10 ms·

Live TV on Plex

146 points by electriclove 9y ago

AdmiralAsshat 9y ago
The original title "#$%@ it! We’ll do it live!" is a reference to Bill O'Reilly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_HyZ5aW76c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_HyZ5aW76c
- publicfig 9y ago
  While I should clarify that I don't care in the slightest, I did find it interesting that they decided to use a Bill O'Reilly quote to title the post, given all of the controversy around him lately. Not that I think it is offensive, I just think it's interesting to consider which companies would do that and which ones wouldn't
  - nathan_f77 9y ago
    I no longer associate this with Bill O'Reilly, and I even forgot that it was something he said. It just feels like a very common expression now.
  - problems 9y ago
    Anyone who's been on the internet too long might do it - it's been a around for the past decade - more as a meme making fun of Bill O'Reilly than anything in support of him.
bubbabojangles 9y ago
I've been using a Ceton Infinitv tuner with WMC and ServerWMC for the last 5 years. I use Kodi as a PVR interface and my interface for TV shows/ Movies on my file server. I don't see any advantage to Plex, you need to pay for the service and it's a PIA to setup and configure. Once configured, don't plan on using the computer you setup the Media server on as it is always busy/ bogged down scanning files and transcoding video.
- jayrox 9y ago
  > Once configured, don't plan on using the computer you setup the Media server on as it is always busy/ bogged down scanning files and transcoding video. This part is incorrect. Plex only needs to transcode at the time the media is being played and really only scans when changes to the media directory are detected and/or on a schedule you define.
- hendersoon 9y ago
  Windows Media Center is a discontinued product. Best case scenario, it'll be supported until 2023 when Windows 8.1 ends extended support. But I'd be pretty surprised if MS is still sending guide data that long. More likely, one day you'll turn it on and discover it doesn't work any more.
  - drewmol 9y ago
    You can use a paid service like schedulesdirect to replace windows media center guide data, which they get from Rovi (Tivo parent) currently. It tends to be more detailed and accurate that way.
- elbrian 9y ago
  >Once configured, don't plan on using the computer you setup the Media server on as it is always busy/ bogged down scanning files and transcoding video. This is such a bogus statement. The impact that Plex has on your computer is directly tied to the processing power of said computer. I run Plex with a >10tb media collection on my >2 year old desktop, and I am able to play games such as PUBG, DayZ, Arma 3, Overwatch, etc with absolutely no hindrance. This is my build: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/QVKMrH https://pcpartpicker.com/list/QVKMrH edit: I'd also argue that Plex has a vastly superior interface, as well as metadata handling, compared to Kodi. Kodi is basically "the poor man's Plex."
- mikewhy 9y ago
  > you need to pay for the service No, you don't. Source: I've had an account for years and am not paying anything. > it's a PIA to setup and configure. You add folders to a TV and Movies collection once. With Kodi, you're doing it N times, where N is the number of Kodi installs in your house. > Once configured, don't plan on using the computer you setup the Media server on as it is always busy/ bogged down scanning files and transcoding video As others have stated, this is not the case. My Plex server is an old Core2Duo MacBook Pro that also runs virtual machines.
Fogest 9y ago
>To summarize, we’ve just made Plex an even more awesome choice for the aspiring cord-cutter I think it's a pretty neat feature for people who still find it hard to get away from TV for reasons like the live channels (sports). They can still make use of DVR features and watch stuff on Plex like they don't even have a tv subscription. Except in this case they still get the big bill every month and lovely commercials.
- jonknee 9y ago
  Except sports channels are not over the air and thus won't work with this...
  - hendersoon 9y ago
    The Plex DVR works with cable too-- get a HDHomerun Prime and slot in a cablecard. Of course some cableTV providers (Time-Warner/Spectrum in particular) mark every program with CCI 0x02 "copy-once" DRM, and very few DVRs other than TiVo and Windows Media Center (RIP) allow you to record that due to standard cable company evil.
    - WorldMaker 9y ago
      At this point you are more likely to get a response of "What's a cablecard?" or "We don't support those anymore, we have our own great DVRs now" if you ask for one from a cable company. (I heard that's part of why Microsoft dropped CableCard support in Windows 10 because the cable companies decided to not-so-quietly kill it and have made it almost impossible to get them if you don't already have one and have been slowly dropping support even for those that already have them.)
      - ascagnel_ 9y ago
        The cable companies can't kill it (the FCC requires them to be made available), and Tivos are still somewhat popular. It's total install base is also likely small enough that it's not worth the effort to kill it.
