When it comes to home media servers, it’s not necessarily the hardware that powers it, but rather the experience when navigating what is stored on there. On the horizon is our review of the recently updated MyCloud series from Western Digital’s, but a key feature is the endless amount of software that can be tossed on top. That brings us to Plex and their premium offering, Plex Pass, which is an ideal experience for organizing that new drive you got and then being able to access it from anywhere. While the core Plex provides a pleasant experience, Plex Pass delivers a more robust experience at a cost to the end-user.
Core Benefits
The main reason to make the upgrade to Plex Pass would be the advanced methods of sending you to get. For starters, it allows you to download the content stored on your Plex drive. Meaning that your family movies, favorite podcasts, or must have tunes can be brought with you on that long-haul flight. Or even for the car trip if you don’t have unlimited data for your device. It also delivers an enhanced metadata experience, meaning that when you upload items to your Plex, it can pull album artwork and a brief bio on whatever it is.
No Hardware Needed
And lastly, while we have been testing out Plex and the premium offering with a physical storage drive(in this case a NAS drive), Plex Pass allows you to use the service and full software without a physical disk. Meaning that you can install it on top of a cloud storage system like Google Drive, DropBox, or Microsoft OneDrive. This can be relatively cheaper than buying your drive, but you are also counting on these companies drive working 99% to 100% of the time.
A Benefit That Should Be Free
Additionally, you need Plex Pass to be able to add users who are a big reason why you might have gotten a NAS type unit like Plex in the first place. While it is a premium feature, it does make it necessary to truly enjoy the system and to allow it to be shared with friends and family.
Conclusion
If you are a Plex power user and want to get the most of this platform, the $4.99 a month fee is well worth it. The essential addition of multiple users can enhance the experience and is most likely necessary if you are using it amongst your family and friends. Additionally, the ability to have downloaded on mobile make your library more versatile.
