What do these new changes mean to me? Help

General Discussions
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So, currently I am without a Plex Pass as the features I do use are available free.
I am more than a little confused by what this new EOL to PMP means to me and am hoping someone can clear things up for me.
Let me explain what my setup is currently and how I use it.
I have my Plex server setup on my Desktop PC that I sometimes watch while I game.
I also in the living room have my Plex streaming locally through a PS4 to my TV.
I enjoy while out of the house, streaming my media to my Android Phone.

Is anything actually going to stop working for me, or what am i likely to notice chance from what I do now?

thanks in advance.

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Plex Media Player is a Plex client application that runs on Windows and MacOS systems. It is the Windows & MacOS equivalent of the Plex app for Android mobile devices.

If you do not use Plex Media Player, and according to your post you do not, then the changes will have zero impact to you. You will not notice any changes. You do not need to do anything.

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Thank you.
Besides a HTPC, when are you likely to use the PMP then?

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PMP is a much more capable client than Plex Web or the Windows Store app. It direct plays most audio & video formats and also tone-maps HDR video to SDR (so no washed out colors).

Prior to the recent announcements, it was the preferred way to watch Plex media on a Windows PC or Mac.

PMP has two user interfaces: Desktop Mode, the default, is the same as Plex Web, and interaction is primarily by mouse/keyboard; TV Mode, which is for HTPCs, is more along the lines of the SmartTV/AppleTV/etc interface, with interaction by a remote control (can still use mouse/keyboard too).

The new Plex app does not have an equivalent to TV Mode. People that rely on PMP TV Mode will eventually have to migrate to other solutions.

Per the announcement, PMP will continue to be supported & receive updates until Jan 30, 2020. You can certainly download and use it at least until that date.

You can also use the new desktop app. Both apps can be installed at the same time.

I’ve spent all of 10 minutes with the new app. It looks very much like PMP Desktop and Plex Web. Beyond that I can’t personally provide any info. There are many threads on the topic. Hopefully, with careful reading, we can separate the wheat from the chaff while perusing them.

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Hey FordGuy61,
you seem very knowledgeable about this, so I thought I’d follow up with you. I’m quite new to Plex, but am concerned I bought a Plex Pass at the wrong time.

I do use my HMPC, and I’m unclear on all the lingo. Right now, I double click on the Plex logo in on my taskbar on my PC (with I believe is Plex Media Server). Does this open Plex Media Player on my browser or is this the Plex Web? Whatever opens on my browser is all I’ve ever known. Will I be affected my any changes? I use Plex as my PVR and for media content on my PC.

Thanks so much for your help. I’ve been reading many forums but since I don’t know what I currently use, I’m having a hard time figuring out how things will change for me.

Cheers

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That should indeed be your Plex Media Server icon in your taskbar, and it is opening PlexWeb in your default web browser. None of that is changing with the retirement of Plex Media Player! So you should be good.

But if you’re interested in trying new things, you might consider installing the new Plex for Windows (the replacement for Plex Media Player). You’d leave your Plex Media Server running, as you do right now, but you’d open the Plex for Windows software when you want to watch something. It’ll look just like the web page you use now, but it’ll likely play more formats without transcoding, which means the quality should be better, and it’ll use less of your CPU when playing.

But if you leave your setup alone, you should also be just fine.

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Awesome, thanks.

I was just curious because many of the articles said Plex was dropping support for HMPC. I’m still not sure how it will affect me. Good to know nothing will change for me the way it is, but I will explore the new app.

Thanks again

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Agree with @Cafe_Diem, definitely give the new player a try. It will reduce the transcoding load on your system. Web browsers are very limited in their audio/video support.

Example 1: 1080p Blu-ray rip, H.264 video, dts-HD MA 5.1 audio, PGS subtitles.

  • Plex Web: Audio transcodes. If subtitles enabled, both audio & video transcode.
  • Plex for Windows: Direct plays audio & video, with or without subtitles.
  • The same thing happens with TrueHD audio.

Example 2: 4K Blu-ray rip, H.265 video, dts-HD MA 7.1 audio, PGS subtitles.

  • Plex Web: Both audio & video transcode, with or without subtitles.
  • Plex for Windows: Direct plays audio & video, with or without subtitles.
  • The same thing happens with TrueHD audio.
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