The Plex Media Server has converted many a Mac into a home theatre giant, serving up movies, TV shows and music straight from the computer to the television. Now, the first major update to the iOS version aims to improve the experience on your mobile device as well.
Plex, Inc. released version 1.1 of their $4.99 universal Plex iOS client on Thursday, and it’s a doozy -- particularly on the iPad. The developers aren’t joking when they call this a “major” new update with “many awesome new features,” so here’s a look at what you can expect.
Plex on the iPad is now a whole new experience, thanks to a “greatly improved look and feel” with “beautiful grid views.” An enhanced remote control for the iPad also brings volume buttons and landscape support as well.
Since Plex for iOS is a universal app, that means everyone gets to enjoy its enhancements, regardless of which mobile device you own. Front and center are new Direct Streaming and Direct Play support, which means your media begins playing faster and looks better than ever before. You can now select subtitle and audio streams, complete with SSA, SRT and SMI subtitle support.
Video out is a big component of Plex 1.1, including both TV out and AirPlay support. The developers note that AirPlay support is considered experimental right now, since there are issues with resuming videos; you’ll have to go to the Advanced Settings area and flip the switch to enable AirPlay.
The update includes even more welcome features, including “much faster startup” and plenty of bug fixes, as well as a unified channels view for plug-in management, multi-part media playback and a new universal search mode for finding media across all of your media services and the internet as well.
Plex for iOS 1.1 is available now from the App Store for $4.99, and as always the update is free for existing users. The 4.0MB download is universal and compatible with all iOS devices running iOS 3.1 or later.
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