Plex _client_ on Raspberry Pi 4

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › Plex _client_ on Raspberry Pi 4

josephhinvest

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#289763 28-Sep-2021 08:50

I have a spare Raspberry Pi 4, and a bedroom TV that is not smart.
Does anybody run a Plex client on a Pi?
It looks like Rasplex has been dead for several years, but it may still work?
There’s a recent guide here that looks like it will do the job, any other ideas?

Thanks,
Joseph

allan

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#2785460 28-Sep-2021 09:21

Haven't tried it myself, but what about Kodi with the Plex add-on?

josephhinvest

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#2785462 28-Sep-2021 09:23

allan:
Haven't tried it myself, but what about Kodi with the Plex add-on?

Yep that may be an option, thanks. I’ve hated using Kodi on my android TV so I hope to find a native Plex solution if possible.

michaelmurfy

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#2785500 28-Sep-2021 09:53

I honestly recommend a cheap Chromecast over this option for WAF. In the past, Raspberry Pi's were great for media centres but I think now they've become less relevant as there are cheaper streaming devices these days.

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gehenna

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#2785503 28-Sep-2021 09:59

Fire TV Stick also a good option these days.

josephhinvest

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#2785509 28-Sep-2021 10:10

michaelmurfy:
I honestly recommend a cheap Chromecast over this option for WAF. In the past, Raspberry Pi's were great for media centres but I think now they've become less relevant as there are cheaper streaming devices these days.

Yep is an option. I’d prefer a full client so I don’t have to cast. I can currently AirPlay to an old Apple TV but I don’t want my phone to be tied up.
WAF is not a factor. I have an RPi and no spare money so hoping to make something work.

Cheers

Varkk

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#2785541 28-Sep-2021 11:30

I wouldn't use a Pi for that use case. I would just get one of these https://www.smartvu.co.nz/smartvu-x.html

Runs Android TV, you can then install Plex. It can be powered off a USB port on a TV if it has one.

I tried using a Pi running Kodi some time ago but in then end it just was never reliable enough.

josephhinvest

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#2785759 28-Sep-2021 17:00

Varkk:
I wouldn't use a Pi for that use case. I would just get one of these https://www.smartvu.co.nz/smartvu-x.html

Runs Android TV, you can then install Plex. It can be powered off a USB port on a TV if it has one.

I tried using a Pi running Kodi some time ago but in then end it just was never reliable enough.

OK ta. Yep it looks good but I don't have any money to spend currently. I didn't think it would be this difficult! Seems like a pretty basic use case

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josephhinvest

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#2785937 28-Sep-2021 21:55

Well I installed Plex on the Pi as per the guide in my initial post. It works pretty well! Took me about 30 minutes from start to finish. The Pi boots straight into Plex. I upped the video memory and have limited the Plex streaming quality down a bit to 720p, but its perfectly good for watching in bed. The TV is not very big and only HD anyway.
And the best part is that the Plex app on my phone can act as a remote to the Pi, it can fully control it without casting the actual video.
So far, so good.

Cheers,
Joseph

allan

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#2785948 28-Sep-2021 22:27

@josephhinvest - Just out of interest I installed the Plex add-in for Kodi (on a Mi Box 3) after my earlier post to you, just to see what it was like. The interface layout is different to the standard Android layout, in that the libraries are displayed along the top rather than the side and the default view for each library is "Recommended", with no obvious way of of displaying the entire contents of each library. Eventually I stumbled across the fact that a long press on the library name would do it.

All in all it's not too horrible, but I suspect you may have a better experience with the path you have taken.

sud0

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#2786209 29-Sep-2021 11:57

josephhinvest: I have a spare Raspberry Pi 4, and a bedroom TV that is not smart.
Does anybody run a Plex client on a Pi?

Yep! Take a look here.

Lucas

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josephhinvest

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#2786211 29-Sep-2021 12:07

sud0:
josephhinvest: I have a spare Raspberry Pi 4, and a bedroom TV that is not smart.
Does anybody run a Plex client on a Pi?

Yep! Take a look here.

Oh interesting thanks. Looks like Plex running within Docker? Might be more straight forward than what I currently have set up. Will have a look!

Cheers