So, I had a looooong post earlier about Plex. How to set it up, what it does, etc.
I've recently discovered the joys of PlayOn. So, I might as well make a loooong post about that too. I put off getting PlayOn for several years, simply because it isn't free. It does the same thing as Plex, but it does a few things much better. It's much easier to set up and use. And it has a few options that Plex does not. I still like Plex for personal media (videos, music & photos on my computer). But for online streaming...Plex is simply lacking something. Like the ability to actually work. Do I sound bitter? Probably. That's just one of my many natural talents.
Cord cutters should definitely look into PlayOn. It is vastly
superior to Plex for online content. And so much easier to set up and use. Like any online experience, whether it be watching online videos or just surfing the web, you should have an internet speed of at least 1.5 - 2.0 Mbps. You can test your speeds at speedtest.net.
PlayOn, unlike Plex, is not free. But it's
ability to stream online content is by FAR better than Plex. Maybe Plex works better with Apple TV or
Chromecast or other devices. IDK...I only own Rokus.
So what is PlayOn?
It's a program for your PC that acts as a media server for online and personal media. Huh? In simple terms, it allows you to watch virtually any online videos on your TV. It also allows you to watch videos, music, and photos on your TV, that are stored on your computer.
Networks such as ABC, NBC, SyFy, etc often put full episodes of their shows up on their websites. You can watch those videos on your PC, laptop, tablet, etc at no charge. PlayOn allows you to watch those same videos on your TV (which generally means a larger picture and better sound). You can also watch Hulu basic videos using PlayOn (no Hulu+ subscription needed).
To do this however, you need two parts...
Your PC (with PlayOn installed and running)
A streaming device, such as a Roku, Apple TV or gaming device such as a Play Station 3. It also works with some Smart TVs, and might work with Dish Hopper (I'm still testing that out).
To take things a little further, you can also record those shows to your PC, with a PlayLater subscription.
Just as with
Plex, you must have PlayOn running on your computer, in order to use it
on your streaming device (Roku, Apple TV, PS3, etc).
PlayLater
PlayOn has also created a program called PlayLater. You can bundle it with your PlayOn purchase for a few bucks more. Or purchase it as a stand alone program (and not get PlayOn). It adds a bit to the cost of PlayOn, but IMO is worth it. And I wouldn't get PlayOn without PlayLater or vice versa. I highly recommend getting the bundle!
PlayLater is a DVR for your online content. You can "record" shows from any of your available channels. It will save that video to your computer, and allow you to watch it whenever/wherever you want. Say Netflix Instant has a movie that is expiring soon, that you really want to watch, but don't currently have the time. With PlayLater, you can "record" the movie now, and watch it later. It will be saved as a video (MPEG-4 or PLV) on your computer, and will be available to you, even after it has been removed from Netflix Instant.
With the stand alone PlayLater option, you cannot watch channels on your TV (as you can with PlayOn). You can (I believe) record from the channels, and then watch via My Media (which I cover below).
Be aware that PlayLater records in real time. So that 2hr movie is going to take 2hrs to record. You also need to have a decent internet speed at the time of recording. Otherwise, you will get the same stalls that you get, when watching live with a slow connection. Only...these stalls will be recorded.
The only downside to PlayLater, IMO, is that it doesn't give a lot of options for video format, or how large you want the file to be. The PlayLater recordings seem a bit large to me. I use another program to convert and shrink these files. Then delete the originals. The converted files play much faster and smoother.
My Media
I mentioned that I prefer Plex for my personal media. But, you can use PlayOn for personal media. I simply prefer the Plex interface. The "My Media" comes bundled with your PlayOn purchase. But is also available as a separate FREE program. You can download the My Media
program for your PC, install the channel for your chosen device (Roku,
Wii, PS3, etc), and use it for free. It is strictly for viewing your
own personal media files that are on your PC or attached external hard drive (you cannot watch online channels...that requires the full PlayOn license).
The My Media Roku channel IS available in the Roku channel store (unlike PlayOn).
As happy as I am with PlayOn, I must say that My Media seems lacking in it's slideshow capabilities. It seemed to play video and music okay...though it took awhile to load the folders. But for picture slideshows, it just didn't work well at all, for me.
