I usually do not care enough about a product to give feedback, suggestions/requests or to help out with localization. Plex is the exception. Firstly because it is a very good piece of software, in my opinion, and secondly because the developers are doing a great job with interacting with the users. The lifetime PlexPass-donation/fee/whatever is maybe my best buy to date, considering how much pleasure and simplicity Plex has given me. Yes I am kissing ass right now, but they/you deserve to hear it.
I have not seen this proposed before, and I have searched for it, but I found it hard to know exactly what to search for.
Request: Streamlining change of client used to play content:
I am walking home from school, enjoying life to the fullest. Part of the experience is owed to the wonderful Plex on Android app that is now streaming Bob Dylans Blonde on Blonde via PMS on my HTPC Mac Mini. As I am getting closer to my home, Visions of Johanna comes on and the day becomes even better. Perfectly synchronized with me stepping over the doorstep into my apartment, the song reaches its last verse.
Wouldn't it just be perfect if I could then just open my Plex for Android App, press a button called something like "Continue playing on…", select client "HTPC Mac Mini" and immediately hear the song's climax, of Bobs conscience exploding, on my always-on and very loud home system?
Yes, I think it would be perfect.
On the technical side of this, I would like to have the my HTPC ready to play content at all times. Yes, I could have the Plex Home Theater app running on my Mac Mini, but it would be better if there was some sort of background service that was ready to play audio at any given time, without having to have the Plex HT window open. The reason why a background service would be better, IMO, is that I use other apps on my HTPC, so having Plex HT open all the time would take up unnecessary CPU/GPU/RAM/Whatnot and would have the potential of getting in the way visually of other apps.
The background service could be made to also be able to open Plex HT if video is requested from another client/app. That way, one would always have the quick option to "Play using…" without having Plex HT open on the designated machine. Maybe this could even be implemented into the already running Plex Media Server that is always on anyway.
As for the changes to the Android app, I think it would be perfect if the option to "Continue playing on…" could be an icon that is available from most screens within the app. But most importantly would be on the "now playing"-screen of the app. It could pause the playback on the Android device and automatically pick up the playback on the designated client without asking you if you want to start at the beginning or at a given time code. It would just keep the party going.
Is this possible, and possibly a possibility?
Summary:
- Better on-the-fly controls to change client used to play content
- Ability to play content without having to have the Plex HT window open as a mean to easily continue playing content sent from Android app
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