The redesigned app is now available in beta on Apple TV and will expand to more TV platforms later. It pushes Plex further into the realm of movie rentals and ad-supported content.
The redesigned TV app follows Plex's earlier launch of a revamped mobile app. It features a fresh look and introduces new community-driven features, such as the ability to read and write movie reviews and make your Plex profile visible so others can see what you are watching.
Plex has changed significantly from its early days as a platform primarily used to watch movies stored locally on a network. The redesign further pushes Plex toward commercial content offerings such as free movies with ads and movie rentals. The rental option is currently available in the US and Canada, and will expand to more regions later, the company said.
However, users can still disable many of these section/features and use Plex in the traditional way.
The redesigned Plex TV app
Plex's redesigned TV app is rolling out gradually, starting with a beta version for Apple TV. To sign up for the beta go here.
- "We’re thrilled to expand the preview of our newly reimagined Plex experience to include testing on Apple TV, with more platforms coming soon. Please keep in mind this is nowhere close to perfect, but we want to get feedback from the community as early as we can. The app will get better over time!," the company announced.
The redesigned Plex app offers movie rentals (in some regions) but you have to rent to movie on the web to watch it in the app. Photo: Plex
Currently, the beta app lacks some features, including playlists, casting, live TV (over-the-air), DVR scheduling, library management and advanced video playback controls like speed adjustment.
The app will eventually roll out to other TV platforms, including Google TV, Samsung Tizen, LG webOS, Roku and Fire TV. However, Plex has not provided a specific timeline for the rollout.
