PlexConnect delivers Plex Media Server features on a non-jailbroken Apple TV. As I posted some days before, Plex Media Server is running on Windows 10 without any issues. So does PlexConnect: Installing PlexConnect on Windows 10 works in the same way as it does for Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 8.1.
Hardware used:
PlexConnect on Windows 10 was installed on my Acer Aspire 1810T (64-bit) running on Windows 10 (Technical Preview, build number 10041). The certificate file was installed on two Apple TV 3 (3rd generation, model number A1427 – AppleTV3,1 – MD199LL/A) running on Apple TV 7.1 software and Apple TV 7.2 software beta 2.
Note: Have a look at this instruction, if you want to install PlexConnect on Windows 7, 8 or 8.1.
Step 1: Prepare your Windows system!
- Download and install the latest Python version 2.7.9 (“Python 2.7.9 Windows Installer”) for your Windows system (Do not install in any case versions 3.X nor “Python 2.7.9 Windows X86-64 Installer”!).
- Download and install Win32 OpenSSL Win32 v1.0.2h (Nor the light version, neither Win64 version!). If Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable Package (x64) is missing for installing OpenSSL, then download it from here. You need to install the version dated 11/29/2007!
- Download and extract the Plex Media Server, version 0.9.11.7.803-87d0708 .
- Download and extract the latest PlexConnect ZIP-file from Github (Do not download from PlexConnect.org!) to the folder C:\PlexConnect (create the folder, if it doesn’t exist).
- Create the folder C:\Cert on your Windows root directory. Download the batch file ‘cert.create.bat‘ and copy the file into C:\Cert:
Notes (updated August 6, 2015, Kudos to Cory!):
- iPhone Configuration Utility for Windows isn’t officially available anymore. You have to install the certificate files later on without USB.
- Some people face problems with ‘trailers.der‘. They got the error message ‘ValueError: unknown url type: /trailers.der‘ instead. In this case use the alternate file ‘cert.create-2.bat‘ which creates a ‘trailer.cer‘ file instead of a ‘trailers.der‘ file (Kudos to commentator Mark!). If you downloaded ‘cert.create-2.bat‘, you should change the command in step 2 to ‘cert.create-2‘:
- If you have a working Apple TV / Plex combination on Windows 7 / 8 or 8.1, and doing an upgrade to Windows 10, you may have to uninstall and reinstall all the components of Plex (media server, python…etc) with the latest versions.
- Most common errors found:
- ‘Port 443 access denied‘ (need to stop the World Wide Web Publishing service that Windows 10 is running)
- ‘Port 80 access denied‘ (Skype, VMware often use this port).
- Another thing found out is that users may get a different error than the one I have listed for the .cer/.der conflict. You may just got ‘Unable to add Profile at This time‘ not the one I have listed, but once you changed the certificate’s extension to .cer, you may have no problem.
Step 2: Getting started to create the profile for Apple TV!
- Open the windows Explorer and navigate to C:\Cert, left click on the screen below the name of cert.create.bat, so that no files are highlighted!
- Press the shift key and right click on the screen. You will see the following Windows open:
Installing PlexConnect On Windows 10_Start cert.create.bat - Now click on ‘Open Command Window Here‘ and the command prompt will open and start at the folder C:\Cert.
- Run the cert.create.bat (alternate retype all the commands in the cert.create.txt file). The folder C:\Cert should now contain 5 files: .rnd, cert.create.bat, trailers.der, trailers.key and trailers.pem. And a window ‘Certificate‘ opens automatically:
Installing PlexConnect On Windows 10_Creating certificate file - Click on the button ‘Install Certificate…‘, then click twice on ‘Next’ and at the ending on ‘Finish’. you should get the message ‘The import was successful‘:
Installing PlexConnect On Windows 10_Certificate import successful - Close the command prompt window and click on the ‘Certificate‘ the ‘OK‘ button now!
- Go to C:\Cert select and copy the files .rnd, trailers.der, trailers.key and trailers.pem, navigate to C:\PlexConnect where you have extracted the PlexConnect ZIP-file on your Windows PC.
- Go to the folder C:\PlexConnect\assets and create a subfolder named ‘certificates‘.
- Go to the newly created folder C:\PlexConnect\assets\certificates and paste the copy of the files .rnd, trailers.der, trailers.key and trailers.pem.
