thanks @chrisallen
I’m an active beta tester in both iOS and tvOS beta programs and willing to help out with any testing if you need it.
…and our responses in some cases have been too few - but we are talking now and very appreciate your kind words here! 
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I have really started making plex the focus of my home entertainment, but there are a couple things I feel are not quite there and I was wondering if there were any update plans:
I have started using plexamp but my library is not enormous. It has most of the music I love, and its the stuff I want to listen to 95% of the time, but I like discovering new music. I got the tidal integration which generally I love, but one thing that is a little annoying is I cant access tidal playlists without switching my source to tidal.
Its needlessly inconvenient. The playlists will show up in recent but if i am listening to a bunch of different stuff it goes away to quickly.
If you “include adult content” in your media libraries, it prevents a lot of super cool discover features from working in your libraries, but it doesn’t warn you about that. I am an adult with no kids, when setting up my library i just checked everything i thought might add additional features, and this ended up blocking a lot of features. You guys do note it in a post about the discover features, but the reasoning is never explained, and it really should be noted in the setup screen.
Also I was wondering if there was any plans to add more discover features to the plex player - I would love to be able to look at the cast list without having to exit out of the movie. Have you guys discussed doing anything like Prime Videos XRay feature?
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Agree on the five vote thing, as I’ve not been on the forums in quite awhile, came back, saw something I thought was a feature i should vote for, and saw it was not able to cast any more votes.
It’s been so long that I voted, I don’t even remember what I voted for and how long ago I cast those five votes.
They were probably cast for DVR related items, which I can no longer use at my current location, as I no longer have Coax into the house with Cox “Cable”, it’s fiber to the house and streaming boxes from Cox with DVR living at the Cox Headend.
Is there a compelling reason to limit us to Five Votes?
They have to limit the number of votes somewhere, otherwise people won’t have to prioritize votes, and the totals will be less meaningful. I do think 5 is too few though!
Hello. Thanks for doing this…
A few things I would love to see:
- A way to hand-curate a movie or TV show if need be; i.e. add (or tweak) actors and directors etc manually. This is occasionally needed; especially e.g. a foreign animated title, and all the voices are famous American actors, but all the actors/actresses listed in Plex are foreign (and not the voices you’re actually listening to). No way to fix that I know of.
- “Seamless branching” 4K Atmos titles make Plex playback severely stutter on Shield.
- Work on AC-4, get a Dolby license, etc.
- Work on trying to get direct stream Dolby Vision and high res object based audio on non-shield Android devices.
- Burning in PGS subs into 4K HDR->SDR (tonemap) still bogs down even super powerful servers (whereas burning ASS e.g. doesn’t, strangely.)
- Better ways to keep track of all your titles/media. Being able to create detailed, filterable lists of all your media e.g. , and a running log of all titles ever added (or deleted!) from the server. I would like that. Would be nice to have as GUI accessible within Plex.
- Increase Plex Home user limit.
I love Plex. I think it’s the greatest thing ever.
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I doubt anyone else will care, but I am very interested in what plans might exist to support Accessibility features in the FireTV Plex app. Specifically Alexa Voice Skills and remote voice commands, and VoiceView browsing of titles in Plex libraries.
I was a EE and software engineer for several decades before retiring due to legal blindness. But I can still research and code. If I can help, I am willing. That is how important this is to me.
Please discuss this topic…
Cheers
I want to start off by saying it’s refreshing to see some sense of community and communication here. While long overdue, I really hope this will mostly be a postitive experience for Plex (and us).
