Watch your Plex content on your Apple TV with the jailbreak-free PlexConnect
PlexConnect is a clever project: a free command-line tool that lets you view content from your Plex Media Server on your Apple TV—without jailbreaking Apple’s set-top box. That scratches an itch for me; though I maintain a Mac mini media center, the Apple TV runs quieter and cooler, and generally just works. (And on the rare occasion it doesn’t, I don’t have to fumble around for a mouse and keyboard to troubleshoot it.)
PlexConnect lets you navigate your Plex Media Center on your Apple TV in a native interface.
A caveat: If you’re Terminal-shy, then PlexConnect’s probably not for you. While it doesn’t require a lot of command-line expertise, those who have never ventured into that territory may find it a hassle. There are plans to at some point package the software into a friendlier Mac app—it’s part of an ambitious road map—but for now, it’s go command-line or go home.
PlexConnect does its magic by running two small servers on one of your local Macs: a Web server and a Domain Name System (DNS) server. It’s the latter that handles the magical part; you configure your Apple TV to look towards this Mac for its DNS server, and PlexConnect intercepts requests for the URL
http://trailers.apple.com and redirects them to its Web server, where it provides a custom version of the Plex interface reminiscent of other Apple TV apps, like Netflix and Hulu. (DNS requests to other addresses, meanwhile, should to be passed through to your normal DNS server, thereby maintaining the rest of your Apple TV’s normal operation.)
On your Apple TV, you can browse or search your Plex content with your remote, as you would any other Apple TV function. Some content isn’t currently available, such as photos from Aperture and iPhoto, and there are bugs here and there. PlexConnect offers only a few configuration options on your Apple TV—you can choose whether you view your listings of movies, TV shows, and TV seasons in list or grid format, as well as tweak some transcoding preferences for video quality and subtitle size, along with some more technical options.
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