I recently eliminated cable tv from my life. While I have had a PC hooked up to my home entertainment system for many years, I’ve been working to make it the center of my system. Basically the only box for everything. Maybe this is unrealistic, but I have a tolerant wife and it merges my hobbies of PCs and home entertainment.
I was never a fan of WMC and never made it a part of my user experience for very long. When Windows 10 came out and I saw the availability of app like Netflix, Hulu and yes Plex available for the tablet interface with live tiles, I became determined to use the tablet interface as a nice easy and visually pleasing (to me) interface. I even get OTA TV from a HDHomeRun Extend box using the HDHomeRun windows store app. I use NextPVR to record OTA TV and watch it with Plex. To me it was as simple as I come home, turn on the TV, quickly see live tiles to tell me the news headlines, financial headline, and weather. All while I have other live tiles rolling through Plex, Netflix and Hulu content. Conceptually it is great. Click on the tile that gets my interest. I know most people want to just use a remote to get through content on a PC. I much prefer a small palm sized thumb operated keyboard/mouse to use with my HTPC. Amazingly so does my luddite wife.
So, here is my fly in the ointment: The Plex windows store app is great as far as navigation, use of live tiles, general visual appeal in the intended environment. However, it does not come close to the quality of the new and much younger Plex Media Player Preview. I frequently need to reduce play to 720p 4Mbit to play without stalling every few minutes on an i7/24gig machine (also Plex server) or either of my i3/8gig machines. While PMP works flawlessly as does the web app on the same machines watching the same file. Everything is H.264/MKV rips with the exception of the OTA recordings (witch don’t have issues playing).
I guess what I’m asking is if this is just an issue with trying to make a Windows 10 app due to the sandboxing required? Will we ever see a Windows 10 app that works as well as the old PHT or the new PMP do?
Or will Plex ever be the HTPC front end that WMC never was with reliable integration of Netflix, Hulu, name your streaming service here, etc… I guess what I want is one front end for everything.
