Overview

The Plex Media Server is intended to be a modern day catalog of all your media needs. The advantage of the software is that it communicates with its apps on any device it is installed on so the user record is kept up to date. This manifests itself when pausing a video half way through and travelling on the train to work, only to be able to watch the other half of the video while you're standing there in the suit. The app remembers where you were up to in the vidieo which saves a lot of messing around.

It is also possible to share content with friends so other people can see what you're watching and enjoying. The software can be used as an alternative to software like the Windows Media Player while offering a more complete view of all your available media.

Installation

The Windows installation is an 87 MB file which takes a bit of time to download. The installation is faster though. The setup program includes an options button to change the install path. Other than that, the setup process can proceed pretty much on automatic once it is started by the user. No unwanted software like a toolbar was added during the install or needed to be de-selected to avoid it.

Interface

The Plex Media Manager doesn't look unlike iTunes here. There are navigational links down the left sidebar, a main pane in the center and a search facility in the top right corner. When viewing a media collection, there are options to sort by name, year, date added or items.

When selecting a collection like Movies, the thumbnails of all the movies in your movie collection will be displayed to make it easier than ever to see what you have in your collection and what you want to watch next.

There are quick ways to add more items to the collection manually or the destination folders for movies, etc., can be refreshed to check for new movies since the last catalog refresh.

Pros

• Media center for all accessible media
• Cross-platform with desktop support for PC, Mac, Linux and more
• Mobile app support, Smart TV and other devices
• Smartly labeled menus
• Large covers for all movies in the catalog
• Good search facilities
• Filter by name, date, genre, and more

Cons

None.

Conclusion

The Plex Media Server is a great app to use on all your digital devices to access your media library more easily. Run searches, see what you want to watch and access it easily.