Plex now supports podcasts
The feature is in beta, but you can try it out today.
Since its inception, Plex has been busy integrating multiple services into its media streaming software. Previous updates delivered curated news and virtual reality movies, but today the company is ready to welcome Plex Podcasts. The audio-centered feature is currently in beta, and accessible through iOS, Android, Roku and the web.
As Plex co-founder Scott Olechowski previously confirmed, Plex Podcasts doesn't need a dedicated server to run. It's also free, helps contain all your media -- including photos, music, news and videos -- in one place, and doesn't make passive aggressive subscription requests. In fact there isn't any subscription required at all.
What Plex Podcasts does come with is all the normal functions you'd expect in a quality podcast app. There's also a convenient mark as played feature to keep track of your listening history. Also, if one of your most treasured podcasts isn't available in the Plex catalog, don't worry, it's still possible to grab the feed URL and add it as a favorite. Cross-device playback ensures that you can resume listening to the same podcast between phone, PC and beyond without the hassle of losing your timestamp.
On top of that, Plex has also overhauled its mobile apps to make them more customizable. Users can choose the what categories of content they want to see, reducing clutter in the process.
Plex says it plans to support additional platforms in the future, but in the coming weeks, you can look forward to 'smart downloading' (managing podcast episodes on an individual show basis), more discovery options, and an import and export ability that lets you port your existing subscriptions straight into Plex.
