How to stream tv on your plex media center with plex channels

Jason Fitzpatrick
Jason Fitzpatrick
Editor at Large

Jason Fitzpatrick is the Editor in Chief of LifeSavvy, How-To Geek’s sister site focused life hacks, tips, and tricks. He has over a decade of experience in publishing and has authored thousands of articles at Review Geek, How-To Geek, and Lifehacker. Jason served as Lifehacker’s Weekend Editor before he joined How-To Geek. Read more.

Plex Media Center is best known for super easy playback of local media files, but that doesn’t mean you can’t tap into the power of streaming video. The Channel system makes it easy to add content from a variety of sources ranging from well known TV stations to specialty content.

We’ve shown you how to set up Plex to watch your movies on any device and we’ve shown you how to save internet video for later viewing, but the Channel system offers something a bit different. Instead of curating your own content, the Channel system allows you to add content that you can browse at your whim. It uses the already-established streaming sites for channels like USA, SyFy, or Comedy Central, so while you won’t get all episodes of every show, you can watch anything you’d be able to stream from those sites—legally!

Adding Channels to Plex

Getting started with Plex Channels is as easy as logging into your Plex server from the web portal and looking for the “Online Content” category on the left hand side. Select “Channels” to get started.

If you’ve never used the Channels feature before, things will look a little sparse. Click the “Install Channels” button to remedy that.

Inside the Channel Directory, you’ll find a variety of sub-categories like “Featured”, “Most Popular”, and “Recently Updated”. The Recently Updated category is a great place to start because, we’ll admit, not all Channels are properly maintained, and sometimes changes in the source (like how, say, ABC, structures their video feeds) will break them. Starting off with a recently updated channel makes it easier to test things out.

To start, we’ll add the “Comedy Central” Channel—so we can watch Drunk History through Plex, naturally. Select any channel in whatever category you’re browsing.

Click the “Install” button. Once installed, click the “X” in the corner and repeat the process, adding a few extra channels that look interesting. Once you’ve stocked up the Channels tab, it’s time to actually browse the channels you’ve added.

Viewing Channels in Plex

There are two ways to check out your new Plex channels. You can, as with all your video content, watch right in the same web interface you just used to set the Channels up. Simply select Channels again and pick a Channel:

Browse around for something interesting to watch and, suddenly, a SpongeBob Christmas special:

If you have a Chromecast or Google-Cast-enabled TV, you can sling that video right over. Although watching it in-browser or shooting it across the network is convenient, you can also access it in a more traditional way if you have Plex set up on your smart TV or a standalone device, like RasPlex on the Raspberry Pi.

Here’s what the Channels menu looks like on our RasPlex installation—all the Channel goodness with all the ease of sitting on the couch:

Because of Plex’s centralized system, all the Channels we just added a moment ago are already available.

After that SpongeBob special we’re in the mood for a little more serious fare, so why don’t we head over to the SyFy Channel.

Here we can watch current episodes of shows like Incorporated, The Expanse, and 12 Monkeys—no cable subscription or sketchy downloads required.

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Jason Fitzpatrick
Jason Fitzpatrick is the Editor in Chief of LifeSavvy, How-To Geek’s sister site focused life hacks, tips, and tricks. He has over a decade of experience in publishing and has authored thousands of articles at Review Geek, How-To Geek, and Lifehacker. Jason served as Lifehacker’s Weekend Editor before he joined How-To Geek.
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Imagine your Netflix, Hulu streaming services. This is what Plex has offered for a while.

Plex media server allows you to create a personal media center with your own movies, videos, and other content. You can share it with different devices.

Plex is expanding, so there are more ways to stream media online.

Plex channels are what make media streaming possible. You can add them to the Plexmedia application to get access to a wide range of content. Below is a list of popular Plex channels that contain the best content.

Table of Contents

1. BringThePopcorn

BringThePopcorn, one of the most popular Plex channels for movies and TV shows, offers access to many Hollywood films. Although the database isn’t updated as frequently as other channels, you will still find an impressive selection of films.

Download the GitHub channel plugin to add BringThePopcorn into Plex Unzip the downloaded plugin bundle, then copy or move it to the “Plugins” folder of the Plex Media Server directory.

2. CBC

Are you looking to stream your favorite sports? CBC is the channel you should add. You can access a variety of sports content including live-action and highlights, as well as news and highlights.

