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Emby may or may not be gaining a new wave of users soon..


zachary24

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zachary24

https://www.plex.tv/blog/desktop-af/

 

plex just annouced they'd be trashing the new tv layout on there PMP program, only around 5 months after they released it (https://www.plex.tv/blog/remastered-thanks-to-you-our-brand-new-tv-navigation-is-here/), and only a week after making the official "UNO" announcement, which "is" intended to be a goal of creating one-stop interface that links between all clients (https://www.plex.tv/blog/uno-everywhere/).. as of now looks like a lot of people (myself included) aren't to happy (https://www.reddit.com/r/PleX/comments/cqtv3n/plex_is_giving_up_on_htpcs_with_new_desktop_app/)

 

anyways looks like i'll be switching back to emby within a few months..

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Gilgamesh_48

Plex made a major change to their interface and the have, pretty successfully, unified all their clients to where they have much the same interface and operate mostly the same. If that is good or bad is highly debatable as is seen by just reading what is being said on the Plex forums and elsewhere. 

 

Personally I actually mostly like the Uno interface but it will not get me to go back to using Plex as my Primary system for media consumption.

 

In this case I do believe that most people that complain about UNO are doing so because they are just resistant to changes this major as Uno is almost as different from what Plex has had in the past as a koala bear is different from a grizzly. They both are called "bears" and have "fur"but there the resemblance pretty much ends.

 

Uno is the most customizable interface I have seen on any client in any client/server system I have dealt with.

 

The problem with Uno is that its "customizability" is difficult in that the same screen can be modified or control by settings you access from different places. Some customizations are done through the "more" functionality and some by using an edit icon and still others through a "settings" menu and it is not always clear where you need to be to change some particular part of the Uno interface.

 

I agree that there may well be a number of additional users coming to Emby from Plex but I am not sure that will be a "real" overall gain for Emby. Customers that are too lazy or inept to customize Uno may be just as unable to get Emby clients setup correctly for their use.

 

If Emby did not exist I would not be displeased with Plex's Uno interface.

Edited by Gilgamesh_48
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Gilgamesh_48

This is really a reflection of where the htpc market is now.

 

I do not know if you meant this but it does seem to be a bit of the "grass is always greener" syndrome. But to quote a title from a lesser known movie: "The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank." But sometimes the "septic tank" is actually leaky and moving for greener grass is actually just a move into a more smelly and dirtier environment.

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I just mean to say that while we have no plans to drop htpc support ourselves, if there were more users on them then they wouldn't be dropping them either.

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zachary24

Plex made a major change to their interface and the have, pretty successfully, unified all their clients to where they have much the same interface and operate mostly the same.

 

that's the thing, they just announced that last week, yet now they're going and changing things, PMP will be replaced with what they are now calling "Plex" (??) which is pretty much to replicate the newest browser redesign into a standalone app just to give you a reference here's the TV layout released back in april (which like you said created pretty much a universal UI other than the web ui) https://i.imgur.com/pixXCzr.png and heres there new one https://zhf1943ap1t4f26r11i05c7l-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/plex-desktop-tidal-recommended-1440x929.jpg .. so they pretty much have entirely back tracked on the UNO plan.

 

but at the end of the day, i get it, in the last year alone Plex has had tons of redesigns that are said to be official and then magically change again and again.

I have used PMP both for my tv as well as just casual desktop/laptop viewing and have used the tv layout since. why? because it solved a crucial issue with both PMP and "Plex"..

 

with PMP (in TV Mode) a keyboard will work, a mouse will work, and so will a wireless remote. 

with PMP (in regular mode) a keyboard will work, but a mouse and remote won't.

with "Plex" a keyboard won't work (for navigating / searching does), a mouse does work, and a remote doesn't.

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Guest asrequested

we have no plans to drop htpc support ourselves.

 

I'm glad to hear that :)

Edited by Doofus
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One2Go

Also Plex does not have external players that can be used so madVR is not possible with Plex unless you want to go the Kodi route. As long as Emby with EMC as client supports external players I am set and don't need to worry.

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This is really a reflection of where the htpc market is now.

 

Yes sure, for whom either do not ever use a pc or a movies collection or whatever, that point stand.

 

 

I just mean to say that while we have no plans to drop htpc support ourselves.

 

 

Well done.

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Also I start to get really annoying about these threads, Plex do this and Plex do that, you like a software, then just use it.

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BAlGaInTl

I was reading about this today.

 

Clear that Plex is pivoting to meet a growing user base, and leaving those enthusiasts that made it popular behind.  I can't say that I blame them, they are following the money, and have investors that they have to answer to.  I also can't say that I blame those enthusiasts for being upset about it.

 

This is why I follow several media platforms.  Never know what is going to happen from one day to the next.

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shaefurr

I don't have an issue with the UNO interface, I think its fine, not gorgeous or anything, but its very usable. I find it odd though they rolled it out into Plex Media Player only a few weeks ago, then announce they're dropping PMP all together.

 

Here is my issue if you use a PC connected to a TV, at 4K, I mean, this just isn't readable lol. Granted this is without changing the High DPI setting, but even with it on its the same as just using the web browser.

