If I want to watch some media, I just navigate into the read only share using windows explorer into the folder structure I setup and open with MPC....

 

what is the advantage of plex if I know what i'm going to watch anyway? 

 

using it away from home when at work? I'd rather just go out to the bars / restaurants than watch 480p episodes of south park from 1998 in my hotel room...? or is that the use only case?

Yes you are.

 

These applications function more like a self hosted Netflix.  On a basic "Just show the video" side, it will play that video on many more platforms than just a PC browser - Smart TVs, TV streaming devices such as Roku and AppleTV, tablets, smartphones.  They take your file and transcode it to the best format and bitrate the device and network connection can handle.  They can handle multiple user accounts, maintaining a watch list to show you what you have already watched, what is the next episode in the series you've been binging, etc.  Add a tuner, and they give you DVR functionality and on screen TV guide,  Expanded info about the movies, and enhanced search functions ("What other movies/shows do I have with so-and-so in it?")  Some have been adding free streaming channels and on-demand movies.

 

All this in a slick user interface that even my non-technical wife can navigate.  Plus, if you have multiple users watching stuff, much easier and secure than having people navigate through the files on your computer, looking for that movie to play.

On 12/17/2022 at 6:40 AM, tomo said:

using windows explorer

You might be missing something, unless you explicitly trust windows explorer (read only, I know, ie: Microsoft -- they've never had any security issues, right?)

 

6.