Is it time to ditch Plex

Plex Media Server Desktops & Laptops
1

I’ve never had so much hassle as to get an app working as I have Plex on a Windows 10 PC.

Got it installed, added some media and was able to connect via other devices. Found as soon as I logged off the pc, Plex shutdown so was inaccessible to any device on my network.

So I thought would set up to run as a service and configured this… Now the pc can be on without being logged in and Plex works.

But then more hassle, my original setup was no longer available and when tried connecting Plex just kept saying ‘claim this server’. I had only just set it up, so why would I need to reclaim it.

Next I ended up having to add it all again and setup my libraries. I found this seems to stop half-way through and doesn’t complete media info, even though told it to use local files if available as all the movies have a nfo file and jpg’s for posters and backdrops, but no Plex just wants to display a shot from the video itself, even though when you edit the data it shows it already has the nfo and images. So why isn’t it using it.

As I have lifetime passes for both Plex and Emby, I found that Emby is nowhere near as convoluted in setting up. I installed the software, added my media, added users, setup as a service and all work without issues. There was none of this ‘reclaim this server’, no library losses switching to a service. And it actually performs faster than Plex.

Plex over the years has got worse and constantly failing to operate properly as well as PP features being removed. They seem to add new features but make the overall experience poor.

I think it’s now time for me to switch to Emby full time as the user experience is far better imo.

1 Like
2

There are quirks with Plex for me, such as not fully supporting my work flow with NFOs, but I’ve tried other options and they all have quirks IMO. Plex beats them out, quirks included.
For me the community support and dev support for Plex is better tahn with Emby.
Jellyfin would be my 2nd choice right now.

I’ve found solutions to Plex’s performance, crashing, and issues when you want to transfer a database or move locations of files.

3

I’m running both and have been for a few months.

Wanted to see how I and my users liked the offerings.

Plex has lost it’s original focus and is now trying to play with the big boys on content aggregation.

My users prefer Emby, faster, less issues, focused on media playback. I love their theatre app. Way better than Plex’s HTPC app.

Plex wins in it’s development cycle - feels more mature.

I have lifetime with both. As a manager of the server and content, Emby wins. Simpler, better and more reliable transcoding, works better with my AMD gear.

Plex support is good although at times condescending and confrontational. Arrogance perhaps ?

I’ll continue to use both for now but Plex’s latest foray into content aggregation and overstepping privacy lines is pushing me towards Emby.

2 Likes
4

a week ago i had to (again) set up a new server with fresh os. i coulnt set up my backup db (did it before successfully), so started a fresh server, cant get it to work, have network problems all over the place.
my lg 2018 tv didnt work, and my desktop using app.plex.tv (also with fresh, newly installed os win11) dont work at all till today.
and on only my smartphone i see the old librarys and the new at the same time from the (maybe halfway?) deleted old server.

and of course like on my fresh installs before. plex dont want to take my poster.jpg files often (for series most of the time). it never worked! but nobody cares!!!

for hundreds of movies is get pictures with 50x50 pixels instead of my jpg files

image
image875×571 96.5 KB

image
image837×597 84.4 KB

image
image845×591 59.4 KB

and i have other big problems.
you can wait for years, you can set up a new server and hope it will help, but guess what? it does not

also nice is to correct mp3 tags, join artists, match artists, correct wrong matches and what not - manually- in many hours of work for a music library and see things like this

image
image1170×1193 66.8 KB

5

I run Plex and JellyFin side by side on a Win 10 PC.
I spent the money I set aside for this on a Lifetime Plex Pass (when I left the Kodi world) and don’t see the need to spend more on Emby.

I mainly (until recent new Beta’s where released upon us without our consent) use JellyFin as a backup system for when I have internet issues due to weather. I don’t like all the BS hoops you have to jump through to use Plex without internet and work in another state 6 days a week and can’t always be home to switch things over for my family should an internet issue arise.

JellyFin IMO has come along way in recent releases. Is it as polished as Plex? No, but it functions just as well for using your media and not adding the extra BS that Plex has been doing recently.

As a free and perfectly functioning media server, I think it does great!

2 Likes
6

I have been running Plex on Windows 10 for quite some time. I don’t recall any significant issues installing it and getting it running. But maybe there were and I just don’t remember.

7

Sorry to hear that you’re having trouble. Plex works great for me personally. I’ve been using it for probably :checks purchase history: 8 years, holy f**k what have I been doing with my life?

Answer: enjoying endless organization of my hundreds of thousands of music, Movies, TV, Youtube Backups, and Comics (Photos are Displayed in numerical sequence wow, rest in peace Comixology never needed you anyway)

1 Like
8

all jokes aside, don’t throw in the towel yet. This might just be a skill issue. I’ll admit that it took me a few tries (and a few different hard drives to house my main installation) to get to the current perfect cocktail I am having fun with.

Sometimes Plex will do quirky things like Tag my Tekken Tag Tournament 2 OST with “Star Trek Deep Space 9” with no clear indication for how it happened, but it’s easy to fix in the software and it’s fun to update my metadata when I’m in the mood

9

I’ve been a lifetime user since 2014 and seen the progression of Plex over the years, good features removed and it’s got slower and more cumbersome with unwanted features added and more bugs appearing.

