Comments on: A Guide to Using Plex to Manage Your Media http://smokingapples.com/software/tutorials/a-guide-to-using-plex-to-manage-your-media/ Sun, 25 Mar 2012 05:12:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Michael Minor http://smokingapples.com/software/tutorials/a-guide-to-using-plex-to-manage-your-media/#comment-14052 Michael Minor Thu, 17 Feb 2011 20:12:28 +0000 http://smokingapples.com/?p=9304#comment-14052 You missed one HUGE caveat of Plex. It doesn't actually manage your STORED media... It simply looks it up. I.E. If you use it on a computer connected to your TV as a way of viewing downloaded TV shows you can't delete the shows after watching it... So, again, it only curates your media, it does not manage it. Hard drives fill up quickly when downloading HD content, and without an option to delete something after viewing, manage is not the right word. You missed one HUGE caveat of Plex. It doesn’t actually manage your STORED media… It simply looks it up.

I.E. If you use it on a computer connected to your TV as a way of viewing downloaded TV shows you can’t delete the shows after watching it… So, again, it only curates your media, it does not manage it.

Hard drives fill up quickly when downloading HD content, and without an option to delete something after viewing, manage is not the right word.

]]> By: alexiusaditya http://smokingapples.com/software/tutorials/a-guide-to-using-plex-to-manage-your-media/#comment-13361 alexiusaditya Sat, 27 Nov 2010 02:38:40 +0000 http://smokingapples.com/?p=9304#comment-13361 @TJ Plex 9 is completely different, you get two sections in 1 application; the first one is a library and the second one is a player. you must set up the library first and go to player to watch it. if you want to add source for your movies, you must added manually in the library section. maybe it can help you, and i hope smokingapples.com update this guide. @TJ Plex 9 is completely different, you get two sections in 1 application; the first one is a library and the second one is a player. you must set up the library first and go to player to watch it. if you want to add source for your movies, you must added manually in the library section. maybe it can help you, and i hope smokingapples.com update this guide.

]]> By: TJ http://smokingapples.com/software/tutorials/a-guide-to-using-plex-to-manage-your-media/#comment-13073 TJ Sat, 23 Oct 2010 02:46:43 +0000 http://smokingapples.com/?p=9304#comment-13073 garbage, downloaded Plex 9, all the instructions are for different versions, nothing lines up. no where can i find how to add a source for video. looks pretty but garbage!! garbage, downloaded Plex 9, all the instructions are for different versions, nothing lines up. no where can i find how to add a source for video. looks pretty but garbage!!

]]> By: John http://smokingapples.com/software/tutorials/a-guide-to-using-plex-to-manage-your-media/#comment-12216 John Sat, 14 Aug 2010 03:07:09 +0000 http://smokingapples.com/?p=9304#comment-12216 It's Aug 13, 2010 and I think Plex still needs a way to go. Too complicated...why can't I to go the music category to add itunes music. Not intuitive how to add video content, not in the preferences that I can see, not in the "watch my videos" section. Need to customize an .xml file to get a harmony remote to fast forward. Looking forward to a v1.0 release. It’s Aug 13, 2010 and I think Plex still needs a way to go. Too complicated…why can’t I to go the music category to add itunes music. Not intuitive how to add video content, not in the preferences that I can see, not in the “watch my videos” section. Need to customize an .xml file to get a harmony remote to fast forward. Looking forward to a v1.0 release.

]]> By: Duane http://smokingapples.com/software/tutorials/a-guide-to-using-plex-to-manage-your-media/#comment-12167 Duane Mon, 09 Aug 2010 06:27:06 +0000 http://smokingapples.com/?p=9304#comment-12167 @Eric In order to get your shows to show up properly in the TV menu, Create a folder Structure like TV SHows/Prision Break/Season 1 and then name all season 1 episodes as: Prison Break - 01x01, Prison Break - 01x02, etc... Then have Plex rescan your folder for new content and it should show up... @Eric In order to get your shows to show up properly in the TV menu, Create a folder Structure like TV SHows/Prision Break/Season 1 and then name all season 1 episodes as: Prison Break – 01×01, Prison Break – 01×02, etc… Then have Plex rescan your folder for new content and it should show up…

