How can I tell if my Roku 4k stick (2021 vintage) has the “New [hot garbage, if it’s anything like the Android version] Experience” installed? I suspect it does because recently I tried connecting to my Windows server and got bupkis (for non-Americans, word from Yiddish that in this context means “nothing”). I mean, it wouldn’t even populate the Home screen. I know my server was working because I could reach it on my phone just fine (I was using a rolled back to old-school version, natch, but even the New Experience on Android worked enough to show me the darned Home screen).
The easiest way to tell is probably the prominent “Preview” banner that appears across the top-right of the app’s icon in the Roku channel list. It’s not there on the non-preview version. (You can also have both installed.)
Do a search for James Cameron on the Roku preview. It can show there are +2 (or more possible) options for James (example: The Abyss “movie” and Mythbusters “tv show”), but if you click on the James search result it takes you directly to TV Shows and there is no way to switch to Movies on the sort/filter menu, as you can do in the old Roku app. In the old Roku app you after clicking on James, you get the TV Shows and Movies selections for the +2 and you pick one. And, after picking one you can change the sort/filter menu from TV Shows to Movies.
Thanks for the reply. I can have both installed on the Roku stick, without sideloading (which I would have no idea how to do on there)? I don’t suppose that once the N.E. experience is supposedly finalized, they’ll keep allowing that.
Thanks. I didn’t think to force a Roku OS update. Just now when I followed the link, logged in and all that on my PC, the website seemed to think it hadn’t installed the preview version (and AFAIC it can stay that way if it’s anything like the N.E. phone app).
The Plex Preview channel on Roku has existed for years and, as far as I know, it’s always been possible to have them both installed at the same time. Normally, the preview channel is just used for betas (changes are tested there and eventually rolled into the non-preview app).
However, in this case, it’s being used as the testing ground for the new experience; this essentially allowing folks to opt-in to testing it. But, eventually, it will become just normal app. Hopefully it will be tweaked to your liking before that time.
I’d recommend trying it and providing any feedback you have; at least that way you’ll (nominally) have some sort of say in the final product.
Noted. Assuming what I’ve currently got on the Roku stick is the old-school version, it also fails to even show me a Home screen. Going to try to force a Roku system update and see what results I get.
I didn’t ask for this feature, but this does resolve issues I’ve had with Plex where it isn’t obvious how to switch to a season and I think this makes this much easier for people like my mother and other family members who know how to navigate the interface very well (old or new interface).
Roku users have always been able to have both the released Plex app and Preview app installed simultaneously - I didn’t expect that to change.
However, when the New Experience replaces the old version, they will both have the new interface, but the Preview app will continue to have early released of bug fixes, new features etc.
The new season\show tile in the episode row doesn’t navigate seasons so it won’t help with that. It plays the next unplayed episode in that season; which is already automatically highlighted on the screens you see that new tile by default (and there’s multiple other ways to “play next” depending on where you’ve started).
There’s a season navigation bar along the top of the TV details screens on Roku to navigate the seasons. Hit up on the remote to get to it and then you can flip between seasons. To go to the Show level it’s in the overflow menu from any TV detail screen too. To be fair, it’s not super obvious and can be easy to miss until you notice it or use it. I usually just hit “back” instead if I started at a show or season level (like browsing via Library vs Continue Watching).
They added SHOW to that navigation bar now in the New Experience which I think is an improvement over going into the overflow menu so I think that was a good update.
I’m open to changes. Image all the things we take for graduated not that we would not have today if things didn’t change.
I’ve been using Plex for over a decade, Roku the same amount of time and these changes are IMO best much in line with improvements - not even close to “reinventing the wheel.”
I think critical feedback would get you much further then bashing your head against a wall.
and it looks like things are working pretty well here. A am not sure exactly how to replicate this:
I will say that selecting the filters at the top looks like it isn’t working great (kinda gets stuck), so I am passing that one along to take a look at. If you want to help me understand the specific path you are taking here I can try and help more.
Notice the “+2” because he is in TV Shows and Movies (but it should be a +4 because on my server he is an actor and director and is found across three libraries meaning there are 4 combinations).
Now, since it is a +2 (or higher), on the old Roku Plex version when you select the James Cameron result, you should see a screen the lets you pick the Actor, Director and Library combinations…but you don’t on this 8.1.0 version. I’m assuming this is the first bug.
At this point you should be able to highlight “TV Shows” and change it to “Movies” but you can’t even highlight that “TV Shows” option. It skips from “All” to “By Title.” This is the second bug.
I’m about to post another bug report on the same process for Android, which does something different and buggy. I’ll link to it from here once I have that post ready (hint: the Android version shows “+3” and then the next screen shows you 4 options.) Here is the link:
@ljunkie@McWanke
Plex Live TV Ratings fixed, but still only showing Episode and not Season.
I don’t understand how Season is still missing if someone was fixing the missing metadata for Live TV. Isn’t there a review process? All one has to do is compare the Preview App to the existing App. This does not instill confidence in more important items that are being fixed.
I lost all confidence in their process and abilities the moment the new mobile apps dropped. They took years of greatness and tossed it out the window for a weekend hackathon demo.