CBC is an unofficial Plex channel, so you won’t be able to find the plug-in for it in the Plex App. You can however download a CBC Plex bundle via GitHub and unpack it (unzip) before moving/copying it to the Plex Media Server’s plugins folder.

3. Pandora

Pandora has been one of the most viewed Plex Channels. You can access a huge collection of Plex music, as well as radio content. It’s a great alternative for Google Music and YouTube, both of which are unsupported and require a subscription.

Launch your Plex app, and click the “Channels menu item” located in the sidebar. Browse through the channels until Pandora is found. Click on it to install.

4. Vimeo

Vimeo is an excellent online platform for streaming cool, ad-free videos. These videos can be accessed on Plex media servers connected devices via the Vimeo channel.

Click on the Install button to add the channel.

5. FmoviePlus

FmoviePlus, another top-rated Plex movie channel, is also available. You can watch the movies at 1080p or higher resolution.

FmoviePlus can be used as an unofficial Plex channel. You will need to download the plugin bundle from a third-party source. You will find many good options at GitHub.

Download the plug-in bundle and unzip it. Copy it to the Plex Media Server plug-ins folder on your computer.

6. Dailymotion

Another great online video streaming channel is Dailymotion for Plex. You can access the Dailymotion video-sharing site, which offers a wide range of videos including songs, TV shows, and fan videos.

Plex App’s main interface will allow you to add the Dailymotion channel. Click on the “Channel menu” in the sidebar. Select Dailymotion from the list of channels and click the “Install” button.

7. Comedy Central

Plex is all laughter with Comedy Central. You can access tons of comedy TV shows on the channel, including timeless classics that have been forgotten.

The Comedy Central channel can be found in the supported plug-ins section of Plex App’s main interface. It can be installed to get started with your favorite comedy shows.

8. Nickelodeon and Nick Jr

Nickelodeon or Nick Jr are great channels for Plex content. You can access a wide range of Nickelodeon and Nick Jr content through them.

These are official channels. You can find their plugins in the Plex App plugin directory. To stream their content, simply install them.

9. Disney Junior Channel

Another great Plex TV channel for kids is Disney Junior. You can access a variety of content from the Disney network, including reruns of old episodes.

By downloading a third party unsupported plug-in bundle via GitHub, you can add the channel to your Plex Media Server directory.

10. Fox News

Fox News is the most popular channel for Plex news content. You can access news stories, current events, and the latest news from Fox News.

You can add the channel by going to the Plex App’s main interface, click on the “Channel” menu option, browsing available channels until you find Fox News, then installing it.

11. CBS

Plex also has a top TV channel, CBS. You can also access all CBS on-demand content and online content on the Plex website with it.

Simply browse the Plex App for supported channel plug-ins, choose CBS, and click the Install button.

12. cCloud TV

iCloud TV, another popular Plex channel, allows you to stream a wide variety of content including films, TV shows, and radio. It is one of the most popular Plex channels.

Download the iCloud TV plug-in bundle from Github. Unpack the bundle and then copy it to the Plex Media Server folder.

13. SS-Plex

SS-Plex should be on your Plex channel listing. You have access to much different content from all over the web. SS-Plex has the best TV shows and movies.

It is not supported so you will need to download it from a third-party site. Copy the plug-in files into the Plex Media Server “Plugins” folder on your computer.

14. NFL Network

Are you a National Football League (NFL), fan? NFL Network is a great addition to your stream channel collection. You can access interesting content, including past and live games.

You can also find a third-party plugin bundle on GitHub. It is easy to download, unzip, and then drag it to your Plex Media Server plugins folder.

15. BitTorrent

BitTorrent is last but not least. It is one of the most popular Plex channels for movies. You can access a wide variety of TV shows and movies on BitTorrent sites.

You can add it to your Plex channel and enjoy the best peer-to-peer TV and movie shows.

Download a third-party plugin bundle from GitHub to add the channel. To stream TV series and movies, unzip the file and copy it to your Plex Media Server folder.

Looking for entertainment online on Plex? These are the top Plex channels currently available. These channels include both unsupported and official Plex channels.

These great videos and movies will complement your Plex Media Server collection.

Home » TV » Streaming » Plex Review: The Answer to All Your Media in One Place on One Device?

In the bygone days of DVDs and VHS, maintaining your media library was a tedious task that took up time and space. Often you would find yourself wondering where you put your copy of Meatballs or season 1 of The Sopranos.

