Eh I’ve been collecting for decades now. First CD was Jethro Tull’s Aqualung, the joined a bunch of CD clubs. And nowadays buy from Qobuz and Bandcamp.
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I have no idea what “headless version of Plexamp” means. Is this pointing to my ability to load a version of Plexamp onto my 4K TVs?
My TV currently has a version of Plex on it. (One installation is loaded onto an external Roku Ultra, the other is loaded directly onto the Google desktop. They both have all libraries–music AND videos. I suspect I will soon lose these older installations, right?
I have no idea what “headless version of Plexamp” means. Is this an app that I install on my 4K TV? Please clarify.
I actually use it on a Raspberry PI connected to a FM transmitter for Halloween and Christmas. It means that there is no screen, keyboard, mouse or controls. The controls are on the device’s web site to control it.
Elan, you’ve just won a lot of street cred. At least on my street 
And the second CD, would that be by any chance Genesis ‘Selling England by the Pound’? 
I’m sure you already know this, but if you’re running headless Plexamp you can control it from Plexamp mobile/desktop app as well as the web app it serves up.
You’d think, right? It might have been The Cure / Disintegration, but I’m not positive. I’ve actually seen Jethro Tull live a few times as well back in the 90s. One of my favorite bands from the 70s (OK and a few tracks from the 80s).
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That’s a pretty heavy lift just for someone that wants to listen to music on their TV like they currently are able to do with the legacy app.
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Plexamp iOS version: v4.12.3
Noting that music and the audio library features are no longer part of the iOS Plex app and that they are now exclusively accessed via the PlexAmp app, here’s a significant feature regression…
- The Plex feature support for an audio track’s, “Play Music Video” is completely gone.
- And likewise, the feature for artist “Extras” for Music Videos is also gone.
- In short, the previously excellent feature that intuitively integrated artists and tracks with their associated music videos has been lost.
- Fortunately, my music video library remains available as a simple non-integrated video library in the iOS Plex app.
- I’d suggest adding this lost feature set into PlexAmp…
Can someone with Plex development address the current loss of the music video feature and plans/schedule to re-instate the feature into the context of the new iOS Plex app strategy?
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I have asked twice now . . . what does “headless version of Plexamp” mean? I have no understanding of this, and despite asking twice for an explanation I have received no clear response.
WHAT IS “HEADLESS VERSION OF PLEXAMP”???
Someone please explain. Yes, I have videos and photos that I play back through my 4K TV . . . but my most important function is to play music tracks and audio books through my TVs.
Have you taken that functionality away from me? I designed my home audio/video system around this assumption.
You were answered 8 hours ago:
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This is an explanation?
QFT.
My most common TV/music area consists of a TV that sends stereo audio out to a pair of good self-powered bookshelf speakers. There is no separate receiver and no means to simply add a new audio source. Adding headless Plexamp to this setup would be impractical.
@elan plz… Give us Plexamp for TVs before you kill the legacy TV clients.
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Thanks LivingBubba. This is helpful . . . not much.
I have no idea what “headless” means.
I have no idea what Raspberry PI means.
I have no idea what “FM transmitter” means.
I have no idea how to connect “headless Plexamp” to my receiver.
Here is what I have been running.
- My music files (all FLAC) and my audio book tracks (all MP3) are on the PC that I use as a Plex server.
- I have been using a Plex app on my 4K TV
- I open the Plex app on my 4K TV, navigate to the music or audio book I want to play, and click “play”
- the PC server upstairs receives the request, and streams the FLAC or MP3 files via WiFi to my 4K TV.
- the 4K TV sends the audio signal to my receiver that is plugged into the 4K TV
- the receiver sends the signal to the speakers that I have connected to the receiver.
- the speakers send the sound waves to my ears.
I have no idea how the receiver is supposed to get the streamed audio signals from some “headless” thingy that I know not what it is.
I have asked on this Plex forum three or four times: Will I still be able to play music files and audio books through my TV.
No one has answered my question.
I do have the new Plexamp app on my iPad, and can get the music delivered through the iPad. But I need to get the audio files delivered to my music room reciever, ideally through the TV interface.
Having this functionality has been great.
Not having this functionality . . . not so great.
Not getting an answer to my question seems rather odd. Perhaps that is Plex’s answer?