sergiotapia 9y ago
Does anyone know where I can find a list of what channels I would be able to get? Is it dependent on what state you're in?
- jaryd 9y ago
  It works with a tuner or antenna
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- jonknee 9y ago
  https://nocable.org/hd-antenna-coverage-map https://nocable.org/hd-antenna-coverage-map
- ajflkjasdf777 9y ago
  They discuss TV tuner cards they support. Suggests this is means local over air TV. So whatever you get by just plugging antenna into your TV directly.
- rory096 9y ago
  It works with a TV tuner, so it's dependent on the channels broadcasting in your area. You can use TVFool[0] to see estimated channel strength in your specific location. [0] http://tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29 http://tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29
  - sergiotapia 9y ago
    Thank you
- adam12 9y ago
  You get whatever channels you have now.
- comechao 9y ago
  Go to https://www.plex.tv/features/live-tv-dvr/ https://www.plex.tv/features/live-tv-dvr/ and click on "View channels in your area"
willglynn 9y ago
Ha, neat. I just got Plex DVR running a couple days ago. I have both an OTA tuner and a CableCARD tuner. I don't really watch TV, but Comcast did the thing where it's cheaper to buy TV than to not, and I figured I'd rather have a CableCARD in a HDHomeRun box somewhere on my network instead of a set-top box in my living room. Plex found my 120-odd cable channels, found all my broadcast channels, and it assembled a cohesive program guide with everything that I could conceivably watch with cover art and program descriptions and everything. I didn't have to register with any other services, or screw around with anything outside Plex itself. It just works™; took maybe 15 minutes to go from "Plex" to "Plex is recording stuff". My favorite feature is something I hooked up yesterday -- automated commercial removal via a postprocessing script that invokes https://github.com/erikkaashoek/Comskip https://github.com/erikkaashoek/Comskip. Net is that anyone in my household can say "I want to watch this show", Plex will record it, strip ads, and make it available on any device, and it wasn't even a pain to set up. I'm quite happy.
- ascagnel_ 9y ago
  I have a similar setup, with the exception that I haven't been able to get Comskip to run in a headless way. It's been great.
- xxej 9y ago
  while I don't have a cable subscription, I do like your set-up. got any more info on what you are using and how you set it up? thanks in advance for any info!
  - devin_lane 9y ago
    Indeed, a blog post on your setup would be much appreciated!
  - dusing 9y ago
    I have the same setup. It's as easy to get going as others have said. For the comskip portion if you are on Windows most use MCEBuddy, this video explains it pretty well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t03CnX3H7AA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t03CnX3H7AA My plex server is Mac, so I used this guide: https://forums.plex.tv/discussion/comment/1273228#Comment_1273228 https://forums.plex.tv/discussion/comment/1273228#Comment_12...
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
gregmac 9y ago
As first a MythTV, then SageTV and now NetFlix+Plex user, I have found the evolution of this tech both fascinating and frustrating. I started a dozen or so years ago with MythTV and a Hauppauge tuner card, in an old PC directly connected to the (one) TV, and using an IR remote to control it. Over time I added another dual tuner card, and had both cable and OTA channels. MythTV had commercial skipping built in, and as I watched basically 100% recorded content, this was the beginning of me never seeing commercials. Eventually I moved into a bigger house and got married, and we had two TVs. I didn't have a space PC, nor did I want to have an entire PC dedicated to being a client -- and at least at the time, using multiple MythTV clients with a single server was a bit clunky. After seeing the nice setup at a friend's, I jumped to SageTV and started using their media extender boxes (HD300)[1]. As a SageTV client they were better in every way: cheaper, less power, zero maintenance. The HD300 remote even had programmable "TV power" and volume buttons, so since that was the only device connected it was also the only remote I needed. This feature has never been matched, and since moving away from SageTV I've always had either two remotes or had to program a Logitech Harmony remote. I even moved the SageTV server PC to a utility room, disconnecting it from the TV and replaced it with an HD300. SageTV still supported my tuner cards, and though not built-in, there were plugins to do commercial skipping. At some point in there I had also switched to a SiliconDust tuner to get digital channels. Then, Google bought SageTV [2] and basically killed the core product. It was around the same time my cable company was encrypting the last of all their digital channels (so my tuner cards were not usable anymore) and I was considering Netflix, so I started looking for a device to replace the HD300 that could still get SageTV content, but also Netflix, YouTube and whatever else. I went through a bunch of sub-par solutions: BluRay player, Roku box, some other (pre-Android) streaming box and a Chromecast. I even