Note: If you want to hijack another app than ‘Trailers‘, e.g. ‘WSJ‘ or ‘iMovie Theatre‘, have a look at the post ‘PlexConnect on Windows: How To Hijack iMovie Theatre Or WSJ Instead Of Trailers App‘.
Step 3: Installing the Certificate Profile on your Apple TV
- Follow the instructions mentioned in ‘PlexConnect: Installling Certificates On Apple TV Without USB‘.
- Change the DNS of your Apple TV to the IP-address of your Windows PC on which is Plex Media Server is running, following the part ‘Configuring your ATV’ of guide on github.
Step 4: Finish!
- Start PlexConnect.py from C:\PlexConnect by a double-click.
- Go to your Apple TV and click on the Trailers app. PlexConnect should be working now and you should see the PlexConnect screen instead of the true trailers screen.
Note: Normally, you should not need to make any changes in the settings.cfg file of PlexConnect. I used the unchanged PlexConnect files!
I am very delighted that PlexConnect is working on Windows 10. Further more, installing PlexConnect on Windows 10 works in the same way as it does for Windows 7, 8, or 8.1. What is your experience? Let us know and comment!
Stay tuned! 😉
57 Comments
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Hi Gee, i have a problem, this is what i have in the phyton window:
23:09:00 PlexConnect: ***
23:09:00 PlexConnect: PlexConnect
23:09:00 PlexConnect: Press CTRL-C to shut down.
23:09:00 PlexConnect: ***
23:09:00 PlexConnect: started: 23:09:00
23:09:00 PlexConnect: Version: 0.5-dev-211015
23:09:00 PlexConnect: Python: 2.7.9 (default, Dec 10 2014, 12:24:55) [MSC v.1500 32 bit (Intel)]
23:09:00 PlexConnect: Host OS: win32
23:09:00 PlexConnect: PILBackgrounds: Is PIL installed? False
23:09:00 PlexConnect: IP_self: 192.168.1.107
23:09:01 DNSServer: started: 23:09:01
23:09:01 DNSServer: ***
23:09:01 D23:09:01 WNSServer: DNSServer: Serving DNS on 192.168.1.107 port 53.ebServer: started: 23:09:01
23:09:01 WebServer: ***
23:09:01 WebServer: WebServer: Serving HTTP on 192.168.1.107 port 80.
23:09:01 WebServer: ***
23:09:01 DNSServer: intercept: [‘trailers.apple.com’] => 192.168.1.107
23:09:01 DNSServer: restrain: [‘mesu.apple.com’, ‘appldnld.apple.com’, ‘appldnld.apple.com.edgesuite.net’] => 127.0.0.1
23:09:01 DNSServer: forward other to higher level DNS: 8.8.8.8
23:09:01 WebServer: started: 23:09:012
3:09:01 DNSServer: ***
23:09:02 WebServer: ***
23:09:02 WebServer: WebServer: Serving HTTPS on 192.168.1.107 port 443.
23:09:02 WebServer: ***
But when i go at my home screen i can’t find any Trailers App, please help.
Hi Adam,
the Trailers app must be on the Apple TV’s home screen. First, put the DNS back to ‘automatic’ and look for the Trailers app. Then switch back and try to get Plex running on your system. Please, follow exactly every step mentioned in this workaround.
Cheers,
Gee Are
Got all my problem resolved!!!
So the Port:80 issue is just like what John siad, stupid W3SVC World Wide Web Publishing Service on Windows 10 is LISTENING to Port 80. That’s why it’s not showing in NetStat as in used. As it’s a system service so it’s under 0.0.0.0:80 Listening.
Then .der file didn’t work for me either, but .cer worked like a charm!
THANK YOU ALL
I’m at the step where I’m adding the Profile. My Apple TV is talking to my computer, and the PlexConnect log SHOWS that it is serving the certificate:
14:52:05 DNSServer: Domain: itunes.apple.com.edgekey.net
14:52:05 DNSServer: ***forward request
14:52:05 DNSServer: -> DNS response from higher level
14:52:55 DNSServer: DNS request received!
