If you have a lot of files, renaming them doesnt have to be a manual process: macOS has a great, built-in file-renaming function, as does Windows 10. The critical difference is that it goes about the actions differently. There are a few ways you can influence what appears on your Home screen and where it appears. When that happens, there are things you can do to make sure your library looks clean. Alternatively, you can run some combination of the two since there's an official Plex add-on available for Kodi. For example. Once youve selected the library type, youll be able to change the name and language. However, it can get in the way of your Plex server working correctly. Reorder the Playlist source from your Plex Media Server to be at the top of the sidebar. https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-organize-your-plex-media-library. Step 2: Click the Settings icon to get more settings options. Plex has much more detailed step-by-step instructions on this process here(Opens in a new window). Open up Plex Media Server on your server device (laptop, desktop, etc). The media server will scan your library and scrape relevant cover images, descriptions, ratings, and more. With the right add-ons, you can do more than simply play local and stream remote media with Kodi. He's invested in the Apple ecosystem, with experience covering Macs, iPhones, and iPads for publications like Zapier and MakeUseOf. Choose the Scanner to use with your library. If your server machine isnt powerful enough to handle this conversion process, you may be told that the movie cannot be played. All you need to do is log in with your Plex username and password and pick what you want to stream. and our Step 2: Youll find an intuitive set of category links on the left side of the screen, and all of your matching media files will be organized in the main portion of the interface. How to watch local channels on your Roku device, How to use Netflixs secret category codes to find what you want to watch, Plex Arcade brings classic Atari console titles to your TV for $5 per month. Both Plex and Kodi are available to download and try out for free. Since we launched in 2006, our articles have been read billions of times. Plex has always given you the ability to customize your library, but today we're rolling out an update for iOS and Android that gives you even more control over your overall experience. What is a Plex Media Server? Once you update Plex to the latest version, you will be presented with a list of streaming services that you can add. Plex is software that you can use to store, locate, and access all of your media in one place. Technically, yes. Cinema Trailers, Extras, & Related Albums, Direct Play, Direct Stream, Transcoding Overview, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information / Opt-out of Targeted Advertising, Ensure that the correct Plex Media Server is selected within the settings menu, Select Libraries under the Manage section of the settings menu, Choose the library type from the selection, Name the library and choose the language to use for information gathered from the internet. Your options are: Movies, TV Shows, Music, Photos, or Other Videos. This setting determines whether content from this library will be included in global search or not. Click the check box next to Manually specify public port, keep the default value of 32400 and select RETRY and APPLY. Once installed and set up, a Plex Media Server can automatically organize all your files on your computer. Keep in mind, playing a movie this way wont necessarily show you what it will look like on a device like an Apple TV or Roku. Click on the Settings icon in top-right corner of the Plex web interface. Select your E: drive and select the Movies folder. In the settings for your Plex Media Server, you can choose which particular rows related to that library will appear on a home screen. These include ad-supported and public domain content, plus a large number of streaming live TV channels. Though both are solid choices, there are some notable differences that can help you decide between them. Plex has relatively low system requirementsfor servers, though performance will be impacted by the speed of your network and your decision to use wireless networking or not. It will also prioritize streaming services that you are subscribed to, with free options listed before any paid or rental options. If you have a Tidal subscription, you can add it to Plex. As weve mentioned, there is a Plex client for just about every device on the market. These can be locally attached internal or external drives or network locations like Windows SMB shares and NASdevices. An Apple TV 4K, for instance, only plays video files encoded in H.264, or MPEG-4, using the .m4v, .mp4, and .mov formats. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Open ports on Plex with PureVPN's Port forwarding Add-on It takes a bit of fiddling to get this set up correctly because youll need to adjust your routers firewall settings, but once its configured, youll be able to use the Plex client on your phone or tablet to stream your personal media library from anywhere in the world including live TV and recorded shows, if you have that enabled. Camera upload: Wirelessly sync the photos you take on your mobile device to Plex so that theyre a snap to view on all of your Plex clients. When you click "Add Library" you'll need to nominate a media type (like Movies or TV), then click on the "Add Folders" button. PCMag, PCMag.com and PC Magazine are among the federally registered trademarks of Ziff Davis and may not be used by third parties without explicit permission. Continue through the prompts as Plex asks you how to customize your home screen. Mobile sync: A must-have for commuters, this feature lets you wirelessly keep copies of your favorite media on your phone for offline playback. Since the Plex Media Server does the lions share of the work involved in organizing and playing back your media, a sufficiently powerful device is important for the best experience. Its a versatile application that includes