Plex Nine media center released, adds iOS app
#1
This was posted on Betanews, figured everybody here maybe interested

Link is Here
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#2
Plex Website:

Quote:We’re working with LG Electronics (the second largest TV manufacturer in the world)*to integrate the Plex platform into their 2011 lineup of Netcast™ connected TVs and Blu-ray devices. So early next year, when you buy an LG Netcast™ TV or Blu-ray player, you will have Plex functionality built-in. Specifically, it will connect to a cloud version of the Plex platform for online content, and, if you happen to have a Plex Media Server running anywhere in your house (after all, who doesn’t have a computer in their house?), you can access your local and online content, in a rich interface, with full metadata.

Quote: LG chose our platform in no small part because it is OPEN, and that is what makes it special.
I take issue with this statement. With the latest update, Plex moves even more code into the closed source “Plex Media Center” component of the application. All of the changes to the Library and so on are all in the closed source portion of the application. It contravenes the spirit of the GPL and FOSS in my opinion.
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#3
That's problematic to say the least. On the other hand I just read they "rebuild the codebase from scratch"? Is that true?
Using: Zotac ZBOX ID84, Dual Core ATOM D2550, 2 GB RAM, 40 GB SSD
Base system: OpenELEC 4.2 (XBMC 13.2 Gotham)
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#4
redtapemedia Wrote:Plex Website:




I take issue with this statement. With the latest update, Plex moves even more code into the closed source “Plex Media Center” component of the application. All of the changes to the Library and so on are all in the closed source portion of the application. It contravenes the spirit of the GPL and FOSS in my opinion.
The plugins themselves are open. No one is trying to say that the media server is open. Any content provider or user that wishes can make a plugin. We're very up front about the media server itself being closed. No one is saying otherwise.
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#5
i wonder if any companies have approached xbmc to use the software.
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#6
jayman978 Wrote:The plugins themselves are open. No one is trying to say that the media server is open. Any content provider or user that wishes can make a plugin. We're very up front about the media server itself being closed. No one is saying otherwise.
well since your showing your head here jayman and I would probably get banned or warned for asking this on the plex forum.
The LG news post says that now elan and a few others can work on plex full time as a job because you are getting money for it. It also says the reason LG decided to use you is your great content that you provide I wonder if you will be giving a slice of the pie (so too speak) to the previous plugin writers that have contributed to plex to make it a product that LG is interested in and thus bring in the cash for you
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#7
should have copyrighted mediastream and confluence huh?

edit : I just realized Plex on LG uses some not so goodlooking interface. Wonder what made them go with that crap they chose. Really dissapointing.
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#8
Forgive me, but I am little confused about this PLEX platform that LG will now also be incorporating.

The interface appears to be XBMC running Mediastream Redux.

Is this simply a commercial organization cherry picking features from a FREE & OPEN SOURCE platform and now integrating it into their own product line without any credit having been given to the XBMC team??

So they will be marketing this as THEIR IDEA and garnering huge profits from it??

Many clueless consumers who are none the wiser and had never heard of XBMC might end up thinking that LG has pulled off a great coup over their competitors. And speaking of competitors, what is to stop any other AV manufacuturer from "tweaking" their own version and calling it their own.

This is the aspect of "Open Source" that I have never quite really understood. I am an integrator and in the AV field. I am not from the pooter/IT World.

How exactly did this "PLEX" media server all come about? ((The simple quick and dirty version if anyone would be so kind)) Wink

EDIT...

Here is a link to some PLEX PR which I find totally misleading...

http://elan.plexapp.com/
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#9
was that mediastream? looks much better on osx imo. They should go confluence and have it behave like xbmc. When going commercial, youd think they start thinking about userfriendlyless and good looks.
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#10
RckStr Wrote:was that mediastream? looks much better on osx imo. They should go confluence and have it behave like xbmc. When going commercial, youd think they start thinking about userfriendlyless and good looks.