14:52:55 DNSServer: Source: (‘192.168.0.100’, 50850)
14:52:55 DNSServer: Domain: apple.com
14:52:55 DNSServer: ***forward request
14:52:55 DNSServer: -> DNS response from higher level
14:52:56 DNSServer: DNS request received!
14:52:56 DNSServer: Source: (‘192.168.0.100’, 52802)
14:52:56 DNSServer: Domain: setup.icloud.com
14:52:56 DNSServer: ***forward request
14:52:56 DNSServer: -> DNS response from higher level
14:54:04 WebServer: serving .xml: /trailers.der
The thing is on the Apple TV, it instantly fails saying the URL is wrong. It isn’t… the server is even trying to send the certificate.
Any ideas?
Hi Aaron,
if the’s a problem in getting PlexConnect running on an Apple TV, it is often the certificate file. Mostly not properly created by Python because Python isn’t installed in the correct way. Have you installed the correct Python version 2.7.x? Just repeat the Python installation and freshly-create the cert file.
Cheers,
Gee Are
It also looks like you are using the .der certificate. Try the .cer certificate listed above.
I am having an the same issue where I get the line ” Failed to connect to HTTP on 192.168.106.130 port 80: [Errno 10013] An attempt was made to access a socket in a way forbidden by its access permissions”
I understand that this means that there is another program using this port, but how do i find which one, and how to I change it so that plex connect and the other program work properly?
Also, I should state that I had this working on windows 7 ultimate. I redownloaded python, but the new version is 2.7.10, is this ok?
Finally, after reading through other comments, I noticed you said that if it shows “PlexConnect: PILBackgrounds: Is PIL installed? False:” then python wasn’t installed correctly. I had this line before on windows 7 and it seemed to work ok, but tried reinstalling just in case. After reinstalling python a couple times I still get the same message.
What kind of security settings would need to change to prevent this?
Port 80 Error resolved! I had to disable IIS and World Wide Web Publishing Sevices. I saw that cory had to do that for 443, so I disregarded it as my plexConnect was able to use this port succesfully.
Can’t wait until the app store is available on ATV this fall, then we can just download the plex client and forget all this mumbo jumbo lol.
Hi John,
glad to hear that you could fix it on your own! Great!
In addition, thank you very much for your feedback und the information given. I’m sure it is very helpful for other people!
Cheers,
Gee Are
Hi! And thanks for the great tips. I have a question for you. I recently upgraded to Windows 10. I had everything working fine on Windows 7 (both Plex on ATV3, and remote access from mobile device). I can access my PlexMediaServer on my mobile plex device fine but while on my home network it runs fine, when I remotely log in from a different location it seems very slow, a lot of buffering. I don’t seem to remember this happening on Windows 7, but I could be wrong. But that is not even the biggest issue. I can not get my ATV3 to add a new profile (without USB). I have redone the certificates and placed them in the correct directory, restarted my plex server, and restarted my PC. When I click PlexConnect.PY I get the follwing error:
C:\Program Files (x86)\PlexConnect-master>plexconnect.py
00:01:04 PILBackgrounds: No PIL/Pillow installation found.
00:01:04 PlexConnect: ***
00:01:04 PlexConnect: PlexConnect
00:01:04 PlexConnect: Press CTRL-C to shut down.
00:01:04 PlexConnect: ***
Traceback (most recent call last):
File “C:\Program Files (x86)\PlexConnect-master\PlexConnect.py”, line 186, in
running = startup()
File “C:\Program Files (x86)\PlexConnect-master\PlexConnect.py”, line 73, in startup
dinit(‘PlexConnect’, param, True) # init logging, new file, main process
File “C:\Program Files (x86)\PlexConnect-master\Debug.py”, line 48, in dinit
f = open(g_logfile, ‘w’)
IOError: [Errno 13] Permission denied: ‘C:\\Program Files (x86)\\PlexConnect-master\\.\\PlexConnect.log’
Should I uninstall all the programs I had installed on Windows 7 (PlexConnect, PlexMediaServer, win32SSL, Python 2.7…etc) and start fresh? Thanks for any advice you may be able to offer!
Hi Cory,
similar situation to Will, there’s some indication that Python wasn’t installed properly (00:01:04 PILBackgrounds: No PIL/Pillow installation found.). Checked your Windows security settings and try to install Python correctly.
If this still doesn’t help, I suggest to start the installation from the very beginning, exactly as written in my post above.