free streaming content, syncs across your devices with a simple login, and has relatively few limitations, like the shortlist of incompatible file types. Plex's Watch Together feature allows users to watch their favorite movies and TV shows with friends. Kodis interface is beautiful and functional out of the box, but its also highly customizable with downloadable skins. A sufficiently fast Wi-Fi network (routers and devices that support 802.11ac are best) can work too, but youll need excellent signal strength to support streaming in 4K/HDR. In the Plex web app, hover over an item in your library and click the pencil Edit icon. Many advanced options are common between library types. If you find one particularly troublesome user on your server hogging the bandwidth, you can check your server's dashboard to see who's causing it and maybe politely ask them to ease off a touch. }); 1996-2023 Ziff Davis, LLC., a Ziff Davis company. Thank you for helping us improve our articles. Plex is designed to make it simple to manage and browse your library. But every once in a while a movie will be missing a poster, or a TV show will get split up. Setting up an iPad for our daughter and I'd like to pin a few of the movies she always likes to the home screen rather than having her search. You candownload and install Plex Media Serveron a large number of devices, including desktop computers (Windows, macOS, Linux, and FreeBSD) andnetwork-attached storage drives. If you are considering installing Kodi, we recommend looking over our Kodi explainer to learn how to safeguard against cyberattacks or any other potential problem that might occur with third-party add-ons. Plex: A Media Server for Streaming EverywhereKodi: A Media Center ApplicationPlex vs. Kodi: Which Should You Choose?Install Both for Free (or Try an Alternative Instead). However, theres one small catch: Plex has a preference for how different file types are named. Alternatively, check out some of the best Plex alternatives. Selecting the file you want to play brings up an info screen with descriptions and more links, plus the Play Now button. If you have a huge library of TV shows and movies. And sharing your library with other people can also slow down your home internet speeds. There's no way to do that, at least that I'm aware of. Your subscription has been confirmed. Using theentry you can pin new items to appear in the main navigation sidebar area (By default, new items will be placed at the end of the list). Once thats done, tell your friends and family to create a free Plex account(s) and then tell you the email they used to create it. From a music-discovery point of view, its a powerful system because its based on the music you love after all, you already own it. When you set up the Plex server and app, you'll be prompted to select from a big list of streaming services, including the major ones you're likely subscribed to, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, Hulu, HBO Max, and more. Video Streaming Services: What You Should Know. Privacy Policy. Once you select it, you will see the new Add to Watchlist button or just a bookmark icon below the title and description. However, this can take up a lot of processing power. The Poster tab here will let you pick which thumbnail and background image you'd like to use. In our case, we select "TV Shows", the library that . However the moment your needs become more demanding, youre probably going to want to run your server on a desktop or laptop. Make an appropriate folder and put your media in that, such as D:/Movies. Within that screen, you can add additional users for the people who live with you, as well as giving access to friends via the Shared Libraries option. Use the Edit option in the sidebar to allow you to pin and unpin (or reorder) the sources. How do I play Plex files on my TV or other devices? From the navigation sidebar, youll be able to choose which source to view, if you have access to more than one. It can automatically add and remove TV episodes as you watch them. Support documents from Plex(Opens in a new window) recommend using a folder system like this: You can further divide your library folders however you prefer, such as adding a new folder for each movie or show. Can Power Companies Remotely Adjust Your Smart Thermostat? The server is used to both store and stream media to other client devices on the network. To create a library, launch the Plex Web App then: Tip! If you want to have one collection of movies you share, and another you don't, give them separate folders. Plex is simple-to-use software that brings together all your different types of media, and it also is pretty easy to install. You can see what these users are watching in real time, as well as being able to see a history of what theyve watched, within the Activity Dashboard for your server. The universal watchlist is a helpful tool as well, eliminating the need for you to keep separate lists on each of your services you can keep them in one place. When you purchase through our links we may earn a commission. Bestmovies on Netflix. Step 4: Inside the settings for your Plex Media Server, youll find a section called Users and Sharing. You will now see /mnt/unionfs/Media/Movies in the text box (don't click "ADD LIBRARY" yet). When this option is enabled, album reviews from Gracenote will be gathered when available. Choose the basic type of media this library represents. Plex Pass provides unhindered access to streaming via mobile apps, hardware transcoding, local downloads, themes, additional users, the ability to use Plex as a DVR, local Plexamp offline music listening, lyrics, and more. Read More: The best streaming services to replace your cable. Click, Next, add the folders with the media files. To add a movie or TV show to your Watchlist, select a magnifying glass icon in the top-left corner of Plex and search for it. ID3 tags for MP3 files.). For more information, please see our If you already know what you want to watch, the Plex Universal Search feature will now show you which streaming services have the content youre looking for.