This works more smartly than simply copying the media, as syncing will automatically convert any of your media into a format that your device can play. The Plex Pass adds a few features, most notably the ability to sync media to your devices so you can watch them offline. Other optional Plex features have a separate charge, such as high-quality streaming music from Tidal that starts at $9.99 a month.

It costs $4.99 per month, and there’s a great-value lifetime plan that costs around $119.99. Great news.you can use Plex for free and even at this level it's a pretty useful tool.īut if you're planning to use Plex frequently then you should consider its premium plan called Plex Pass (opens in new tab). Plex media server still works on older hardware but it will automatically disable transcoding if the hardware is insufficient, and playback will suffer and stutter on really old or under-powered hardware.Finally, browse through the Plex app’s interface to find the media that you want to stream from your computer, hit play, and your media will begin streaming. The more users you expect to be watching at once, the better hardware you want. In addition to always being on, you’ll want the server computer to have a decent amount of processing power to handle the aforementioned transcoding. There’s no point in having a comprehensive streaming solution for all your personal media needs if, when you go to access it, the content is offline.

But regardless of what platform you choose, it’ll have to be a computer that’s always turned on. You can install Plex on Windows, Linux, OS X, and even on dedicated server software like FreeNAS and on NAS hardware like the Synology system (you can see all their supported platforms for the Media Server app here).

First and foremost, you need a computer that houses all the files and runs Plex Media Server.

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