resorted to low-power mini-ITX PC running Windows -- but the only way to get NetFlix was to use a keyboard and mouse. The Chromecast came close, but it was annoying to have to use a phone/laptop to view anything. Everything just felt like it was getting worse and worse from my old SageTV setup. SageTV couldn't handle NetFlix, and even the SageTV YouTube app broke because YouTube's old API was finally discontinued. We moved again, and had a child (and our TV viewing went down considerably), so really just use a single TV now. I eventually settled on using an Nvidia Shield (running AndroidTV), and it's better in basically every way except for OTA/cable/DVR stuff -- and so we entirely dropped that. I stuck the Chromecast on the other TV that we just use for the treadmill and can live with that. There's a certain irony here. There's a lot more available on Digital OTA now (getting around encrypted digital cable), and now the current software that runs on modern hardware is able to do Live TV and DVR again... but is it relevant? For one, I've spent 12 years without commercials, so without the automatic commercial skip even the DVR isn't that interesting to me. Secondly, I've replaced all my old media sources and/or stopped caring about the ones I couldn't replace. It seems to me that DVR software, the client hardware and online media software/services have all had their own peaks and valleys over the years, and they've never all peaked at the same time. The combination of HD300-style client hardware, with AndroidTV's online content apps, SageTV's LiveTV/DVR/commercial skipping, and the unencrypted digital cable of ~2010 would be my ideal -- I just don't ever see it happening ever again. [1] http://www.geektonic.com/2010/08/sagetv-hd300-hd-theater-geektonic.html http://www.geektonic.com/2010/08/sagetv-hd300-hd-theater-gee... [2] https://www.google.com/search?q=google+buys+sagetv&tbm=nws https://www.google.com/search?q=google+buys+sagetv&tbm=nws
apozem 9y ago
This is a great idea and an exciting feature, but I wish it came to a better product. I've run into endless bugs with Chromecast streaming and library management with Plex. When I google solutions to these problems, I find threads up to two years old and end with Plex staff 1) not responding, or 2) saying, "We'll fix it eventually." And after two years they haven't! That's not even counting how buggy or nonfunctional most channels are. So glad I never bought the Plex Pass- wouldn't be right to give these people any more money when their product is so unreliable.
- elbrian 9y ago
  It seems a lot of people in this thread are blaming Plex for their own low-quality hardware and/or lack of knowledge. I have a >10tb collection in Plex and stream to a Nexus Player (among many other devices, some over WAN) with zero issues. The biggest "issue" I've ever faced is that sometimes I need to lower my playback quality to 720p when I'm streaming over WiFi. So glad I bought the lifetime Plex pass- I am happy to support the folks who made such a reliable and lovely product. Generally speaking, if you are having issues with a product that is almost universally beloved by tens of thousands of paying customers, the issue is most likely on your end. edit: The downvoters are going wild in this thread. Anyone who advocates Plex is being buried. For a moment I thought I was back on reddit!
  - polartx 9y ago
    I'd like to second this. I've been running Plex off of a Freenas server franksteined together from spare parts (from pc upgrades) for nearly 10 years now. The Plex clients I use are Roku, PS3, App, and Browser. I've never had significant problems, I even ended up buying a lifetime Plex Pass.
  - squeaky-clean 9y ago
    > It seems a lot of people in this thread are blaming Plex for their own low-quality hardware and/or lack of knowledge. Plex crashes constantly on my Roku. (This may no longer be true, as I haven't touched it in a year because it crashes so much). That's not low quality hardware, it's bad app. I expect a dedicated hardware device for streaming videos that can stream Netflix, Hulu, Sling, etc, to be able to stream Plex.
mosburger 9y ago
I've been using an eyeTV on an old MacBook Pro for this functionality but the support for it has gotten terrible since it was sold by Elgato to a Geniatech. I'll have to check this out - too bad it's not compatible w/ the tuner I already have.
avelis 9y ago
This reminds me of Aereo TV. If Aereo TV would have went DVR only though. I wonder if they could have attempted to stay around from their legal issues.
- joshboles 9y ago
  I thought Aereo TV did have DVR. I believe the main difference between them was that Aereo "hosted" the antenna's themselves and sold you the stream, whereas Plex is a "set up yourself" service.
nodesocket 9y ago
I just cancelled my TV service from Comcast Xfinity and switched to Google Chromecast Ultra and YouTube TV[1]. So far so good, only missing History and Discovery channels so far. Saved $50 a month. [1] https://tv.youtube.com/welcome/ https://tv.youtube.com/welcome/
josep2 9y ago
I wish it had support for Tablo!
KiDD 9y ago
I was considering PlexPass yesterday and today I am definitely getting lifetime membership...
KiDD 9y ago
I was considering PlexPass yesterday and today I am definitely getting lifetime membership...

