I'm getting close to "cutting the cord" and PLEX is a key ingredient. I started with the free version and now have the paid Plex Pass version which allows me to record shows to my hard drive. Components I have so far for cutting the cord are a digital indoor antenna, HDHomerun box, PLEX software, HULU live tv, and Netflix.
My antenna plugs into the HDHomerun box which is connected to my router via a switch. PLEX shows all the over the air channels, plus my downloaded movies on my computer, plus my recorded shows on my hard drive. On my computer, the interface is great. Plex has a grid based channel menu similar to my cable company (Spectrum). I can see upcoming shows and choose to record the show or series all through PLEX. Unfortunately, I use ROKU for my TV and PLEX's grid based menu doesn't work (yet) with ROKU. Instead it shows images of shows my antenna picks up. I cannot scroll to later times to see what is coming up. I can search for shows or explore networks to see shows and then select to record them if I want. The Grid TV guide does work when I use my Fire Stick... but since getting ROKU I almost never use the Fire Stick.
The DVR part of PLEX Pass allows you to record a show, a series, select New only, skip commercials while recording, set start or end times (I usually add 1 minute to the end of shows). I have an external hard drive selected as my recording destination. It has tons of space. My computer, router, and hard drive are upstairs in my office. I ran an ethernet CAT 6 cable to my family room downstairs, connected to a 5 port switch. The HDHomerun is plugged into the switch. I downloaded the PLEX app on my ROKU, Fire tablet, and my Android phone.
When using on my Fire Tablet, I notice battery seems to drain faster. But playback is great. Using PLEX I am able to watch TV and recorded shows and movies that are on my computer. I use my Fire Tablet mainly to read books, but this is a nice addition.
PLEX Pass costs about $4.95/mo but has an annual plan for about $40 or a lifetime plan for $120 (I think that is the cost). Since I am still in the experimental stage I am going for the monthly plan. I will switch to Lifetime if/when I cut the cord.
Now, when watching TV, I can switch to ROKU and run the PLEX app. Plex shows my recorded shows and also other movies I have downloaded onto my hard drive. Playback is smooth. I wish the ROKU PLEX app had a grid menu for shows... that would make it perfect and that much closer to cutting the cord. As I mentioned, Amazon Fire Stick does show the full grid tv guide on Plex.
I've been trying out HULU Live TV for a couple months now. It has nothing to do with PLEX... but thought I would give a quick review. I get cable channels I don't get with the antenna (CNN, MSNBC, FOXNEWS). Playback is good. Sound is only PCM 2 channel. My receiver does a decent job converting to 5.1.2 output. If I keep HULU TV Live, I may not need Plex. I also tried YoutubeTV and DirectNow!. I like some of the original HULU programming and commercial-free playback. HULU comes with 50GB DVR, YouTubeTV has unlimited DVR. The jury is still out.
The main thing I miss is grid based TV Guide. I like to sit down to watch TV, open the Guide and see what is on that night and see if I want to record any new shows. PLEX has this but not on my Android phone or my ROKU - only on my computer, Fire tablet and Fire Stick.
Will I cut the cord? Still deciding. I hate paying my cable company which keeps raising my rates. But do enjoy the simplicity of the guide and DVR. Decisions, decisions. Try PLEX free with a good antenna... it may be all you need (along with the $100 HDHomerun box). I got the HDHomeRun Quad box with 4 tuners so I can record more shows at once. The 2-tuner box cost less.
Save up to 10% on this app and its in-app items when you purchase Amazon Coins. Learn More
Sold by:Amazon.com Services, Inc
By placing your order, you agree to our Terms of Use
Latest updates
What's new in version 10.13.0.466- • [Mobile] Downloads: create downloads queue screen.
- • Player: app could crash initiating playback.
- • [Mobile] The accept button on friendship notifications would not always work.
- • [Mobile] Friend invite notifications would sometimes not open the inviting user profile.
- • [TV] LiveTV: pressing the back button when OSD is visible will dismiss OSD.
- • [TV] LiveTV: an error could occur during channel sync on Fire OS 8 devices.
