Do More with Apple TV - Take Control of Apple TV (1.0) - page 139

Decide Where to Install Plex Media Server
PlexMediaServercanrunonacomputeroronasupportedNAS(network-attachedstorage)
device. It works fine on my MacBook Pro laptop, but sometimes when Plex is streaming, the
MacBook spins up its fans to cool the laboring CPU, which gets noisy. I'd prefer to run it on
a different Mac, like a local server, or on a NAS device.
Here are the pros to dedicating a computer to Plex:
• Availability: You don't have to worry about your Plex machine being asleep or
turned off. This is particularly important if you use the PlexConnect hack (see
Go Native with PlexConnect , but I also have a great workaround), as your Plex
machine manages all your Apple TV's Internet traffic. If the Plex machine were
to go to sleep, the Apple TV wouldn't have an Internet connection.
• Performance and noise: WhilePlexstreamscontent,itcanbeCPU-intensive
and thus cause a Mac's fans to kick in, increasing the noise level. Also, other
tasks running on that Mac could slow down Plex or vice versa. Finally, heat will
be an issue if you're streaming from a laptop that's being used on a lap.
It's not all good, though. Here are the cons:
• Cost and power usage: You'llneedtobuyaservermachine,ifyoudon'thave
one sitting around already; although it doesn't need to be an expensive Mac,
since Plex is multi-platform. Also, the server may consume more power overall
than if you ran Plex on a non-dedicated computer.
• Complexity: You'll have to maintain another computer.
TryPlexonanon-dedicatedcomputerfirst.Thendecideifyouwouldpreferadedicatedcom-
puter or NAS. If you install Plex Media Server on a Mac, it will require Mac OS X 10.6 Snow
Leopard or later, and an Intel Core 2 Duo processor or better plus at least 1 GB of RAM.
Using a Network Attached Storage Device
Many network-attached storage units from Synology, Drobo, and Netgear can run a
Plex server. Before making a decision, read the Plex NAS Guide . The Plex community
maintains a spreadsheet of compatible NAS units .
I don't discuss installation on a NAS, but you may be able to find instructions online.
For example, Drobo has a page describing how Plex works with the Drobo 5N , com-
plete with a link to a detailed PDF about how to configure Plex on the Drobo 5N NAS.