While the issue of “consistency” between platforms has already been addressed, I would like to bring up an alternative perspective for consideration…
Small edit post thread closure, I just wanted to pop in and add one thing to the consistency topic… can we please get somebody to spend a couple of minutes to add a trailer button to TV Shows on the Apple TV? It’s been driving me nuts for as long as I can remember hahaha 
Know Your Home
Usually (not always), OS specific design language & features are sacrificed in favor of parity and consistency, but this doesn’t always need to be the case. Take the client apps for example, on Windows, Android, iOS, tvOS & macOS respectively, they should adopt (or adjust) their UI/UX slightly to suit the platform they call “home”, while still maintaining a high level of familiarity. Having design inconsistencies or going against your own design principles are one thing, but when you’re going against the core principles of the OS you’re developing for? It looks sloppy (for lack of better word), so here a few example where the rules can be bent:
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Player UI
When the Player UI doesn’t adopt/imitate whatever standard that platform is using, you end up looking outdated, undercooked or to some, broke. The Player UI right now looks awful across most of the apps but for this example lets look at tvOS, in comparison to the rest of the most used apps on the platform, Plex is one of the only media apps using the old design, while most of them have now moved over to the new design. But this isn’t just Apple specific, both Android and Windows have their own design standards that should be followed too. -
SharePlay
Another example would be “SharePlay” on Apple devices, I’ve dug into the docs personally for this feature and it while it would work without it, it would be pretty simple to hook it up to the existing code you already have for “Watch Together”. One might argue feature parity here but “Watch Together” already exists on other platforms, so hooking it up to “SharePlay” would only serve as another entry point to this feature. -
Picture in Picture
PIP was/is already available on iOS to my knowledge, but feature parity between iOS and tvOS would be pretty great. Aside from parity, this is a feature expected of apps within the Apple eco-system so for it to not be there when you want/need it just unfortunate. -
Account/Sync
One of the many new API’s features Apple introduced a few year ago on tvOS is the ability to link the account you’re signed into on tvOS to link to the user profile within a given app, and this actually implemented with a simple toggle and a few lines of code to remember on-device which user they selected last. -
Top Deck
Top deck has not been updated in I don’t know how long, even after apple introduced the beautiful fullscreen previews that they currently use for the TV app, i would LOVE to see Plex adopt this also.
I could go on, but I covered the main ones for Apple centric updates as they’re my daily drivers, but I’m sure there are tons on other platforms too. Since UI/UX design is my bread and butter, I want to take a moment to say the design of Plex is the main reason i’m here. While, not the most polished in the world, it is the best we’ve got and I would do anything to see it really nail it down and iron out all the kinks.
Fourms
This can stay pretty brief, but I’m also going to amplify the need for more than 5 votes, I understand their use, but 5 is not enough. I would also like to suggest removing the auto-moderation of posts where they are automatically closed after 3 months of inactivity, the forums are big as it is and things can get lost if they’re locked and left unaddressed. For example, this and this was closed and frankly continuing to make new threads is reductive and just adds more threads to an already extensive collection of them.
Discover
Short and sweet but discover (and by extension, the watchlist) are still failing to be useful when they currently don’t take into local content.
Roadmap
While the topic of communication has been addressed, and it’s noted you’re going to be taking a more proactive approach for now, where do we stand on the possibility of a public roadmap? For things Plex isn’t just open to hearing and discussing, but what your current and/or long term goals are? Even if the version we get is stripped back and/or simplified? Or is this still, something Plex are unable/unwilling to share?
New Client When?
Now here is one just for fun, how does the Plex team view Apple Vision Pro, its implications and the future of spacialOS 
Alright its getting a lil hefty so I’ll leave it with this for now… Overall I love Plex, have no immediate urge to leave and all I want is to see it become the best possible product, to the point where I will happily sign an NDA and test the bleeding edge of whats cooking. (thats if you want the nitty gritty design criticism)
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From what’s already been discussed I can tell you that’s a strict no. Discover and Watchlist is strictly dependent on the new Movie and TV show agents and must be identifiable per those agents. I repeatedly received the same answer, no. It is not planned for local media to be included. I’ve asked multiple times and it sucks. They have no intent of doing so.
Is there a plan to correctly implement ASS subtitles, im not sure if its the same on all players but on LG TVs Plex tries to burn them in, making 4k HDR content unwatchable. Perhaps some sort of on the fly option to convert ASS to SRT? FFMPEG can convert subs for 2 hour movie in about 3 seconds with a one liner.
Another issue is Atmos 7.1 transcoding, there is a bug making bitrate on transcoded audio infinite. a sub 1 Megabit audio stream completely saturates 160Megabit (maximum of my network). Its specifically for Atmos 7.1 transcoding.
