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Then create one or more libraries in Plex’s settings, which you access in your web browser.
#Plex media player os x how to
Read this article to learn how to name your files, so Plex can find metadata efficiently, and then copy your movies and TV series to the Mac mini, or to its external hard drive.
#Plex media player os x install
On your Apple TV-and any iOS devices you want to use-you also need to install the Plex app to be able to interact with the server.
#Plex media player os x download
Once you’ve got your Mac mini set up, you need to download and install Plex, and read their Quick Start guide to get things up and running. Since you’ll need to access the Mac mini in this way from time to time, create a screen sharing alias. I’d recommend getting a video display emulator, or the $3 Resolutionator, so you can switch resolutions, making it easier to work with the device. You can control a Mac without a display using Screen Sharing. You can point, click, and type in the Screen Sharing window, just as you would on a normal display. Just find it in the Shared section of the Finder window sidebar, and click Share Screen to start screen sharing. You should have one for your media, and another to back up the first drive (and the operating system you can use Time Machine so this runs automatically.)Īfter you configure the Sharing settings, the Mac mini doesn’t need a display you can manage it remotely from any Mac. It’s cheaper to get a less expensive Mac mini and use external hard drives. If you buy a current build-to-order Mac mini, you can get a 2TB drive in the most expensive model, but that would cost you $1100. You need to plan ahead as far as storage is concerned. (Remember, Plex cannot play any DRM-protected videos purchased from the iTunes Store or elsewhere.) My music library, as well as my iTunes Store movies and TV series, are stored on my iMac, but I’ve shunted the rest of my videos to the Mac mini. I only use Plex for videos movies and TV shows that I’ve ripped from DVD or Blu-Ray. You can probably find a similar model used for a few hundred dollars. It has a Thunderbolt port, but it does not have USB 3. I also bought the Mac mini with a 256GB SSD and a second internal drive of 750GB. The 2.7GHz Core i7 is fast enough to transcode video and handle several other tasks at the same time.
I’m running a 2011 Mac mini that I tricked out with the fastest available processor when I bought it. For $699, you get a Mac mini with a 2.6GHz processor and 1TB hard drive, which will handle most people’s media collections. But the entry-level model with a 1.4GHz processor is a bit pokey. The current model, starting at $499, includes Thunderbolt and USB 3 connections, and while it doesn’t have the largest (or fastest) hard drive, its 500GB might be enough for your media collection. Its small form factor and quiet operation makes it easy to integrate into a home entertainment system or use as a server stashed away in a corner. The Mac mini is the cheapest Mac you can buy. You can, of course, use that Mac mini for other things, such as using it as a file server, or for Time Machine backups. In this article, I’m going to tell you how you can set up a Mac mini as a dedicated Plex server. (If you do have a lot of videos that need transcoding, a NAS might not be a good fit for Plex.) Plex doesn’t need a lot of horsepower to manage and stream your media, unless it transcodes video. The Mac mini is a perfect candidate for this. If you have a large media collection, you may want to use a Mac as a dedicated device to run Plex. It’s advantageous that Plex’s server be always on, so you can start watching your movies and TV shows without having to boot your Mac. (Heck, you could even set it up on a Raspberry Pi.)
#Plex media player os x software
You can install the Plex server software on a variety of devices: your Mac, a PC, a NAS (network attached storage device), and more. With the arrival of the fourth-generation Apple TV, I found myself trying out the Plex media server, and I realized that using Plex is one of the best ways to watch media on the Apple TV.