Maybe I need to give the shield pro another try. It was a few months ago and maybe I stumbled on some bug which is now fixed… Stuttering video is a showstopper
I would also say that stuttering video would be a show stopper for me. Frankly the shield tv pro has been totally awesome for me. The only problem I have is the price point, they are darn expensive.
I started with two of the them 2 - 3 years ago, then I bought the upgraded model about 5 or six months ago and sold one of the first 2.
When I started having issues with the Amazon Fire TV 4K dongle, I pitched that and forked over another $200 bucks and got the 3rd Shield.
The AI upscaling is totally worth it and the Plex app on that device, at least for me, works really well.
I am surprised you say PMP 2.58.0.1076 is running fine on NUC.
I have a similar setup and I’ve had some micro-stuttering on my NUC (also running PMP 2.58.0.1076). This problem has been going on for several months and was driving me nuts.
I recently found information in these forums that changing the file storage.json to read-only makes the playback smooth again on PlexMediaPlayer:
I couldn’t believe it… No more stuttering. Simply amazing! 
Hopefully this information can help anyone with this micro-stuttering issue until Plex releases an update that adresses this.
I haven’t tried PMP 3.0 but I hope there is no micro-stuttering in that version.
I suppose that sort of issue would have been reported by now.
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Yes sir, it’s been fine for me, no stuttering or jittery videos.
I’m glad you found a work around for the issues you were having.
The slowly dying PMP is really a sad story. The point is that Plex thinks nobody needs it becase of the apps being integrated into TVs and playback boxes. But on these solutions the experience usually sucks. They are slow and unresponsive. Al least what I have seen. And decent ones are expensive.
On a NUC I have a full keyboard and other apps, such as a real web browser or a mail program are just a alt-tab away. I do not need to use the remote to go to a different HDMI input if I want to switch or quickly check something.
The PMP is totally fine just with a remote. Within PMP I anyway only navigate with the arrow keys on the keyboard. Only search is better with a keyboard.
The point is that I want also the other applications close and the Plex application being fast and responsive. I did not find a better way of achieving this than with a NUC.
All this worked really great on a NUC with PMP. The perfect user experience.
By the way, I use PMP on Ubuntu. Before my biggest complaint was that ther is no official version of PMP for Linux. But there were workarounds that were fine. Not when PMP goes away all falls apart.
I really loved PLEX. It was the ideal media solution for me and I bought a PLEX pass early many years ago. But now that the PMP dies, I started to look for alternatives. So far none is really better. But that might change over time especially if the PMP becomes unusable, becasue it is not updated anymore. I guess this is only a matter of time until this is happening. And it is hard to believe, that I belong to an insignificant minority of PLEX users with a strange setup.
A different but more minor thing: Why does the Android phone client need to show so many folders that are not my own media server? My own media is what I am mainly interested in and not all the content PLEX provides. Plex is not Netflix and should not try to pretend it is.
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You mean the Plex Movies & TV? These show in all clients by default I’m fairly sure and you can remove them easily from your sidebar.
Seems like PMP is EOL - the last release was 2.58 back on May 26 (almost 4 months ago!) and the last 3.0 release was back in early March.
Really sad that they’ve given up on the HTPC community!
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The “we’re not killing the HTPC experience after all” statement was a misleading empty promise.
When they first killed PMP, I was just about to buy a lifetime pass, then didn’t.
When lifetime passes went on sale again recently, I saw that they “went back” on the decision to kill PMP, so I subscribed. Unfortunately, they are not actually developing PMP anymore, or trying to keep its features in parity with other clients. They’re just fixing an occasional bug in an old build.
I have a home theater setup with a NUC as HTPC and nvidia shield TV pro. The NUC has PMP and the Shield has the Plex for Android app. The NUC cost me well over $500 and the Shield only $200. I have a lifetime Plex Pass.
To be honest, I have to say that I use Plex on the Shield almost exclusively, not because PMP on the NUC doesn’t work or has not been updated since May 26, but because the overall experience with the Shield for me is so much better. The main thing that I used to use the NUC for was to run PowerDVD and access my ripped DVD library, but most of those movies are now converted and available on my Plex Media Server.
That being said, whenever I do use PMP on the NUC, I don’t experience any issues.
Why are you saying that the software is dead? Is it because it has not been updated for a while?
Because the devs said they won’t be adding any features to the HTPC build. Only fixing bugs.
That means no EPG grid, no nondestructive skipping of commercials, no skip intro, no online live TV channel streaming, no Crackle, etc, etc, etc…
Ah, now I see. I missed that post and announcement. That’s too bad that PMP will no longer be getting feature updates.
I have to say that if PMP was my only option for a home theater, I would also be very upset about Plex developers no longer adding new features to it.
Change is inevitable. Look at Windows Media Center. That was my primary HTPC app for years. It was even able to record cable tv channels with DRM and play the recordings back. It was my favorite app for the home theater, but it is now gone and I was so angry at Microsoft at first.
Now I am totally over it. I’ve moved on. I am totally happy with the nvidia shield TV pro as my main home theater streaming device.
Hi,
The main point for me is that the HTPC is not only about the media player app. If it were only that I would agree that other player devices are fine and cheaper. But is is not.
The point is that I like to switch over to other apps like a real full web browser or mail client and use them with a real keyboard (wireless with integrated tackpad). All this is just an alt-tab away. No need to even use the remote control with its limited functionality.
So what are my options now? Go for windows on the NUC? Also there the PMP is dying and plex for windows is not really a good player app but more an equivalent to plex on web browsers. I have that on my laptop and use the media from my server in hotels when travelling. So also that is not a good experience anymore without PMP.