Reference issue: LG OLED WebOS App is using 160 times the bandwidth that it should for transcoded audio (160Megabit+)
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Such a shame, discover aside, all I really need is a way to filter the watchlist to see what’s available and have it take into account what’s in my library, without that? It’s relatively useless
I pointed out a third party app called Trello roadmap platform for Plex Team to utilize and publish any public projects they’re willing to make available to us. I use another app called Eagle and their developers have a public roadmap to view. All of this information was provided when I was vocal about this exact same topic. All Plex has to do is follow it! Plex team has been given loads of feedback through the years but they’re so hard headed in listening.
Hi, thanks for putting up this platform.
TV Show Alternate Order/Flexible Seasons
I would love to see Plex add an alternate order for TV shows. For some TV shows, TVDB has an alternate order. For example, Money Heist has a “Netflix Order” as Netflix now owns the rights to the show and has edited the order. For those who own this show in the Netflix order, Plex has the order completely messed up as it doesn’t offer the “Alternate Order” feature. This issue has been voiced for a couple of years and the most current forum is here: Support Alternate Order / Flexible Seasons (TVDB) and Episode Groups (TMDB). If this could be added that would be amazing.
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I feel a shift in the air, I just don’t yet know how fast the wind is blowing hahaha
While I don’t dislike Trello, I would actually recommend GitHub Projects as they’ve come a long way the past few year.. quite refreshing to use too. They can even link directly to bug reports and issues, which I would also love to see on said roadmap. Would be great if we could actually see when a bug fix is scheduled or delayed 
My I be so bold as to refer to my continuing dilemma as per this Forum post regarding remote access: Inconsistent Remote Access Connection
I’ll be eternally grateful if we can get this resolved, as my family that’s scattered across the globe would be able to access my ample collection of family photos, finally after too many false starts.
Is there anything that can be shared with us in regards to improvements to Tidal integration. Specially with Plexamp. Maybe better library management when integrated with our local library? Tidal API improvements??
Also looking forward to any talk regarding headless Plexamp. And maybe easier display when connecting a display to a Raspberry Pi
It doesn’t have to be Trello. It could very well have been GitHub and I wouldn’t have cared… just that Plex made actual effort to use a platform to see if any bug tracking was verifiable and viewable on a system rather than having all users create new posts each and every time. Something I was hoping they’d do years ago and still wish they do so even now.
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I’m glad Plex has provided users and employees with an opportunity to communicate. I’ve been using Plex for about half a year now and have also subscribed to the Pass Lifetime membership. Among many similar software options, I still prefer Plex the most. Overall, Plex aligns well with my needs, but it also has several shortcomings. I would like to take this opportunity to provide feedback on my experience.
Feature optimization
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Subtitles Rendering and Adjustment
Plex faces several issues with subtitle rendering and adjustment across various clients. For example, Plex Web forces transcoding when using ASS and PGS subtitles. The Android TV client struggles to render the fonts correctly with ASS and PGS subtitles, and it only functions properly with all subtitle features and font rendering when setting Burn Subtitles to “Always,” but this triggers transcoding and leads to a poor user experience due to buffering and lag.
Regarding subtitle adjustments, there are too few available options, and some operations are not very user-friendly. Certain adjustments may not take effect in certain situations, and there are various issues to contend with.
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Smart Collection Optimization
The smart collection feature still has some issues that need to be addressed. For instance, it is currently not possible to hide a smart collection while still displaying its contents. Additionally, when multiple libraries contain collections with the same name that include smart collections, there are display problems. Smart collections should be given the same display functionality and permission settings as regular collections.
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Episode Sorting Display Issue
There is an issue with using Episode sorting when hiding seasons. Currently, Episode sorting still sorts episodes within a season by their air date, but special episodes are not interleaved with them. This results in some episodes that aired between two seasons being placed at the beginning or end, rather than in their correct chronological order. Since this feature is supposed to sort by the timeline, special episodes should be positioned correctly along the timeline according to their air dates.
