When your getting old laptop computer or desktop pc is slowing to a crawl to get by way of day-to-day duties, you don’t essentially must recycle it or hand it off to another person. Your outdated machine can be turned right into a media streaming machine in its retirement, taking it straightforward because it serves up movies, music, photographs, and extra to the remainder of the devices you’ve obtained in your house. Here’s the way it’s finished.

Choose Your Software

Perhaps the most effective software for the job is Plex. It’s easy to make use of, the fundamentals are all free, and it really works on nearly all {hardware}. Besides the media streaming performance that we’re going to cowl right here, Plex additionally consists of choices for watching reside TV, watching free streaming video content material, and even enjoying retro video games.

It’s slick and simple, and a number of the performance comes with no cost connected. There is a Plex Pass premium tier, which can set you again $5 per 30 days or $40 per 12 months and will get you extras akin to offline syncing to your cell gadgets, extra complete sharing controls, additional settings for bandwidth use, and some different useful bonus features.

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There are two elements to Plex: You want the server software program in your outdated pc, which does the job of cataloging your media recordsdata and on the brink of serve them up over your house wifi. Then there are the apps you utilize in your different computer systems, your telephones, your tablets, your set-top packing containers and so forth, which discover the server you’ve arrange and stream throughout no matter content material you request.

And it’s not simply computer systems that may be media servers for Plex. You can even use a NAS drive in order for you—which is useful, because it’ll already be plugged instantly into your router—and hottest drives have devoted Plex server apps accessible. Some Nvidia Shield TV fashions can even work as Plex servers too.

Tlisted below are a number of Plex-like alternate options to Plex you’ll be able to check out. The most generally used one is the open supply and really versatile Kodi, which affords a number of the identical performance as Plex does. There are additionally restricted media server options constructed proper into Windows and macOS you could look into, whereas VLC Media Player affords some easy community streaming choices too.

How to Set Up Plex

Once you’ve determined that you just actually do wish to flip your outdated pc right into a media streamer and have picked Plex as the best choice, you have to obtain the server software program for Windows or macOS. Head to the Plex website, click on Sign Up to create a free account, then comply with the prompts to obtain the desktop software program (you may as well discover the media server downloads here).

Much of the Plex media server expertise occurs inside an online browser tab: From right here you’ll be able to configure all your numerous media libraries, replace the core Plex software program and extra. Once you launch the appliance, you need to see a Plex icon down within the notification space (on Windows) or up on the menu bar (on macOS).

Now is an effective time to ensure the films, music, and photographs in your historic pc are properly organized. You don’t must have all the pieces neatly organized in folders for Plex to have the ability to use it, however it actually helps each you and Plex preserve monitor of what’s what. How you prepare all the pieces is as much as you, so long as you’ve gotten a logical system.

During the server software program setup course of, you’ll be requested to offer the server a reputation (so you’ll be able to determine it later). You’ll additionally see a field labeled Allow me to entry my media exterior my residence, which must be checked if you wish to entry your audio and video recordsdata from anyplace aside from your native residence wifi community (it simply means Plex will make a couple of changes to your community settings so this will occur).

The subsequent step is establishing your media library, the recordsdata that you really want Plex to have the ability to serve as much as your different gadgets. You can add quite a few folders to the checklist right here, and all the pieces inside them is made a part of your library—the entire frequent file codecs throughout video, audio, and pictures are supported, although in case you do run into issues with Plex figuring out recordsdata, take a look at the support documentation.

How to Configure Your Other Devices

With your media server up and working, all you must do is set up Plex in your different gadgets. Remember that the outdated pc you’ve gotten transformed right into a server goes to have to remain switched on and linked to the web always, in any other case you’re not going to have the ability to see the media recordsdata on it.

Plex apps can be found throughout platforms, from Android to the Apple TV. If you’ve obtained a gadget with a display screen, then chances are high there’s a Plex app for it. You can stream your media recordsdata to video games consoles, good TVs, and even (within the case of audio) good audio system. If you’re streaming to a laptop computer or desktop pc, you solely must open the Plex interface in your internet browser and register.

Once you’re signed into Plex on no matter machine you’re streaming content material to, you need to have the ability to see the server that you just’ve beforehand arrange. Plex will categorize and arrange the media that you just’ve added—keep in mind that it’d take some time for the library to be constructed up initially, and for brand spanking new content material to be added in a while.

Like any good streaming service, Plex retains monitor of what you’re presently watching and listening to, so you’ll be able to decide up the place you left off (even when it’s on one other machine). The edit buttons on the media recordsdata themselves allow you to make modifications to any inaccurate metadata, and in some circumstances you’ll have the choice to obtain the recordsdata in addition to stream them (on cell gadgets, this requires a Plex Pass).

Delve into the settings for Plex in your machine, and also you’ll discover choices for managing streaming high quality, adjusting notifications, syncing media recordsdata between gadgets, and extra. There are loads of helpful options and extras hidden all through, akin to the power to watch videos in real time with different individuals in different places.