Plex has been at it longer than most people are aware and it just keeps evolving. a few years ago we did a series on Plex to try and break down what it is and what it does and since then Plex has grown many times more complex. It’s most recent evolution has been the expansion of it’s DVR functionality. Plex is slowly rolling out live TV functionality via a variety of TV tuners and DVR’s and recently added a way to pause and rewind TV.
What is Plex now? It’s so many things. It is a DVR option, it is a media organizer, it is a way to share media with others, it is a way to organize music and photos, it is a provider of Internet based TV Channels.
In so many ways Plex is an ecosystem unto itself. The company though has never made a push to have its own standalone box. Instead like Netflix, it decided to work with every other content platform that was willing to listen and can be found on most smart TV’s, Xbox, PlayStation, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Nvidia Shield (With a full server) Tivo, Windows, Mac, Android, IOS and more. At this point, it is a challenge to find something that does not support it.
Here is a brief look at Plex’s features
Movies and TV
Plex allows users to organize digital media a searchable library and retrieves cover art and meta data (plot, ratings cast info). Whether the content is via digital copies of physical media or digital downloads the program organizes everything with a cross sectional search.
TV Shows work the same way. Cord cutters who choose to purchase seasons of TV shows can save them all on a Plex server and let the system save them in order.
Media Sharing
Do you want your friends to see your favorite movies? You can by setting up a private connection between your servers. It works the same way when it comes to music and photos. Families can use Plex to keep tabs from across the world.
Digital Channels
Plex was one of the first to offer Internet based TV channels to users. Long before CBS All Access Plex users were using the CBS channel on Plex to watch their favorite shows. There are tons of free network apps available for Plex users.
Cloud Access
Users can save media to cloud services and access them anywhere anytime when connected to the web. For an updated list of could services check out the Plex Home Page here.
Live TV With Pause and rewind
Plex’s newest innovation is the expansion of DVR technology. Working with a growing list of partners Plex has been able to provide an inexpensive DVR service to its Plex Pass users that allows them to watch OTA TV via their Plex app. Recently the company added the ability to pause and rewind live TV.
