PLEX Podcasts now in beta
PLEX became the center of my digital universe a year or so ago when I started recording over the air TV with my HDHomeRun, playing it at the office on my desktop, and of course let it organize my digital library (mostly kid’s stuff,) into something I could access anywhere with internet on any device.
You have no idea how a well-timed showing of The Incredibles can defuse cranky kids.
I can play any music my Plex server has access to, any media, and if I want I can push movies and such to the cloud if I don’t want to have my computer running while I’m out.
And now it’s going to do Podcasts.
While there are many podcast apps out there, and Google is integrating them right in the Android search app, Plex’s addition will be right there in your media.
Quick cut and paste as I’ve got a bored 5yo attacking me:
Plex Podcast Features
- Free, quick and easy – Simple, intuitive set-up, and no subscription required
- Cross-device playback status – A unique feature not offered by others, cross-platform playback lets users listen to podcasts on a jog and pick up where they left off at their desk
- All your media in one place – On Deck support for Podcasts displays the latest unplayed and partially listened episodes just like other shows, sitting alongside all other media within Plex, from personal photo, music and video collections, to curated news, to live and recorded TV, and more
- Information-rich – As you have come to expect, Plex enhances podcasts with metadata, offering more info about the programs and related podcasts
- Standard podcast controls – Controls such as forward and back, variable speed playback, and mark as played give you full control over your listening experience
- Easily add personal favorites – If a podcast isn’t already in the Plex catalog you can still add it by adding the feed url and Plex will treat it just as if it were already there, including retrieving rich metadata, related podcasts, search support, and more, making it more advanced than standalone podcast offerings
- Add to My Podcasts – Allows you to automatically add items to On Deck and easily get to your favorite shows
- Multi-device support – Device support at launch includes iOS, Android, Roku, and the Plex web platform with other platforms rolling out soon
Additional features and platform support will be rolling out to Plex Podcasts in the coming weeks, including:
- Smart downloading with granular options for managing the episodes you want to keep on a per show basis
- Additional metadata support including richer show pages and more discovery options
- Podcasts Import & Export (OPML) support, which will allow users to import their currently subscribed podcasts right into Plex
And I’ll probably add some wrap-up if it’s required when I don’t have a 5yo singing some off version of “Glory Glory Hallelujah.” The only thing I’d add now to Plex is to have them and Playon get together and make PlexPlay or something as that would complete the media experience.
