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Integration with services and plugins

Plex integrates with third-party apps and services, such as Tautulli for usage statistics. It also supports plugins for enhanced functionality.

Finally, Plex also includes free, ad-supported streaming content (movies, TV channels, web shows).

The above mentioned characteristics add to Plex functionality as an entertainment tool.

Setting Up a Plex-Based Home Cinema

To setup a home cinema system based on Plex you need the following.

Media Server: You need a computer or NAS device. Both require enough processing power and storage to host and serve media. A NAS is always preferable. Storage can be an issue for large media libraries.

One has to note that an uncompressed HD movie is about 20 GB in size whereas a 4k one can be up to 50-60 GB in size. Thus, a media library of 3000 movies can reach up to 150 TB of disk space. Thus it is always preferable to invest in high-capacity hard drives and NAS solutions.

Media Files: You need high-quality rips or digital copies of movies and TV shows.

They must be organized by folder following the Plex naming conventions.

Network: You must have an Ethernet connection for 4K streaming. A strong Wi-Fi signal can also do the job, especially for lower resolution media.

Playback Devices: Smart TVs or streaming devices like NVIDIA Shield TV, Apple TV, or Roku can all run Plex like a charm.

Setting up a Plex server requires a degree of technical knowledge, especially when dealing with transcoding or remote access.

To sum up, Plex greatly contributes to the creation of home theaters that rival professional setups in both form and function. It is invaluable for cinephiles, families, or casual viewers.

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Kostas Stergiou

Kostas Stergiou is a Professor at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He was the former Director of the Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters of HCMR (2013-2021).He has research interests on fish and fisheries ecology, modeling and forecasting, ecosystem management, and bibliometrics. He has contributed more than 200 papers in peer-reviewed journals and several other publications (see https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=k8hb4pIAAAAJ).Since 2008 and 2015 he developed the home cinema and smart home hobbies and has installed different home cinema setups in two different houses which have lately been transformed to smart ones.

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