If you’re familiar with Plex, you probably think of it as a media server, and it absolutely is, but it does a whole lot of other things as well. In 2016, it began to add DVR functionality, and in 2017 it added the ability to watch live TV and even pause and rewind live TV. This is all well and good, but Plex users have been requesting one feature over and over: A traditional grid-style guide. And now that feature has finally arrived.
When live TV streaming services like Sling TV first began to arrive, they sported interfaces that looked more like you’d expect to find in Netflix or YouTube. Over time, the companies learned that what users wanted was something more like they were used to from their cable and satellite boxes. As Plex adds more and more services, it too has to adapt, but that’s not as easy as it sounds.
As mentioned in the blog post announcing the new feature, Plex wasn’t ignoring users requests — it just wasn’t sure that the grid guide could be done. Now not only has it been done, but it has options to make it easy to find what you want to watch. Filtering options lets you see shows that are only on at a certain time of the day or on certain days, or you can choose to see only HD channels.
The initial rollout of this new guide is in the Plex web app, but multiple Plex apps are listed as being compatible with the grid guide. Apps listed include Android, iOS, Android TV, Apple TV, the Amazon Fire TV, the Xbox One, and Plex Media Player software. The new guide might not be available on these devices immediately, so if you watch on one of the listed platforms and are wondering where the new grid guide is, just stay patient.
In order to use the new grid guide, you’ll need to be using the Plex DVR in the first place, which means you’ll need a supported tuner and antenna. You’ll also need a Plex Pass subscription, which costs $5 per month, $40 per year, or $120 for a lifetime subscription. A Plex Pass subscription is necessary to use any of the DVR features, so if this interests you, you’re probably paying for one already.
If you’re new to Plex and want to see what it takes to get up and running, take a look at our guide to setting up Plex on your home PC.
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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