- Much more, see https://goo.gl/GqRo4m
Product Details
Release Date: 2011
Date first listed on Amazon: April 27, 2011
Developed By: Plex, Inc.
ASIN: B004Y1WCDE
Customer reviews:
211,542 customer ratings
211,542 customer ratings
Developer info
Product features
- Stream thousands of FREE movies and TV shows from filmmakers around the world with big hits from Crackle, Warner Brothers, MGM, Lionsgate and more! Enjoy everything from Oscar award-winning movies to anime, documentaries, family-friendly shows, and much, much more.
- Watch 600+ channels of free live programming—instantly. From food to news to sports to kids to international content, there's something for the whole family.
- Magically organize all your personal media—photos, music, movies, shows, even DVR-ed TV—and stream it to any device in a beautiful, simple interface; Plex adds rich descriptions, artwork, and other related information.
- 30-second skip, variable speed playback, rich discovery, and full Plex-style support for cross-device playback status (including On Deck, so you can pick back up where you left off on any device).
Product description
Stream free movies and TV shows, plus 600+ channels of live TV, instantly, without a subscription. With Plex you can also customize your preferences to include the streaming services you use most and we’ll keep your home screen updated with the freshest finds across the streaming universe, recommended just for you. Got personal media? Plex does that too.- Stream thousands of FREE movies and shows from filmmakers around the world, with big hits from Crackle, Warner Brothers, MGM, Lionsgate and more! Enjoy everything from Oscar™ award-winning movies to anime, documentaries, family-friendly shows, and much, much more.
- Magically organize all your personal media—photos, music, movies, shows, even DVR-ed TV—and stream it to any device in a beautiful, simple interface; Plex adds rich descriptions, artwork, and other related information.
Note: If you’ve already purchased the app through Google Play Store or you have a Plex Pass, you do NOT need to purchase again! Your previous purchase will be automatically detected.
Some features of this app are supported by interest-based advertising, to learn more about this and your choices regarding it visit the Plex Privacy Policy.
Note: Streaming personal media requires Plex Media Server version 1.18.3 and higher (available for free at https://plex.tv/downloads) installed and running to stream to other devices. DRM-protected content, ISO disc images, and video_ts folders not supported.
User Data Privacy
Information not provided by the developer.
Technical details
Size: 58.6MB
Version: 10.13.0.466
Developed By: Plex, Inc.
- Access information about networks
- Access information about Wi-Fi networks
- FOREGROUND_SERVICE
- Open network sockets
- POST_NOTIFICATIONS
- READ_MEDIA_IMAGES
- READ_MEDIA_VIDEO
- Get notified that the operating system has finished booting
- Record audio
- PowerManager WakeLocks to keep processor from sleeping or screen from dimming
- com.android.providers.tv.permission.READ_EPG_DATA
- com.android.providers.tv.permission.WRITE_EPG_DATA
- Allows sending in-app billing requests and managing in-app billing transactions
- Allows an application to receive messages via Google Cloud Messaging
- Receive message via Amazon Device
- com.google.android.gms.permission.AD_ID
Minimum Operating System: Android 5.0
Approximate Download Time: More than 5 minutes
Reviews with images
My digital movie collection has never looked so good.
I'm a avid Plex user and use it on many different devices including: nexus 6, nexus player, playstation 3/4 , roku, and apple tv (4th gen).For the most part Plex works great for streaming movies that I store on a small media server. However, I feel in their efforts to make the app available on as many devices as possible, effected the overall quality of everything Plex related. While the Plex Media Server has been mostly stable the 3 years I have been using it. The different Plex apps have always had various bugs which range from slightly annoying (random mixed movie posters) to huge bugs like (nexus player DTS/DTS-HD Passthrough) which took them about a year to fix. However it seems that as Plex has gotten older, the amount of new bugs introduced has been decreasing with each update.Plex is one of the best looking and best performing media playback system out currently. The amount of polish and overall features Plex provides makes my home theater setup the envy of all my friends and family.
Top reviews from other countries
Carlos Eduardo Fernandes
App incrível! Fácil de usar e super útil.
Reviewed in Brazil on November 4, 2022
