This is not a tutorial—just a reflection on my journey.
About
This holiday break, I started a new pet project: setting up a Plex Media Server at home. My main goal was to have a simple way to listen to a collection of audio files I’ve saved over the years—mainly two favorites:
- La Venganza será Terrible (a long-running radio show from Argentina)
- No Agenda (a podcast with a massive archive)
Not every episode is always available for download, so whenever I find one, I grab it and keep a local copy. Plex lets me preserve them in one organized library before they vanish into the ether.
What is Plex?
Plex is a client–server media player system that organizes and streams your media collections. The Plex Media Server can run on Windows, macOS, or Linux, and there are official apps for mobile devices, smart TVs, streaming boxes, and even a web interface.
It pulls together your videos, audio, and photos so you can enjoy them from virtually any device.
Why Plex?
For me, Plex is about organization and accessibility.
- On macOS, I used to rely on iTunes, but since it was split into Movies, Podcasts, and Music, it feels too fragmented.
- On Linux, I once used Songbird (RIP 🪦—still sad it’s gone).
- At home, our family uses both iOS and Android devices, so I wanted a solution that works across platforms.
The Plex apps on mobile cost about $4.99/month, but the media server itself is open source. For me, the subscription is worth it to unlock the full mobile experience.
For a broader breakdown of why Plex might be a good fit, check out this overview.
How I Set It Up
I went the simple route—no fancy NAS, no cloud sync. My collection is small, and this is just a fun side project.
- I refurbished an old Mac Mini I had lying around.
- Upgraded the SSD and RAM.
- Added an external hard drive to store the libraries.
- Installed the Plex Media Server.
That’s it. Out of the box, it just worked.
⚠️ Important reminder: Plex libraries are meant for personal use. Sharing copyrighted files outside your local network is illegal.
However, Plex does allow you to share personal content (like family home videos) securely with friends or relatives outside your network.
Next Steps
The next step was installing the Plex app on all our family devices—laptops, tablets, and phones.
The UI is excellent, the libraries are beautifully organized, and playback works smoothly. Sure, there are minor glitches now and then, but nothing deal-breaking.
Here’s how one of my shows (La Venganza será Terrible) looks inside Plex:
Bonus: Automating Downloads
As a side project, I wrote a script to automatically download episodes of La Venganza será Terrible from the web so I can keep my archive complete. You can find it here:
Plex might not be for everyone, but for me it’s been a great way to preserve, organize, and enjoy media that matters. Sometimes, the best projects are the ones that bring old content back to life.