Plex

[Heideho]

Has anyone installed Plex "server" on a Skippa?

I really like my Skippa but it's delivery of recorded shows over DLNA sucks. It displays recordings with incorrect names so the experience can be very hit and miss and it doesn't share any HD channel recordings.  Was wondering if Plex might improve that experience. I'm currently feeding media off a Netgear NAS using plain old DLNA without any issues but keen to try Plex if it improves the situation for me.

[Dave at IceTV]

Hi Heideho,

Or should be just Heideho or Hei deho ?   8)

The Plex client on the Skippa works very well. You don't need to install anything but you do need to access it via the 'URL Loader' app. Once you have entered the Plex URL the Skippa remembers the URL so you don't need to type it every time.

First, make the URL Loader easy to find and add a URL to Plex:

1. Press APPS on the remote, or go to the Opera TV Store in the Skippa's menu.
2. Scroll up to the APPS categories (New, Popular, All, Movies & TV Series, Games etc).
3. Scroll all the way to right to the Tools category (the last category item).
4. Scroll down to URL Loader and click OK.
5. Scroll down to Add To My Apps and click OK.
6. Scroll up to Open and click OK.
7. Scroll left so the http:// bar is blue and click OK.
8. Use the onscreen keyboard to type plex.TV/web/TV/opera which will appear after the http://
9. Select the GO button so it is blue and press OK.
10. After loading the Plex app for the first time it generates a PIN that you must enter online at: http://plex.tv/pin
11. Configure Plex to access your Plex server.

If you don't have a Plex account you will probably need to create a free Plex Pass account and sign in. Don't forget to confirm your account via the email Plex sends you when you create an account.


In future when you want to play a video using Plex:

1. Press APPS on the remote, or go to the Opera TV Store in the Skippa's menu.
2. Scroll up to MY APPS and click OK.
3. Scroll down and across to the URL Loader and click OK.
5. Scroll left then down to the Plex URL and click OK.
6. Click OK on the already highlighted GO button.

If you don't have a Plex account you will probably need to create a free Plex Pass account and sign in. Don't forget to confirm your account via the email Plex sends you when you create an account.

[Heideho]

Thanks Dave

That sounds like a process to set up a Plex "app" on the Skippa and play media off my network. Can I set up a Plex "server" on the Skippa to play recordings on the Skippa to other devices across the network? That's where the Skippa is giving me pain. I love everything it does but my intent was to be able to play recorded programs across my network from the Skippa and it totally sucks at that task for the reasons I've already described.

I thought that maybe running a Plex server on the Skippa might overcome the issues with identifying programs correctly and displaying HD recorded programs.

[Dave at IceTV]

I've had a close look at using the DLNA server on the Skippa and I see what you mean.

I started documenting what recordings were actually on the Skippa compared to what I could see via DLNA in various different media player apps trying to see if there was a pattern or cause. I gave up when I realised how bad the Skippa's DLNA server is. There's missing recordings, duplicated recordings, deleted recordings and lots of unplayable broken links to real and deleted recordings. Windows Media Player provided the worst experience (but at least I could see which recordings would not play by the incomplete link in the 'File name' column).

[Heideho]

Thanks Dave

It's the only disappointment I have with Skippa. Sometimes if I'm wanting a recent recording I can generally find it with a few attempts but with older recordings or when I've got multiple episodes of a show recorded I just don't know if I'm watching the right one or the wrong one.