With digital downloads and online streaming, you never find yourself asking where you put a movie; you just pull it up on Netflix or Amazon and start watching.

However, as the digital age solves one problem another surely appears. With dozens of different ways to watch television and movies, you now run into the problem of bringing your media across different devices.

The family wants to watch The Hobbit on TV but can’t because it’s downloaded on your tablet. Pretty annoying, right? Well, let not your heart be troubled because there is a wonderful app called PLEX which just might solve your media woes.

What is Plex?

PLEX is an all in one media hub that allows you to play media from device onto another. PLEX basically acts as a central server that syncs, organizes, and allows you to play media on any device. The best part is it’s free!

Going back to my previous example; if I had the Hobbit on my tablet and wanted to watch in on my television, all I have to do is pull up PLEX and within a few clicks the whole family is watching Bilbo and the gang romp about Middle Earth. It really is that simple; I’m not even kidding.

Plex Media Center

The PLEX interface is simple, easy to use, and beautiful; it looks very similar to Roku and Netflix’s setup. There are separate tabs for movies, television, music, and even a tab for movies/shows you haven’t finished watching yet.

If you ever get bored with your own media, PLEX offers access to a wide array of internet channels like TED Talks, Vimeo, and DailyMotion.

Plex Setup

What isn’t so simple is the PLEX setup. While I didn’t have too much trouble setting it up myself, several reviews I came across complained about the complicated setup. If you’re not very tech-savvy, you might be disappointed to find that it’s not as simple as Netflix; but with a little patience you won’t have too much trouble.

Would you like to know more about PLEX setup? Read their setup guide here

While older media hubs would present everything in a scattered fashion, leaving you to do the organization; PLEX automatically tags and organizes everything for you. When adding media to PLEX, it uses meta-data from the digital file to download information about it off the internet.

For example, when you upload your digital version of Star Wars, PLEX will search the internet to find out what it is (TV or Movie), who starred in it, and what it’s about. The auto-tagging feature works about 95 percent of the time; so if you own a large media library, you’ll probably find a few files here and there with incorrect information. Overall though, the occasional hiccup in tagging isn’t enough to ruin or diminish your experience.

Would you like to know more about how to optimize your media for tagging? Read PLEX’s guide here

Plex Devices

PLEX works with almost every device on the market; including Window, iOS, Android, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox, and much more. You’ll be hard pressed to find a device that doesn’t work with PLEX.

How Much Does Plex Cost?

That being said, if you want to use PLEX with your Android or Roku device you’ll have to pay $5 for each app. However, if you pay for the premium service PLEX PASS, you can get both apps for free.

As a free service, PLEX is great; as a premium service, PLEX is amazing. You can purchase their premium service, called PLEX PASS, for $4.99 a month; $39.99 a year; or $119.99 for a lifetime subscription. Here are some of the extra features you get with PLEX PASS:

• With the Cloud Sync feature you can optimize the format of your media and upload it to cloud storage via Dropbox, Google Drive, and other supported 3rd party cloud storage services.
• Sync media to any of your devices and watch it offline at a later time; kind of like Spotify but with all forms of digital media.
• Automatically sync your photos from your mobile device to PLEX; making it easier to share memories with distant relatives.

The ability to sync your media to your mobile devices for offline play makes PLEXPASS worth it. If you plan on using it for more than a year, I would recommend getting the lifetime membership; use it for more than 15 months and it pays for itself.

Overall, PLEX and its premium service PLEX PASS is must have for anyone tired of jumping through hoops just to watch something that they already own.

Plex doesn’t exactly hide the fact that it’s a killer app for pirated video. Just look at the marketing materials for the media server software, and you’ll see how easy it is to stream your collection of movies and TV shows to all your devices. The open secret is that you probably can’t acquire that kind of video collection without downloading from BitTorrent or ripping your DVDs or Blu-ray discs (circumventing copy protection is either against the law or fair use of discs you purchased, depending on your perspective).

Hey, I’m not here to judge. But I was interested to see if Plex could be a valuable tool for law-abiding cord cutters as well. After playing around with the software and asking some kind folks on Reddit, I’ve found some legal uses for Plex that are worth checking out. Now that Plex has revamped its Roku app, it’s a fine time to take another look.

