No more struggling to connect your PC to the TV. With the Plex streaming system and a Raspberry Pi, consult your photos or videos in your living room with peace of mind.
If you have a large library of photos and videos on your computer, sometimes you want to watch these content on your big TV screen to enjoy or share it more comfortably.
Using an HDMI cable to occasionally connect your PC is clearly not the most comfortable solution and can be too painful if your machine is not portable. As for direct streaming, it is not necessarily possible on your TV or your operator’s TV box. Even if this is the case, it is not always very pleasant to handle a PC when you are comfortably installed in the living room, an aperitif in hand.
A much more convenient solution is to use Plex, a client-server system that allows easy access to multimedia content from a PC, browsing through libraries, performing searches, etc.
This software is published by the eponymous company. It can be used free of charge or by paying a monthly or annual subscription. We will only use the free functions, which are more than sufficient for basic use.
1. Gather the necessary materials
To perform this installation, you will need the following:
- a computer with an SD or micro SD card reader
- a 4 GB micro SD card with possibly an SD adapter
- a Raspberry Pi 2, 3 or 3B with its power supply
- a keyboard with USB socket
- an HDMI cable
- a smartphone
2. Install Plex Media Server on your PC
Start by creating a Plex account on the plex.tv site. Then download the version of Plex Media Server that is suitable for your computer and launch the executable.
The installation wizard offers two configuration steps. During the first, you can personalize the name of the server and specify with a checkbox if the content must be accessible from the outside. If in doubt, uncheck this box, it is safer.
The second step is the constitution of the media library. For each category of content – music, photos, movies, series, etc. – you can add folders from your PC. Once the selection is made, click on “Done”.
Your web browser will then automatically open the Plex Media Server Administration Console. It allows you to navigate through the libraries and make advanced settings, which are not necessary for the purposes of this tutorial.
3. Flash RasPlex on a micro SD card
Now that the server is installed on your PC, it is now necessary to prepare the other side, the client that will run on your Raspberry Pi.
On rasplex.com, download the installation software that suits you (Windows, macOS, Linux). This application allows you to download the system image of RasPlex and, in the process, to flash it on a micro SD card (minimum 4 GB class 10).
At the platform level, it only allows you to choose between Raspberry Pi and Raspberry Pi 2. If you have a Raspberry Pi 3 or 3B, you can select version 2 of the platform. It will work perfectly. Raspberry Pi versions 3B + and 4, on the other hand, are not yet supported by this open source project.
4. Configure your RasPlex box
Insert your memory card into your Raspberry Pi and connect it to your TV with an HDMI cable. Also connect the keyboard to one of the USB ports and then turn on the Raspberry Pi.
A setup wizard will take you by the hand. You will be able to connect the device to your Wi-Fi network, as well as to your Plex account, before reaching the RasPlex home screen.
Then proceed to the localization settings: AZERTY keyboard, language, time zone. If necessary, also perform a video calibration, in order to position the image correctly.
5. Create your remote control
A USB keyboard is handy at first, but there’s no way it will hang around in the living room afterwards. Indeed, it is possible to control the RasPlex box using your smartphone, which is much more practical.
To do this, download the Plex app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, sign in to your Plex account, and then select “RasPlex” from the list of available Plex players. That’s it !
Then all you have to do is drop into your chair and enjoy your multimedia catalog.
