plex.tv
These days, different sources of media have become so ingrained into our lives that it'shardtofunctionwithoutthem. In fact, many people might say that these sources of information and entertainment have become a necessary part of who we are. Though they might be new to us, these media sources have quickly become an extension of human culture.
There is a single piece of software that could potentially make this possible - a seamless media streaming software that would allow users to access their media from anywhere, and without needing to open up a million different apps and windows.
There is certainly a software suite out there that will meet all of our needs! It?s just a matter of finding the one that we prefer, and which one will be the most affordable for us.
If you're looking for a software suite that can keep up with you, Plex is the perfect choice. It works flawlessly on any device, and is becoming more and more popular as newer programs like it become available. With Plex, you can turn any device into a smart TV, no matter where you are or what type of device you are using.
History
Plex was founded as a hobby project in December 2007, when Elan Feingold built a DIY media center app for his Apple Mac computer. Then - and this is where the real genius of Plex started to kick in - he ported the media player XBMC (now famously known as Kodi) into his Mac Os X software.
At about the same time, Cisco founders Cayce Ullman and Scott Olechowski were also interested in porting XBMC to Mac OS X. They contacted Feingold and offered support and funding for his project.
Feingold, Ullman, and Olechowski teamed up in January of 2008 to get work on the project. The trio founded Plex Inc. in December of 2009, but this upset many popular streaming platforms.
Plex initially created apps for servers like Hulu and Netflix, but many streaming services were not pleased with this. Hulu, for instance, changed their HTML so that Plex could no longer parse it. This caused a controversy, and Hulu and Netflix are no longer offered as a part of Plex.
That said, Plex has managed to create good relationships with content production companies. As of November of 2019, for example, Plex announced a list of 19 production companies with whom they would be partnering, including big names like MGM, Lionsgate, and Legendary. Plex has also partnered with Tidal in 2018 and Warner Brothers in 2019. In August of 2019, Plex also announced that it had struck a deal with Fox Television Stations. This opened the floodgates for a ton of television content.
Plex is a great example of a tech company that faced many challenges years into having already established a business model, and was able to adapt to these challenges, coming out victorious and relatively unscathed in the end. It turns out that Plex didn't need Netflix or Hulu to find success after all! Today, Plex makes the lives of hundreds of thousands of users so much easier by offering a ton of content and a means by which to access their own files in the cloud, all from one convenient place.
Design
I think Plex has a very good design. It is sharp. It is professional. It stands out. I love the gray and yellow theme that it deploys (a rare color combination for a tech brand, it seems). It just looks great. There is a certain physicality to it, if that makes any sense, with the way that it is designed. It has a matte finish to it and looks calm and minimalistic.
As easy as it is to access your content with Plex, there are even more extras that come with it. For starters, you can browse your media by recently viewed, ?on deck,? or by genre. This is the main screen of Plex. To the left of this browser window, you can also find an iTunes-esque navigation menu. From here, you can browse by media type: music, movies, pics, videos, podcasts and more! You can even create playlists of any sort of content you like! Plex is truly powerful layout and makes accessing your content a breeze.
Content
To be clear, the content of Plex is really just a matter of what accounts you link to it and what content you choose to add. Think of it as a way to aggregate all your personal media into one service, with anything you want access to saved right away.
Thanks to the aforementioned agreements, Plex has a lot of movies available to stream for free. You don't have to pay or subscribe to watch any movies on Plex; just immediately dive into thousands of titles, from all around the world. You'll love the selection of movies Plex offers.
Plex and Tidal have teamed up to provide an integrated music streaming experience. This means that you can access up to 60 million songs from your Tidal account through Plex. Additionally, Plex offers a wealth of podcasts, so you can stay entertained even when you're not listening to music. This partnership significatly simplifies the process of accessing different types of content, making it easy to switch between them without ever leaving Plex's media center.
Plex offers a variety of features that make it the perfect tool for streaming live television and DVRing your favorite shows. For free, you can access local TV channels and stream live programming. They also offer a variety of web channels to choose from - be it GQ, PC Gamer, Conde Nast, or Engadget - so you can enjoy all your favorite web series on the big screen.
Desktop and Mobile Experience
Users love Plex for its streamlined interface and consistently great experience across all devices. The Google Play Store, Apple App Store, and Roku app store all rate Plex 4 stars, and I think users are being nitpicky when they dock points for the lack of an Android TV version or a customizability option on the Roku. In my opinion, Plex is great no matter which device you're using it on.
Pricing and Plans
Plex is a great media streaming service that you can use for free or pay for a subscription.
With Plex Premium, you can enjoy high-quality audio options, such as a discount on Tidal, advanced audio mixing options, hybrid caching, silence compression, and higher-quality album artwork and artist bios. You'll also get premium photos with auto-tagging, timeline viewing, and automatic uploads. And finally, you'll get a theater-like movie and TV experience with cinema trailers before the main event and extras like actor and director interviews, and behind the scenes features.
If you want to subscribe to Plex Premium, it will cost either $4.99 a month; $39.99 a year; or a lifetime subscription for $119.99.
Suggestions that I have for Plex
It would be great if Plex could rectify their relationship with Netflix and Hulu, but I doubt it will happen. This is probably not in the best interest of Netflix or Hulu, so I doubt it will happen, but hey, a guy can dream.
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