Or pay a lot of money now for a decent streaming/player box while it would not even be close to the overall experience I wanted to have and which I know is possible, because I have it now. And what about my commitment to invest in the NUC to build my experience around a PLEX infrastructure?
Sorry, I do not think Plex is hearing us. PMP was and still is a really good client application.
I still do not understand the decision to not develop it anymore. Not having a decent client any more even for windows is beyond my understanding.
I have some hypothesis why Plex is doing this and they are not about technology. But I do not understand the business model of Plex well enough to really go deeper.
I have purchased a lifetime pass a log time ago and I did really like the Plex infrastructure and the development over many years. This is the first time since I discovered Plex, that I feel the need to experiment with alternatives. PMP still works for me, but I guess that we all know that a client that is not developed further while the server is, will sooner or later not work well any more.
Hi Again,
In addition to my previous post: My TV is actually relatively new and it has Android TV. So I had a closer look with updated apps. Well, the plex app on it is actually really good. If it were just about plex I think android TV boxes are fine. But the rest? I mean there is a lot of choice for media streaming. Also my wireless keyboard works. But no decent web browser for example or email app. Also the youtube app is not comparable with the youtube experience in a desktop web browser. And there are a few other quirks, such as volume control for my external speaker amp (optical connection from TV).
I imagine the app situation is the same on all android TV devices. And I assume the main difference is speed and responsiveness, which is not the greatest on my TV but might be good with other TV boxes.
So if it is only about Plex, I can imagine that android TV boxes are fine. But I would miss a lot of other applications, which I and my wife love to use from the living room TV. So going away from something like a NUC as HTPC would really hurt my overall user experience.
So what can I do if PMP finally goes away? Use an Android TV box next to the NUC and switch HDMI Inputs? Not the worst in the world, but it is extra costs and quite a bit of inconvenience.
Again, the problem is not the quality of the Plex apps. Plex is great on all platforms it supports and I still have a lot of love for it. What Plex does not get is that it is not about some strange people who want to use a mouse and keyboard in an app that is made for remote controls. It is rather the overall software environment I love to have on the TV.
I do online shopping, I read news, I check and write emails, I write this comment, I manage my home network, home automation and house alarm system and I do a lot of other stuff that I cannot do on an android TV box.
Android TV and all other TV streaming boxes I have seen are not even remotely suitable for anything else than just watching media. A HTPC can do that and all the other stuff as well. The vanishing support by Plex for HTPCs will destroy the experience for me.
This is of course just my opinion.
The real problem is HD audio like DTS-HD MA and TrueHD. My android TV only supports pass through of DTS and AC3 over HDMI. Which brand has DTS HD MA pass through???
Roku on paper supports HD audio pass through, in practice it doesn’t.
The only remaining devices which do support HD pass through are NUC’s and Nvidia Shield Pro. I did buy (and returned) a Nvidia and it suffered from video stutter with some files. Maybe I’ll get another one to try the latest Android and Plex software.
Very odd if only one device remains if you need full option audio and video.
As it says in the type of devices that they are, “streaming” boxes, made for media playback and streaming. That is what they excel at. Not much else. I have tried putting android’s version of Chrome on the shield pro and while it worked, I never used it.
As for NUCs and other PCS that are hooked up to TVs and Projectors, they are a great Windows Experience and do media playback as well. So, I am really sorry to see PMP falling behind. I agree that Plex should not drop development of PMP and don’t understand why they have chosen to do so.
For me, I have both the Shield TV Pro and a NUC in my home theater. My home theater has a 4k projector as well as a Sony 7.2 Channel Hi-Res Wi-Fi Network 4K AV Receiver. I use the Logitech Harmony Hub with remote and keyboard.
Switching between the Shield TV Pro and my NUC is as simple as pressing a single button on the remote. The keyboard works with both the shield tv pro and the NUC, so I guess my pain point is much lower than yours would be.
@adutchman. Yes, having two boxes would work, but it is also the most expensive solution, especially if the NUC hardware alone would be capable to do it all.
My keyboard would also work on both. At least it works on the TV with android TV. But how do you switch which box the keyboard is supposed to work with when switching the TV input? I would have to move the keyboard’s USB dongle over to the other box.
Logitech Harmony Keyboard solves that. If you can find one…
I am using the Logitech Harmony Keyboard and it connects to my devices via blue tooth, but it also came with two USB dongles, in case I wanted or needed to use USB. So, no switching needed. When I switch between the two units, one wakes up while the other goes to sleep.
And, yes, it is a more expensive solution, especially considering that the NUC hardware alone can do it all.
However, when I go down to the home theater, I am going down there to watch media content, ie. Netflix, Hulu, Plex, Amazon Video, HBO Max, etc. For me, I find that the best experience for this type of content is the Shield TV Pro using the Harmony Remote, while I can use a keyboard with the Shield TV pro, I hardly every do. On the occasion that I want to browse the internet, and do other Windows PC things, etc, I switch to the NUC. Frankly, I have so many computers in this house, I really could do without the NUC in the Home Theater room.
I still think it is a shame that PLEX is no longer supporting PMP.
I am able to leave PMP 3 open on my mac for days on end without it crashing. This is a major reason I like PMP a lot better than Plex on Kodi. Occasionally when I leave PMP 3 open for days, episodes will not play when I click on them so I have to restart PMP. This does not happen consistently, maybe 1 in 10 times I leave PMP open for days.
Would like the ability to move the window when PMP is in Always On Top. Currently it allows me to resize it but actually moving it around isn’t possible.