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Unwatched Episode Count Icon
This is a recent change where the unwatched episode count icon has been switched to black on the desktop version. I don’t understand the reasoning behind this modification. The previous orange design was consistent with Plex’s overall interface and looked aesthetically pleasing. Now, with the switch to black, it occupies more space on the poster and loses its connection with the orange elements of the rest of the UI, making it look out of place. I hope the original design can be reinstated.
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Support for Chinese Subtitle Search
The current subtitle search function does not support searching using Chinese characters. When searching with Chinese characters, the results return as 0. However, using English titles can yield Chinese subtitles in the search results. It’s worth noting that the subtitle sources used by Plex do support Chinese subtitle searches. We hope that Plex can also enable Chinese subtitle searches in the future.
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Desktop Client Background Image Display
The current display of background images in the desktop client may appear less refined and aesthetically pleasing. It is recommended to align the desktop client’s background display with that of the TV client. Plex Web’s discovery content already adopts a background image display similar to the TV client, and we hope to see this applied to the desktop client as well.
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Default Display of Lyrics
Currently, some clients do not display lyrics by default, requiring manual clicking to show lyrics every time a new track is played. This is reportedly due to copyright concerns. However, for lyrics that users have downloaded locally themselves, there should typically be no copyright issues. We hope that Plex can provide an option to allow the default display of user-downloaded local lyrics, improving the user experience. This would enable users to conveniently enjoy music while viewing their own lyrics.
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Support TV Extras at all levels
TV shows have Extras content at three levels: Show, Season, and Episode. Currently, only Android Mobile, iOS, Plex HTPC, and Smart TVs support all levels of Extras content. Requesting that other clients also support displaying all levels of Extras content.
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Add Pinyin Sorting Mechanism to Title Sorting
Currently, the title sorting is based on Unicode sorting, which is not meaningful for Chinese users. Requesting the implementation of Pinyin sorting for title sorting when the library language is set to Chinese.
Feature Requests
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Playback Speed Control
We would like to request the addition of a playback speed control feature that allows users to adjust the playback speed of videos, offering a range of options for both speeding up and slowing down playback.
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Auto Skip and Auto Play Next Episode
The current skip feature requires users to click the skip button to proceed, and there is a ten-second countdown before the next episode can be played after an episode ends. We hope to add an automatic feature that allows users to automatically skip intros and credits without any operation. Users should also be allowed to set the playback countdown to 0, meaning continuous playback without interruption.
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Mobile Client Gesture Controls
Most mobile media players now feature gesture controls, allowing users to perform screen gestures to control various functions such as playback speed, volume, progress, brightness, and more. We hope that Plex’s mobile client can also incorporate gesture controls.
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Mixed Media Libraries
There are many instances of content that span different media types, such as documentaries and concerts, which often contain elements of both TV shows and movies. To better manage and play such content, we need the ability to use mixed media libraries.
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Volume and Brightness Control Within the Player
Certain Plex client players currently lack independent volume and brightness controls, which can be inconvenient to use. We hope that volume and brightness control within the player can be implemented across all Plex client platforms for a more user-friendly experience.
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Custom Audio Track Encoding Priority
Currently, audio tracks can only be set to a default language, without the ability to set a default encoding or priority encoding. Many devices do not support TrueHD, yet many movies include this audio track. Playing this encoding on such devices often requires transcoding, resulting in suboptimal audio quality. Therefore, users need to manually switch to a compatible audio track. We hope to see a feature that allows users to set a default audio track encoding. This way, users can designate a supported encoding as the default audio track, reducing the need for transcoding.
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Batch Selection of Audio Tracks or Subtitles for Entire Series
We request the ability to batch-select audio tracks or subtitles for an entire TV series or show, streamlining the process and enhancing user convenience when managing multiple episodes or seasons.
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Enhanced Sorting
Currently, Plex allows for only one sorting method at a time, such as the information display beneath the posters on the desktop client, which has three levels: title, year, and a specified item. We hope to see the addition of mixed sorting, where title sorting and release date sorting occupy the first two lines, leaving the third line available for displaying additional information such as ratings, duration, playback progress, resolution, and other media-related details. Alternatively, a mixed sorting method could be introduced that prioritizes one content criterion for sorting while simultaneously displaying more media-related information.
