All articles tagged with #media server
Plex unveiled a five-year Plex Pass for $250, joining a price shift that raises the Lifetime Pass to $750. The move highlights Plex’s shift toward recurring revenue as it expands beyond a standalone media server into ad-supported channels and rentals, with the goal of funding ongoing development and encouraging long-term subscriptions.
WIRED spent months testing NAS devices for home backups, sharing, and media serving, and highlights include the Synology DiskStation DS225+ for speed and polished software, the Ugreen NASync DH4300 Plus for an affordable four-bay entry with HDMI, the Asustor AS5404T for performance with ample apps, and the QNAP TS-464-8G for top-tier hardware and upgradeability; TerraMaster F4-4245 Plus offers a compact four-bay option with robust ports. The takeaway: all tested models handle backups and media fine, but you’ll pay more for speed, apps, and drives, so pick based on bays, software, and budget.
Plex announced a $500 hike for its Lifetime Plex Pass, boosting the price from $250 to $750 and taking effect on July 1, 2026 at 12:01 a.m. UTC. Existing Lifetime Pass holders keep their benefits, and the standard Plex Pass (subscription) remains $7 per month or $70 per year. Buyers can still lock in the old price of $250 before the change. Plex says the increase funds ongoing development and outlines a roadmap that includes improved downloads (grouping by show) and updates to its mobile apps.
A GMKtec Mini PC with an Intel N150 processor, 12GB RAM, and 512GB SSD is on sale for $170, nearly 4 times cheaper than a Mac Mini, making it a cost-effective, space-saving option for home entertainment, media serving, and retro gaming.
Newegg has launched a NAS Configurator tool that simplifies the process of building a NAS device. The tool estimates the amount of data you need to store, shows suitable NAS enclosures, and lets you choose compatible HDDs or SSDs. It also includes a RAID calculator and estimates the number of videos, photos, and music albums you can store in your NAS device. The configurator prompts you to purchase the enclosure and drives you select.