Plex is phasing out Home Theater PC (HTPC) support

Plex is introducing a new desktop app for Windows and macOS that will replace Plex Media Player, and as such Plex's HTPC solution, by January 2020. 

The end of an era
Together with XBMC (Kodi) and Boxee, Plex rose to fame as a HTPC (Home Theater PC) solution when PCs ruled the world. Back then, people would connect PCs to TVs in order to build flexible video playback systems - and some viewers still do.

However, viewers are increasingly embracing streaming players such as Apple TV, Roku, and FireTV, Plex argues. That is why it is planning to phase out support for its HTPC solution by January 30, 2020. A new desktop app is meant to replace it.

- "e want to be clear about this: the long-term plan is for the new desktop app to replace Plex Media Player as our only desktop solution. The new desktop app is notably lacking TV mode, which means that we’re going to stop supporting the traditional HTPC setup (using a desktop computer connected to your TV or home theater) with this app," Plex wrote in a blog post. "It marks the end of an era for us, and we’d be lying if we said it wasn’t a little bittersweet."



Plex is encouraging its users to switch to streaming boxes. These consume less power, wake up almost instantly, and are more user-friendly, the company said.

- "Our new Apple TV and Android players support nearly all the same formats. And of course modern streaming devices don’t need as much care and feeding as desktop computers. They don’t need to sleep (much), they use a tiny amount of electricity (Al Gore made us say that) and they don’t require nearly as much effort to get up and running."

The new desktop app is named Plex and features a refreshed user interface with a sidebar as well as a download function. The app must be downloaded directly (here). It is no longer listed in the Microsoft Store. There are no plans to release a Linux version.

- Source: Plex