The folks at Plex are getting ready to release a HUGE update to their media management app and, judging by the video above, this is gonna be a giant leap forward for those of us using the software to manage and playback our media libraries.

Check it out – and then (like me) begin obsessively checking every day to see if it’s been released yet!

But this was a tough hit to take because I split my time between the two programs: EyeTV for my live TV stuff and Plex for my movies and TV library. Combining the two has always been a dream but doesn’t seem to be in the cards based on El Gato’s total lack of interest in making EyeTV more of a media manager than it already is.

So I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was for Plex to integrate my EyeTV archive into its file structure…and how beautifully it played native EyeTV recordings.

Basically, you add your archive folder as a source under the Video submenu and…that’s it! Navigate into the folder and you can easily playback any of your EyeTV recordings.

Although it’s brutally simple, I’ve made a YouTube video documenting the addition – check it out below and post any questions you end up having.

Plugged into my 32″ HDTV, I use the Mini to:

* Watch, pause, rewind, and record live HDTV programming for free via EyeTV and my HD Homerun.

All controlled wirelessly via my iPhone and Remote Buddy
 
Imagine all of the bulky components you can avoid by consolidating down to just the Mini! Explore the site for extensive reviews of everything I used to create and maintain this system.

But that’s no longer necessary. StarPlayr is an amazing program that essentially makes my Mini a virtual Sirius receiver. StarPlayr taps into Sirius’s online streams and allows a complete Mac-based software solution to my clutter concerns. The program itself is full of great features: pause, record, live track information…it’s frankly stunning when you realize the functionality that comes with this free program.

StarPlayr only works if you have a valid Sirius account. I pay them an additional $2.99 a month for the higher 128k bitrate streams, but StarPlayr works with the free lower quality version, too.

It’s also worth noting this is available for download at Apple.com and has been featured as a Staff Favorite, so I have to imagine Sirius is cool with this program. But this is one of those amazing programs that’s difficult to believe is actually okay.

You’ll have to excuse me now…I’m off to Ebay with my old receiver.

3/2009 UPDATE: StarPlayr’s dev has abandoned all of their projects.

I’d suggest Pulsar from Rogue Amoeba. They are still in business.

STUNNING TO BEHOLD…WITH LITTLE TO NO EFFORT

The screenshots do more to illustrate how beautiful this program can be than any words I can string together. I’ll simply say it’s everything I could ask for in a graphical interface. The transitions are smooth and intuitive. And the art…oh, the art! I’ve always been a fan of movie posters and Plex displays them beautifully for all of the titles in my collection.

And this is where Plex leaps through hyperspace to another level of functionality, pulling posters for all of your files automatically. Just backed up a DVD? Fire up Plex and it scans your folders, sees the new files, runs to the internet, grabs art (in addition to plot synopsis, cast, running time, and a ton of other info), and displays it, on average, in under thirty seconds. Done.

Plex uses skins to allow users an amazing amount of flexibility over how they want the interface to look. One popular option is xTV, which very closely resembles Front Row. But the undisputed king is Aeon. It’s what I’m using.

1080P HD PLAYBACK, ANYONE?

Playing back 1080p material on my 1.66 Intel Mini has always been a dicey road to travel, smoothed out most of the time by various tweaks to my beloved VLC. But Plex’s HD playback is nothing short of revolutionary. Even the toughest files that used to kneecap VLC inside of a minute are whipped smooth by Plex, with NO noticeable frame drops so far.

It’s difficult to describe the exponential jump forward this experience is in my HT experience. Although EyeTV has always delivered beautiful playback of it’s native files, this is the first time I have an app that I can throw ANYTHING at. And, like the rest of Plex, the interface is beautiful, simple, and offers up just what you need.

LET ME ORGANIZE THOSE TV SEASONS AND EPISODES FOR YOU

Some of my most prized media files are entire series of my favorite TV shows…”The Larry Sanders Show”, for instance, is something I really treasure. I have an external drive called “Television” with all of my shows stored in a very simple file structure…I create a folder with the show’s title and drop all of the episodes inside.

Plex reads the files and divides them automatically into seasons and attaches plots/titles to each episode, just like it does with films. You can even set it to create thumbnails for each episode. I do.

One way a media manager can really shine is how it handles a large number of files – in this case by shuffling my seasons of TV into an easily-accessible library. And Plex shreds through this task by creating a structure that’s intuitive, informative, and unimposing for anyone to navigate. I’ve always felt that Tivo was the undisputed champion of UI in this arena. Plex easily surpasses them, in my humblest of opinions.

THE CONS

Are there any problems with Plex? Sure…I’d love a scrubbable timeline (which VLC does offer). There’s no way to integrate an HDTV tuner (a la HDHomerun), so using Plex as a traditional PVR is out. And full access to my iTunes playlists could be easier – but that’s less to do with Plex’s developers and more to do with Apple’s software.

But this is really nitpicking given the robust set of features Plex offers. And there’s one other huge plus I haven’t mentioned.

It’s free.

With a little imagination, this feature can be a huge advantage in a HTPC environment. I use it on a regular basis in a variety of situations and I thought I’d share a couple of the most common.

TV Programmer: With the state of network television’s quality, watching reruns of “classic” shows is a no-brainer. Since I’ve backed up a bunch of my favorites from DVD sets to a HD, I routinely “program” my own night of TV shows.

Check out how the line-up I’ve created below…

…blows away anything CBS, NBC, ABC, et al could throw at me! And the lack of commercials is just icing on the cake. I also will often load a whole series into the playlist and just choose “Random” for a customized marathon.

Movie Night: Enhance watching a DVD/HD movie at home by throwing in trailers and even a THX trailer before the main feature. I load up the appropriate material in advance and, when I click “Play”, I may as well be at the theater.

Wall Candy: A few years ago, I was in a bar and they were projecting “The Matrix” sans sound onto a wall. I’ve always loved great cinematography and found the idea AWESOME.

With a wall-mounted LCD, I decided to give it a try and use playlists to create the same feeling at my house. Coupled with good music, movies like “2001″ and “Blade Runner” are truly pieces of art. So creating a playlist of stunning films before a party can really enhance a home’s decor.

Combining Multi-Segment Series: Limited-run series or shows that don’t require sequential viewing are another great candidate for playlists…and “Plant Earth” is a perfect example.

As I’ve said before, VLC’s importance in a Mac-based home theater enviornment cannot be measured. Its flexibility and feature set continually amaze me. And playlists are just another area in which it truly has no peer.

At the top of the “Wow” list is the app no longer requiring Airport Express units to play audio on different Macs! Instead, they use a free app called “Airfoil Speakers” that runs on any Mac you want to route sound to and shows up in Airfoil the same way an AEX would.

An opaque black box pops up on the computer(s) receiving audio with a volume slider.

This is HUGE…as it allows an exponentially-lower cost than a Creston-type home audio control system with similar media-hub style control.

Another massive leap forward is their “Perfect Synchronization” which is just that – no audio-lag that plagued previous versions of Airfoil (and Airtunes inside iTunes). Somthing so simple kicks an app like this from “99% there” to a full 100%.

The $10 upgrade fee is easily justified when considering the ability to stream to a new Mac whenever you’d like without kicking down $99 for a new AEX.

Pick it up on Rogue Amoeba’s site.