Plex has launched Plex HTPC, software designed for Windows, Linux or Mac OS based computers that serve as home media centers.
The official launch comes after a lengthy period of about a year and a half during which beta software was available, and almost three years after the company decided to discontinue Plex Media Player, a product that was also designed for HTPC but became outdated and slow while Plex’s attention shifted to development Other solutions for watching series and movies.
Plex HTPC does not suffer from such problems: it actually looks almost identical to existing versions of Plex designed for media streams and game consoles, and supports advanced functions such as skipping openings, watching live broadcasts, controlling game controllers and precise settings for video quality, video language and more. When Flex detects a video file of a movie or series, the software is able to automatically display details about the episode, the names of the actors and other information, as well as translation files.
The software is mainly intended for computers connected to a TV or projector, in a ratio of 16: 9 and with resolutions of up to 4K. Its installation and use are of course completely free. Installing Plex Media Server allows you to view this content simultaneously on other platforms, including iOS and Android-based mobile devices.
It is interesting to note that Flex explains that the original decision to give up HTPC software as early as 2019 was made after the company came up with the idea that media streamers have actually replaced the heavier and more expensive media computers, and users no longer need them. Criticism has led staff to believe that the announcement of the death of the HTPC has certainly come too soon, and there is still a great demand in the market for such solutions.
The download is already available for Windows and MacOS computers and will later be offered for Linux.