If you’ve ever wished for an easy way to manage all your streaming subscriptions and find what you want to see quickly, easily, and without wasting a lot of cash, then Plex Discover might be your luck.
Streaming media service Plex has introduced the new Discover feature as part of its free subscription level, solving this problem in a new and seemingly game-changing way. The new interface lets you integrate all of your favorite platforms, so you can search for the show or movie you want to watch, get a result telling you where to stream it, and redirect there directly from Plex.
You can create a single watchlist with the titles of Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV Plus, and other streamers you want to include. And they all stay in your account, so you can go across devices and platforms to continue streaming from an app.
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Isn’t streaming media box just that?
In some ways, the Plex is actually recreating the centralized experience of a streaming media box like Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV. With these services, which plug in to your TV, you can search your various apps from a centralized search bar.
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With most media boxes, when you find a title through the search function, you can click directly on the appropriate service.
So, why Plex Special?
Plex Discover: Platform-agnostic game-changer?
Frederick Blychart / Android Authority
The Plex offers a few advantages over a traditional streaming media box, but they are quite large.
For one thing, you don’t have to buy hardware that plugs into your TV. In fact, you don’t have to buy anything. Starting at 149, an Apple TV set costs quite a bit. Others, of course, are cheaper, such as Amazon Fire Stick or Chromecast and Roku devices, but you’re still paying for access to services for which you’re probably paying.
With Plex Discovery, there is nothing to buy and you can hop across the device.
The common denominator between those media boxes is that they are tied to the device you plugged in. They are convenient, no doubt, but their range is limited. If you already have a smart TV, they won’t do anything that Plex can’t do right now. If you don’t have a smart TV, Plex’s offer is the cheapest option to get your TV online.
But here’s the kicker: Your Plex preferences will follow you everywhere.
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You can find similar overall equipment on the Amazon Fire Stick, what happens when you watch TV on your laptop in bed or use your smartphone in the gym? What Plex Discovery offers is a platform-agnostic approach to centralize your streaming services. Sign in to Plex from anywhere and you’ll have access to your public watchlist. This is the only app you need to go ahead if you want.
Death of streaming Media box
Frederick Blychart / Android Authority
Plex could eventually lose this fight if another company has a better interface or a more user-friendly alternative, but this is a promising start. It’s a new model for streaming that acknowledges how most of us watch TV and movies. We don’t always use the same device and we don’t always stay at home. Why shouldn’t we have a single app wherever we are?
Just Watch, Letterboxed and other apps and online services allow you to sort through different headings from different streaming services. And streaming media boxes detect plex from a single device. Virtually every player is ready to offer something like this.
Do you think Plex could replace the streaming box?
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