I had Plex previously on an old AMD setup running Freenas, I then switched to Ubuntu Headless as was easier to maintain than Freenas. The other year I purchased a HDHomerun for TV as a backup to Sky Q and switched to an Intel i5 with NVidia GFX to allow better performance of transcoding if needed and for the use of the HDHomerun.

I found Plex constantly failing to play media reporting the server wasn’t fast enough even though only one person viewing content, posters for media were not correct or not even appearing, the dvr features not always displaying the content and when trying to record on the HD channels it was always showing as recording on the SD channel.

I initially had some issues with Emby playing some content on the DVR side due to the UK format, but there support helped resolve this and actually updated their software quite quickly, unlike what happens with Plex, you report something and you could be waiting months or years for something to be done.

The other parts of Emby worked a dream, media information correctly setup, used my local files, interface for users was more enjoyable especially as we have a multiple Apple TV and Shield TV devices, so it was easier for them to switch between them and when on a tablet or mobile they kept their settings. Not being asked to setup again on new client devices like it does for Plex.

I then rebuilt my system, installed Windows 10 Pro and initially only setup Emby and my HDHomerun, which has been working perfectly, but thought I would retry setting up Plex to see if any of the previous issues was experiencing had been resolved, but no, after 10 hours trying to get this setup and working as I intend to use it, it was still not functioning properly and that was only with two libraries setup.

So this morning I’ve fully uninstalled Plex and decided to stick with Emby, as at least that works and if I need to re-install, it all done within an hour and it can be used fully with internet access and does not need me to constantly reclaim my own server. Plus end users like the fact they can have different UI’s to other users and the same settings work across multiple devices.

2 Likes
10

Only issues I’ve had with Plex have always been on the client side (the player). Plex Media Server has always been A+ for me for over a decade. Using apps like filebot to name your files correctly will also save you a serious headache.

Finding the right client to play your media from the server is essential though. In my experience that is the difference between Plex being a nightmare or running smoothly. Because if the client can’t direct play all your media and has to transcode, nightmares can begin especially if your CPU is not powerful enough to handle it. Some people in my family use older Rokus and game consoles, and Plex is extremely frustrating for them because they have to transcode nearly everything.

I too considered emby and created a server, tested it out for a while. In the end I deleted it and found that Plex was by far the better of the two. However emby is useable and not bad by any means.

Plex has evolved over time but at it’s core it’s exactly what I signed up for many moons ago. A solution to sort and play YOUR media anywhere u want in the best quality. So I see no reason to ditch it in my opinion if that’s your goal.

11

I had a lot of issues when I first using Plex years ago. A few years ago I upgraded my Unraid server and put Plex on it in a Docker container and got a Invidia Shield Pro and have not had any issues since. That was like 3 years ago. I have only ran the release versions of the server but I do run a beta versions on my Shield. My other TVs run the release versions of the Android TV client.

12

It’s not the client devices I have an issue with, we use 2 x Apple TV, 2 x Shield Pro, 1 x Roku 3, Android Tablets/Mobiles, Apple Tablets/Mobiles which are all capable of playing back my media.

If Plex actually done what it is designed to do then I wouldn’t have a problem, but as it can’t even do things properly then it is off no use to me.

Emby pulls in my media, uses my local files and setup correctly along with the collections. Plex just adds collections willy nilly, many with chinese names and multiple collections for a single movie, so you have to disable it.,

Plex might work for some, but for me its not doing want I purchased it for. I might review again in about 6 months or a few years to see if it has improved and got rid of the bloatware (Plex was for playing my media, not from online services, etc which they constantly seem to be adding)

1 Like
13

Been using Plex now on a QNAP for 2+ years. I use it with 3 Samsung TVs, 1 Vizio TV, now moved to 5 different Rokus and 1 Sony TV, 2 Andriod phones 2 IPADs. Has worked near perfectly the whole time, All play fine, transcodes as many as 10 streams from 1080P to either 720 or 480 while also doing 4 direct streams, QNAP was at 85%. As for the metadata I use Filebot and Plex has done very well at pulling the metadata and managing the information once it scans the new movie/tv episode

You have been using yours much longer but I do wonder how you curate and what format you use for your videos. For me, I found h.264, full-quality original full bitrate in AC3 640 to be compatible with everything and of a quality that friends and guests cannot tell the difference between 1080 and 4k on my 75 inch Sony (it is amazing at upscaling). Also, NONE have ever been able to distinguish the difference between AC3 5.1 from any other audio codec/quality, they are always stunned the first time seeing and hearing my movies.

14

Sounds like a case of rather bad embedded metadata

15

Emby and Tiny Media Manager pick them up correctly, it’s only Plex that has the issue and always has.

Plex is told to use the local files for information and artwork, but it doesn’t and instead wants to get from online and then doesn’t show them on the interface, but when check it has the artwork but never applies it.

16

This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.