Cheers,
Gee Are
Hi Gee Are,
Thank you so much for all your help. I was able to finally bring up Plex on my ATV last night. It may be a good idea to add a note that if you have a working ATV/Plex on Win 7/8.1, and doing an upgrade to Windows 10, you may have to uninstall and reinstall all the components of Plex (media server, python…etc) with the latest versions. Also some of the most common errors I found were: Port 443 access denied (need to stop the World Wide Web Publishing service that Windows 10 is running) Port 80 access denied (Skype, VMware often use this port). Another thing I found out is that users may get a different error than the one you have listed for the .cer/.der conflict. I just got “Unable to add Profile at This time” not the one you have listed, but once I changed the certificate’s extension to .cer, I had no problem.
One question. Do you know if the Pyth32 that was originally released for 2.7.(either .8 or .9, I cant remember which) will work with Windows 10?? I would like to start PlexConnect as a service as soon as windows starts, outlined here (https://github.com/iBaa/PlexConnect/wiki/Win-autostart). I would assume so because on the website (http://sourceforge.net/projects/pywin32/files/pywin32/Build%20219/) it says 2.7.2+. Just curious if you use this or know if it will work? Thanks again, you have been a huge help/
Cory
Hi Cory,
many thanks for your detailed feedback, I really appreciate it! 🙂
I’ll add a note as you suggested.
In regard to Pyth32, I do not use this, but I assume that it will work. So far I know, the technical difference between Windows 8 and 10 is not that much.
Cheers,
Gee Are
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HI thank you so much for the installing tips.
I just upgraded to Windows 10 from 7, followed the whole guide and all I get was this error
01:50:10 PlexConnect: ***
01:50:10 PlexConnect: PlexConnect
01:50:10 PlexConnect: Press CTRL-C to shut down.
01:50:10 PlexConnect: ***
01:50:10 PlexConnect: started: 01:50:10
01:50:10 PlexConnect: Version: 0.5-dev-020615
01:50:10 PlexConnect: Python: 2.7.10 (default, May 23 2015, 09:40:32) [MSC v.1500 32 bit (Intel)]
01:50:10 PlexConnect: Host OS: win32
01:50:10 PlexConnect: PILBackgrounds: Is PIL installed? False
01:50:10 PlexConnect: IP_self: 192.168.106.130
01:50:10 DNSServer: started: 01:50:10
01:50:10 DNSServer: ***
01:50:10 DNSServer: DNSServer: Serving DNS on 192.168.106.130 port 53.
01:50:10 DNSServer: intercept: [‘trailers.apple.com’] => 192.168.106.130
01:50:10 DNSServer: restrain: [‘mesu.apple.com’, ‘appldnld.apple.com’, ‘appldnld.apple.com.edgesuite.net’] => 127.0.0.1
01:50:10 DNSServer: forward other to higher level DNS: 8.8.8.8
01:50:10 DNSServer: ***
01:50:10 WebServer: started: 01:50:10
01:50:10 WebServer: Failed to connect to HTTP on 192.168.106.130 port 80: [Errno 10013] An attempt was made to access a socket in a way forbidden by its access permissions
01:50:10 WebServer: started: 01:50:10
01:50:10 WebServer: ***
01:50:10 WebServer: WebServer: Serving HTTPS on 192.168.106.130 port 443.
01:50:10 WebServer: ***
Any idea how to fix this?
Thanks!
Hi Will,
there’s some indication that Python wasn’t installed properly (01:50:10 PlexConnect: PILBackgrounds: Is PIL installed? False). Checked your Windows security settings and try to install Python correctly.
Cheers,
Gee Are
Hey thank you so much the the fast reply!
I tried to uninstall everything and deleted all the files and start over, issue persisted.
It recognized my Python is 2.7.9 but keeps saying
“Failed to connect to HTTP on 192.168.106.130 port 80: [Errno 10013] An attempt was made to access a socket in a way forbidden by its access permissions”
Is there anything else I can check?
I set account security to lowest and turned off firewall. Everything used to work on Windows 7.
Thanks!!
Hi Will,
this means that another app is already using port 80. Have a look at the updated notes in this post in response to Cory’s comment. You need to find this app and stop it.
Cheers,
Gee Are
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