I’m a longtime 'nix/mythtv/HTPC user, and with so many of you raving about the wonders of Plex I thought I’d give it go.
Setting up the media server was simple enough, but after weeks of grappling with it I can only wonder, “Plex, what is good for?”
I mean, there doesn’t seem to be any way to create playlists, it doesn’t seem to support livetv/ PVR, it is dreadfully slow at scanning the media resources on my NAS (Ubuntu Server 16.04LTS), etc etc…
I was hoping that as a media server it would maintain a database of files that could then be easily accessed with some client software across the network. Indeed, my reading of it indicated that that is exactly what it is supposed to do. The Kodi fanbois said, use Kodi to access the Plex server. I tried that, but I fail to see any benefit. In fact, it seems more cumbersome accessing the Plex Media Server with Kodi than simply getting Kodi to scan the media directories. I found a Plex addin for Kodi but it proved as useful as t!ts on a bull.
All in all, it’s been disappointing waste of a couple of weeks, but perhaps the paradigm shift is too much for this old head?
Anyway, maybe someone here can prove me wrong by pointing out how to access the Plex media server to advantage?
Cheers
You didn’t waste “a couple of weeks”
You now know it doesn’t do what you want!
Go back to your old set up - and think “this is great”
I am a plex fanboy - except for Nvidia shield firmware 3.2 - that doesn’t work for me!
I just had a look at Myth - from my short read it serves a different purpose to plex.
For me I have no use of it’s main feature - a DVR
Plex indeed doesn’t support Live TV although there are addins that help (I’m using one for NextPVR for example) but I’m confused at your statement `there doesn’t seem to be any way to create playlists’ as that’ easily done in Plex Web
You mentioned a key component of Plex in your post - easy access to clints. I share with family members on a local network. It’s easy - point Plex at my media and all they need is the device and the app and they can access my media. On my setup, Plex servers 3 Roku’s, 2 FireTV’s, 2 Pi2’s and Samsung Smart TV’s, although use of the Samsung Smart TV app has diminished to near zero at this point. I use Plex quite a bit myself, but also use Kodi - maybe a majority of the time since a like using PseudoTV Live. If it was just myself, I could probably get by very well just using Kodi. I do have PleXMBC installed, but I never use it.
I can say what’s so special about plex for me, of course YMMV. Anyway you say that you can’t create playlists, actually you can, and you can also create smart playlists for actors or directors or studios etc. It does indeed keep a database of your files, as long as you do all the matching and have a proper formatted library, and then all this is available to every Plex client.
I don’t like Kodi. I know that sounds weird, but I’ve never liked it, there are many small things in Kodi user experience that bother me, but I like Plex and so as you asked I can tell you why.
- I like the way Plex makes all my library available to my Smart TV, without having a Roku stick or NUC attached, just my TV and no other stuff on the living room furniture;
- I like that I don’t have to manage Plex from the player interface. I hate managing Kodi for that reason, while Plex separates the management interface from the player interface;
- I like being able to manage Plex from any PC/smartphone/tablet in the house
- I like the user interface, yes even PMP interface. It’s polished, it’s easy to use and looks modern. I don’t like the way Kodi was born with the idea that all movies and selected movie details where on the same screen. I know you can change skins, but Plex reasoning is different: all movies in one place, and a separate detail screen once you select it. That’s what I like
- I love the idea that I can stop watching a movie in the living room, go in bed and turn on my Macbook or iPad and resume whatching exactly where I left. Or in the bathroom with my smartphone LOL
- I like not having to care too much about formats, compatibility etc because Plex will happily transcode what I need.
TLDR: it seems you are using Plex like you use Kodi, to watch movies on a single device from a storage location, in this case you don’t “need” Plex. Plex is a client/server system, it’s great if you need it, but maybe you don’t need it after all 
Thanks for the replies, people.
I mucked about with the suggestions on playlists, but found the process tedious and frustrating compared to may main front end (Kodi). In any case, the plex playlists don’t work for me in Kodi (on Linux and Android. Haven’t tried Windoze).
I’ll stick with myth & Kodi. Works for me.
Cheers
For me the biggest thing (difference ) is I have a watched list that follows me everywhere.
Whereas Kodi is a server and player in one - Plex is a single server streaming to multiple clients .
And I like the UI on plex way way better than Kodi.
