I'm planning on setting this up for my Dad. What I want is a setup-once-and-forget deal. It looks like I want to install Plex on an old quad core I have, and stack it with some terabytes of storage. It will be on 24/7. Is VideoStream a better alternative, and if so why?
I want BR-Rips to be played through Chromecast over wireless from the Plex server. I want him to be able to browse and control the media from his Android phone, but play through the telly. Does the Android app Plex Remote do this (free)?
Does Plex auto-scan for new media every x minutes etc?
Ideally, I want him to have his own personal 'Netflix' experience. I'll pop along every month or so and load his HDD with his BR rips. I'd like to keep HD sound so will keep using MKVs. Can I use MP4? Is transcoding mkv to mp4 (I assume, for Chromecast) CPU intensive?
Cheers!