Will the HTPC-focused PMP ever see parity with clients like the Fire TV app? It’s truly in a sad state right now.
PMP sorely needs missing features like the EPG grid (my wife had her first solo experience trying to watch live TV today, and I got an earful because this isn’t a thing), streaming movies & programs, & support for skipping marked commercials.
Not likely.
Per this post, the Plex team has committed to maintain the app as-is, only to fix bugs. There has been no commitment to add new features to PMP.
Based on Elan’s second and third point, I think the long term goal is to make the new desktop app as capable as PMP. However, since they are building up their own player (a branch of mpv) for a more uniform playback experience across platforms, it could take a little while to get to the same capability as PMP.
If you want features, get the new desktop app. If you want robust playback, stick with PMP for now.
Any clue how long it might be until the “new” Windows 10 app can accept basic IR / keystroke commands? One would think this would be a high priority if they’re killing PMP. Hauling out a mouse & keyboard to control a HTPC isn’t really acceptable.
Mostly, I don’t want my wife to murder me for buying this lifetime Plex Pass and ditching SageTV, which has actually worked okay for about 5 years…
What is your use case that has you on a HTPC? Is it media playback capability, personal preference, other uses (gaming, etc.) Definitely not downplaying the HTPC, just curious if now would be the time to explore other playback devices.
I personally use an Apple TV 4K, and have had great success with Plex. The Apple TV app has come a long way in the past couple of months, and anything that does not play well on the Plex app works flawlessly with Infuse Pro (which can direct play ANYTHING)
My HTPC is directly connected to my TV in my living room. It also doubles for gaming, and is where I have Plex Media Server installed.
Since I jumped into Plex a couple weeks ago, I’ve managed to get this PC’s sleep/wake configured so it sleeps after inactivity and wakes when needed for DVR recording and playback on the Fire Stick on my dining room (or via the Android app on my phone).
I almost get the impression that the Plex community/developers have maybe a bit of hostility toward my HTPC use-case.
From my perspective (a non-HTPC user), I do think Plex is aiming beyond the HTPC community, and focusing on the larger audience (low-powered players/web browser users)
I choose to focus on what works best, versus what I want to work (hence why I ping-pong between the Plex app and Infuse)
Your use-case is not abnormal, and I’m sorry it’s not as polished as it should be.
Definitely make your wants/issues known. The Killing PMP thread was a giant out-lash from the HTPC community when Plex originally announced the discontinuation of PMP. As you can see, the outcry made Plex reconsider their stance and acknowledge the HTPC community is not one to be trifled with 
It is not a hostility, but the use case for an HTPC has declined over the years with newer and cheaper set-top devices. As these become even more common than using a HTPC, the focus is geared more towards those platforms.
Hi,
It is clear that Plex tries to get on all the streaming devices and smart TVs and I can understand that, because that is what is enough for most people.
But I think a HTPC is not just a self-build streaming box. At least it is not for me. watching media with plex is just one use of my TV. I also do online shopping, I read news, I write email, I manage my home (IT, home automation, alarm, …) and much more. So I am using a web browser as much as PMP on the TV. An this is the experience and use of my TV neither me or my wife want to miss. And I did not find an Android TV or similar streaming box that can give me this.
So far PMP is working for me, but if it and plex support for HTPCs is really vanishing, I will not change to a TV streaming box. I will look for alternatives to Plex. It is an application I love, but it is only one application out of many that are important to me.
Just my opinion on the topic.
Not using and won’t be using set-top devices. I do know own a tv and I do not want a TV in my life. PMP worked great for many years. It is crashing and unusable now Plex Media Player PMP crashing on 2012 iMac w NVidiaGeForceGTX660 and it seems no one even cares.
Not sure what options exist as replacement. Not to keen on switching the entire server setup. But Plex is just unusable with a keyboard and thus not a viable alternative.
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