 

 

 

5d56d0af32431_plex.jpg

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Hello, everybody. I'm definitely here because Plex is no longer serving me. I already ponied up for the lifetime Plex Pass, which was possibly a mistake as I gave up any leverage I may have - I'm not a revenue stream any more, which is seeming more and more like the only thing they care about. The fact that live TV timeshifting has been broken for more than a year and they have done nothing was bad enough. Now this announcement from Plex, complete with an insulting "HTPCs suck any way, and we know better than you do what is best for you, so...." self-justifying blog post. And there is a Plex employee in the forums telling people if they don't like it they should buy a Shield, which is a totally Super Helpful Suggestion (/sarcasm). The reality is, there is a lot of unhappy Plex users and it's completely justified, since Plex really is simply saying "F U" to a lot of their hardcore longtime users who have supported Plex, and popularized Plex, and helped it get where it is today. That is in fact what is happening, no matter how they try to spin it. It is frustrating, as my goal of the Ultimate Setup seemed within grasp. But then Plex started moving the goalposts.

 

Anyway, I've decided move away from Plex as much as possible, as fast as possible. I'm now going to see how far I can get with Emby for Live TV/ DVR, personal video files, and possibly music. (Hope a Rasplex equivalent exists for Emby so I can run my headless Pi/hifiberry client). I tried Emby a few years ago, and there were many things I liked about it. But the overall user experience was at times infuriating, not only was it unreliable but there were weird dead ends when trying to do things. But that was years ago. I bet things are better.

 

Glad to hear there's no plans to remove HTPC support. It's hard for me to believe that there used to be enough users to justify HTPC support, and now, what, suddenly all those users now use Chromecasts? Fire sticks? I don't believe it, especially when you do need a PC, realistically, for the server, and a lot of people's servers pull double duty as their main player.

Edited by leed
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TylerV76

It's hard for me to believe that there used to be enough users to justify HTPC support, and now, what, suddenly all those users now use Chromecasts? Fire sticks? I don't believe it, especially when you do need a PC, realistically, for the server, and a lot of people's servers pull double duty as their main player.

Once streaming players became mainstream and cheap, thats exactly what happened. Not only are they way less maintenance, they are cheaper, more efficient and convenient. I ran 5 htpc’s in my home for many years. My family could never get used to the convoluted process of using the remote with them. I now use 0 htpc’s and every person I built one for or helped with one also uses 0 of them. Each of mine cost around $20/mo in electricity. My streaming devices maybe cost $10 total and I have probably not 10 of them.

 

Times change, hardware gets smaller, cheaper and better and HTPC’s are the modern day 8 track.

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Oh hell no! They are superior in every way. Always will be.

 

It's not really question of capability, it's question of where are users going to the most.

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Sammy

I'd really like to mount an HTPC on the back of my TVs out on the back patio. That would cost more and be a bit hefty too. I removed my HTPC from my living room about a year back and not it sits in my office next to my PC and is connected with a KVM switch to a common, well, Keyboard, Video Monitor and Mouse. This set up works well for my use. I have 11 TV's in my house and running and maintaining an HTPC at all of them would be cumbersome to say the least. 

 

That said, is it really that difficult to support a media player on a PC, @@Luke @@ebr ? I think not and @ is a happy man that you build a player just for him!

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Guest asrequested

It's not really question of capability, it's question of where are users going to the most.

Yeah, I know. Supply and demand. I just detest those crappy little devices. They're decent paper weights, though.

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jasonmcroy

That said, is it really that difficult to support a media player on a PC, @@Luke @@ebr ? I think not and @ is a happy man that you build a player just for him!

 

This is what I would like to know. Fine if people are moving away from HTPCs for most people and maybe more will move away from that eventually. I myself moved away from that about a year ago as well. It used to sit behind my entertainment center connected to my TV with a Flirc dongle and Harmony remote to use with it and a keyboard so I could open most apps. 

 

However, I moved all that upstairs to a closet and it now just works as my server. On all of our TVs we have Shields now and I use a Harmony hub and remote which works out really well for our needs.

 

I do wonder why, with all of Plex's supposed money and support Devs they can't maintain one little app for HTPC usage. I mean Luke and Eric have plenty of time to do that and answer their users on the forums. 

 

I am annoyed by their move on behalf of the HTPC users out there.

Edited by jasonmcroy
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Sammy

Yeah, I know. Supply and demand. I just detest those crappy little devices. They're decent paper weights, though.

 

Except when you need 11 of them and you have locations where they are connected to the back of a TV outside. I could use a NUC I suppose but that would cost twice as much and not really gain the things an HTPC has anyhow.

 

Now if I were in my parent's basement...

 

J/K

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Sammy

This is what I would like to know. Fine if people are moving away from HTPCs for most people and maybe more will move away from that eventually. I myself moved away from that about a year ago as well. It used to sit behind my entertainment center connected to my TV with a Flirc dongle and Harmony remote to use with it and a keyboard so I could open most apps. 

 

However, I moved all that upstairs to a closet and it now just works as my server. On all of our TVs we have Shields now and I use a Harmony hub and remote which works out really well for our needs.

 

I do wonder why, with all of Plex's supposed money and support Devs they can't maintain one little app for HTPC usage. I mean Luke and Eric have plenty of time to do that and answer their users on the forums. 

 

I am annoyed by their move on behalf of the HTPC users out there.

 

Luke did answer on the previous page actually..

 

Now I wonder how these two have the time to code and answer the forum questions too. I don't think they really have a whole lot of spare time actually.

 

Now about that Harmony Hub.. Do you have it set up for Live TV? If so, which button do you use for the "Last Channel" button? Thanks.

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