Plex basics

Plex is actually two programs in one. On one end, there’s the media server software for desktop computers, which serves up your videos, music, and photos to other devices on your local network. (There’s also a separate version for network-attached storage drives, which typically run on some flavor of Linux.) Install the app, tell it which folders you want to share, and Plex automatically makes those files available to other devices.

That’s where Plex’s client apps come in. Download the Plex app for your phone, tablet, or set-top box, and you’ll easily be able to view your computer’s media over a local Wi-Fi network.

Plex’s media server software is free, but the company charges $5 for most of its client apps. Plex also has a $5-per-month subscription service, called Plex Pass, which offers features such as cloud streaming, managed user accounts, and offline viewing on phones and tablets. Fortunately, a subscription isn’t necessary for the uses we’ll discuss here.

Tapping into web video

One of the best ways to use Plex legally is as a source for online video. Plex offers several “Channels” from sources like Comedy Central and The Food Network. So even if your Roku or Fire TV Stick doesn’t have apps for those channels, Plex has you covered.

Setting up Plex Channels is fairly easy. Just right-click on Plex in the system tray on your PC, and then open Media Manager. Head to the Channels section from the left sidebar, and click Install Channels.

Plex Channels serve up web video that might otherwise be hard to get on your TV.

Here some channels that I recommend:

• CBS
• Comedy Central
• Food Network
• HGTV
• History Channel
• Nick Jr.
• PBS
• SoundCloud
• South Park
• The CW
• Team Coco
• The Daily Show
• Twit.TV

You don’t have to limit yourself to video from Channels, however. Using another tool called Plex It, you can bookmark videos from around the web, letting you watch them later on your TV. This is especially useful for video sites that don’t have a TV app available, though it doesn’t work on some big ones like Hulu.

To set up Plex It, you will need a Plex account. Create one, sign in through the Media Manager on your computer, and you should see a “Queue” option added to the main menu. Click the “?” button, and you’ll head to a web page where you can drag the Plex It button onto your browser’s bookmarks bar. Now, you can just click the Plex It bookmark button when you’re on a page with video, and Plex will add it to your queue.

I wish Plex It supported more sites, but the current list of working sites has a handful of gems. Try using it at Adult Swim, NBC, Discovery Channel, and Disney Channel to stock up on videos you might want to watch in the living room.

Whole-home DVR, for hardcore cord cutters

Another interesting use for Plex is as a server for videos from an over-the-air DVR.

I recently purchased a cheap USB TV tuner for my desktop computer, and set it up to view and record broadcast TV through Windows Media Center. (More on that in a future column.) Every recording goes into a “Recorded TV” folder on my desktop, and I’ve told Plex media server to serve up any video that appears in that folder. So now when I use the Plex app on my Roku or Fire TV, any show I’ve recorded on my PC is automatically available for viewing.

Point Plex to Windows Media Center’s recording folder, and presto! Whole-home DVR for you.

The one problem I ran into was getting Plex to recognize the files, which Windows Media Center saves in Microsoft’s proprietary .WTV format. Plex only recognizes these files if you add the library as a “Home Videos” folder, rather than a “TV Shows” folder in the media manager. Converting the files is an option, but I like that the recording and viewing process is automated. It’s a nice way to grab interesting shows from over the airwaves and save them for later viewing.

Extra goodies: Stream your photos and music

Beyond video, Plex is also a handy way to bring your music collection and personal photos to other devices around the house.

For photos, just open the Media Manager, hit the “+” icon in the left sidebar, choose Photos, and then add the folder you want to share. Plex’s apps have a built-in slideshow mode, so it’s a great background option if you’re honoring someone’s graduation or anniversary.

Adding music is a similar process: Open the Media Manager, hit the “+” button, choose Music, and then add the folder where your music files are stored. You can then import playlists from other programs like iTunes, or create new playlists through the Media Manager software.

Sure, Plex is at its most powerful when you have a huge library of movies and TV shows to tap into—regardless of how you acquired them—but its streaming capabilities can still be a valuable tool in the cord-cutting arsenal. Be sure to check out my earlier columns for even more cord-cutting tips.

Jared Newman covers personal technology from his remote Cincinnati outpost. He also publishes two newsletters, Advisorator for tech advice and Cord Cutter Weekly for help with ditching cable or satellite TV.

