Around September of last year I decided to give some of the competition a look. This was due to some of the features being added and no option to disable them, e.g. the Netflix like Playing Next screen at the end of a show and I seem to recall news being pushed out to players(?).
I’m contemplating a return to Plex and was wondering if there are now options to turn off features I don’t need?
If it makes a difference:
Server: Synology DS415+
Player: Either Amazon Fire TV 2nd gen or web browser.
The main reason why I’m considering giving Plex another look is that it loads my Library much faster for me but the lack of options was a major reason for moving in the first place.
Definitely the 2 features mentioned above as I have no need for either of them.
Also it would be nice to know of any key features which have been added in the time since I left and whether they can be disabled (if applicable). I’ve skimmed over the blog and don’t think there’s anything but still would be good to know for sure.
In no current version of Plex can you turn off the post play screen.
News can be disable for the entire account using Plex.
There have been no feature added to Plex that have any use for me except pretty much fully functional collections.
There has been one additional feature added that many people find important and that is podcasts. I find no value in that feature but, like news. Plex has given us the ability, in account settings, to turn that off as well.
I have both Plex and Emby set up on my network but to be honest I use Plex a good deal more than Emby. For my use Plex is simply easier to use.
Does Plex have warts? Yes, a LOT of them but I am used to the warts and can easily work around them or ignore them. As an example I detest the post play screen but I have developed a habit that as soon as show ends I press back on my remote to get to where I would prefer to be after a show ends.
I still use Emby for all my photo viewing as I find Plex’s photo handling deplorable.
I tend to find with the plex features if they add them you can normally turn them off.
It probably depends on the device you are using it on… for example i use my LG Smart TV in the main living room if i use the Plex App from the store i get the Plex Web App as its backend.
However i can also get XPlay which is third part from the store and its really cutdown and easy to use.
Same with my iPad i find the Plex App a bit ahh… full of menus i don’t need but on my Apple TV its very clean and easy to use.
Also in the kids room i have Xbox One’s and that is easy to use and clean. Each device seems to have a different experience maybe checkout Youtube and find which one is best for you.
Plex by far is stable and thats its best feature… I switched from XBMC to plex in 2009 and the trade off was less features for stability. I think Plex strikes a good balance of features now but its never lost its way on stability.
XBMC for me needed a good reboot every month, Plex i have had one problem in 9 years and a reboot fixed it. That’s pretty damn good…
It’s good to hear that you can disable the news but disappointing about the post play screen. If I could disable that as well I would switch back very quickly.
As Maticks said, Plex is more stable than the competition but the lack of a few key options is what is keeping me away for now.
Stability has never been an issue for me. Most of the people on the Forum run into problems because of improper setup.
I agree with you entirely that Plex needs more ability to customize features that minimize clicks to content based off of the users tendencies. For those who just want to watch something (recently added, and a Que) may be more desirable. But if your looking for something specific in your library, those options become a nuisance. But then again you go right back to the beginning of this. _"Stability has never been an issue for me. Most of the people on the Forum run into problems because of improper setup. _)
