Adam Rose Plex is a fairly well-known and powerful tool for making multimedia content available, both for free and with premium features as part of a Plex Pass subscription. It offers users a number of titles free of charge on demand, but above all, it can perfectly organize your home collection of movies, TV shows, music, but also photos and personal videos.
Its capabilities are really broad, and in addition to sophisticated search, they also include transcoding and access to the library from virtually anywhere. You can enjoy your collection on computers, tablets and mobile phones, via most smart TVs, with Play Station and Xbox game consoles or on multimedia centers such as Apple TV and similar devices.
Getting the platform up and running requires the installation of Plex Media Server, which QNAP NAS are perfect for. Not only do they provide plenty of performance and storage space, but with their 24/7 power consumption significantly lower than most computers, they also allow you to have all your content close at hand whenever you have time for entertainment.
How to do it
The procedure is very simple, just enter the Application Center of your NAS operating system and enter Plex in the search field. Then all that remains is to click on the item "+ Install" and wait a moment for the process to complete. The moment when "Open" appears under the icon, it is the right time to do so, which will redirect you to the web interface. This will first ask you to check the IP address of the server and at the same time offer several ways to log in. Specifically, you can choose between Google, Facebook, Applu or choose any email address you use. The wizard will then explain the basic principles of operation and then offer one of the variant subscription from monthly payment 125 Kč over a year for 1 Kč up to a lifetime license for 2 Kč.
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Server settings
The next step is to set up a server running on your QNAP NAS. Fortunately, it's not complicated. It's basically just a matter of naming it, synchronizing the viewing and rating status, and selecting the key sources for each library. As for the name, you can either keep it as the NAS is identified on the network, or resort to a more friendly name like "QNAP at home" or something similar. You confirm the synchronization, thanks to which you can then see on all devices where you stopped watching or what you gave the maximum number of stars, by clicking the "Yes, start synchronization" or "No" button, while you fill the Movies, TV Shows, Music, Photos, and Other Videos libraries by defining the directories from which the content should be loaded, along with the preferred language in which the titles and available information will be displayed.macand published media.
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Plex libraries and their contents
Plex can handle a less systematic arrangement, but for maximum consistency it is better to follow the recommendations and name the files in the folders (especially if you import them in large quantities) so that they are correctly identified. This varies slightly based on the type of content. For example, for TV shows, the ideal solution is to place them in the TV Shows folder, then continue to the title of the series and finally to the seasons, i.e. Season 01 and so on, while it is good to use the structure when organizing individual episodes: Title (broadcast year) - s01e01 - Episode designation.
For audio files, the optimal naming convention is Music (although this is not a requirement) and then insert their albums with numbered tracks marked with a dash and the song title at the end into the directories of specific artists. Personally, I use a slightly different system, where a single folder contains the artist or group, or (in the case of classical music) the author, then a dash and the album title with its release date placed in parentheses, and in the vast majority of cases, I have not encountered a problem. I have only found it useful to further divide multi-disc releases into CD1 and CD2, thanks to which the list of songs is clearer after clicking on the album. The Photos and Other Videos library, whose number or pre-prepared names do not limit you, is an interesting way to access personal photos and recordings from vacations, various trips, celebrations, cultural events, and the like. The range of additional informationmacs, previews or data about the time of acquisition is now entirely up to you. By adding another library of the Other Videos type, for example, labeled Work, you can clearly separate it from family events and memories.
What Plex offers in combination with QNAP NAS
From what has been said so far, with Plex Media Server running on one of QNAP's compatible NAS, you'll have all your multimedia content right in the palm of your hand. You give it order, in a clear form, which is why you can easily find the desired video, photo or watched series.
Available infomacabout the media
Once you've filled your libraries, you can start watching or listening tochat and nochat be inspired by sophisticated informationmacemi, which are part of the application. For example, in the case of films, in addition to the description of the work, these also contain reviews, the complete cast, of course the director, but also the producers and other members of the production team, and each personality can be clicked on to find out more about them, including a complete filmography. Plex will also offer you the most important related films, for example with the same actor in the lead role, in a similar genre or by the same creators. You will also suddenly see your music collection with Plex in a completely new context when other albums by the selected artist or those related in genre appear in front of you. In most cases, there is a short column about the artist or author and recommendations based on recently added, most played or stylistically related songs. There are also many automatically generated playlists, as well as space to create your own.
It is appropriate to say that even though the interface is completely in Czech, as well as a significant part of the related texts, in some cases the labels are loaded in English, because the appropriate language mutation was not created. They are mostly lesser-known personalities. Exceptionally, for example, biographical data is missing, but even that has a solution. If you are one of those who want to have everything in perfect condition, do not despair, the data can be edited or the works can be given labels, according to which the given content will be easier to find later, or you can even associate it with another of a similar nature.
Editing
Access to changes is provided by the pen icon, above which the label "Edit" appears after hovering. It is possible to intervene in almost everything, be it additional data about the actor, performer, album, replacement of the poster, choice of background, but also, for example, the slogan of the film, the studio behind it, or the original title.
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Additional settings
If we focus on the settings, the menu is quite extensive. However, there is definitely nothing to worry about. Plex is designed smartly and legibly. It draws attention to significant changes and hides them under "View extended" in almost all cases. In addition to general items such as automatic login or time format, you can choose from various parameters. From the rich offer, it is worth mentioning, for example, the choice of the quality of Internet and home streaming, the interval of library scanning, including automatic detection after making changes in folders, or access to statistical data. Plex can integrate with services like Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, Tidal and many others, so if you come across content that is available on any of them, you will be redirected directly to the title.
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There are also quite a few options for sharing, or managing access to the library and watching with friends you invite to Plex. In addition to defining the availability of content, for example to children in the household, where you can determine the scope of what they will be able to watch and listen to based on the criteria offered or specific directories,chat, there's nothing stopping you from sharing selected personal videos, photos or recordings with designated contacts. Plex can easily become your private social media platform. There are also upload limits to ensure your personal streaming experience comes first. Password protection is also useful and highly recommended.
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And these are just some examples of the capabilities of this platform. As you can see, he can do a lot.
Software and hardware transcoding
One of Plex's capabilities that deserves a bit of attention is the aforementioned transcoding, either software or hardware. This can make a big difference in the smoothness of playback on any device. While the software for 4K videos at 60 frames per second due to the demands on the processor QNAP recommends at least an Intel Core i3 (or more powerful) and you can get by without a subscription, the hardware conversion uses the resources of a supported CPU or GPU, which applies to selected models such as are QNAP TS-253E, TS-462 or TS-410E, with this feature being premium as part of Plex Pass. Detailed information is available on the website of the manufacturer QNAP list compatibility of individual NAS and their level of support for Plex. So if you are the proud owner, you can see what all your network storage can do in combination with this multimedia tool, which also applies to the case when you are considering a purchase, as you may want to include the parameters in the selection criteria.
Personal view
I have personally been using Plex to my satisfaction for years. As an occasional creator who occasionally films something of his own, I also have some of my videos in the library or suitably embellished recordings with graphics and everything that goes with it. The TS-462 NAS from QNAP that I currently have available for larger collections has four drive bays, a 2GHz dual-core Intel Celeron N4505 processor capable of up to 2,0GHz, 2,9GB of RAM, a PCIe slot, and 4. 2,5 gigabit connectivity seems like an ideal solution.
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With 4K playback at 60Hz via output HDMI 2.0 and real-time transcoding capabilities, it is a tool that will definitely satisfy even the most demanding users. The QTS operating system is fast and installing applications, such as Plex, is completely simple and hassle-free.
