Everything is going into the cloud these days -- even Plex. The company just announced plans to launch Plex Cloud, which will put all of your media into the cloud so you can access it almost anywhere at any time.
This is a really big deal for Plex users. In the past, the service allowed you to stream all sorts of media, but needed an always-on PC or a NAS drive at home to do so. This cuts out the hardware and puts the Plex Media Server into the cloud. It's always on and you never have to deal with software updates.
It also has unlimited storage, thanks to Amazon Drive. So yes, Plex has partnered with Amazon, which is also a big deal. It also means that to use Plex Cloud, you need to have an Amazon Drive account. The company says it's working to add on other storage possibilities in the future. For now though, your Amazon Drive account and your Plex Pass account will get you unlimited storage that you can access from almost anywhere.
Another nifty perk? This update means you won't have to worry about power outages, corruption, or data loss. Amazon will deal with all of that stuff!
The unlimited Amazon Drive plan is available for $59.99 per year. Plex Pass subscriptions cost $4.99 per month or $39.99 for the entire year. There's also a Lifetime Plex Pass option for $149.99.
Plex says that most of the media server's core features will be available at launch. You shouldn't expect to find things like Camera Upload, Mobile Sync, Cloud Sync, Media Optimizer, DLNA, and DVR, but they're working to add some of those options back in over time.
If you're looking to upload your content to Amazon Drive, there are plenty of tools for both PC and mobile users. Of course, you can't do that yet. At first, Plex Cloud will only be available to select existing or new Plex Pass users who sign up to participate in the invite-only beta program. There's no word on when it will get a wider launch.
More Storage Solutions:
