PLEX – The Ultimate Multimedia Platform

Entertainment Software
March 26, 2024
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Plex is a free program for streaming and listening to multimedia content such as movies, TV shows, music… It is available in versions for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, various set-top box devices, NAS drives, Sony PlayStation, Xbox, Smart TVs, and even as a web application. It’s better to say that it exists for almost all possible platforms. There is also a Premium version with additional features that are not free.

What does Plex offer you?

Plex is a high-quality program for consuming, organizing, and sharing multimedia content. It aims to be comprehensive in the types of multimedia content it offers, as well as the platforms it can function on. With this approach, it has managed to secure a wide user base, especially in the US and Europe. Plex combines free movies and TV shows. Currently, it offers 50,000 movies and TV shows and 600 TV channels. These numbers should be added to your multimedia content.

Plex is a media server. At the same time, it is also a streaming platform. This means that users can access their files over the internet without prior downloading. They can also download media content from the Plex server to consume offline.

Plex requires registration, which enables personalized content and synchronization across all devices on which it is installed. You can use multiple accounts with different access rights, which is convenient for sharing files within family or friends circles. In addition to watching, Plex allows organizing and sharing multimedia content. You can add your media content to the library. The program automatically finds metadata about them on the internet to better describe and organize the content. Content is organized by categories, personal recommendations, and search options.

What sets Plex apart from other similar programs?

Because it deals with multimedia content for a wide audience, the ultimate requirement is for the user interface to be simple and intuitive. This is likely why Plex is so popular. It significantly distinguishes it from other similar programs, such as Kodi.

Plex performs real-time transcoding. This means that it adjusts the file format to the user’s device if that device does not support a certain format. It also adjusts the multimedia content to the speed of the internet connection to ensure uninterrupted streaming. Plex can sync with cloud services used by the user, eliminating the need for additional uploads from Dropbox or Google Drive. Since Plex functions as a client-server platform, it requires installing Plex Media Server on your primary device, which requires some knowledge for installation and maintenance.

The program is well-optimized, and we haven’t noticed any performance issues. Of course, this primarily depends on internet speed. While loading the initial part of the video file, Plex plays ads, which is a nice way to combine aesthetics and practicality. Plex has a large number of add-ons that expand its range of use and customize it for users.

Multiply a vast offering of multimedia content by the number of supported devices and add simplicity in usage – that’s what makes Plex stand out.

Platform:
Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, set-top box device, NAS drive, Sony PlayStation, Xbox, Smart TV, web application.