex server only handles the introduction between computers (they never get to see even a list of your content, let alone the content itself) and all the connectivity between player and server can be done over SSL, it then becomes seemingly unlikely that anyone could ever tell whether somebody is watching your copyright-free home movies or torrented hollywood blockbuster.

Two thumbs up from me!

P.S. It's all free. Paying does get you early access to features and a few extra frills, but all the essential bits are free

[ABBEY]

Cheers .. Can you get streams ?

[Biddy]

It does stream but only your own content from your own PC/server at home.

Also, Glenn is not 100% accurate on the price. The server part is free and using a web browser is free but the Android, iOS and Amazon apps cost money.

Also, as of an absolutely barmy court ruling last week, even format shifting (ripping) a CD is now illegal again in this country.

[Glenn]

Oh, the mobile apps used to be free, but I got a lifetime sub years ago (back when it was £40) so they still look free to me. Still the apps are only a few quid it.

What I think you're asking Abs is can you get dodgy feeds, the answer is probably yes, there is a "Unsupported app store" which has all the plex plugins plex won't have in their real app store, but quite how well that's supported I don't know. If that's your aim then Kodi on one of these android TV devices that were pushed heavily until the main sellers got busted a few months ago, is probably a better option.

i.e. These - http://droidzone.co.uk/

[ABBEY]

As if if ask for dodgy wink wink

[Biddy]

I've found you can never rely on the "dodgy app stores" as the streams are there for a while and then just disappear. Not great when kids want to watch something.

Much better to rip your own which is what I painstakingly did for nearly 6 months. Currently ripping all my Rovers DVD's. That's quite a task as well.

I must check my Plex shares, it appears I share with more people than share with me!

[Glenn]

I think a lot of people had their sharing permissions screwed by the update that added local user sharing (i.e. only letting your kids see selected stuff). Either that or your not using a plex client with SSL support.

As for ripping everything, same here. I'm now down to a few TV boxsets left to do, but I have managed to move around 40 boxes on DVDs into the roof and reclaimed the shelf space.

On the dodgy streams thing, I know the previous big selling point of those droid-zone boxes (which now isn't mentioned on their site .... possibly after police involvement) was part of the price is they provide a remote update service where the stream sources are curated by them and constantly updated, lessening the chances of them working one day and not the next.

[perthblue02]

Abbey might be wrong but sounds like you are after something like XBMC now called Kodi, perfectly legal for your own media etc , whatever else you do with it is up to you http://kodi.tv/

[ABBEY]

my xmbc has stopped didnt realise . My mate set mine up any tips ,hints on streams ,movies etc pm dude if not allowed on here.

[Reedy You're A Star]

If you got yourself one of these for around £30:

https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-2-model-b/

Then got yourself a decent sized SD card, decent HDMI lead and Samsung / android phone charger

And did this to it:

http://wiki.openelec.tv/index.php/HOW-TO:Installing_OpenELEC/Writing_The_Disk_Image#tab=Windows

You could also install addons like Genesis / Fusion if you wanted to and were into TV shows, movies, sporting events, etc.

http://www.tvaddons.ag/fusion-installer-kodi/

Then you could, hypothetically, watch them for an initial outlay of around £50 - £60 and no subscriptions, etc

[adopted scouser]

If you got yourself one of these for around £30:

https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-2-model-b/

Then got yourself a decent sized SD card, decent HDMI lead and Samsung / android phone charger

And did this to it:

http://wiki.openelec.tv/index.php/HOW-TO:Installing_OpenELEC/Writing_The_Disk_Image#tab=Windows

You could also install addons like Genesis / Fusion if you wanted to and were into TV shows, movies, sporting events, etc.

http://www.tvaddons.ag/fusion-installer-kodi/

Then you could, hypothetically, watch them for an initial outlay of around £50 - £60 and no subscriptions, etc

Been using tv addons on the PC and I love it. Based on that I got an android box off ebay (new) and all the menus are there and on screen, but I can't get it to work (no film lists etc) Broadband is connected.

It's an MXQ H264 (Shanghai's finest), I'll have another play tomorrow.

[ABBEY]

If you got yourself one of these for around £30:

https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-2-model-b/

Then got yourself a decent sized SD card, decent HDMI lead and Samsung / android phone charger

And did this to it:

http://wiki.openelec.tv/index.php/HOW-TO:Installing_OpenELEC/Writing_The_Disk_Image#tab=Windows

You could also install addons like Genesis / Fusion if you wanted to and were into TV shows, movies, sporting events, etc.

http://www.tvaddons.ag/fusion-installer-kodi/

Then you could, hypothetically, watch them for an initial outlay of around £50 - £60 and no subscriptions, etc

Sorted through lap top

[donnermeat]

Been using tv addons on the PC and I love it. Based on that I got an android box off ebay (new) and all the menus are there and on screen, but I can't get it to work (no film lists etc) Broadband is connected.

It's an MXQ H264 (Shanghai's finest), I'll have another play tomorrow.

I have one of these and this may sound really dumb and I'm not telling you how to suck eggs or anything, but are you using a wired connection? I only say this as when I got mine I still had to actually select 'wired connection' on the menu, I know of no other piece of equipment where you have to do this. Usually it's just stick an ethernet lead in and away you go.

[adopted scouser]

It's connected to the Internet, all the menus are there but none of the content will load, also any update I try fails. I'm quite techy but this is so frustrating! Emailed the manufacturers in Shanghai

[T J Hooker]

Ive just started using plex(after 1st reading about it here, cheers) for wirelessly streaming films to my tv of laptop. Upto now ive been using nero homemedia to do this but the latest update of that wont play mkv's For some reason so plex has been a good replacement.

[ABBEY]

i didn't bother with plex and went to kodi

[adopted scouser]

It's connected to the Internet, all the menus are there but none of the content will load, also any update I try fails. I'm quite techy but this is so frustrating! Emailed the manufacturers in Shanghai

Sorted 😎 Uninstalled then reinstalled Kodi from scratch, works a treat £40 !! 😄

[ABBEY]

Kodi is free ? Not 40

[adopted scouser]

Kodi is free ? Not 40

The box for the tv ya div ! 😄

[ABBEY]

ha..i use lappy

[adopted scouser]

ha..i use lappy

I use it on the PC, set up the box for the parents 😎