Oh my gosh! This is absolutely horrible!! I just confirmed that it is completely possible.
This is NOT ACCEPTABLE PLEX!!!
Seconded. Totally unacceptable.
“How is Plex making money on this feature?”
From kickbacks from the other streaming services of course
I’m not so sure they’re getting a kickback for this one… More likely they’re hoping that this feature is SO awesome, that it will drive new users to download the app… and in turn use the features they DO make money from.
There are articles popping up elsewhere on the intarwebs advertising this feature as a reason to grab the app.
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It’s usually places like TechCrunch that praise this… I can only hope The Verge makes a harsh and critical article as they always do about Plex.
I´m convinced they get a kickback, they probably get payed per click just like any other internet based advertisement system.
Do you actually need a Plex Pass if you´re not streaming your own content? If not I can´t see how they would make money from this without kickbacks, and since them seem to have changed their whole business profile and centered around this new feature I´, pretty sure they are expecting to see some revenue.
I don´t think many people would be willing to pay a subscription just to have Plex tell them what to watch on other platforms, but it might be something the herd is interested in as a freebie.
It’s just redundancy for whoever already owns a Roku, AppleTV, GoogleTV device or any streaming device platform. In fact, I could be wrong but Emby supposedly works with GoogleTV global search where there is no need for Emby to incorporate aggregation of streaming services within its own platform, but does allow users to just search using the GoogleTV search instead, and Emby users can find content with ease.
This was my thought exactly. Why is Plex attempting to add a feature that already exists, and on platforms that actually allow you to stream those shows, instead of spending Plex programmer resources on needed items such as real-time transcoder quality adjustments (including direct play)?
Didn’t most of us get Plex, and invest in our Plex libraries, so we can avoid using outside streaming services?
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As time goes by, I can see the question bubbling more and more in user’s minds… “Why am I using a middleman to get to the stuff I want to watch?”
This is my concern as well. This was my concern when they hired on people from outside media services. If Plex continues down this path, they will lose my business and I will take all my users with me, only because they will wish to follow my service to them. Not one of them cares about using Plex to stream from outside services.
Plex will not win the battle against Roku, Amazon, Apple and Google.
Plex is only successful now because they offer something different: making users into admins of their OWN streaming services.
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If I had a need I would nor begrudge Plex earning a commission, for example, if they emailed me and said “hey we got a special deal for Plex users who sign up with Netflix, get 50% off your first year and $2 a month off thereafter for life” I might have signed up.
The other way they are making money, which I DO BEGRUDGE THEM is the sale of MY analytics data.
You have only to see what is hidden EVEN if you REJECT cookies
Store and/or access information on a device
Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development
Use precise geolocation data
Actively scan device characteristics for identification
Ad technology provider from Google
Ensure security, prevent fraud, and debug Always Active
HOW MANY TIMES WERE YOU TOLD IT WAS DONE IN THE NAME OF SECURITY, HOW MANY TIMES ARE ADS ACTUALLY USED TO FRAUDULENTLY SIGN UP people to fake meds, fake products from China, scams from India not to mention our home grown scammers.
Technically deliver ads or content Always Active
Ads or CONTENT, aka tracking
Match and combine offline data sources
THAT IS A CONFESSION IF EVERY THERE WAS ONE
Link different devices
SO YOUR ROKU WITH YOUR PHONE WITH YOUR LAPTOP WITH YOUR ALEXA WITH THE RECORDINGS WE MAKE OFF YOUR SMART TV
Receive and use automatically-sent device characteristics for identification
SO ONCE WE KNOW THAT THE KIT WITH X MAC ADDRESS IS YOU WE WILL LINK YOU TO OUR PREVIOUS RECORD OF YOU.
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends, such as IP address or browser type.
THE IP IS ONE THING, THE MAC ADDRESS ANOTHER, HELL IF YOU USE WAZE THEY CAN GEO LOCATE YOU TO THE LOO IF YOU TAKE YOUR MOBILE WITH YOU.
So the real power is when you combine the data with other databases they subscribe to and the potential misuse is endless.
We laugh at the futuristic movies like Terminator or Minority Report
We have AI, we have drones and soon we may be able to determine from your analytics what crime you might potentially commit. When you will sell your shares, how compliant you are, or just whether you are likely to be fooled by a scammer.
India made over £700 billion in UK from scammers and that excludes the BILLIONS made by email and other online fraud.
It also excludes the sites that charge you a fee for things that are free, Google carries those and if they can figure out that you are dumb enough to fall for it they will call it Relevant.
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Personally, this might be what finally gets me to use Plex.
Oh, FFS! Funny, the verge is always harping on about how Plex was a vessel for ARGGGG but now because of this ONE new feat, it somehow landed a good review.
Apparently this writer knows nothing of what everyone else has had to struggle with.
I actually just emailed the author about how Plex is totally cool with showing unrestricted content on restricted, managed profiles now thanks to Discover.
It’s merely a fluff piece. Its also not indepth whatsoever and glances over many concerns. It’s not critical nor talks about the nuances that the application or service faces. It’s pure trash. And normally The Verge usually has something malicious to say. I’m totally surprised by it.
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I saw that. I still emailed them anyway, And 9to5mac. And ars and a few others.
Be sure to let Mayor McCheese know too!
That was a personal statement made by the writer of The Verge article, had you read it and @blackzwe was merely citing that quote into his post.
So let me get this right as I’m still catching up on the beta function pushed on users.
I have age restrictions in place for users and friends have age restrictions in place for their local users.
That all got pushed aside by Plex and owners of servers and devices have no way to disable/remove the beta function ?
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