Hi,
I never used Plex before and I purchased a Synology NAS and I am in the process of transferring my entire media library to the NAS.
I always used iTunes and all my files are under it and that’s how I used to watch or listen to anything.
My main question is, Can I totally replace iTunes using Plex and can I play my content on all my Apple devices? (iPad, iPhone, AppleTV and Macs) Do you guys recommend switching completely to Plex or use it in conjunction with iTunes? Thanks!
Yes yes yes and no, it’s not advisable to continue to use iTunes while using Plex. It’s cumbersome and annoying to rely on both. Just start fresh. Keep an open mind, there might be some hiccups along the way in terms of folder structure, but that can be fixed if you just follow the tips and support articles laid out on the site. I stress that it’s not a good idea to rely on the iTunes app moving forward being that Plex and PlexAmp are now near greater replacements for personal media consumption. For music, be sure to check out PlexAmp, which is only available if you are a Plex Pass subscriber or paid for a lifetime pass.
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Be aware that Plex cannot play any media with DRM protection.
Any movies, TV shows, etc purchased from iTunes cannot be played in Plex.
Music should be OK. Apple removed DRM from their music several years ago IIRC.
The Plex mobile apps, iPhone/iPad & Android, while free to download, have a one minute limit on video playback.
There are two ways to remove the limit:
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Purchase or subscribe to a Plex Pass.
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Pay a one-time $5 USD fee to unlock the app. The fee is paid via the app store and unlocks any mobile devices on your account.
The Plex non-mobile apps, such as for the AppleTV, Roku, etc, do not have the one-minute limit on playback.
For your Macs, use Plex for Mac, the desktop application. It is much more capable client than a web browser. The Plex desktop apps do not have a 1 minute timeout. To download, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Apps & Devices, under Downloads.
Read both documents. It will save you trouble and headaches when installing Plex Media Server on a Synology NAS.
Thanks for the information!
OK, I need to go through it and get acquainted with Plex. I’m so used to iTunes, that’s why I was hesitant at first and thought I could use both in case I had issues or disliked Plex.
Luckily, most of the iTunes library seems to have a similar folder structure to Plex, so it shouldn’t take too much time to make it work.
All the best!
You can absolutely run both at the same time (*).
I have Plex pointed at my iTunes movie folder. For the most part Plex sees the movies just fine. There are a few which Plex misidentified and I have to manually correct.
Plex will scan your movies with DRM. If you try to play one it will give you an error saying “Hey, I can’t play DRM protected movies,” but that’s all.
I have not pointed Plex at my iTunes music folder, so can’t say how well that does/doesn’t work.
(*) I run iTunes 12 on a Windows 10 PC. Apple has made a lot of changes to how they handle music, movies, etc in the current MacOS. I do not know if or how well Plex will work alongside the current MacOS version of things.
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