And that’s fine. But since PMP had already the “web/desktop” layout built in, couldn’t you just add the feature leaving the rest alone?
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Ok so after thinking about this for a while, I kinda see the logic that got you to kill PMP and come up with the new app (booo). But the raison d’etre of a desktop app is to be generally better than a web page. So yeah, sure, an app that adds more direct play, downloads, etc… that’s totally awesome. But the app is still using the web page UI, basically, and that makes it a very poor desktop program IMHO (I didn’t like PMP’s desktop mode either, btw):
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I understand that you might not want a desktop UI where navigation is limited to directional controls + OK/Back like in the Roku/ATV/etc. apps (I don’t see why not but I guess that’s where you’re coming from), but a desktop app still typically should have some kind of keyboard navigation, if only for accessibility reasons. The current shortcuts are old-school Gmail-like, and don’t get you very far. Even Discord/Slack (also web UIs “in disguise”) have navigation for servers/channels/messages, plus quick-jump features. If you do it right, people with half-decent remotes might be able to bind those shortcuts and get their HTPC vaguely usable again.
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Some stuff doesn’t make sense, like the “Select Player” button (inception!), access to admin features, activity dashboard, etc. Isn’t it supposed to be “just” a player?
Last thing: regarding the lack of people using the TV mode in PMP, do you actually have telemetry on how many people never even used it once? My totally anecdotal experience is that most people don’t even know that it exists. Maybe they would use it more if they did.
The vast majority of people were using desktop mode because that was the default view it loaded into and I imagine a large proportion of people weren’t even aware a TV mode existed.
Stats do not tell the full story Elan. You should know that by reading the hundreds of replies here mourning the loss of your best client UI.
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Yearly Plex Pass supporter here for many years.
Seems like I can cancel my Plex Pass as Plex seems to go further and further from what it was and what it promised to be. And yes I am still using a HTPC due to not wanting to be bound to a tv supplier or a specific media player vendor.
So I am starting to look for an alternative!
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What I find really difficult to understand is that you’re effectively making 100s/1000s of users’ HTPCs effectively redundant. I’m assuming, that like my HTPC they were set up with the sole/primary purpose of using for Plex. That’s a huge waste of resources and definitely not environmentally friendly. Your metrics may indicate to you that it’s not a widely used feature but I feel that you’ll lose a huge amount of goodwill amongst your loyal customers which will negatively impact you. The other issue is that if we invest in new hardware, how can we be sure that support for that won’t be killed in the future either? I’m still baffled as to why you’re ending your flagship product? Not angry…just disappointed
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That is an excellent point. I bet the percentage of people who have disabled that phoning home feature is much, much higher among HTPC users (who are more tech-savy and more active on average) than among the general population of Plex users. So the reported numbers on HTPC usage might be grossly underestimating the actual HTPC usage.
I just checked the Privacy Preferences settings page, and of course I had turned off “Send playback data to Plex” for my account.
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I wrote a Plex client over the weekend in response to this whole ordeal that works through MPV and will direct play the files I need it to play. (I posted the link earlier in this thread.)
It behaves like a Chromecast in that you have to initially start playback by casting from the Plex web or mobile app, but the code base should be able to support power users that have very demanding audio and video codec needs.
I’ve only tested it on Linux so far, but I wrote it with the intent of it working on Windows as well. If anyone wants to try it, please log any issues you have with it to GitHub.
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I’m now wondering exactly who Elan is playing to in this thread. He’s already made it clear, in no uncertain terms, his ‘Numbers’ show these “HTPC” people absolutely do not matter to Plex any longer, and in fact, are impeding Plex from evolving into whatever vision Plex and their investors have forseen for themselves…
Unless…
They buy a Shield, or some other product inferior to the HTPC solution they’re using now, remaining loyal, while being curb-stomped in the face.
In the long run, that’s gonna-maybe do more harm than good - but I bet those ‘Numbers’ won’t reveal that bit. No, I think at this point Elan should just refrain from any additional input here as he just seems to be digging the hole ever deeper.
When you chop off a diseased leg - some time for healing should be allowed.
Ultimately if these poor HTPC people want to stick around in the Plexiverse, they’ll have to do something else eventually, but best let them make that selection based on what works best for them - not Elan.
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Don’t forget to vote people.
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Out of curiosity do you have any specifics for this statement?
I absolutely agree with @bblboy54 that the way Emby currently is means it has the potential at any point to follow down the same road as Plex… but already is?
I actively follow both the Plex and Emby forums although I don’t currently have Emby installed and haven’t seen anything to suggest what you are saying.
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Maybe we can get @GT1000 to edit the original message of this post and add the link with a message to go vote for more exposure. Like this anyone new to the thread will see it right away.
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Great idea.
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Even aside from the fact that it’s ridiculous that I have to buy another device to play my media the way I want (simply because I made the mistake of getting a lifetime Plex Pass), in some countries, such as where I live, there are no retailers who sell the Nvidia Shield or Roku. (And Android boxes are notorious for being unreliable in how they play media.)
Why should I be searching for a new device when I already have something that works because Plex has decided that I fall into a group that they no longer care about? My anger (and that is not too strong a word here) is that the TV mode was such a fundamental part of the product that I never thought it would be removed.
I know I’m wasting time complaining here, so this is really just venting. It’s very clear that Plex doesn’t really care about its customers. I don’t spend a lot of time on the forums here, but have they ever changed something because of customer feedback?
They’re happy to get people to buy a lifetime pass and then do whatever they want to get more people to pay. Once you’ve paid your money, you don’t count.
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Hear hear! This is no longer the software I paid for. Plex has completely forgotten their core userbase.
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You’re spot on. I bought a pass a few years back, and never dreamed they would lose the plot this badly. It’s pathetic.
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You’ve completely forgotten that this “tiny number” of users are the ones that made Plex what it is today, buying passes and evangelizing the software. It’s a shame, but I’ll be looking for a new service and taking my friends and family with me.
Btw, they aren’t YOUR users. They are OUR users. We have the media servers. Plex provides its own podcasts, crappy webshows, and useless news. Oh and can’t forget forced tidal support. Other than all that useless stuff nobody asked for, everything is on our servers. And when the people running the servers with the majority of the content aren’t happy, I think you’ll see a big change in the number of “your” users.
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This is what gripes me most of all, you profess to be a media lover yet seem to be content with “respectable” performance surely you should want and strive for the best performance all the time?
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@DaveBinM Were you able to test my samples?
I actually have a Shield in the bedroom, so I ran a couple experiments with subtitles, etc. (features we use every once in a while) and had issues with the first file (subs wouldn’t toggle on, appear when restarting playback, and then wouldn’t toggle off). Excited about re-entering this fresh hell of media compatibility issues. Wheee, the future!
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The funny thing is that this approach of looking at user metrics to decide what’s worth doing or not is pretty much what got Apple to make similarly ridiculous decisions regarding their pro Mac line-up (or lack thereof) and we know how that bubbled up over the years and now they’re coming back to it.
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