Online Content
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How to play online Content in Plex
This (very quick) guide will go over how to install plugins from our App Store and play online content. It is meant for new users who haven't used Plex before. If you would like more indepth help with Plex please visit our main Documentation page or our User Guide.
Installing Plugins
You must at least be running Plex 0.7.9 to use plugins. Once you launch Plex you will need to install plugins by selecting Applications from the main menu. Once in Applications the first available icon is "App Store". In App Store you can easily install, update and remove any plugin you need. For this example we will go to Categories -> Videos and then install the Hulu Plugin. Before you install any applications make sure you update to the latest App Store as it includes many fixes for automatic updates. You can manually update in the store by choosing More... -> Install Updates.
Please note that some plugins i.e. Hulu (U.S. only), BBC iPlayer (U.K. only) are location specific and may install but will not do anything of value. This means that the same restrictions that may prevent you, depending on your location from watching videos on the services' internet web sites also prevent you from watching them via Plex. In other words, if the underlying video stream being used works in your location via your internet browser, it should work via Plex. If the video stream does not normally work via your internet browser in your location it will not work in Plex.
Running Plugins
Now that the Hulu plugin has been installed press ESC on your keyboard (menu on the Apple remote) to go back to the Home Screen. Since Hulu is a video plugin, select "Watch Your Videos". Once inside you will see an icon for Hulu. Select Hulu and navigate through the plugin to play its content.
Other plugins may appear in different areas depending on their content. For example a Photo plugin like "The Big Picture" would show up in "View Your Pictures" while a music plugin would appear in "Listen to Music."
Troubleshooting
There may be some issues as we work through early plugin and App Store releases. Here are some solutions for common problems we have found. If your problem is not listed here, please feel free to visit our Forums where there are a number of knowledgeable users who can help you.
Q: All the other plugins work but Hulu.
A: Hulu is available only inside the USA, if you live in another country Hulu blocks you from playing its files.
Q: When watching Rev 3, Ted Talks, CNet plugins the video stops or stutters every so often.
A: This is due to your internet connection being too slow to stream the whole file. You can fix this by increasing the cache for playing internet video files. This can be done by accessing (from the main menu) Configure The System -> System -> Cache --> Video Cache - Internet. The default is 4096KB, set it higher until the videos stream perfectly for you.
Q: I can't find Applications on the menu!
A: This is probably due to having an older version of Plex installed at some point (it was hidden in the past by default). You can re-enable Applications on the main menu by going to Change your Preferences -> Skin -> Show Applications