In short: Plex is the program that allows us to create our own Netflix. And best of all, completely free of charge. And, if we want additional functions and features, we can unlock them by buying the “premium pass” for 5 euros per month, or 120 euros in its lifetime mode.

How to install the media center

Despite being a proprietary program, Plex is available for a large number of different operating systems, both for desktop (such as typical Windows, macOS and Linux) as well as for micro-computers and NAS servers. In addition, there are several ways to install and start this server so that we can choose the one that best suits our needs or the way we work with the PC.

Install it from the package

On the Plex download website we will find all the installers available to launch this server on any operating system. Simply enter that link, and select that we want to download the Linux version on our PC.

We can see the current version of the server, and the date this latest version was released. We will also see a button from which we can choose the distribution we are using to download the appropriate installer. We can find installers for Ubuntu / Debian, both 32-bit and 64-bit and ARM, as well as installers for Fedora / CentOS / SUSE.

We will download the appropriate file for our distro, either a .deb in the case of Ubuntu / Debian, or a .rpm in the case of Fedora-based distros. We can open this file by double-clicking on it so that the package manager will be in charge of putting it into operation, or by opening the .deb using the command “sudo dpkg -i”, followed by the path where we have the program, in a terminal.

Use APT to install Plex on Ubuntu

Since Plex is proprietary software, it is not included by default in the main software repositories. Therefore, if we want to be able to install and update it from the terminal, as one more program, we will have to add the repositories for this software to our Linux. To do this, we will open a terminal to execute the following two commands:

Import the GPG key:

curl | sudo apt-key add –

Add the repository:

echo deb public main | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/plexmediaserver.list

Once the repository has been added to our Linux, the next step will be to update the software lists to be able to add it to our PC. To do this, we will simply execute the command «sudo apt update»With which we will surely be familiar. And, once the repositories are updated, then we will execute the following command to install the server on our PC:

sudo apt install plexmediaserver

Ready. When the download and installation process is finished, we will have Plex Media Server installed on our Linux. We can verify that it is running with the following command that allows us to know the state of the daemon:

sudo systemctl status plexmediaserver

Update the media center

When Plex launches a new version we will have two options. The first of them will be to download the .deb or .rpm package again and install it on top by hand, or the second (and the most recommended, by the way) will be to do it from the repositories (provided that we have used the second option to install the multimedia center).

To do this, the first thing we will do is update the software databases with “sudo apt update” and execute the following command:

sudo apt install –only-upgrade plexmediaserver

This command will take care of downloading and installing the new version of Plex (if there is one) and update the multimedia server. When the process is finished, Plex will already be installed on our PC.

It may happen that, during the update process, the official Plex repository is deactivated. In that case, the quickest thing is to add it again as we have seen in the previous step.

Configure the server

Once we have it ready, we are going to configure it. The first thing we should do is create the folders that we are going to use, where we are going to store all the multimedia files on our server. It is true that we can then add any folder that we have saved on the PC, but the best way to do it is this. To create these folders, we will execute the following command (changing «movies» by the name that we want to give to each folder (series, music, etc).

sudo mkdir -p /opt/plexmedia/pelis

Next, we will give Plex read and write permissions so that it can work seamlessly with these folders with the command:

sudo chown -R plex: /opt/plexmedia

And we already have everything you need to enter Plex. We simply have to open a browser, write the IP of the server where we have the server installed (for example, 127.0.0.1 in case of being the same computer) together with port 32400. The URL of the browser will be as follows:

Now we log in with Google, Apple or with our mail and follow the wizard to start up Plex Media Server, create the libraries and leave it ready to become our own private and free Netflix.

Install Plex Media Player

We already have the server installed on our Linux, but now how do we see the videos that we have added to the server? Plex offers us a web interface that allows us to explore our entire library from the browser and access the content, but it is not the optimal way to do it.

Thanks to Plex Media Player we will be able to have a “client” with which we can connect to our local Plex server and reproduce all the content that we have stored on it. There are several ways to install this program, but none of them include doing it from the official repositories. Therefore, the way we are going to recommend you is to do it through Flatpak, since this is available for all distros.

The first thing we must do is install Flatpak (if we do not have it) on our Linux with the following command:

sudo apt install flatpak

sudo apt-get install flatpak

sudo pacman -S flatpak

sudo dnf install flatpak

sudo zypper install flatpak

Once we have Flatpak ready, we will configure the repository by executing this command:

sudo flatpak remote-add –if-not-exists plexmediaplayer

And finally, we install it with the following:

sudo flatpak install tv.plex.PlexMediaPlayer

We already have everything you need to enjoy Plex. The server will be the one in charge of centralizing all our content, while Plex Media Player will be the player.