]]> By: Eye Forget http://smokingapples.com/software/tutorials/a-guide-to-using-plex-to-manage-your-media/#comment-10389 Eye Forget Mon, 22 Feb 2010 05:34:23 +0000 http://smokingapples.com/?p=9304#comment-10389 Yes, by all means try Plex. Then wonder why you're spending time trying to get all your original content to show up in Plex, why Plex can show less (or even more) movie entries than you have on your hard drive, or why it does not scan for new content, or why new content appears in video's but not in movies (or TV shows) and can't watch it. And most importantly, wonder why you're spending way more time dealing with Plex' issues than watching content. Plex is a great program, if it worked. It is crippled by a lousy library (acknowledged and in the process of being totally rewritten). However, the new library will have to cut the cord with IMDB or theTVdatabase (unknown if it will). These two databases and Plex approach to proper naming create nothing but problems with titles and the simple fact these data bases (especially TV) are incomplete and frequently down. When they are incomplete, no watchie. When they're down, no watchie. Oh, but you can go into "File Mode". Well, that's Front Row and you may as well stay there as at that point there's no reason to use Plex for media you have on drives. Add to this the lack of a decent remote for Plex. This alone has chased a lot of experienced Plex users back to Front Row. You need a keyboard, you need a mouse if its an htpc and you need a Plex compatible remote. iPhone apps? Try them, try them all. You will either get used to the fact you have a keyboard, mouse and remote all in your living room or you will escape to the well thought out sanity/simplicity of Front Row. I've used Plex for 4 months. Have over 200 titles loaded and I can tell you its a royal pain. I'm at the point where I will use Plex for its plugins (great) and go back to Front Row for any media residing on my hard drive. Front Row may not have the eye candy, but it works, effortlessly. By the way, the above comment " Say you have a collection of 5 TV Shows, each of which have around 3-8 seasons. You’ve named them something like “Lost - 101 - Episode Name.avi”. To watch them in Front Row you would have to convert the files into iTunes compatible files, then add the show information, artwork, etc. Sure there are tools like iFlicks and Meta which add such info to your shows, but it’s still a lot of manual work." is just plain wrong. I have Front Row and Plex aimed at the same Movies folder. There are all sorts of file types in that folder and Front Row plays them all just fine. Next, the fact "Plex is not hooked to iTunes" makes playing music through Plex an extremely limited experience. Try to find some one with a large music library using Plex. Go to the Plex forums. Nada, they use iTunes. Ever wonder why iTunes has no competition? As bad as it can be, its by far and away the best out there. Yes, by all means try Plex. Then wonder why you’re spending time trying to get all your original content to show up in Plex, why Plex can show less (or even more) movie entries than you have on your hard drive, or why it does not scan for new content, or why new content appears in video’s but not in movies (or TV shows) and can’t watch it. And most importantly, wonder why you’re spending way more time dealing with Plex’ issues than watching content.

Plex is a great program, if it worked. It is crippled by a lousy library (acknowledged and in the process of being totally rewritten). However, the new library will have to cut the cord with IMDB or theTVdatabase (unknown if it will). These two databases and Plex approach to proper naming create nothing but problems with titles and the simple fact these data bases (especially TV) are incomplete and frequently down. When they are incomplete, no watchie. When they’re down, no watchie. Oh, but you can go into “File Mode”. Well, that’s Front Row and you may as well stay there as at that point there’s no reason to use Plex for media you have on drives.

Add to this the lack of a decent remote for Plex. This alone has chased a lot of experienced Plex users back to Front Row. You need a keyboard, you need a mouse if its an htpc and you need a Plex compatible remote. iPhone apps? Try them, try them all. You will either get used to the fact you have a keyboard, mouse and remote all in your living room or you will escape to the well thought out sanity/simplicity of Front Row.

I’ve used Plex for 4 months. Have over 200 titles loaded and I can tell you its a royal pain. I’m at the point where I will use Plex for its plugins (great) and go back to Front Row for any media residing on my hard drive. Front Row may not have the eye candy, but it works, effortlessly.

By the way, the above comment ” Say you have a collection of 5 TV Shows, each of which have around 3-8 seasons. You’ve named them something like “Lost – 101 – Episode Name.avi”. To watch them in Front Row you would have to convert the files into iTunes compatible files, then add the show information, artwork, etc. Sure there are tools like iFlicks and Meta which add such info to your shows, but it’s still a lot of manual work.” is just plain wrong. I have Front Row and Plex aimed at the same Movies folder. There are all sorts of file types in that folder and Front Row plays them all just fine.

Next, the fact “Plex is not hooked to iTunes” makes playing music through Plex an extremely limited experience. Try to find some one with a large music library using Plex. Go to the Plex forums. Nada, they use iTunes. Ever wonder why iTunes has no competition? As bad as it can be, its by far and away the best out there.

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