I understand how impressive this is and how it is a major legitimization of the Plex brand but…
Another “feature” to disable because if I wanted these TV Shows and Movies on my Plex I would have bought them and ripped them. That is the point of the software… Yet another year goes by and we still don’t have E-Book, Audio Book, or Comic Book support. Let’s spell it out in order, these are the features I want worked on.
E-Book, Audio Book, and Comic Book support. Been requested so many times for so many years yet nothing.
Auto Quality on by default and on more platforms. Since launch day no new platforms have been added yet the support article still says more platforms coming soon. It has been almost 2 years.
Standalone Music Player for Android (and other platforms)… Plexamp, When?
I don’t hate that this change is coming but this reminds of the early days of Netflix where other studios happily streamed their content on other platforms in exchange for cash, but then later realized it’s way better to just control that platform. It’s also extremely frustrating to know that a ton of effort is being put into this while features people have actually asked for forever are dead. Why bother having a forum to vote on feature requests if none of them are ever implemented?
For those who don’t frequent Reddit (smart move btw), @elan gave a long, detailed response to the concerns about Plex sharing your personal data. Absolutely worth a read.
To any employee / moderator: (@elan@anon18523487 etc)
Will PlexPass see any less commercials than non PlexPass?
I’m already ‘paying’ for commercials on Hulu, and the only reason I put up with that is because the deal I got for Spotify/Showtime/Hulu triple-pack.
(It’s commercial placement isn’t horrible for what little I watch, but, it’s REPETITIVENESS is horrible. Same commercial 100 times through a 10 episode season, times 3 or 4 different company commercials. I used to like Flo, now I hate her, her sister, and that dweeb the sister is on a date with)
Perhaps not anymore.
(Accuse me of generalization all you want here)
If you haven’t noticed, recent Plex moves as a whole have indicated they want to move away from the ‘Plex media server’ requirement. It’s not been said directly, but it’s no longer “Your media, your way”, instead, it’s becoming “we’d rather you use Plex media, Plex’s way (oh, and, sure, we’ll let you still watch your media too)”
Unfortunately, as many have said before me - it seems new features/services seem to get added/fixed/mixed in with personal media before old requested features/bug fixes occur.
UX hasn’t been finalized yet, but the plan is to have it live in its own section in the sidebar, like Podcasts. There will likely be some home screen integration, which you’ll be able to customize as you can now already (add/remove/reorder the hubs). But it is all a work in progress.
Worldwide… well sorta. In general, the feature will be available everywhere, however some content might need to be geo restricted. We’re working toward making as much of the catalog available to as many users, where possible.
It seems like every year brings yet another “feature” I don’t want. And every year brings a new removal of previous functionality (plug-ins, PMP TV-mode, etc). The last thing I want from my media management software is have them get in bed with content producers. Please just do what Plex is supposed to do, and do it well.
I’ve never seen another company remove so much functionality from their products against the wishes of their users, while bombarding them with stuff they don’t want.
As a lifetime Plexpass member I am so disappointed by the direction this company has taken.
So now that PMP TV mode is sticking around at least on Windows and Mac that leaves Plugins and etc… I guess we have to use our imagination as to what “etc” is?
Meanwhile for anyone that has 4K content
Another useless feature or the biggest leap forward in several years depending on an individuals point of view.
I sense you have the integrity to explain your concerns and a perspective I’d like to hear.
If I understand correctly, WB will now be able to infer, regardless of whether I click their shows, as long as Web content is enabled:
exactly who I am down to my name, age, gender, and location.
every time that I use Plex
exactly how much time I spend on my Home page
So now that have my exact identity, and because they have deals with FB, Twitter, IMDB, TVDB, and TMDB, it seems like WB can finally match my identity to my library fingerprint that they bought from one of the above for sums of money no man would refuse.
I’m wondering if this will be integrated into Plex Media Server or will it be a standalone feature in the client.
In other words, would browsing the Warner Bros library be like opening a dedicated app within each Plex client, or will titles from the Warner Bros library be searchable like the local libraries or the EPG. And will shows be able to be added to playlists, On Deck, or a new watch list category on the home screen?
Just want to save this thread for the next person who complains about PLEX’s support policies. The CTO and CO-Founder of the dang company is responding to questions here. Dang.
Thanks for posting. Elan’s response actually soothed my feelings on this issue a lot more than I thought it would. It seems like everyone’s heart is in the right place. However-
I still think Plex is wandering aimlessly away from what I personally have liked about it.
I still think their attempt to discontinue PMP was a real breach of trust. It’s unethical to sell lifetime passes, then remove features that were present when the passes were sold. Period. Plex did reverse course on that, but only after loud howls of protest.
I still think Plex is getting bloated with more and more features with limited to no interest, for me personally. It’s like Itunes all over again. Except that I paid for Plex.
I still think Plex isn’t properly supporting features that I actually want to use (Live TV/DVR). This was introduced with much fanfare, yet timeshifting, a fundamental feature of any DVR, never worked right. And has gotten even worse, with several different forum threads about the issue and responses from Plex staff that are sporadic and vague at best. And a whole year and more goes by with no fix.
I realize I’m just a lone user, and my concerns don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. But the reality is my satisfaction with this product is trending sharply downward, after years of blissful Plexing. And there’s really nothing I can do about it other than write forum posts, since I already paid for a lifetime pass.
Well said @usuallee
But as the Variety article states, we’re just a vocal minority.
Many forum acquaintances I see here, and even the ~20 family and friends I share Plex with keep telling me, overall unhappy with bugs/trends/features.
I know I myself invested in an HDHomeRun in hopes to one day replace my Tivo. (Years later, still my primary DVR device)
