Plex media server is slick

Mr. Analog · September 01, 2012, 02:53:04 AM

Ooh that could be it.

Before the gang came over I was reading that it might be telling Plex that the device can handle the content and is not transcoding it, I found out that I can create a custom profile and set it up so that it's always transcoding, but I will check to see if I'm missing anything.

Thanks!!

Lazybones · September 01, 2012, 10:06:03 AM

There is already an Xbox profile so it is odd you are having issue.

For the LG device you might be able to find some other users who have started to write a profile.

Mr. Analog · September 04, 2012, 03:19:38 PM

So, I've been sick for a few days and being able to watch stuff with my tablet from bed has been a huge help

The Plex media client for Android is pretty amazing and looks great.

Still struggling with the XBox and LG though, I haven't found any good guides on updating the XML, not that I've looked very hard though.

Lazybones · September 04, 2012, 05:31:00 PM

For the Xbox you should find the app mediainfo an post in the forums what codec etc would not play.

There is a sticky thread in the forum about making a a personal XML profile for other devices.

Lazybones · September 07, 2012, 01:51:57 PM

Quote from: Mr. Analog on September 04, 2012, 03:19:38 PM
Still struggling with the XBox and LG though, I haven't found any good guides on updating the XML, not that I've looked very hard though.

Writing PLEX profiles for DLNA devices
http://forums.plexapp.com/index.php/topic/42523-writing-profiles-for-dlna-devices/

For the xbox download http://mediainfo.sourceforge.net/en and get the text dump from it (obscure the file name), then post your issue in the plex DLNA forum http://forums.plexapp.com/index.php/forum/113-dlna/ stating the playback issue... It will likely get fixed or someone will give you a workaround to apply to the core DLNA profile.

Plex comes with a DLNA profile that is changed with each release and it also looks for a USER DLNA profile in another folder you can use for your custom needs.

Thorin · October 02, 2012, 11:07:43 PM

Well, I'm finally switching to Plex - once I find some time and motivation. Why? Because the free version of Tversity now costs $3.99. Yeah, that's right, four bucks (8 minutes of work) is making me switch over to Plex (which will take 15 minutes to download and set up at least).

And yet I'll dish out a grand or more on sports equipment without blinking.

Thorin · October 16, 2012, 08:21:11 PM

Gah, that's the eighth downloaded show in a row now that's had choppy audio when viewed through Tversity to my Xbox, but not when viewed on a computer. So there's my impetus to switching to Plex - Plex Media Server is downloading as I type this.

Guess I'll have to learn what the extensions do, and make sure my wife and kid have the biggest possible data plans on their phones.

Thorin · October 16, 2012, 08:26:19 PM

Haha pms.msi. Yes, I'm installing PMS. Great.

Okay, is there a way to have PMS start at computer startup, or do I have to be logged in as my user? I've got multiple users on this computer and the others have been known to log my account off.

Lazybones · October 16, 2012, 08:38:50 PM

Quote from: Thorin on October 16, 2012, 08:26:19 PM
Haha pms.msi. Yes, I'm installing PMS. Great.

Okay, is there a way to have PMS start at computer startup, or do I have to be logged in as my user? I've got multiple users on this computer and the others have been known to log my account off.

Under windows unfortunately they haven't implemented as a service, I didn't know this till just now.

http://forums.plexapp.com/index.php/topic/23711-running-pms-as-a-service-in-whs/

The standard workaround of creating a user account then setting up a scheduled task to launch PMS at startup should do the trick... Other than system updates you shouldn't have to touch it much since it is administered from a WebUI.

Thorin · October 16, 2012, 08:53:23 PM

Since my files are on a network share, I also have to map a network drive. So my user has to be logged in or it doesn't work.

Lazybones · October 16, 2012, 08:57:59 PM

Quote from: Thorin on October 16, 2012, 08:53:23 PM
Since my files are on a network share, I also have to map a network drive. So my user has to be logged in or it doesn't work.

You should be able to use a UNC path http://forums.plexapp.com/index.php/topic/32949-unc-paths-and-plex/

If the share is open to everyone then it should work, if no then create matching usernames and passwords on both systems.

Thorin · October 16, 2012, 09:21:13 PM

I tried. It found no files. Then I used a mapped drive, it found no files. Then I figured out the plus sign, it found files. Then I made another section without a plus sign in the name or the path but using a UNC path, it found no files. I edited that section and used the mapped drive again, it found files.

Plus sign in path - no files
no plus sign in path, using unc path - no files
no plus sign in path, using mapped drive - files

That tells me that "should" and "does" aren't the same in my instance.

Thorin · October 16, 2012, 09:26:33 PM

I sort my movies and tv shows into Little Kids+, Kids+, Teens+, and Adults. This is intended to indicate to my kids what shows are appropriate for preschoolers, elementary schoolers, junior high schoolers, and not until they're old enough to drink. Moreso for when there are little kids around, especially when they're babysitting.

To duplicate my folder structure, I had to add four Movie sections and four TV sections. And there are a crapload of other folders I really don't give a @%&# about (ordered by actor? WTF). Honestly, I don't even want it downloading extra information from the internet because I don't care one wit about IMDb or whatever data I just want to watch the show.

So I've got these eight new sections (no music added yet), but for some reason only a couple of them have anything filled in. I think that when I added a new section, it stopped updating the previous one. That kinda sucks, but I can probably update it manually. Hmm, no, that didn't work. I think it's actually the plus sign in the name. So here I go to rename my network folders.

The web UI called Plex Media Manager is being slow as @%&# for me, and it's almost like it can't handle the idea of updating two sections at the same time.

So here I sit, almost an hour after starting the process of installing Plex Media Server. I have yet to get it to recognize my new show that I want to watch, I have to now keep my user logged in and a network drive mapped, and I'm getting super-frustrated. And then people ask why I don't immediately jump to something new when something old was working fine (although this jump is because Tversity this week for some reason stopped working fine).

Thorin · October 16, 2012, 09:29:50 PM

god I hope this fixes the choppy audio

Lazybones · October 16, 2012, 09:36:02 PM

If you purely want a dlna server I suggest Serviio, it is still a better dlna server .

I use Plex with rich clients that show the posters, episode summaries ect.

If your library is large yes it will take a long time to scan and yes if you add more sections before the scan is complete it will slow things to a almost stop.