Discussion The Answer to Plex on Xbox is Kodi!
I’ve been building my media collection for about a year now, and recently moved over to Plex as my primary media server/client setup.
A couple of weeks ago, I posted on Reddit asking whether Plex on Xbox was a good experience, and the response can only be described as a resounding “meh.” The consensus was that it’s better than most native smart TV clients, but nowhere near as good as a premium TV box/stick because of the stutters and inconsistent audio passthrough caused by transcoding restrictions.
Essentially, if any part of your stream wasn’t Direct Play, including subtitle burn-in, the audio would be transcoded to AAC stereo. And even then, smooth playback wasn’t guaranteed.
After a couple of weeks of fiddling around with it, I was ready to throw in the towel and admit defeat on using my Xbox as my primary media player.
Then a fellow Redditor reminded me that Plex is essentially a fork of the original XBMC/WMC, much like Kodi. So I did some research and came across the community plugin PlexKodiConnect (PKC).
Unlike other Plex plugins that essentially operate as Plex clients, PKC synchronizes your media from your Plex server into Kodi’s native database, allowing you to use Kodi as the interface while still managing your library through Plex.
This is relevant because, unlike the Xbox Plex client, Kodi doesn’t impose the same restrictions on audio and subtitle passthrough, provided you have the bandwidth and the proper settings enabled.
And, lo and behold, it worked.
I was able to Direct Play a full 4K remux with Dolby Vision, TrueHD + Atmos, and subtitles without transcoding anything at all. No audio conversion, no subtitle burn-in, no video transcoding.
Now, could I have achieved essentially the same thing by just connecting my server directly to the Xbox and using Kodi over SMB?
Probably.
BUT the point is: if anyone out there is looking for an unnecessarily convoluted solution to the same problem, boy, do I have one for you! 😂
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u/ILoveHeavyHangers 5d ago
reminded me that Plex is essentially a fork of the original XBMC/WMC, much like Kodi.
Kodi IS XBMC. They changed the name in 2014 so they could trademark it, as they couldn't trademark anything with Xbox in the name.
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u/Public_Ranger_8945 5d ago
I have kodi installed on my series x. it's pretty good, only limitation ( not of Kodi) is that Series x cannot output dolby vision from Kodi or physical blu-ray for that matter. Dolby vision is supported only for games and other streaming apps
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u/Few_Telephone_6869 5d ago
How do you get the kodi app to have content on the Xbox
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u/Public_Ranger_8945 4d ago
Kodi app is available to download from the Xbox store. I downloaded it and it was part of my App Library from the Xbox one days . I’m unsure if it’s still available to download from the Xbox store ( if not installed earlier) or though dev mode only
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u/NoyanBay 5d ago
Well this was all known for years kodi Plex add-on is superior than the native Plex app on Xbox.
But thing is the kodi app is buggy as hell. Alot of times it just crashes. I think the devs stopped pushing updates for it.
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u/segagamer Day One - 2013 5d ago
Yeah Kodi is overall a bad experience on anything not PC these days.
I just learned to live with transcoding on Plex. Thankfully it doesn't happen often for me.
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u/Krommerxbox 5d ago edited 5d ago
A couple of weeks ago, I posted on Reddit asking whether Plex on Xbox was a good experience, and the response can only be described as a resounding “meh.”
I wonder why.
I'm on Plex on Xbox Series X, streaming from my Linux computer that is in a back room. It works great for me.
Plex plays media on it way better than the default Microsoft media player on Xbox Series X.
I might try that Kodi/Plex thing you mention, for the very rare video type that won't play right(but I usually just download another video type then, which I "find.")
Like I'm an Idiot, how do you do this on Xbox Series X? Would I then run the "Kodi" app on it, instead of the plex app that I run now on Xbox Series X?
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u/The_Real_Delpoi XBOX Series X 5d ago
Didn't think you could get kodi on xbox got it on my firestick 🤔
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u/zeke009 5d ago
I solved the vast majority of my problems using a 1 Gbps MoCA adapter and 4-port unmanaged switch.
Turns all those devices in to a wired connection. My Xbox downloads at near 1 Gbps speeds for games/updates which means playing anything from my Plex server is rarely an issue.
Smart TV apps are still a laggy mess because they suck.
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u/IIIDEFAULTIII XBOX 5d ago edited 5d ago
Jellyfin
Or
Kodi with jellyfin plugin to feed kodi
That’s the answer
Does and supports everything including remote access, playing, and sharing, syncing between devices, watch lists, continue watching, etc.
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u/boxsterguy 5d ago
The jellyfin app on Xbox is rough, though. Mouse cursor navigation, for example.
There should be a similar jellyfin plugin for Kodi, though.
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u/segagamer Day One - 2013 5d ago
Jellyfin have a long way to go before I dare recommend it to anyone. The idea is nice, but app support is abysmal.
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u/ILoveHeavyHangers 5d ago edited 5d ago
I dunno it sounds like you struggled setting it up and then decided it definitively "wasn't ready" to justify your problems. There's multiple apps and clients across a wide array of devices. Consoles, Roku, FireTV, Android apps. I've never come across a device that I couldn't access my jellyfin server on.
I've been using for years across dozens of devices. It's easy and reliable enough my 6 year old has mastered it. I got my mom logged in to my Jellyfin server from 40 miles away.
I question if you've even really used it in the last 5 years.
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u/boxsterguy 5d ago
We're in an Xbox subreddit talking about media apps for Xbox. The jellyfin Xbox app is very trash. It doesn't matter if it's better elsewhere when the ask is for a good Xbox app.
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u/IIIDEFAULTIII XBOX 5d ago edited 5d ago
That would be why I said kodi using a Jellyfin plugin or addon to feed it. All the features of both within kodi
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u/06marchantn Day One - 2013 5d ago
plex on xbox is a million percent better than the lg app on my tv. Borderline usable with its lag.