146 points by electriclove 9y ago

The original title "#$%@ it! We’ll do it live!" is a reference to Bill O'Reilly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_HyZ5aW76c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_HyZ5aW76c

publicfig 9y ago
While I should clarify that I don't care in the slightest, I did find it interesting that they decided to use a Bill O'Reilly quote to title the post, given all of the controversy around him lately. Not that I think it is offensive, I just think it's interesting to consider which companies would do that and which ones wouldn't
- nathan_f77 9y ago
  I no longer associate this with Bill O'Reilly, and I even forgot that it was something he said. It just feels like a very common expression now.
- problems 9y ago
  Anyone who's been on the internet too long might do it - it's been a around for the past decade - more as a meme making fun of Bill O'Reilly than anything in support of him.

bubbabojangles 9y ago

I've been using a Ceton Infinitv tuner with WMC and ServerWMC for the last 5 years. I use Kodi as a PVR interface and my interface for TV shows/ Movies on my file server. I don't see any advantage to Plex, you need to pay for the service and it's a PIA to setup and configure. Once configured, don't plan on using the computer you setup the Media server on as it is always busy/ bogged down scanning files and transcoding video.

jayrox 9y ago
> Once configured, don't plan on using the computer you setup the Media server on as it is always busy/ bogged down scanning files and transcoding video. This part is incorrect. Plex only needs to transcode at the time the media is being played and really only scans when changes to the media directory are detected and/or on a schedule you define.
hendersoon 9y ago
Windows Media Center is a discontinued product. Best case scenario, it'll be supported until 2023 when Windows 8.1 ends extended support. But I'd be pretty surprised if MS is still sending guide data that long. More likely, one day you'll turn it on and discover it doesn't work any more.
- drewmol 9y ago
  You can use a paid service like schedulesdirect to replace windows media center guide data, which they get from Rovi (Tivo parent) currently. It tends to be more detailed and accurate that way.
elbrian 9y ago
>Once configured, don't plan on using the computer you setup the Media server on as it is always busy/ bogged down scanning files and transcoding video. This is such a bogus statement. The impact that Plex has on your computer is directly tied to the processing power of said computer. I run Plex with a >10tb media collection on my >2 year old desktop, and I am able to play games such as PUBG, DayZ, Arma 3, Overwatch, etc with absolutely no hindrance. This is my build: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/QVKMrH https://pcpartpicker.com/list/QVKMrH edit: I'd also argue that Plex has a vastly superior interface, as well as metadata handling, compared to Kodi. Kodi is basically "the poor man's Plex."
mikewhy 9y ago
> you need to pay for the service No, you don't. Source: I've had an account for years and am not paying anything. > it's a PIA to setup and configure. You add folders to a TV and Movies collection once. With Kodi, you're doing it N times, where N is the number of Kodi installs in your house. > Once configured, don't plan on using the computer you setup the Media server on as it is always busy/ bogged down scanning files and transcoding video As others have stated, this is not the case. My Plex server is an old Core2Duo MacBook Pro that also runs virtual machines.

Fogest 9y ago