Start here to get a better understanding of what Plex is (and isn’t).. Below are links to a few sites that can help with media server/systems automation; there are undoubtedly others, and most will will be OS specific but can be used as a general guide:

How to Set Up a Plex Server | PCMag

Jan 02, 2020 · If you’re that lucky friend, all you need is an invitation to someone else’s Plex server, but if you’re the one running the show, you’ll need to do a little more setup. Before you get started .

The Ultimate Guide to Plex Media Server (2021 Update .

Why Plex is the Killer App for the Apple TV and How to Get .

Feb 10, 2016 · Oct 23, 2018 · Getting Started With Plex. We have a complete guide on the setup. That article is a bit out of date and uses a Roku as an example, but the basics are the same. . All I need to do …

Plex Media Server: A Beginner’s Guide | Comparitech

Sep 20, 2017 · You’ll need to install the server on a computer connected to your media storage device. It works best if there’s a physical connection, like a hard drive in the server or a USB storage device, but Plex can also be set for network storage over a mapped drive.

Why you need to get started with Plex – MacDailyNews

Sep 10, 2018 · Why you need to get started with Plex. . a year to get a decent Apple TV (couldn’t do that) that would run PSVue and support 4K, or get a Roku now. . which Apple’s clients do not. That .

Getting my Learners Started with PLEX | My Performance .

Nov 19, 2020 · Nov 19, 2020 · You will need to have an email address ready to use and you will be asked to pick which PLEX package you want. All of the information will be provided as you complete the registration steps. Once you are registered, you will need to add your learners to your PLEX Dashboard. You will be guided through your dashboa rd on how to do this. You’ll need to download a spreadsheet …

Cutting The Cord with Plex Live TV: Review

Jun 11, 2019 · As a rule, to access over-the air channels (through Plex or otherwise) you do need an antenna. This is the one we used (Amazon).

How to set up a Plex server | Trusted Reviews

Apr 29, 2020 · Apr 29, 2020 · The first thing you need to do before you can set up a Plex server is download the installation file and run the installer. On Windows, Plex will be set to run automatically.

Heather Senior Editor at TechJunkie. I have a passion for writing all things tech. When I’m not writing, you can find me geeking out, gaming and spending time with my family. Follow me on Twitter @BloomerHeather. Read more May 30, 2019

The world of TV entertainment is always expanding, and one of the coolest developments of the last ten years or so is the rise of media server software that lets you use your PC or network storage device as the heart of an integrated entertainment center. Plex is a software-based media server that you can set up on your home computer or NAS (network area storage) device, allowing you to stream movies, music, TV shows, photos, home video, and most other types of video or audio content to any device on your home network, such as a smart TV, a laptop, a phone or a tablet.

Just about any type of devices that can connect to your home internet, such as a smartphone, tablet, computer, game console, web browser or streaming device, will allow you to use Plex. The Roku streaming device is a perfect companion for Plex, and in this article I’ll walk you through the process of getting everything setup to use Plex and Roku together.

Attention All Kodi & Plex Users: Here’s a few facts for you about the potential dangers of streaming online while unprotected:

1. Your ISP has a direct window into everything you view and stream on the web
2. Your ISP is now LEGALLY allowed to sell that information about what you view
3. Most ISPs don’t want to deal with lawsuits directly, so oftentimes they will pass along your viewing information to protect themselves, further compromising your privacy.

The only way to protect your viewing and identity in the 3 above scenarios is by using a VPN. By streaming content directly through your ISP, you potentially expose everything you view on the internet to both them, as well as those who’s interest they might be protecting. A VPN protects that. Follow these 2 links and you’ll be streaming securely in no time:

is our VPN of choice. They are extremely fast and their security is top notch. Get 3 months free for a limited time
1. Learn How To Install a VPN on Your Fire TV Stick

What is Plex?

