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PLEX vs XBMC
#1
Question 
I came across Plex recently and been wondering what are the pros/cons between XBMC and PLEX. I scoured the internet and have not found a decent comparison between the two media center software and was hoping anyone here can she some light on why someone would pick one over the other.

Thanks
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#2
Lol! And so it begins......
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#3
Just tried plex on Win 7 - problems, problems, problems .... slow, laggy, etc. Numerous crashes.

Looks nice. That's it.

XBMC flies on my win7 atom box - easy-peasy.
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#4
Quote:I came across Plex recently and been wondering what are the pros/cons between XBMC and PLEX. I scoured the internet and have not found a decent comparison between the two media center software and was hoping anyone here can she some light on why someone would pick one over the other.
Perhaps you could do it, both apps are free - you've nothing to lose [<--Changed spelling - thanks darkscout].

Though you probably wouldn't be thought of too highly if you wrote a post on here comparing the two as it may stir up tensions... and this is a forum for XBMC only.

Also if your asking here for opinions, you must know your going to get bias ones Big Grin

Flirc now has a forum: forum.flirc.tv
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#5
Dont mean to stir up tensions. Just wanted to get people's input, i plan to use xbmc completely and was curious after running into plex.
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#6
Ooops.Double post, doesn't look like you can delete them anymore.
Code:
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON `xbmc_%`.* TO 'xbmc'@'%';
IF you have a mysql problem, find one of the 4 dozen threads already open.
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#7
I've been looking for a good comparison to no avail also. So thank you for making this thread; although I doubt you'll get a really good comparison posting on xbmc's forums. lol
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#8
yea i doubt it as well. Though didnt know what other forum to turn too. Been reading all the great threads on this forum for the past 2 weeks to build my htpc.
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#9
darkscout Wrote:Image


Were the results from Plex vs XBMC on google inconclusive? There are numerous comparisons and with Boxee on independent websites.

Let me guess, you go into the Chevy forums asking about the Corvette vs the Mustang.
Code:
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON `xbmc_%`.* TO 'xbmc'@'%';
IF you have a mysql problem, find one of the 4 dozen threads already open.
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#10
darkscout Wrote:Let me guess, you go into the Chevy forums asking about the Corvette vs the Mustang.

Na.. Mercedes man myself. Thanks for the cynicism though sure everyone appreciated it.
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#11
Big Grin 
wooten409 Wrote:Na.. Mercedes man myself. Thanks for the cynicism though sure everyone appreciated it.

BMW's are better. Smile
-stoli-
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#12
I'm an XBMC man, so I will be XBMC biased. However, my brother is PLEX biased... so here's a VERY SHORT why you should use PLEX paragraph:

If you want to watch movies and videos on your televison, computer, ipad, iphone etc... and run them off one library; Choose PLEX. It is easier to setup, they stream to IOS devices well, and you can have the one shared library. However, the iPhone app is $5.49; not sure what the iPad app costs. (Plex is free software for your PC/server, but the smartphone/tablet device clients cost a little $$).

You don't need me to go on about XBMC's advantages / disadvantages, because you have a whole forum to read for those answers. Smile
...DJVege...
HTPC: G840 + GT430 + 2GB RAM + 30GB SSD
Remote: iPad/iPhone + iRule + USB-UIRT // FireFly RF Remote
Software: XBMC Eden + Eventghost + Win7
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#13
I've used both. XBMC begat Plex so they're quite similar and it really comes down to personal taste as well as what devices you use and own.


Plex has a couple of nice features such as 'on deck' which does a nice job of highlighting recently added media. The Plex media server is also great because it organises and downloads metadata about your media automatically and it makes organising media easy and painless. This media server also makes it very easy to run Plex and access your media on a range of devices from the iPad to a laptop to a smart TV. If you use multiple devices in the one home, Plex is worth taking a look at. Some users reckon Plex doesn't run great on a Windows machine as it can prove unreliable. This is probably because Plex for Windows is a relatively new offering. However, Plex runs and looks particularly good on any mac machine and I think it was originally designed with OSX in mind. That said, it looks to me like Plex is slowly moving towards a more monetised offering as evidenced by the Samsung TV partnership and the more pricey iOS app. I also have a feeling they're going to release a dedicated Plex box similar to the Apple TV. It's also worth mentioning that the Plex media server app for iOS runs without jailbreaking where as the XBMC app requires the user to jailbreak.

XBMC is way more customisable than Plex and sometimes it can seem a little more complicated, as evidenced by the requirement to jailbreak iOS devices. I think XBMC has more plugins and skins than Plex and the community surround XBMC seems to be much larger and much more willing to implement new features. That said some of these features or plugins require the user to have a basic understanding of how the OS works. This might not be an issue for most people here but it can be for girlfriends, kids etc. There's also a Plex plugin for XBMC which replicates the features of Plex called PleXBMC. XBMC also has a variety of alternates which people can install e.g. XBMC Live, Openelec. XBMC will as far as I know always be free and open-ended. In short, there'd be no Plex without XBMC and if you a like a HTPC you can tweak and personalise XBMC is worth a look.


Currently I use the openelec version of XBMC. Why? Because it boots within ten seconds into XBMC and it makes XBMC run exactly like a device such as a DVD player. This means I never have to mess around with the OS. As seamless as Plex worked with OSX it couldn't quite replicate this experience. The only real feature of Plex I miss is the media server as I find organising my media a pain. My favourite add on is the Sabnzbd suite which includes Couch Potato and Sickbeard. It automates the process of downloading movies and TV shows. However, I think there's a similar version for Plex.


You can install and run either app for free right now and decide which suits you best. Then there's Boxee, Windows Media Centre, Mediaportal...

Further reading here: http://www.tested.com/news/xbmc-vs-plex-...emacy/390/

(a year out of date though)
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#14
I heard PLEX is a port of XBMC, so this question is on the basis of this assumption.

Is it possible to run the PLEX server to download metedata and update the database. Then have XBMC client that uses the database (assuming mysql)Huh

Edit: Should of done a little research on this, apparently you can with this addon http://forums.plexapp.com/index.php/topi...-for-xbmc/
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#15
Plex is the fork of which we do not speak... oh wait Smile
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