Long time Plex user here, probably my favorite and most used piece of software but I am really disappointed by the design choices being forced by the Plex team over the last year or so. For reference, here is a side-by-side comparison of both UIs.
I loved Plex right up until they started changing core features with no options to revert or opt out or otherwise customize our server settings. The first noticable instance of this was the changing of the “Recently Added Television” functionality on the dashboard page. See my posts both here and on reddit.
Despite the outcry of many users (a large number of whom pay for this service), Plex never responded to or addressed these issues. It seems to be an increasingly recurring theme with this service and I think I speak for many others when I say it’s disappointing to have our concerns ignored.
Due to this trend of blatant disregard for their userbase I have not updated or been incentivized to update my Plex server since web version 2.6/server version 0.9.16.4.
Also worth mentioning is that users that don’t want to update to 1.3.0 or higher will be unable to access their servers via the app.plex.tv/web/app integration and are forced to connect by an alternate url (https://123-456-78-1.0xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.plex.direct:32400/web/index.html) which as I understand it is just a redirect to your localhost Plex address. Obviously not ideal but it works and you get to keep the dark theme as opposed to being forced to use the new iOS style.
While I would like to take part in the new features and functionality of the 3.0 update, due to the disappearance and general lack of both customizable settings and the ability to change themes according to preference, I will not be updating my server any time soon.
Although I would still prefer to use Plex, I have started looking for alternatives and thus far the best competitor I have found is Emby.
Unfortunately the interface isn’t as nice but the functionality is similar and it is:
Mods over at /r/PleX are actively hiding and deleting all posts related to this update. I would encourage you to voice your opinions as loud as possble so as to prevent them from silencing all of us.
Yea, I can’t wait until that piece of cr@pp goes local, but it’s made a little less vomitous if you click the ‘image’ icon to do away with the magnum image.
For a limited time you can still enjoy (‘enjoy’ is a strong word) the old(er) interface by double clicking the Plex icon in the system tray then setting a bookmark.
Plex absolutely has this ‘User Forest’ earmarked for Clean Up.
Plex only wants users that don’t care what they do and that’s apparent with sweeping changes to the way things work (The Plex Way) with virtually no user options (takes too long and ‘too hard’ to maintain). Eventually that ‘dead wood’ gets cut out leaving a perfectly groomed user forest - or since there’s really no where to go - the forum’s always full of riotous users.
Just updated and without even updating my library, I came looking for a post like this. WHAT, in the name of Mary, mother of Jesus, have they done?!?! I can handle buttons and whatnot moving around and I can handle a bit of change and things being “different” but why make it look worse? Is there anything a user can do to make it look half tidy again? Are the studio logos actually gone as well, not that it would make much of a difference?
I really don’t care about how the web app look, it’s just a management tool. Plex is not emby, there are many clients to use for playback and the web app is really the last resort.
Having had the other 5 members of our household blame me for the new UI… errr no. And the fact that nobody else wanted to put up with it, I have rolled it back to pre 3.x/blocked updates, and all is well with the world again.
Yes i know you can use the apps (they all have them) they prefered the web UI as it “was” easier and quicker to navigate around for them.
Looks like We will be looking for a new none plex server etc in the near future, or completely refronting plex which is ok until they change something again lol.
So I will see how long I can keep pre 3.x and apps running while I come up with a new plan…
Just thought I would chip in and say yeah generally unliked here.
LOL
I might get stones thrown at me…
but I LOVE the PlexWeb 3.0 implementation.
Only a couple very minor changes I would like to see.
Such as how Media Card backgrounds are done.
But generally.
Very Beautiful.
the ‘look’ so far hasn’t bothered me, still getting used to it. but functionality changes are what annoy me. i liked previously that if i started watching a tv show from the ‘on deck’ page that it would auto play to the next episode. AND that if i didn’t want to auto play i could browse to the season page of the show and just watch them one at a time. now from the season page it is also doing the auto play. i liked having the choice. especially since even though their post play page says that after 2 hrs of no user intervention it will ‘pause’ the post play, i’ve had times where i wake up 6 hrs later and the shows are still playing and i have to figure out what episode i fell asleep on.
As I have said in an earlier post in some thread about this: I do not really like the new appearance but the ability to change it with “Stylish” pretty much negates the objections I have.
I only use the web interface for maintenance so many of the issues mentioned are not ones that I have.
At first I did not like it but now I have decided that it does what I need. I just don’t like change and this was a change of pretty major level.