Plex began its life as a spin-off, closed-source program that rivals Kodi, another media suite, in nearly every way, designed to stream your media over your home network or to computers across the internet around the world. Both Kodi and Plex are excellent ways to consume and stream media, and each have their advantages. If you’re looking to use Kodi to install add-ons and builds in order to stream content from around the world, Plex won’t do you much good. But if you’ve built a strong collection of digital media on your own library, you might want to consider using Plex to stream to your litany of devices, including your Fire Stick. Plex is a fairly simple program that allows you to stream your locally-hosted content to any Plex-enabled device. While you’ll need to run and manage the server on your own, it’s well worth using if you’re willing to put in the work (or if you have a friend build a server for you).

Get Plex

The first thing you’ll need to do if you haven’t already is get the Plex media server by downloading it. To do that you’ll need to go to Plex’s website. You can get Plex for Windows, Mac, Linux and FreeBSD as well as for several NAS devices. You’ll need to create a Plex account; they have free and paid plans. The free plan will suffice for most users; the paid plan is just $4.99 a month and gives you access to things like multiple users on your Plex system and cloud storage for your media content.

After installing Plex, you’ll be able to stream your content to Roku and the other devices you own. You just need to get the Plex channel application on your Roku to use it there. Then, you link the two together and you’re ready to roll. It’s very simple, and I’ll walk you through it.

Get the Plex Roku Channel

On your Roku streaming device, you’ll want to head to the channels store. Scroll down the list on the left-hand side of the Roku home page.

• • Select streaming channels.
  • Next, scroll down to Search Channels and enter Plex in the search bar to the right.
  • • Once your Roku finds Plex in the Channel store, it shows on your screen. Click on Plex and then click your Roku remote again where it says Add Channel on your TV.

    You’ll now see that Roku is adding the Plex channel to your Roku device. After it’s finished adding Plex, you’ll see a notification on your screen. It’ll let you know that Plex has been added to the end of your Roku home page.

    Now go back to your Roku home by pressing the button on your remote that resembles a house or Go to Channel.

    1. The first time you open the Plex channel on your Roku, you’ll need to sign in with your Plex account.
    2. After clicking sign in on your TV screen with the Roku remote, then go to a computer or your mobile device and visit the link as directed.
    3. Enter the code that’s shown to you on your TV screen into your Plex account from your computer or mobile device.

    Now your Roku is linked to your Plex account!

    As long as your Plex server is set up on your computer or a storage device connected to your network via your internet, you can use Plex through your Roku anytime you wish! Just select the Plex channel.

    Conclusion

    If you’re looking for a way to stream your locally owned content from your computer or attached network storage device, it’s easy to do with . If you’re a Roku owner, it’s also simple to link your Plex account server to your Roku device so you can access your Plex media from the comfort of your couch. Sit back, relax and get comfortable in your favorite spot. Watch, listen and control everything connected with Plex through your Roku. Things can’t get easier and more convenient than that—enjoy.

    Do you have any good suggestions for getting the most out of Plex on your Roku? Share them with us below!

    A wise colleague once told me I should never have anything on in the background just to have it on. He’s probably right, but I still like to pop on a show while I’m cooking dinner, tidying up, or working on home improvement projects. The noise is soothing to me, but cable, with its weird programming choices and commercials, is not.

    A new service, dizqueTV , is now available ( for those brave enough to try out untested software) to help you create TV channels that pull content from what you already have on hand.

    My solution for the last few years has been to just create a playlist of shows and let it run on a cycle in Plex, but dizqueTV should be a much more robust option. dizqueTV is a fork of pseudoTV-plex , which is itself a fork of PseudoTV , a service available for Kodi users. One of the major differences, for now, is that dizqueTV should handle multiple video file formats more smoothly that pseudoTV-plex does (my adventures with ripping and encoding in the 2000s continues to pain my Plex library). Like those services, dizqueTV should give you the ability to create whole channels of content that are always running and better mimic the live TV experience than a simple playlist can.

    Plex Just Killed My Cable Box Rental, and It Could Kill Yours Too

    One of the dirty secrets about streaming live TV services like PS Vue and Hulu TV is that in many…

    So if you want a channel that plays nothing but The Simpsons and King of the Hill episodes from the ‘ 90s, you can mak e that. You can build a channel that’s only live-action spy shows from the ‘ 80s. Want to give the kids an easy stream of diversions without worrying about them messing with remotes or going down a terrifying YouTube rabbit hole ? You can!

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    And, yes, for the particular masochists among you, you can even have episodes interrupted by commercial breaks—which you can choose yourself.

