Plex Rolls Out Beta of New TV Interface (sponsored post)

Plex recently announced a preview beta of their new interface for televisions. The beta is currently available on Apple TV but will be rolled out to additional platforms in the coming months. You can see it in action in my latest monthly sponsored video from Plex.

The home screen retains familiar elements, but with some notable refinements. For those running a Plex Pro server or have access to one, you’ll see a new row of servers running horizontally across the top of the screen. You can favorite specific libraries, which pins them to the top of the navigation, minimizing unnecessary scrolling. Browsing options are now slightly rearranged, but everything is as you’d expect—filters, collections, and categories—remains accessible, albeit in new locations.

Next to the library section you’ll find Live TV, which now integrates both live streaming channels and over the air TV if you’re making use of Plex’s DVR features. While integration between different servers and content sources isn’t fully seamless yet as it is in the current UI, the effort to accommodate various setups shows promise.

The next section over is “On Demand” content which includes the thousands of free ad supported TV shows and movies from Plex’s servers along with their recently announced rental section.

The discovery section, watchlist functionality, universal search, and settings haven’t changed drastically but have been given a cleaner, more consistent layout. From account settings to profile configurations, everything feels intuitive and easy to navigate.

One detail worth noting is the way user reviews now take precedence over professional ones when browsing movies and shows. I think this is a great opportunity for budding movie reviewers as you’ll be able to link back to your other social media platforms in your profile. This feature is optional and users have the option to revert back to having professional reviews first, followed by user generated. There’s also an option to turn off each set of reviews individually or fully.

I am receiving a lot of feedback from users on my YouTube comments with many expressing mixed or negative feedback on the new changes. This is an early beta and a lot will likely be changed over the coming months. Plex will be listening to user feedback on their forum page here, so I definitely suggest popping in there and making your voice heard.

Disclosure: This post was a paid sponsorship from Plex, however they did not review or approve this before it was uploaded.