>To summarize, we’ve just made Plex an even more awesome choice for the aspiring cord-cutter I think it's a pretty neat feature for people who still find it hard to get away from TV for reasons like the live channels (sports). They can still make use of DVR features and watch stuff on Plex like they don't even have a tv subscription. Except in this case they still get the big bill every month and lovely commercials.

jonknee 9y ago
Except sports channels are not over the air and thus won't work with this...
- hendersoon 9y ago
  The Plex DVR works with cable too-- get a HDHomerun Prime and slot in a cablecard. Of course some cableTV providers (Time-Warner/Spectrum in particular) mark every program with CCI 0x02 "copy-once" DRM, and very few DVRs other than TiVo and Windows Media Center (RIP) allow you to record that due to standard cable company evil.
  - WorldMaker 9y ago
    At this point you are more likely to get a response of "What's a cablecard?" or "We don't support those anymore, we have our own great DVRs now" if you ask for one from a cable company. (I heard that's part of why Microsoft dropped CableCard support in Windows 10 because the cable companies decided to not-so-quietly kill it and have made it almost impossible to get them if you don't already have one and have been slowly dropping support even for those that already have them.)
    - ascagnel_ 9y ago
      The cable companies can't kill it (the FCC requires them to be made available), and Tivos are still somewhat popular. It's total install base is also likely small enough that it's not worth the effort to kill it.

sergiotapia 9y ago

Does anyone know where I can find a list of what channels I would be able to get? Is it dependent on what state you're in?

jaryd 9y ago
It works with a tuner or antenna
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
jonknee 9y ago
https://nocable.org/hd-antenna-coverage-map https://nocable.org/hd-antenna-coverage-map
ajflkjasdf777 9y ago
They discuss TV tuner cards they support. Suggests this is means local over air TV. So whatever you get by just plugging antenna into your TV directly.
rory096 9y ago
It works with a TV tuner, so it's dependent on the channels broadcasting in your area. You can use TVFool[0] to see estimated channel strength in your specific location. [0] http://tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29 http://tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29
- sergiotapia 9y ago
  Thank you
adam12 9y ago
You get whatever channels you have now.
comechao 9y ago
Go to https://www.plex.tv/features/live-tv-dvr/ https://www.plex.tv/features/live-tv-dvr/ and click on "View channels in your area"

willglynn 9y ago

Ha, neat. I just got Plex DVR running a couple days ago. I have both an OTA tuner and a CableCARD tuner. I don't really watch TV, but Comcast did the thing where it's cheaper to buy TV than to not, and I figured I'd rather have a CableCARD in a HDHomeRun box somewhere on my network instead of a set-top box in my living room. Plex found my 120-odd cable channels, found all my broadcast channels, and it assembled a cohesive program guide with everything that I could conceivably watch with cover art and program descriptions and everything. I didn't have to register with any other services, or screw around with anything outside Plex itself. It just works™; took maybe 15 minutes to go from "Plex" to "Plex is recording stuff". My favorite feature is something I hooked up yesterday -- automated commercial removal via a postprocessing script that invokes https://github.com/erikkaashoek/Comskip https://github.com/erikkaashoek/Comskip. Net is that anyone in my household can say "I want to watch this show", Plex will record it, strip ads, and make it available on any device, and it wasn't even a pain to set up. I'm quite happy.

