So what is Plex anyway? It started as home theater PC software and has grown into a complete media streaming and management solution with a wide range of applications. At its core, Plex is a way to organize and deliver your own media. Think of it like running your own personal Netflix, Spotify, and YouTube servers from your home computer. The best Plex TV deals of the day
How does Plex work?
One of the advantages of Plex is the number of devices it runs on. First, download Plex Media Server, which is available for Windows, Mac, Linux, and a variety of network-attached storage devices. After installing the software and pointing it to the folders that contain your movies, TV, music, and photos, the server is ready for client applications to connect to. Then download the Plex apps for your devices, of which there are tons. Android, iOS, and browser apps are obviously the best options, but you can also use Plex on hundreds of other devices, including Alexa, Chromecast, PlayStation, and Smart TVs. Finally, navigate the Plex app interface to find the media you want to stream from your computer, hit play, and your media will start streaming. It's really very simple.How much does Plex cost?
Good news... you can use Plex for free and even at this level it's a very useful tool. But if you plan to use Plex frequently, you should consider its premium plan called Plex Pass. It costs €4,99 per month and there is a great value lifetime plan that costs around €119,99. Other optional Plex features are charged separately, like Tidal's high-quality music streaming that starts at $9.99 per month. The Plex Pass adds a few features, including the ability to sync media across your devices so you can watch it offline. It works smarter than just copying media, as sync will automatically convert any of your media to a format that your device can play. You can also set options like bitrate if you prefer your synced media to take up less space on your smartphone, for example. And we love that paying for the Plex Pass also unlocks live TV and DVR for watching and recording live shows.How does Plex streaming work?
Plex's streaming feature is incredibly easy to use. Usually, all users need to do is play and the media will start streaming from their computer to their app, browser, or TV. There are different settings to change the quality of the stream, but Plex defaults to an automatic setting that will stream the best available quality based on your connection speed. For this to work, Plex often performs transcodes. It involves converting one type of media to another. For example, you might have a whopping 35GB 4K copy of a movie on your computer and want to stream it to an Apple iPad Mini, which would have a hard time playing it due to its size. Plex will automatically convert the movie to a supported format. Put your media files in the folders that Plex monitors and it will automatically pull metadata from sites like IMDB, TMDB, and Fanart.tv. In the vast majority of cases, all your media will be automatically categorized, sorted and tagged, with banners and even captions added. With the Plex Pass, you get extras like movie trailers, behind-the-scenes clips, and interviews with cast members. You can organize your media into virtual folders, create playlists, and use powerful tagging and filtering options to find the media that matters most to you. Plex will keep track of what was watched by whom, so you can pick up where you left off on your favorite TV show when you get home from work. You can also stream it to your phone on the go.What is Plex...? Soon
Plex is arguably the most comprehensive personal media management and delivery system available today. You can use it to create your own version of Netflix to stream from your personal computer. While competitor Emby nips at the heels of Plex for market share, Plex offers support for the widest range of devices, and the transcoding engine works like a charm. If you have a large collection of media files on your computer, Plex is a great way to organize and stream your content to other devices in your home and on the Internet. You can give Plex connections to your friends and family, so they can browse and view your media, too. Overall, Plex is an exceptional option for anyone who wants to manage and stream movies, TV, music, and photos stored on their computer.- Plex review: "Your new best friend as a home streaming expert"