PlayMark/PlayCast
A new feature of PlayOn, is the PlayMark/PlayCast feature. Plex had a similar feature, but it was very limited. And frankly, a real pain. PlayMark however, seems to work quite well. I've only tested it a few times, and mostly with YouTube videos, but I haven't been disappointed.
PlayMark is sort of like a bookmark for online videos. But instead of bookmarking it for your browser, it is bookmarked for your TV. It is a "channel" within PlayOn (just like CBS, NBC, etc).
You know you really want to watch that YouTube cat video on your TV...don't lie. With PlayMark, you can "bookmark" that video, using a "PlayOn" button that is added to your browser(s) during install. PlayOn saves the address in a folder, and you can watch it via your streaming device...on your TV...the way God intended. It works for just about any online video...YouTube, CBS, Hulu, etc. Unlike PlayLater, there is no video saved to your PC, and if the video is removed from it's online location, you can no longer watch it.
The PlayCast feature sends it directly to your streaming device for immediate watching, rather than saving it as a "bookmark" for later.
While PlayMark seems to work well, PlayCast seems a bit hit and miss, depending on the website you want to watch.
Additionally, if you have PlayLater, you can use the PlayOn browser button to set a recording. Giving you three options from your browser...
Send To (which will send it directly to your streaming device for immediate viewing)
Record To (which will use PlayLater to record and save it as a video to your PC)
Save (which will "bookmark" it to your PlayMark channel)
I am uncertain if the PlayMark/PlayCast feature is only available for the full PlayOn program...or if it is available with the free My Media program. Though, I did notice a new "PlayCast" channel in the Roku channel store, so it may be that it'll work with the free My Media PC program.
Parental Controls
PlayOn
and PlayLater even have parental control options. I tested it out on my system, and
it seems to work...even on Netflix. It has separate settings for movie
ratings and tv ratings. I set mine to TV-14 and PG13,
then went into Netflix (via PlayOn...not via Roku's Netflix channel) and
tried to play a video that was in my Instant Queue, that I knew was
TV-MA. It looked as though it was going to start, but once it began to
load the video, a screen with the PlayOn logo and the words "The video you have selected exceeds the maximum parental control rating you have chosen in PlayOn Settings." appeared. DOH!
The
only thing lacking in the parental controls is the ability to have
password protection. So, if your child has access to the computer that hosts the
PlayOn program, they can simply open the PlayOn settings and change the
parental control settings, or turn them off completely. It's not great parental protection, but it gives you some control.
Plugins
There are also plugins available for your PlayOn. These are generally channels created by people in the PlayOn community, and do not come with PlayOn by default. You must install them separately. None have really excited me enough to install, but that's just me. There are tons of plugin channels to choose from, and you may very well find something you just can't live without.
And...some totally smart person created a program for Windows that will write the script and do the footwork of creating a plugin, for a channel of your choosing. All you need is the internet address of the video site you want.
For example:
I used this program to create a channel for myself and my parents, so we can watch 9News Denver. They have online newscasts for the Denver area, and beyond. I have family in Colorado, and when Colorado decides to set the state on fire each year, it's nice to be able to keep up on the news. They are live newscasts, so we get up to date info. Thanks to the smart person, I was able to create the channel as a plugin, and add it to my PlayOn channel lineup and to my parents PlayOn lineup. Now we can watch 9News webcasts, live on our tvs. And pretty much all I had to do was paste in the website address. Pretty sweet, eh? And yes...I hit up his "donate" button.
There's An App For That
Do you have an Android or iOS device? You can use PlayOn with that too. Apps are available for Android, iOS and Blackberry (not sure about Windows phones). The apps are free, but you do need the paid PlayOn subscription on your PC to use them. Setup was fairly simple, though not entirely self explanatory.
Once you are setup on your phone or tablet, you can watch any of your available channels, as well as your home media...from anywhere with a connection. It doesn't have to be wifi or the same network as your PC. You can use your 4G or 3G. You can be at the airport or your BFFs house.
Your PC must be running PlayOn at home though (that is your server). If you also have PlayLater, and have that running on your PC at home, you can use your Android, iOS, or BB app to set recordings.
I am uncertain if the apps work for those users that only have the My Media program. It's possible that they do...just without the channels.
If you don't want yet another app on your device, you can simply open a browser, and go to http://m.playon.tv/
I know it works with Android, but can't say for a fact that it works with iOS, BB or Windows phone. For Android, initial setup is the same, and it works exactly as the app does.
