My main concern here is what support should we expect to have in the future for Direct Play? Yes, I understand, the Nvidia shield exists. That is one device, if this rumored new Shield does not support audio passthrough, what platforms will we be able to Direct Play on?
Granted a HTPC capable of all the HDR/Audio features (like a NUC) is more expensive than the current Shield or any other streaming box. A small HTPC was my endgame with Plex when my theater capabilities eventually support all the fancy HDR/Atmos features. That might not happen today or tomorrow, but it will happen!
If a new streaming device comes out in the future that can support all of these audio/video codecs, and Plex works without issue on it, then I will happily retract all of my complaints from here. But as of today I do not agree with the statement that a 3 year old device (Shield) is the end all be all solution for the next 3-5 years. (Heck Iāll retract my statements today if Nvidia announces a new shield will all the features. Yeah itās still a single supported device, but itās a brand new supported device )
With the amount of shield pushing going on here I am half expecting a partnership announcement next.
Just to point out that the main benefit of pmp is that it installed on a pc which can do a host of other things that a shield or any other streaming box cant.
Can a shield run pc games or steam? It couldnt the last time i looked. There seems to be a view from plex that people only run plex on their htpcs with no other software installed.
The beauty of a htpc is it can do practically anything you need in one box. A shield cannot.
Do like I have done and plan to do with all my HTPC appliances, find a version build that works for all your needs and revlock for the long road ahead.
Iām amazed by the outrageous irony of it all. Just last week:
āIn case you missed it, UNO is our latest effort to streamline the process of searching, discovering and enjoying your content in your Plex libraryāno matter the type, no matter the source, no matter the format. Itās an easy, elegant, and powerful system thatās consistent no matter where and how you Plex (emphasis added). It gives you the ultimate control over how you navigate your collectionā¦ā
Except, of course, if you are a long-time user with a Windows HTPC in your living room. In that case, you can buy new hardware, bail on Plex altogether, or constantly trot back and forth between your couch and the TV (to see whatās on the screen, navigate, etc.).
Like people have been saying for monthsā¦maybe UNO isnāt so hot after all? :-[
UNO itself I actually have no issue with personally.
Its a great experience on my ATV 4K.
Its OKāish on my LG app.
On the much praised Shield though UNO remedies just one of that devices many issues.
All of which is great. The real point is that if UNO is really as powerful and flexible as itās been advertised to be, an UNO-driven UI for Windows (that includes a 10-foot interface!) should be a) on the roadmap and b) 100% achievable.
And no, we donāt want to be told that the long-term solution is to use a āweb appā on Windows. No way that makes effective use of our hardware.
I totally agree. I just donāt see the decision to abandon PMP and the advent of UNO as in any way interlinked.
That said itās Plexā¦ So who knows.
Well before I invest one calorie to any attempts to hang on to what I have - Plex is going to have to fix PMP and Plex for Windows:
Issue one:
Plex for Windows and PMP - very recently - turned into a jumpy/glitchy mess when dragged across that HDMI cable to the TV and then thereās:
The way I see it - thereās not much left of PMP to hang onto nor is there much to look foward to in Plex for Windows - which leaves me wondering who is all this for exactly?
I have all the previous versions, but I keep everything updated. I can back up in case a Plex Whoops! Style Emergency occurs, but thatās about it.
I am certain some users in this thread will find Version Hopscotch an acceptable solution, but I am not among them. I am not looking forward to maintaining deprecated versions and updated versions so much that Iām not going to do it.
I may have to buy more devices, that wonāt be Shields, but first the Tempest must pass so we can clear up the debris. We must find out which device/app is going to run UNO in a manner we can deal with. Currently the Roku app is the only one with a prayer. That may change.
Running old builds is a poor plan for the future. They work now but you never know when theyāll stop working due to some OS patch or other. And if you donāt update your OS either, you face major security problems.
And that only addresses the HTPC side, many of us also use other clients on Android, SmartTVs, etc. At some point Plex will break compatibility and they will stop working with old builds of PMS. Not updating these clients isnāt really an option, particularly on iOS, unless again you donāt update your OS either.
No not kidding. Iām heavily into HDR these days. I had high hopes for PMP at least on the embedded version if not on Windows. I guess it will never be.
As I said in this or another thread.
Stop development of features and improvements.
Stop bug fixes.
Let it break.
Force everyone to find an alternative.
12-18 months down the line read about the sunsetting in a shiny blog highlighting than no one used it anyway.
UWP app, Plex for Kodi, now PMP.
As you so rightly said whats next?
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