One more reason to use your Apple TV
Get Plex is a software that runs on many devices and running gadget that permits for video sharing. The utility streams video content material throughout more than one gadgets.
Once you installation Plex to your pc and feature your computer attached on your media library, and shortly you may be able to get right of entry to your movies, music, and even pictures from everywhere.
Plex is in particular skilled at playing content on nearby community gadgets, like clever TV bins just like the Apple TV.
Plex works exceptional on the fourth era of Apple TV, however with a little blood, sweat, and tears (ok only a little nerdery), you can get Plex running on a third-generation Apple TV.
Identifying Your Apple TV Model
Third-technology Apple TVs and in advance do now not ship with the Plex app, and extra apps cannot be mounted on the tool.
However, those inclined to do some software hacking need to be capable of get Plex to run on their older Apple TV.
We can use the PlexConnect workaround to run Plex on a 3rd-generation Apple TV, but it’s far a little difficult to get it strolling.
If you have got a fourth-technology or more moderen Apple TV, you will be able to use the tvOS App Store to down load the Plex app for Apple TV.
It’s no longer easy to inform aside the 2 Apple TVs at a look. Both are small black boxes with rounded edges.
The fourth-era Apple TV comes with the black touch-touchy Siri remote and become launched in 2015.
The 1/3-generation Apple TV comes with a silver faraway with a manipulate wheel and was released in 2012.
If you are having a difficult time sorting out that’s which, use Apple’s guide to figuring out your Apple TV.
Installing Plex on A Fourth-Generation Apple TV or Later
When compared with the process for installing Plex on a third-generation Apple TV, the manner for a fourth-technology and later Apple TV is comically simple.
01. Open the App Store app on your Apple TV. Search for the Plex app and down load it to your Apple TV.
02. Open the Plex app. Follow the commands at the display screen to hook up with your Plex account the use of the supplied hyperlink and four-digit code.
03. Select your Plex server from the list and start streaming content material.
Installing Plex on A Third-Generation Apple TV
The installation process for the 0.33-era Apple TV is a ways from simple.
Read the installation technique from begin to complete before beginning to gauge your comfort degree with each step.
It calls for configuring your host tool (PC or Mac), your network, and your Apple TV.
We’ll be using Python scripts to replicate an existing Apple TV application then trick it into gambling Plex’s content material.
It’s a clever workaround, however it is not plug-and-play.
GETTING READY
Before you get commenced, you will want to have a pair matters installation well:
- Ensure your Apple TV is on supported firmware (versions five.1, five.2, five.3, 6.X and seven.X are supported)
- Make sure you’ve got Python 2.7.X mounted on the machine that runs your Plex server. Python three will now not work. If you’re running a Mac, it comes with Python 2.7 set up. On Windows, down load and set up Python 2.7.15 or later.
- Set a static IP address for both your Plex Media Server device and your Apple TV. The easiest manner to try this is through DCHP reservations for your router.
You’ll also need the present day model of Plex Media Server mounted on your server device. You can replace Plex Media Server through the replace web page for your Plex server.
Install Plex Connect On Your Server
Once the entirety is ready, we can want to put in the PlexConnect client to your server machine. Broadly, you’ll need to down load PlexConnect, get a safety certificate for it, and launch the daemon.
INSTALL PLEXCONNECT ON MACOS
01. Download and unzip the PlexConnect archive from GitHub.
02. Move the PlexConnect folder to /Applications/ on your Mac.
03. Create and install an SSL certificate for your Apple TV. It’s a multi-step process, so follow this guide on creating SSL certificates for the Apple TVto set it up.
04. Run the following command in Terminal to start the PlexConnect daemon:
sudo ./PlexConnect.py05. Plex will now run.
INSTALL PLEXCONNECT ON WINDOWS
01. Download and unzip the PlexConnect files.
02. Move the PlexConnect folder to the Program Files folder. Use C:\Program Files (x86) if exists or C:\Program Files otherwise.
03. Generate the SSL certificates by following this manual to developing Windows SSL certificate.
04. Open the PlexConnect folder in Explorer and double-click on on the PlexConnect.Py record to release it. When asked to approve the application via UAC, click Allow Access.
Set Apple TV DNS Settings
Now that we have PlexConnect walking on our server, it’s time to configure the Apple TV. The DNS settings want to be changed to point at your PlexConnect gadget.
01. If your Apple TV is hooked up over Wi-Fi, navigate to Settings > General > Network > Wi-Fi. Select your Wi-Fi community’s call from the menu.
If your Apple TV is hooked up over Ethernet, navigate to Settings > General > Network > Ethernet.
02. Change the DNS settings from Automatic to Manual.
03. Enter your Plex server’s IP cope with, which you set up earlier the usage of DHCP reservations.
If you do not recollect the IP cope with, you can find it on your router configuration.
Install the SSL Certificate on Your Apple TV
The SSL certificates will permit your Plex server and your Apple TV to speak over HTTPS.
While this is a extra comfortable protocol than HTTP, it really is not the number one concern.
Apple TVs will no longer speak over unencrypted HTTP connections, so an SSL certificates is needed.
01. Navigate to the Apple TV’s Settings menu.
02. Select General > Send Data to Apple and choose No.
03. With Send Data To Apple nevertheless selected, press the Play button (now not the normal Select button) for your faraway. This will start the procedure of including a profile in your Apple TV.
04. In the dialog container, enter http://trailers.Apple.Com/trailers.Cer precisely.
Streaming with PlexConnect
With Plex Connect jogging for your server, you can now access Plex to your Apple TV. Open the Trailers app for your Apple TV and you will be connected to the Plex utility.
Automatically running PlexConnect at Startup
By default, you will want to manually launch PlexConnect.Py on every occasion your server restarts. If you need to make it run at startup both as a daemon on macOS or a carrier on Windows, it’s viable. Follow the commands below.
WINDOWS
To run PlexConnect.Py as a carrier on startup, you will want to put in PyWin32.
This extension of the Windows working gadget allows Python scripts to be known as without consumer input, amongst different things.
PyWin32 can be set up by way of either download from Github and constructing from supply, or via pip.
If you’re going for walks Python 2.7.Nine or later, pip will have been routinely set up with Python.
To install PyWin32 with pip, run the following command in a CMD window.
pip install pywin32If you do not have pip installed, you ought to update your model of Python to a greater contemporary version.
If you can not replace your model of Python, you can construct the application from source following the commands on PyWin32’s Github web page. Pip can also be set up separately.
With PyWin32 up and strolling, we are prepared to configure PlexConnect.Py as a carrier.
First, make certain PlexConnect isn’t presently going for walks. If there may be a CMD window running PlexConnect, use the Ctrl + C keyboard shortcut to close it down.
Open the PlexConnect directory in your Program Files folder and navigate to the Support\Win folder.
There you’ll locate four bat documents that can be used to put in and uninstall PlexConnect as a service, in addition to start and forestall the provider once it’s miles set up.
Run the install.Bat record to put in PlexConnect.Py as a provider.
MACOS
If PlexConnect is strolling, quit it by deciding on its Terminal window and pressing the Ctrl + C keyboard shortcut.
Once PlexConnect is no longer going for walks, open a new Terminal window and execute the following commands
cd "/Applications/PlexConnect-master/support/OSX"sudo ./install.bashThese commands will load PlexConnect.Py as a launch daemon, for you to start each time your Mac boots up.
Troubleshooting Tips
If you run into trouble at the same time as putting in Plex to your 0.33-generation Apple TV, your best guess is to check out PlexConnect’s documentation on Github.
You also can try the Plex forums for troubles now not protected through the install documentation.