There are multiple people trying to help and answer.
You will not be able to play music via a Smart TV Plex app.
So Plexamp for smart TVs is officially ruled out. That’s really unfortunate.
OK then. You tell me that the specific way that I have been streaming music and audiobooks into my home using the original Plex app will no longer work. That is very disappointing and in no way is this something that I see as an enhancement of my Plex experience.
Still, I remain hopeful that I will be able to stream music into my home, and at present my only possible source of content is my smart TV.
It seems you are also saying that this new Plexamp app will not work for streaming music files through my smart TV. Am I right?
At the same time, you imply that you are “working on a solution”.
Elan, I appreciate all that Plex has been doing for me over the past 7 years. I am all for you generating a better income stream for your work. Moreover, I really don’t mind having to use multiple apps to access my content, particularly if the video experience is truly enhanced, and the photo experience is truly enhanced. All that should be good. I trust you there.
But I really do need a way to stream music. I have ripped all my CDs, and no longer have a CD player. Moreover I have no interest in going back to CDs . . yuck.. Streaming is so far superior.
Will you provide an app that enables me to stream audio files? Could you not reintroduce the original app solely for that purpose? Perhaps you could strip the video functionality out and move us all to your new app fot that. Maybe we could use some reduced version the old app for music and/or photos?
Please do not forget there are a great many loyal Plex users who want to use our smart TVs to stream content.
The figurative “head” in this case refers to a screen and input devices like keyboard and mouse.
A headless device doesn’t have these, so it must be remote-controlled. Usually, like in Plexamp’s case, over the network.
For instance, a typical NAS device can also be described as a “headless” server, as it doesn’t have a screen or keyboard connected to it.
A headless plexamp is a computer with just network, power, and audio output connected to it. Often a Raspberry Pi or comparable diminutive devices.
The idea is to plug such a device into your sound system & then use the Plexamp instance on your phone, tablet, or desktop computer to remote-control it.
There is even some work done to have several of these headless devices in different rooms of the home, which you then can flexibly combine or separate into playback zones. To have either the same music playing everywhere, or different music in each room.
Look, I tried to rationalize this decision, and it took me hours to let it sink in.
This move to fundamentally shift gears to aspects of Plex’s audio usage isn’t entirely dumb, I THINK I get it, but it also significantly alienates and drops all usability for those who used your SAAS for what we can see now, is no longer possible, that Plex Inc. is or was our all-in-one media solution. Do the separate apps have to all work the same? No, and many of us know that feature parity is just not always going to happen due to each Plex Clients deficits of being able to do so.
Those who decide to not go down the path of purchasing a WiiM or make use of headless PlexAmp via Rasp Pi will just move on to another solution. It’s come to many of our attention that Plex Inc. has decided this fate for its userbase.
Given how Plex Inc. is a private company and has many corporate venture capital investors, I just don’t currently buy this notion that they’d blatantly and entirely neglect having PlexAmp restricted as a desktop, mobile, and home theater companion, with no regard to having tv apps.
HOWEVER, I have noticed that in order to get high quality and make the most of the PlexAmp experience, Plex Inc. is better off entirely eliminating Airplay and Chromecast protocols, and the Plex userbase will just have to succumb to this defeat.
I’ve taken a look at Qobuz and Tidal and realized they too have major issues with providing their audio streaming services over other platforms.
What I think is best for you and the Plex Inc. team going forward @elan , is that you send out a corporate letter addressing this head on, so we know where the future of audio streaming is heading for PlexAmp in particular. If you and the team want to enforce that the userbase must be required to use PlexAmp directly and get rid of Airplay and Chromecast casting entirely so it makes your jobs easier with the mess of unreliable protocols, fine. Just state this directly and stop wasting everyone else’s time in devoting into an ecosystem that is not up to solving those challenges or no longer can.
You owe your customers that bare minimum of an explanation. Own up to whatever it is that holds your business back. While it will disappoint many of your userbase to restrict PlexAmp’s usage over less clients, we need that communication from you and your leaders. Solidify this so we can all know where the company stands. It’s pretty darn simple to do.
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Same thing goes for music video integration. Since it seems that there won’t be a way to play music on a TV app, that means music video integration is basically gone as well (since they were tied together in the old app).
Where is the leadership at Plex?!
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