KODI vs PLEX

Cool - thanks - noob qn but is this something I can [easily] run on my mac?

Yes, the good Doctor has a how to on the Github:

Mac OSX

PlexPy will be installed to /Applications/PlexPy

Method 1 (easy):
Download PlexPy from GitHub: https://github.com/drzoidberg33/plexpy/zipball/master
Extract the zip to /Applications/PlexPy. Make sure you extract the files directly in the root.
Open a terminal
Type: cd /Applications/PlexPy
Method 2 (preferred):
Open a terminal
Install Git. This can be done via xcode-select --install
Type: mkdir /Applications/PlexPy
Type: cd /Applications/
Type: git clone https://github.com/drzoidberg33/plexpy.git PlexPy
Type: cd PlexPy
Type: python PlexPy.py
PlexPy will be loaded in your browser or listening @ http://localhost:8181.
To start PlexPy on startup, refer to Install as a daemon
 
Still under development but also looks good and seems to have some extra features over PlexBMC like Plex watch later / Plex It support.
PlexKodiConnect
https://forums.plex.tv/discussion/210023/plexkodiconnect-let-kodi-talk-to-your-plex
This is the one I used when I setup Kodi on my desktop day before yesterday. Works well.

Used Kodi the whole of yesterday while working. Did the job. Don't like the default skin, and found it too windows explorer like (original filenames instead of series/movie name).
Today when I sat down to work, I fired up Plex again. With zero tinkering to get it how you want, it just works.
I will spend some more time with Kodi on the weekend as it's been I while since I compared and need to see how things have changed.
 
So I'm the only one who uses notepad to watch his video nowadays?

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Not only that, it is also greener because that computer has a 25watt CPU and 90% efficient external power supply.

You do realise they are talking about a central media server like Plex? Exactly the opposite of what you have been saying the whole time...
 
Using Kodi / SQL server for central databased management versus Kodi / Plex Media Server

Why I stopped using MySQL with Kodi

1.) Installation time. The Kodi / SQL server requires quite a bit of configuration before you can use it across multiple devices. For example, you need to install MySQL and grant access to Kodi. Then you need to create a custom advancedsettings.xml file pointing to the SQL database and manually copy it to each device that requires access to the database. The advancedsettings.xml file must go into the userdata folder of each Kodi installation and this differs between Windows, Android and Linux etc.

2.) Keeping the database updated. The one solution I found was to keep one instance of Kodi running permanently which updates the SQL server as content is added. However, Kodi is not very good at updating content. For example it often list files that have been renamed or deleted and required manually running the “Clean library” action regularly. With PMS I’ve never had the issue again as it monitors your folders in real time for chances and updates your database correctly.

3.) Power failures. Kodi does not start up automatically on a PC unless you use a special app or configure it to start up with Windows. PMS can run as a service by checking a box.

4.) Configuring SMB shares. If you are playing back content with Kodi from SMB shares you could run into issues if not configured properly. Have seen many people not being able to access SMB shares whether it be password issues etc. With PMS you don’t have to configure SMB shares.

5.) And the biggest failure of all. In a Kodi / SQL server setup all the versions of Kodi have to be the same. This is because each version of Kodi uses a different database to store data. So if your Android based version of Kodi decides to auto update itself and you have another Kodi installation that cannot update, then your setup is instantly broken. Not really an option when your discontinued Android TV box is stuck on an older version of OpenELEC.

Using PMS for central databased management on the other hand involves installing it and forgetting about it. Both the Plex app and Kodi with PlexBMC plugin automatically find the PMS server and require almost no other configuration. Also PMS does not care if you are running multiple different versions of Kodi on your network.

My 2 cents :)
 
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