I like rant.
A lot.
About really pointless stuff.
It gives my life meaning.
So let's get on with it, shall we?
Parental Controls and Netflix
I'm not a parent, but I am constantly amazed at the lack of parental controls in so many applications. Netflix, for example. It's an all or nothing with them. Most of us just setup our Roku, Wii, PS3, etc with our username and password, for all to watch. And if you don't want your kids watching rated R or TVMA, you have to shut that off for everyone.
Even the new and "improved" Profiles at Netflix only offer the option of setting up a Profile as a "This is a profile for kids under 12." What about separate ratings? What about kids over 12 but under 18? What about separate passwords, so my kid can login under their account, but not under my account? What the WHAT?!
And Netflix has decided to implement their own TV ratings. Many shows that air on TV as TV14 are either listed as TVPG (which is viewable on the under 12 setting), or NR (which is not viewable on the under 12). If the people overseeing the network ratings have said it's TV14, what the hell gives Netflix the right to call it "Not Rated?" OR to say that kids under 12 can watch it, because its "TVPG?" All because they were too lazy to implement a better parental control system? After all these years? Really?
WTF Plex?
I'm a bit disheartened with Plex. It used to work quite well. Then they got a legit Roku channel, and it seems like that's when the program began it's downward spiral (as far as online content anyway).
Then came "Plex Pass." And things got even worse IMO. Plex Pass is something you can pay for, and get beta releases of updates & new features. But if you don't want to buy a Plex Pass, you can stay with the free version, and just get the releases "later." Sounds great, right? Sure...in theory. Problem is...Plex "basic" doesn't GET updates any more. What updates it does get are very few and very far between. And they seem to make things worse, instead of better.
Plex likes to dangle pretty shiny things in front of you that you can have...if you get a Plex Pass. Free users may as well just accept the fact that those "new features" will, in fact, NEVER come to them. One example? Plex released an Android app (similar to the PlayOn app mentioned in my PlayOn post) almost a year ago...for Plex Pass users. With the "promise" that it would be available (and free) to everyone, once it was out of beta. Really? You reached a beta version that was good enough to put up on the Android market, but haven't ironed it out enough for a full release...a YEAR later?
And hey...I get it. You need money. You deserve money. Agreed. Just don't make promises that you know you will never keep. Do what PlayOn has done. Make the personal media portion of the program free, and just charge for the rest. It's a hell of a lot more honest than saying you'll give the non-paying users things that they will never actually get.
Word to the wise however...if you ARE going to have a paid for program, you had better make DAMN sure it WORKS. Given the issues I've had with Plex basic/free, I wasn't about to pay $75 for a Plex Pass, and end up with more features, but the same issues! $75 for a program that SORT of works?! I really had planned on paying for a Plex Pass. But the issues never got resolved...only worse. So, why would I drop money into something that only makes cuss words come out of my mouth? To be fair...most things make cuss words come out of my mouth. But, that's not the point. PlayOn works. And they don't BS me about features I might get...in three years...if I'm lucky.
I'm sure that a year or so down the road, when I find that my "lifetime PlayOn license" isn't really for a lifetime, I'll be less than happy with them. But for now...I'm a happy camper. Because it freakin works. And support from PlayOn has been quick...and actually quite helpful. If I have a problem, I know I can email them, or hit the forums, and get an actual answer. Not some BS about how "that's not actually supported, due to Rokus rules/restrictions. We cannot advise you on this." Which is what I've found on the Plex forums. I don't even BOTHER trying to email them. So, you want me to pay for something that, not only doesn't really work, but that you can't even advise me on how to GET it to work? MmmmK. Lemme jump right on that.
The only thing, that I'm aware of, that Plex has (if you pay for Plex Pass), but PlayOn does not (that I know of), is cloud sync. And my guess would be that PlayOn is working on something similar.
I'm so sad to have lost my undying love for Plex. It used to be awesome. Now it's just sort of...coolish. Like I've said before...I like the interface for playing my personal media. But that is pretty much all I'll use it for now. And I may eventually get to where I like the simplicity of PlayOn's My Media better.
If it's more important to the people at Plex, to have a "legit" Roku channel, that's available in the Roku channel store, than it is to keep their users happy and their product working, then I think I'll stick with giving my money to PlayOn.
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