In the multimedia section of any software store, such as Google Play and Apple Store on mobile devices and Microsoft Store, Mac App Store and Flathub — among others for Linux — on the desktop, we always find plex as one of the highlights. There are also alternatives such as jellyfin, and they're the best for having a media library, especially for movies and TV shows. At first glance, they look great, but I'm not part of their user base.
In this article I explain the reasons why I don't use that type of applicationsThis will be a brief history of the time I've had a computer and my own living room, something that hasn't always coincided. In any case, my use of Plex hasn't gone beyond minor tests.
Plex requires an active server, the main reason
Plex, which is also available on my LG, offers two versions: the client and the server. What's available in the various app stores, like the one for webOS, is the client, and on its own it's of little or no use. All images posted online, like the one in the header screenshot, are from a client that is connected to another computer that acts as a server.
In other words, for the best of Plex to appear, there needs to be a server serving it up. That server is a computer, such as a desktop PC, a laptop, or a simple board like the Raspberry Pi. When the server is shut down, the content is no longer available..
My personal story through multimedia
If I don't use Plex or Jelly Bean, it's because I don't need it. I'll explain what it's good for later, but I prefer the alternatives.
When I bought my first PC, it was a Windows XP PC with a 17″ screen, and I watched movies on it. Later, I bought an iMac with a 24″ screen, and that was the screen I used for a while. Around that time, I heard about Plex for the first time, and I tried it out only to realize it wasn't for me: if I already have a computer with a good hard drive and a good screen, and I don't have another TV, I don't need it.
I recently bought an LG Smart TV, but the thought of having to have a device on puts me off. Which one should I turn on? Besides, having a large library requires a large hard drive, and I'm not considering buying anything new for those purposes.
I prefer to use Kodi and watch movies on "unofficial" streaming services, whether direct or via Torrent. I have an old AirPort with a hard drive, but I'm not going to have an old 2009 iMac to serve as a server. Especially since I can connect to it from a Windows mini PC I have.
Until I got to my current setup I tried a Raspberry Pi 4, a Xiaomi Mi Box and an Apple TV, and I liked everything better than using Plex (but less than my mini PC).
Who might be interested in this type of software?
Basically, anyone who has a computer or other IT equipment that can be used as a server, with a good hard drive, and a smart device to view the content, which must be already downloaded. That, and anyone who doesn't want extra devices or can't afford them.
For example, I would use it if my RPi4, which is currently running AdGuard Home, were compatible with my AirPort's file system. Although I watch that content on Kodi, I currently have to turn on an additional device that wouldn't be turned on, and I could watch it directly on my Smart TV. If I were only going to watch downloaded content, I wouldn't have gone through the trouble I've been going through all these years.
In the end, Plex is a good option for those who have a local library and can use that computer as a server. Since that's not my case, I don't use this type of software.