    How dizqueTV works is by spoofing a TV tuner like the Homerun tuners we’ve previously recommended . Plex then sees dizqueTV as a series of streams it can play, complete with a TV guide that shows upcoming episodes in your custom channels. You can even create and upload custom artwork for your channels.

    dizqueTV has currently been tested for Windows and Linux 64-bit and appears to work. The dev has also released macOS and Windows 32-bit versions, but they haven’t been tested, so you’ll need to use at your own risk. I’ve already installed the available Docker image to my own server and can’t wait to tinker with it off the clock.

    It’s also absolutely crucial to note that dizqueTV is open- source software that’s still in the very early stages of development, so you probably shouldn’t try it out if you’re not familiar with command line or comfortable with buggy software. If you’d prefer something verifiably stable, PseudoTV is a great option.

    Plex Media Center er bedst kendt for super nem afspilning af lokale mediefiler, men det betyder ikke, at du ikke kan få strøm til streaming video. Kanalsystemet gør det nemt at tilføje indhold fra forskellige kilder lige fra velkendte tv-stationer til specialindhold.

    Vi har vist dig, hvordan du konfigurerer Plex til at se dine film på en hvilken som helst enhed, og vi har vist dig, hvordan du gemmer internetvideo til senere visning, men kanalsystemet tilbyder noget anderledes. I stedet for at kurere dit eget indhold, giver Kanalsystemet dig mulighed for at tilføje indhold, som du kan gennemse på dit indfald. Det bruger de allerede etablerede streaming sites til kanaler som USA, SyFy eller Comedy Central, så mens du ikke får alle episoder af hvert show, kan du se alt, hvad du kunne streame fra disse websteder – lovligt!

    Tilføjelse af kanaler til Plex

    Kom godt i gang med Plex Channels er lige så nemt som at logge ind på din Plex server fra webportalen og kigge efter kategorien "Online Content" på venstre side. Vælg "Kanaler" for at komme i gang.

    Hvis du aldrig har brugt kanalfunktionen før, vil tingene se lidt sparsomme ud. Klik på knappen "Install Channels" for at afhjælpe det.

    Inde i Channel Directory finder du en række underkategorier som "Fremhævet", "Mest populære" og "Nyligt opdateret". Den Nyligt Opdaterede kategori er et godt sted at starte, fordi vi ikke indrømmer, at alle kanaler ikke er korrekt vedligeholdt, og nogle gange ændres i kilden (som hvordan, siger ABC, strukturerer deres video feeds) vil bryde dem. At starte med en nyligt opdateret kanal gør det nemmere at teste tingene ud.

    For at starte, tilføjer vi "Comedy Central" Channel, så vi kan naturligvis se Drunk History via Plex. Vælg hvilken som helst kanal i hvilken kategori du surfer.

    Klik på knappen "Installer". Når du er installeret, klik på "X" i hjørnet og gentag processen, og tilføj et par ekstra kanaler, der ser interessant ud. Når du har fyldt op på fanen Kanaler, er det tid til faktisk at gennemse de kanaler, du har tilføjet.

    Visning af kanaler i Plex

    Der er to måder at tjekke dine nye Plex kanaler på. Du kan, som med alt dit videoindhold, se lige i samme webinterface, du lige har brugt til at indstille kanalerne. Vælg blot kanaler igen og vælg en kanal:

    Gennemse rundt for noget interessant at se og pludselig a SvampeBob Jule special:

    Hvis du har et Chromecast eller Google Cast-kompatibelt tv, kan du slynge den video lige over. Selvom du ser det i browser eller skyder det på tværs af netværket, er det praktisk, du kan også få adgang til det på en mere traditionel måde, hvis du har Plex oprettet på dit smart TV eller en selvstændig enhed, som RasPlex på Raspberry Pi.

    Sådan ser Kanal-menuen ud på vores RasPlex-installation – hele Channel Godness med al den nemme at sidde i sofaen:

    På grund af Plex's centraliserede system er alle kanaler, vi lige har tilføjet for et øjeblik siden, allerede tilgængelige.

    Efter det SvampeBob specielt er vi i humør til en lidt mere seriøs billetpris, så hvorfor går vi ikke over til SyFy Channel.

    Her kan vi se aktuelle episoder af shows somIncorporated, Udvidelsen, og12 aber-Kort abonnement eller sketchy downloads kræves.