RickDB
commented
4 years ago MP2 in the long run is a dead end in my opinion with the presence of Plex and Emby / Jellyfin which is one of the reason I didn't put a lot of hours into it back then. The MP2 core design is solid though and developers are friendly and capable so writing plugins for it will be a breeze compared to Kodi's absolutely dreadful API, you will however never get any real user base for it to make it feel worth it in my opinion :)
MP1 was a different matter some time ago as it had more developers but progress slowed down and few core plugin developers that kept it going have now moved on as well, you will run into the same thing as with MP2 and that is very small user base.
With both MP1 and MP2 it's a hard decision as you need to start somewhere and comes down to is it worth the time and effort. Compared to Kodi maintaining a MP1/2 plugin requires far less maintenance (skin updates mostly) and won't get annoyed by the API so that is something to consider as well.
For the Plex part:
Dropped Kodi + PlexKodiConnect some time ago in favor of Plex apps (Apple TV / Plex Media Player) as they matured to a point they were ideal for my use case. Also with Kodi madVR integration no longer being worked on (last release for 17.x) and Kodi lacking proper HDR and upscaling support no reason to keep it around.
My other reasons for switching to Plex:
- Ease of management and Docker / Linux server support (run it on Archlinux + ZFS for storage)
- Great app support on the Apple platform and can basically run on any device
- Share libraries with friends and watch together function is awesome especially in these times
- Stream from everywhere
- Third party libraries like PlexAPI for ease of development
- Plenty of apps like Tautulli / Varys for statistics and overview
- Anime agent support thru HAMA with near perfect matching
- Less time for personal projects due to new job function wanted something less maintenance and "just work"
Developed PlexAniSync to do the list syncing to AniList as a stop gap which while not perfect for all series gets the job done, needs some TLC still with matching based on HAMA's but motivation and time is low ;)
When developing anything Plex would go with external integration because at some point they will fully drop plugin support and maybe even dial back on third party agent support. They don't have the best track record when it comes to long term support or clear roadmaps.
Anyway just my 2 cents and happy to pitch in :)
da3dsoul
Andy2244
Cazzar
jmediamanager
@RickDB sorry for the ping, I have no idea how to contact you. I noticed that you have been a plugin dev for MP2, though I heard you switched to Plex/Kodi through whatever wizardry is involved in that plugin. I know you haven't worked on Shoko even in the time that it's been called Shoko, but hopefully you're still lurking as a happy, or at least tolerant, user somewhere.
Kodi's plugin API has pissed me off for a long time, and they don't have the dev time to care about improving it. I've been considering switching to something else, as, due to updates and obsolescence, eventually I'll either need to make a new Kodi plugin or switch.
What's your experience working with them? Why did you switch to Plex? What issues do you think I'd have if I tried making an MP2 plugin for Shoko? Ideally, I'd want it to stream like the MP1 plugin did, rather than try to hook into the internal library like our Plex plugin does. I wouldn't try to go for a full client like the MP1 plugin did, just a light client with maybe some quick actions.
Obviously, anyone else with info can pop in.