As a long-time Plex user and media server enthusiast, I've followed Plex's evolution closely. In 2017, Plex rolled out game-changing features like Live TV from diverse sources, keeping you informed across the political spectrum. But the real excitement came later with Plex Labs.
This article breaks down Plex Labs and dives deep into its standout app, Plexamp, drawing from hands-on experience with Plex's ecosystem.
Inspired by Google Labs and Gmail Labs' experimental features—like those boosting email productivity—Plex Labs brings innovation to Plex users. Plex outlined three key goals:
Technical writing: Plex now publishes in-depth guides on Medium, surpassing even the official Kodi wiki in clarity.
Community projects: A hub for third-party apps, uniting the thriving Plex developer community.
Internal projects: Plex's own experiments, like Webhooks and Plexamp. Webhooks acts like a Plex-tailored IFTTT, triggering URLs for events such as dimming smart lights when a movie starts.
Plexamp, however, steals the show as a dedicated music player. Let's explore why.
Winamp turned 20 in 2017 and remains a favorite for millions. Plexamp channels that spirit but prioritizes search and discovery over traditional browsing in your Plex music library.
Built on Electron with the open-source Music Player Daemon (MPD) for playback, it delivers seamless audio, global hotkeys (like Mac's Spotlight), and fluid transitions.
Don't let its compact size fool you—Plexamp punches above its weight, especially in playback and discovery.
Click the bottom search bar to instantly find songs, artists, albums, or playlists as you type live results.
Desktop players often lag behind Spotify or Apple Music in discovery. Plexamp bridges that gap within your library, offering auto-playlists like Recently Played, Recently Added, and more to unearth forgotten tracks.
Elevating radio beyond Spotify-style artist mixes, Plexamp's options scale with your collection:
Standard controls like play/pause, skip, and shortcuts round it out.
Head to plexamp.com and download for your OS. Currently Windows and macOS; Linux coming soon.
Install, name your player, and hit Register to link via Plex portal login.
For Plex users, Plexamp transforms music access. Audiophiles: Does it rival dedicated players, or enhance your setup? Share your thoughts below!
