Plex

Non-Linux FOSS: PlexConnect

Shawn Powers — Tue, 08 Sep 2015 20:15:28 +0000

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Plex. It might be a secret, however, that I live in a house with quite a few Apple products. That said, I find the Apple TV to be one of the most limiting, frustrating set-top boxes to work with. (I'm sure most readers would agree.) I prefer to be a lover, not a hater, so I searched long and hard to find a way to make the Apple TV suck less. Thanks to PlexConnect, I succeeded.

The Apple TV is still not rootable (if you see claims that it is, you're likely being bamboozled). PlexConnect works around the walled garden of iOS by hijacking an official Apple app (the Trailers app specifically) and allowing access to a Plex server.

The open-source PlexConnect is really just a brilliant translation layer that hijacks DNS (pointing https://trailers.apple.com to the PlexConnect server IP) and feeds the Apple TV data formatted like it expects. Rather than showing a listing of recent movie trailers, however, PlexConnect shows a direct interface with your Plex media server. And to be honest, the interface is actually surprisingly pleasant to use.

If you're stuck using an Apple TV for your living-room media playing, or if you'd simply like to hop over that walled garden just because you can, check out PlexConnect today. It's open source and available on GitHub: https://github.com/iBaa/PlexConnect.

Go to Full Article

Stream and Share Your Media with PlexWeb

Shawn Powers — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 20:26:09 +0000

by Shawn Powers

Plex is one of those applications I tend to write about a lot. It's not because I get any sort of kickback or even a discount, but rather it's just an incredible system that keeps getting better. For this piece, I want to talk about PlexWeb, which functions much like the Android app I've mentioned before, but works completely inside a Web browser—almost any Web browser, on any operating system.

You can access PlexWeb by surfing to https://my.plexapp.com and logging in with your free account. (If you have a static IP at home, you also can connect directly to your home server by bookmarking the URL generated by plexapp.com.) You will be redirected to your home server, and you'll be able to transcode and stream your movies to any computer, anywhere.

I freely admit that I wish Plex was open source. Thankfully, however, its proprietary code does't mean Linux users are excluded. Whether you're using the Plex app on your Android device, installing Plex Home Theater on your Linux machine or even streaming video to your Aunt Edna's Web browser while visiting over the holidays, Plex is an incredible tool that keeps getting better. PlexWeb is free, but if you're interested in experiencing the latest and greatest Plex has to offer, a PlexPass subscription will get you access to features like Cloud Sync before anyone else gets to see them! To get started with Plex, visit the Web site at https://www.plexapp.com.

Go to Full Article

Plex Media Server + Roku = Awesome

Shawn Powers — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 17:19:28 +0000

by Shawn Powers

Plex always has been the Mac-friendly offshoot of XBMC. I've never considered using an Apple product for my home media center, so I've never really put much thought into it. Things have changed recently, however, and now the folks behind Plex have given the Linux community an awesome media server.

Installing the media server is fairly straightforward. Instructions are available at https://www.plexapp.com. The server application runs on a headless Linux server and is configured via a Web interface. After you've pointed Plex Media Server at your video collection, the real magic begins.

Fire up your Roku, any model, and search for the Plex channel in the Roku Channel Store. With some simple configuration, your Roku will be able to browse your entire media collection and stream HD video to your television. The responsiveness is incredible, and the video quality is astounding. I was expecting pixelated video with stuttering playback over wireless, but everything was smooth. Your local media behaves just like Netflix! For more information, check out the Plex Web site: https://www.plexapp.com.

Go to Full Article