Learn how to use Plex Media Server on an ASUSTOR NAS

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of this course you should be able to:

1. Use Plex Media Server to manage and play videos on an ASUSTOR NAS.
2. Play videos from an ASUSTOR NAS on a Chromecast, set top box or smart TV.

PREREQUISITES

Course Prerequisites:

None

Students are expected to have a working knowledge of:

None

OUTLINE

1. Installing Plex Media Server

2. Managing Plex Media Server

3. Playing Videos on Plex

3.1 Playing Videos on Plex Web

3.2 Casting Videos to a Chromecast

3.3 Playing Videos on a Set Top Box or Smart TV

4. Updating Plex Media Server

5. Appendix

1. Installing Plex Media Server

STEP 1

• Using a web browser, log in to ADM using an account with administrator rights.
• Search for Plex.
• Click Plex Media Server and press Install.

STEP 2

• Locate Plex Media Server on the ADM desktop and click on it to open Plex Media Server.

2. Managing Plex Media Server

• Open Plex Media Server and sign in or create a Plex account. A Google account, Facebook account or a Plex account is required to continue.

• Configure desired Plex settings after signing in.

• Add a new library.

• Add a library. Additional libraries may be created after initialization.

• Videos in a folder will appear after setting up a library.

3. Playing Videos on Plex

3.1 Playing videos on Plex Web

Plex Web is also installed when installing Plex Media Server. It has the capability to play a variety of types of media from the NAS directly in a modern web browser.

3.2 Casting Videos to a Chromecast

An HTTPS connection is required to cast videos to Chromecast. Enter ‘https://NAS IP:32400’ or ‘https://app.plex.tv’ in Chrome to open Plex Media Server and cast videos to a Chromecast after signing in.

• Click the Chromecast icon on the Plex Media Server page, and then select the Chromecast to cast videos to it.

3.3 Playing Videos on a Set Top Box or Smart TV

Plex supports a wide range of multimedia players, including, but not limited to Apple TV, Android TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, and Roku devices. Plex also has support for a variety of operating systems including but not limited to Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, PlayStation, Xbox One, and a variety of smart TVs.

• Download and install the Plex App from the device’s app store or download center.
• After installation, open Plex and sign in. A 4-digit verification code will appear on the screen.
  Ensure both the set top box or smart TV is on the same network as your NAS.
• It will ask you to enter a URL into a web browser and sign in with your Plex account to input the verification code.
• After inputting the verification code, your set top box or smart TV will establish a connection to Plex on your NAS.
• Select a video in Plex to play it.

4. Updating Plex Media Server

Plex Media Server is developed and maintained by Plex, and the install packages for ASUSTOR NAS are available on Plex official website. In addition to directly updating the version when you receive an update notification in App Central, you can also open Plex Media Server, and then download the package directly while the updated version is available and manually update the app.

STEP 1

• Open Plex Media Server, click [Activity] and then click on [Server Update Available].

STEP 2

• Click [DOWNLOAD NOW] to automatically download the corresponding apk (ASUSTOR Package) file from the Plex official website.
• Close Plex Media Server.

STEP 3

• After the apk file is completely downloaded on your Windows or Mac devices, open App Central.
• Click on [Management] [Manual Install], and then click [Browse] to select the downloaded apk file on your Windows or Mac devices, and click [Upload].
• Install the app by following the steps on App Central.

STEP 4

• After the installation is complete, open Plex Media Server.
• Confirm if the version of Plex Media Server is installed properly on [Settings] [General].

5. Appendix

Remote access your Plex Media Server:

• After the Plex Media Server is set up in ASUSTOR NAS, enter https://app.plex.tv in the web browser, sign in with your Plex account, and then you can remotely connect to the authorized Plex Media Server of the account.

• The security certificate of Plex Media Server only works on local networks. To connect to your NAS to stream content remotely with a valid HTTPS certificate, a reverse proxy server is required. To set up a reverse proxy server, please refer to ASUSTOR College 325: Introducing Reverse Proxies.

To take advantage of extra features, a Plex Pass account is required. Click GO PREMIUM to purchase a Plex Pass membership.

Plex Pass accounts can enable hardware acceleration: Please refer to here to read more about the hardware-accelerated transcoding compatibility that the NAS device might support.

Plex Media Server does not support the hardware transcoding feature on Drivestor, Drivestor Lite, Drivestor Pro, Drivestor Pro Gen2.

Please enable Media Mode in ADM Settings to enable Intel QSV hardware transcoding for Lockerstor Gen2, Flashstor and Nimbustor Gen2 NAS devices.

• Click [Settings] [Transcoder].
• Enable [Use hardware acceleration when available], click [SAVE CHANGES].

• When playing a video, you can check the transcoding status on [Activity] [Dashboard].