ascagnel_ 9y ago
I have a similar setup, with the exception that I haven't been able to get Comskip to run in a headless way. It's been great.
xxej 9y ago
while I don't have a cable subscription, I do like your set-up. got any more info on what you are using and how you set it up? thanks in advance for any info!
- devin_lane 9y ago
  Indeed, a blog post on your setup would be much appreciated!
- dusing 9y ago
  I have the same setup. It's as easy to get going as others have said. For the comskip portion if you are on Windows most use MCEBuddy, this video explains it pretty well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t03CnX3H7AA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t03CnX3H7AA My plex server is Mac, so I used this guide: https://forums.plex.tv/discussion/comment/1273228#Comment_1273228 https://forums.plex.tv/discussion/comment/1273228#Comment_12...

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

gregmac 9y ago

As first a MythTV, then SageTV and now NetFlix+Plex user, I have found the evolution of this tech both fascinating and frustrating. I started a dozen or so years ago with MythTV and a Hauppauge tuner card, in an old PC directly connected to the (one) TV, and using an IR remote to control it. Over time I added another dual tuner card, and had both cable and OTA channels. MythTV had commercial skipping built in, and as I watched basically 100% recorded content, this was the beginning of me never seeing commercials. Eventually I moved into a bigger house and got married, and we had two TVs. I didn't have a space PC, nor did I want to have an entire PC dedicated to being a client -- and at least at the time, using multiple MythTV clients with a single server was a bit clunky. After seeing the nice setup at a friend's, I jumped to SageTV and started using their media extender boxes (HD300)[1]. As a SageTV client they were better in every way: cheaper, less power, zero maintenance. The HD300 remote even had programmable "TV power" and volume buttons, so since that was the only device connected it was also the only remote I needed. This feature has never been matched, and since moving away from SageTV I've always had either two remotes or had to program a Logitech Harmony remote. I even moved the SageTV server PC to a utility room, disconnecting it from the TV and replaced it with an HD300. SageTV still supported my tuner cards, and though not built-in, there were plugins to do commercial skipping. At some point in there I had also switched to a SiliconDust tuner to get digital channels. Then, Google bought SageTV [2] and basically killed the core product. It was around the same time my cable company was encrypting the last of all their digital channels (so my tuner cards were not usable anymore) and I was considering Netflix, so I started looking for a device to replace the HD300 that could still get SageTV content, but also Netflix, YouTube and whatever else. I went through a bunch of sub-par solutions: BluRay player, Roku box, some other (pre-Android) streaming box and a Chromecast. I even resorted to low-power mini-ITX PC running Windows -- but the only way to get NetFlix was to use a keyboard and mouse. The Chromecast came close, but it was annoying to have to use a phone/laptop to view anything. Everything just felt like it was getting worse and worse from my old SageTV setup. SageTV couldn't handle NetFlix, and even the SageTV YouTube app broke because YouTube's old API was finally discontinued. We moved again, and had a child (and our TV viewing went down considerably), so really just use a single TV now. I eventually settled on using an Nvidia Shield (running AndroidTV), and it's better in basically every way except for OTA/cable/DVR stuff -- and so we entirely dropped that. I stuck the Chromecast on the other TV that we just use for the treadmill and can live with that. There's a certain irony here. There's a lot more available on Digital OTA now (getting around encrypted digital cable), and now the current software that runs on modern hardware is able to do Live TV and DVR again... but is it relevant? For one, I've spent 12 years without commercials, so without the automatic commercial skip even the DVR isn't that interesting to me. Secondly, I've replaced all my old media sources and/or stopped caring about the ones I couldn't replace. It seems to me that DVR software, the client hardware and online media software/services have all had their own peaks and valleys over the years, and they've never all peaked at the same time. The combination of HD300-style client hardware, with AndroidTV's online content apps, SageTV's LiveTV/DVR/commercial skipping, and the unencrypted digital cable of ~2010 would be my ideal -- I just don't ever see it happening ever again. [1] http://www.geektonic.com/2010/08/sagetv-hd300-hd-theater-geektonic.html http://www.geektonic.com/2010/08/sagetv-hd300-hd-theater-gee... [2] https://www.google.com/search?q=google+buys+sagetv&tbm=nws https://www.google.com/search?q=google+buys+sagetv&tbm=nws

