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How-To Geek on Plex Media Server and Raspberry Pi
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HowTo Geek ☛ Plex Is Ending Support for This Once-Popular NAS Brand
It's been two years since Drobo filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and stopped providing support for its NAS hardware. Now, Plex says it will end Drobo compatibility following the Plex Media Server 1.41.7 release in Q2 2025.
Existing Drobo setups may continue running Plex Media Server, but Plex will not provide updates for Drobo NAS boxes. In other words, your Drobo-based media server will continue working for some time, but it will slowly lose functionality as Plex, TMDB, and associated services make server-side changes that require newer versions of PMS. Running an outdated version of Plex Media Server also presents some security risks, particularly if you leave remote access enabled.
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HowTo Geek ☛ This Raspberry Pi Can Survive in Cold Conditions
Aside from Raspberry Pi's main releases, its Compute Modules are also pretty exciting for all kinds of embedded applications. Now, it's a lot more resistant to challenging scenarios, including hotter and colder temperatures.
The Raspberry Pi Foundation has announced a significant upgrade to its Compute Module 4 (CM4). The Compute Module 4 can now operate reliably within a temperature range of -40°C to +85°C, a substantial improvement over the previous -20°C lower limit. How did they achieve this, exactly? Raspberry Pi said that it has partnered with Samsung to incorporate extended-temperature-range SDRAM and eMMC storage parts. This helps us maintain data integrity and system stability under extreme temperature conditions. All other stuff on the board had already been certified for these operating temperatures, so getting the whole system there was just a matter of swapping out the memory/storage chips.
This means that the Compute Module 4 now works at even lower temperatures and can therefore be deployed in more extreme situations. Many regions experience winter temperatures well below -20°C. This update allows for the reliable deployment of CM4-based systems in these previously inaccessible areas, including parts of North America, Europe, and Asia. After all, the CM4 can be embedded in all kinds of projects and devices. If you're going to deploy something using a CM4 in a remote and very cold location, a system certified to work in these extreme low temperatures can also cut down on frequent maintenance.
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HowTo Geek ☛ Raspberry Pi 5 Now Supports Interlaced Video
The Raspberry Pi 5 is a big step up in processing power, but it lacked support for the interlaced video output mode present on earlier models. Thankfully, that has now been fixed.
Originally, the Raspberry Pi 5's Display Parallel Interface (DPI) couldn't manage that type of video. So it couldn't send full-resolution RGB signals to CRT TVs, which is important for people wanting to use them for retro gaming or media. However, a recent software update has fixed this issue, allowing the Raspberry Pi 5 to output interlaced video now.
The main part of the solution involved using the Raspberry Pi's Programmable Input/Output (PIO) block, which is also found in RP2040 and RP2350 microcontrollers. The PIO's ability to create real-time signals was key in overcoming the problems related to producing interlaced video.
Since interlaced video wasn't supported, the Raspberry Pi team had to make three important software changes. First, the team adjusted the DPI to output field data (either the even or odd lines of a frame) instead of full frames. The team did this by changing an address and doubling the line stride in the DPI settings. An interrupt to alternate between even and odd fields at a rate of 50 or 60 times per second was also set up.
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HowTo Geek ☛ A Pi 5 Is Overkill for Most Projects, Get an Older Pi Instead
While the Raspberry Pi 5 might be the latest tiny computer, for most people it's honestly overkill. Instead of a Pi 5, I chose to use a Pi 3 B for a recent deployment in my homelab just last week. Here's why I chose an older Pi 3 B over the Pi 5, and why I think you should too.
The Raspberry Pi 5 Offers Quite a Bit of Power
What started as a low-power SBC (single-board computer) has grown into a full-fledged desktop replacement, for all intents and purposes. The Raspberry Pi 5 now comes with a 2.4GHz quad-core processor, dual 4K60 HDMI outputs (with HDR support), and up to 16GB of RAM. You'll even find a PCIe 2x1 interface hookup on it to connect PCIe storage, controllers, network cards, and more.
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HowTo Geek ☛ 9 Popular Raspberry Pi Operating Systems That Aren't Raspbian
Raspberry Pi OS—formerly known as Raspbian—may be the default operating system for your Raspberry Pi, but it’s far from your only option. Whether you’re building a tiny NAS, mini PC, or home server, you’ve got some great choices.