Install the server

Playpex Media Server runs on the computer that keeps your films. It can run with a small window-less app in the system tray, or headless on a machine without a screen.

Download and install

Get the installer for your system from the download page or the releases on GitHub:

System	File	How
Windows	.exe	Installs for your user only. Windows may ask you to confirm the first time.
macOS	.dmg	Drag Playpex Media Server to Applications.
Linux	.AppImage or .deb	Make the AppImage executable and open it, or install the .deb.

Once installed, the server starts with a Playpex icon in the tray. From there you can open the dashboard, approve new screens, pause downloads, restart it and choose to start it when you log in.

First-time setup

Open the dashboard at http://localhost:28470 on the server’s computer. The first visit runs the setup:

1. The admin account: the user name and password you sign in with. Only the admin runs the dashboard.
2. The server’s name: what screens show when they find it, such as “Living room”.
3. The download folder: where downloads are kept.
4. Sharing on your network: on by default, so other screens on your Wi-Fi can reach the server. They must be paired first.

The dashboard

The dashboard is the server’s control room, in any browser on your network at http://playpex.local:28470 (or the computer’s address). It has:

• Overview: what’s running, problems first.
• Library, Search and Downloads.
• Activity: what every screen is playing, with Pause and Stop.
• Devices, Remote control and Profiles.
• Plugins, Settings, Logs and About.

Running it headless

On a machine without a desktop, run the server from a terminal. It listens on port 28470 on every network interface, and the dashboard works the same way.

playpex-server                      # start it
playpex-server admin set <name>     # create or reset the admin
playpex-server set-port <port>      # when another program holds 28470

If another program already uses port 28470, the server starts in recovery mode: only the dashboard, on a free port printed in the log, so you can change its port.