30 Day Money Back Guarantee
PlayOn offers a 30 day money back guarantee. However...they don't make it super simple. I've seen many people complain about it. I didn't have any problem with it, but then again...I was asking to cancel a license for $8.99 so I could upgrade to a license for $69.99. So maybe they were just more prompt with me, due to the upgrade. Maybe other people are just whiners. IDK.
But just so you know, if you do want to get your money back, you'll have to email them at support@playon.tv and may have to wait a bit for it to go through. Going to the cancel page will only cancel your monthly or yearly license...it will not refund your money. You must email them...and it must be within the 30 days.
But Does It Work?
PlayOn
has worked very well for me (so long as I have an internet connection speed of at
least 1.5Mbps). And it requires little to no setup. With Plex, I had to
find and install each channel. And often had to tweak certain
settings, just to get things to semi-work. With PlayOn, I simply enable or disable the channels I do/don't want. Very easy.
And pretty much self
explanatory. And NO tweaking required.
I've tried several of the channels available with PlayOn,
and have only run into problems with a few. Bio, for one, will play some content, but not all. I can live with that. The major networks, such as CBS, have worked very well.
PlayLater has also worked well for me. Again...as long as I have a speed of at least 1.5Mbps. I recorded an entire movie from Netflix Instant. The picture and sound quality were excellent, and it played w/o a glitch. Though, for the tech savvy, I would suggest getting a program called Freemake Video Converter, to convert the video to a smaller size and better format.
Overall, I am very happy with PlayOn. As with anything internet related, there will be problems. Especially if you have horrible internet speeds, like I do. Most nights, I can't watch anything online, because our speeds throttle down to below 1.0 Mbps. Which is another plus for PlayLater. I can setup a recording, during the day (when I have better speeds), and watch the video that night. This way, it is now playing from my computer, not from the internet.
Note for Roku users...
Installation
of the PlayOn channel requires a bit more than hopping into the Roku
channel store. But it's still pretty easy. You will need to have a
Roku account, with an email and password. Then simply go to this page https://owner.roku.com/Add/MYPLAYON,
log in and add the channel. It may take awhile for your Roku to
update/show the new channel. To get the channel to show up immediately,
go into your Roku & choose Settings/System update/Check Now. This
should add your new PlayOn channel.
Is It Worth It?
That's up to you & how you choose to spend your hard earned cash. Check out their list of channels and judge for yourself. Keep in mind,
that the channels they don't list may not have online
content. PlayOn can only play what the networks have available online.
Also know that in order to watch anything (PlayOn related) on your streaming device, you will have to have PlayOn running on your PC. You'll need an internet speed of at least 1.5 - 2.0 Mbps. And the faster your computer is, the better your viewing experience. It is recommended that you have at least 500MB of RAM on your computer.
The PlayOn/PlayLater bundle lifetime license does seem a bit pricy at $69.99, but that's about the cost of one month of cable or satellite service. With the money back guarantee, it's at least worth a glance.
To play devils advocate...I don't know if I really believe that the lifetime license will actually last a lifetime. Let's be realistic. But even if it only lasts a year or two...you get PlayOn, PlayLater, My Media, PlayMark/PlayCast, plugins, and parental controls. You can watch shows like Person of Interest, The Blacklist, Haven, Vampire Diaries, and more, through your streaming device. You can record shows to watch later. You can even watch all those important YouTube cat videos on your TV.
PlayOn - http://www.playon.tv/playon
PlayOn's home page
PlayOn Bundles - http://www.playon.tv/buy/
PlayOn Bundle deals. Bundle PlayOn and PlayLater. Choose monthly, yearly or lifetime. I went with the lifetime license. At the time of my purchase, the lifetime PlayOn/PlayLater bundle was on sale for $69.99. If that's not the current price when you look...wait a bit...they'll go on sale again.
PlayLater - http://www.playlater.tv/
PlayLater stand alone program. Also has an option for the PlayOn/PlayLater lifetime bundle.
My Media - http://www.playon.tv/mymedia
Stand alone FREE My Media program. Roku channel available in the Roku channel store.
PlayOn for Roku - https://owner.roku.com/Add/MYPLAYON
Add the PlayOn channel to your roku. You need to have a Roku account with email and password. There's an option to create an account, if you don't already have one.
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