Well no, not in that link I provided if that is what you are refering to. There appears to be a couple of different skins in that one.

I dont have the link handy right now, but I was checking out a page advising of the new LG features and the screenshots where definately MEDIASTREAM.
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#11
CanadaPhil Wrote:Forgive me, but I am little confused about this PLEX platform that LG will now also be incorporating.

The interface appears to be XBMC running Mediastream Redux.

Is this simply a commercial organization cherry picking features from a FREE & OPEN SOURCE platform and now integrating it into their own product line without any credit having been given to the XBMC team??

So they will be marketing this as THEIR IDEA and garnering huge profits from it??

Many clueless consumers who are none the wiser and had never heard of XBMC might end up thinking that LG has pulled off a great coup over their competitors. And speaking of competitors, what is to stop any other AV manufacuturer from "tweaking" their own version and calling it their own.

This is the aspect of "Open Source" that I have never quite really understood. I am an integrator and in the AV field. I am not from the pooter/IT World.

How exactly did this "PLEX" media server all come about? ((The simple quick and dirty version if anyone would be so kind)) Wink

EDIT...

Here is a link to some PLEX PR which I find totally misleading...

http://elan.plexapp.com/

Plex forked from XBMC a long time ago. They've continued to pull some code at times, and for some things they've written their own. The recent release was a significant rewrite of a lot of key features, I'm sure there's still a lot of XBMC code in there, but much less than there used to be. The Plex Media Server was something they rolled out a few versions ago, it is the closed-source backbone for their own custom plug-in engine, used for Plex-specific plugins for Netflix, Hulu, and many other sources of online content.

Plex has never hidden the fact that they were based on XBMC, but they decided to take the program in a different direction. They had different long-term goals, hence the fork. Credit has always been given, and other than a few minor pissing matches here and there it is my understanding that the Plex and XBMC teams have always had an amicable relationship.

As to how LG markets this, and whether other companies would do something similar with XBMC, the code is open source. Nothing is stopping any manufacturer from using it provided they are respecting the relevant licenses. This is not all that dissimilar from what Boxee is doing.
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#12
to be honest whats the problem?
they even give credit to the people who helped them
http://www.plexapp.com/credits.php

theres a lot of things xbmc is good for that plex isnt.
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#13
Based purely on the video on crunchgear of the LG front end, it seems clear to me that they're not running the XBMC gui engine there at all. It looks quite clunky and slow, though that may be improved by release.

Thus, this has nothing to do with LG choosing to use an opensource product at all. Instead, they're choosing to use a closed-source product/service (PMS) to offer content on their televisions to consumers.

It is not all that dissimilar from boxee, but there is a key difference. Boxee has always pledged (and continue to do so) that the boxee box will be open** - i.e that you'll be able to mess around with it to your hearts content, write a new interface, use XBMC or other software on it and so on.

Cheers,
Jonathan

** note the use of the word open here. The Plex PR piece uses that word as well. I'll leave it to the reader to make up their own mind as to which usage is the more correct.
Always read the XBMC online-manual, FAQ and search the forum before posting.
Do not e-mail XBMC-Team members directly asking for support. Read/follow the forum rules.
For troubleshooting and bug reporting please make sure you read this first.


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#14
Just to clarify, the LG TV is not running any XBMC code, nor using any XBMC skins, much in the way that our iOS clients aren't.

Secondly, according to Wikipedia:

Quote:In software and web-based architectures, an Open Platform describes a software system which has published external programming interfaces that allow using the software to function in other ways than the original programmer intended, without requiring modification of the source code

Please don't get an open platform confused with open source.
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#15
I guess by that argument, some "open platforms" are more open than others, huh?

Cheers,
Jonathan
Always read the XBMC online-manual, FAQ and search the forum before posting.
Do not e-mail XBMC-Team members directly asking for support. Read/follow the forum rules.
For troubleshooting and bug reporting please make sure you read this first.


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Plex Nine media center released, adds iOS app0