apozem 9y ago

This is a great idea and an exciting feature, but I wish it came to a better product. I've run into endless bugs with Chromecast streaming and library management with Plex. When I google solutions to these problems, I find threads up to two years old and end with Plex staff 1) not responding, or 2) saying, "We'll fix it eventually." And after two years they haven't! That's not even counting how buggy or nonfunctional most channels are. So glad I never bought the Plex Pass- wouldn't be right to give these people any more money when their product is so unreliable.

elbrian 9y ago
It seems a lot of people in this thread are blaming Plex for their own low-quality hardware and/or lack of knowledge. I have a >10tb collection in Plex and stream to a Nexus Player (among many other devices, some over WAN) with zero issues. The biggest "issue" I've ever faced is that sometimes I need to lower my playback quality to 720p when I'm streaming over WiFi. So glad I bought the lifetime Plex pass- I am happy to support the folks who made such a reliable and lovely product. Generally speaking, if you are having issues with a product that is almost universally beloved by tens of thousands of paying customers, the issue is most likely on your end. edit: The downvoters are going wild in this thread. Anyone who advocates Plex is being buried. For a moment I thought I was back on reddit!
- polartx 9y ago
  I'd like to second this. I've been running Plex off of a Freenas server franksteined together from spare parts (from pc upgrades) for nearly 10 years now. The Plex clients I use are Roku, PS3, App, and Browser. I've never had significant problems, I even ended up buying a lifetime Plex Pass.
- squeaky-clean 9y ago
  > It seems a lot of people in this thread are blaming Plex for their own low-quality hardware and/or lack of knowledge. Plex crashes constantly on my Roku. (This may no longer be true, as I haven't touched it in a year because it crashes so much). That's not low quality hardware, it's bad app. I expect a dedicated hardware device for streaming videos that can stream Netflix, Hulu, Sling, etc, to be able to stream Plex.

mosburger 9y ago

I've been using an eyeTV on an old MacBook Pro for this functionality but the support for it has gotten terrible since it was sold by Elgato to a Geniatech. I'll have to check this out - too bad it's not compatible w/ the tuner I already have.

avelis 9y ago

This reminds me of Aereo TV. If Aereo TV would have went DVR only though. I wonder if they could have attempted to stay around from their legal issues.

joshboles 9y ago
I thought Aereo TV did have DVR. I believe the main difference between them was that Aereo "hosted" the antenna's themselves and sold you the stream, whereas Plex is a "set up yourself" service.

nodesocket 9y ago

I just cancelled my TV service from Comcast Xfinity and switched to Google Chromecast Ultra and YouTube TV[1]. So far so good, only missing History and Discovery channels so far. Saved $50 a month. [1] https://tv.youtube.com/welcome/ https://tv.youtube.com/welcome/

josep2 9y ago

I wish it had support for Tablo!

KiDD 9y ago

I was considering PlexPass yesterday and today I am definitely getting lifetime membership...

KiDD 9y ago

I was considering PlexPass yesterday and today I am definitely getting lifetime membership...