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Display Dolby Information
Currently, on the Android TV client and mobile client, there is no way to display markers for Dolby Vision videos. This can be an issue because some devices do not support Dolby Vision, and users may not be able to distinguish Dolby Vision content on their devices, affecting the playback experience. Implementing a feature to display Dolby information would be helpful in such cases.
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Category Display
Currently, users need to click on “Categories” to access various movie genres. It’s suggested to directly display the primary genres in place of “Categories” to reduce the number of clicks required for users to access their preferred genre. This would enhance the user experience and streamline genre selection.
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Display TV Show Air Status
It would be beneficial for Plex to incorporate TV show air status information. This could include indications such as “Currently Airing,” “To Be Announced,” “Upcoming Season,” or “Completed.” Additionally, displaying the airtime for the next episode and even allowing users to build their own airing calendars would enhance the TV show viewing experience within Plex.
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Changing Poster Size
While it’s currently possible to adjust poster size on the desktop client for optimized display, it would be beneficial to extend this feature to the TV client as well. Allowing users to customize poster sizes on the TV client would improve the browsing experience, making it more user-friendly and convenient, especially when scrolling through a large media library.
Development Focus
In addition to software-level optimization, I believe that Plex should consider focusing on building its community culture as a key direction for future development. Plex has, for a period, emphasized its content offerings; however, given the intense competition in this space, Plex may not have a significant advantage in content alone.
I propose that Plex should shift its focus towards fostering a vibrant community culture. Many Plex users are passionate about film and television culture and actively engage in related communities. Plex should prioritize the cultivation of its own community culture, establish its own movie and TV data center, including creating its movie and TV review system. This would transform user ratings from local to platform data, leading to the development of its own rating and comment systems. Moreover, Plex should encourage user-to-user interactions, potentially creating its own film discussion community. This approach would redefine Plex, not just as a media playback client but as a platform for browsing and sharing content, ultimately increasing user engagement and loyalty.
Communities like TMDB and TRAKT have succeeded in relying on Plex’s user base, and Plex can replicate these successes with advantages such as the seamless integration of viewing and reviewing content within Plex itself. In China, there’s a substantial film and TV community called Douban, which boasts a large user base and active members. It resembles TMDB and TRAKT, and I believe Plex could explore a similar direction.
While Plex already has a rudimentary discovery community, my observations indicate that many users are unaware of its existence. They don’t know they can browse film information, view rankings and playlists within Plex. Additionally, many users do not utilize Plex’s rating system. Therefore, Plex should bolster the development of its discovery community, transforming it into a platform for user-generated content and enhancing possibilities for user interaction. This would make the user community more vibrant, rather than users primarily consuming content in isolation (though there are certainly users who prefer this).
In essence, Plex’s direction should evolve into a film and TV community where users can interact and generate content, incorporating social elements, rather than being solely a media management and playback application. I believe this direction would be more conducive to Plex’s long-term development.
Closing Remarks
Many of the issues mentioned above have been discussed in forum posts and feature requests, either by other users or myself. Some have received official responses from Plex, while others have not. Therefore, I’ve taken the opportunity to compile and present these concerns in a more organized manner. I hope Plex can consider these user needs and work towards improving the user experience.
Many of these requests have been outstanding for years, and some are relatively straightforward to implement. In fact, some users have taken it upon themselves to develop tools to address these needs, all in the pursuit of enhancing the Plex experience. Users are actively investing their efforts to make Plex better, and it’s my hope that Plex can also take meaningful actions to promptly integrate these highly requested features into the product.
Over the past six months, I’ve dedicated a significant amount of time to Plex, including managing and building my media library and becoming familiar with the software. I’ve encountered various issues along the way and have had the pleasure of connecting with many other Plex users. I’ve even established my own Plex community group to discuss Plex-related questions and shared numerous articles about using Plex within various communities. I’ve been introducing Plex to users in China. I truly enjoy using Plex and hope to see it continue to improve. I also hope that Plex can listen to its users’ feedback, acknowledge its strengths, and address areas for improvement.
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