Currently, the Plex Pass costs $4.99 a month or $119.99 for a lifetime pass. The paid upgrade “Plex Pass” unlocks features like music lyric support, mobile apps, and live TV recording. Since you rely on your own hardware, the base version of the software is entirely free to use. Plex is also a very cost-effective solution. That way you don’t have to fuss around with the physical disks or re-purchasing movies you have already paid for. You can then stream the files, using Plex, to your smart TV, phones, computers, or gaming consoles. If you have a large collection of Blu-ray or DVDs, it’s possible to rip them with a tool like HandBrake. It makes it easy to stream media files from a server device to a wide variety of client devices. Plex was started back in 2007 based on the popular XBMC (now known as Kodi). You can then access them from almost any internet-connected device. The server software is installed on a machine that stores copies of any Movies, Music, or TV Shows that you want to share. There are two types of software for Plex, the server and the client. While making your own streaming service may seem like a challenging process, it’s made easy with the use of Plex. So why not convert your old computer into your own Netflix-like streaming service using Plex? Just don't expect to transcode 4K content.With the power of current Apple Silicon based Macs, and the next generation Apple Silicon computers that could be coming later this year, plenty of Intel-based computers will be left without a purpose. The Raspberry Pi is probably the best solution. The web is full of users looking for advice on the best cheap device to use as a Plex media server in hotels and offices. However, the Raspberry Pi also has some massive upsides, the most notable of which is portability. That's well short of Plex's recommended requirements for the Media Server app: an Intel Core i3 processor and at least 2GB of RAM. The Raspberry Pi 3 uses a 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A53 CPU and 1GB of RAM. The Raspberry Pi 2 has a 900 MHz quad-core Cortex-A7 CPU along with 1GB of RAM. The most notable downside is the lack of CPU power. Raspberry Pi devices have some very unique advantages and disadvantages when you're using them with the Plex Media Server app. Some complain about insufficient space for streaming in 4K, while others say thumbnail generation chews through the memory. Several users have reported that this device is unsuitable for very large libraries. Unfortunately, the Nvidia Shield has one potential drawback. You don't need to move your library onto the Nvidia Shield itself. You don't want to be in the middle of working on an important document only for your fan to kick in because your wife and kids are all watching Plex on different screens.Īnd because both the regular Nvidia Shield and the Pro version both have USB ports, you can easily connect an external hard drive which contains all your movies and TV shows and stream the contents. The same caveat about using your primary machine applies, however. If you're expecting several people to access your Plex media server at the same time, it is probably the best solution. Even a mid-spec desktop computer will comfortably be able to handle everything Plex can throw at it. The most significant benefit of using a desktop is power. If you're using an old laptop, make sure you buy a cooling stand. Overheating could quickly become an issue. ![]() It's not recommended to run Plex on your main laptop. However, if you've got a semi-old device lying around, it's worth considering. If there isn't enough available, your server is going to struggle to transcode videos and will be unable to handle simultaneous users.Īs such, ancient, underpowered laptops might not be suitable. ![]() One of the most important things needed by the Plex Media Server is CPU power.
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