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We'll look at hardware options, downloading and installing the operating system and Plex software, how to configure your hard drives, folders, and files, how to get files into the Pi from other places in the house, and how to access everything, from anywhere. This book explains how to set up a Raspberry Pi for use as a Plex Server. You can keep media files in the local directory on Raspberry Pi or in a mounted directory, for example on NAS, that is in local network with Raspberry Pi. A power-efficient Raspberry Pi device is good for this purpose. One reliable and inexpensive solution to this issue is to run your Plex Media Server from a Raspberry Pi computer, the tiny little computer that'll set you back less than $55 for everything you need. Plex Media Server needs to be up and online all the time to let you access your media content anytime from anywhere. On the other hand, one of the disadvantages of Plex is that it works best when loaded onto a dedicated computer that is on and available non-stop, all the time, 24/7. It serves up music, videos, photos, podcasts, and even more importantly, it's reliable, it looks great, has a bunch of built-in features that makes browsing your huge collection a load of fun. The Plex Media Server can solve all those problems for you.
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Yes, you can store them on your computer and watch them when you get the chance, but what if you want to watch them from your iPhone or tablet? What if you want to watch them when you aren't home, or even in the same city? What if you just want to hear podcasts or watch web shows?
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Music, Photos, Movies, even entire series of TV shows. If you're anything like me, you've collected a zillion media files over the years.
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