Usher
Support
Your Plex library at full quality, on your Mac.
Usher plays each film and episode straight from the file on your server, using your Mac's hardware decoder. HEVC, AV1, Dolby TrueHD, DTS and Blu-ray subtitles play as they are, with nothing converted on the way.
Straight from the file
Plex's web app and many players ask your server to convert any video they can't handle. The picture gets softer, subtitles get burned into the image, and a small NAS can struggle to keep up.
Usher is built on mpv and FFmpeg, the open source engines inside many of the best video players. It reads the original file over your network and plays it on your Mac, with every audio track and subtitle you have.
Your place, on every screen
Resume points and watched status live on your Plex server, the same ones every Plex app reads. Stop halfway through on the Mac and carry on from the same scene on the TV.
Usher reports playback the way Plex's own apps do, so a finished episode is counted once and your watch history stays tidy.
While you watch
- Skip Intro and Skip Credits use the markers your server already finds. Usher can skip intros for you.
- The next episode starts after a short countdown, in the audio and subtitle language you picked.
- Move subtitles earlier or later, and make them bigger or smaller, without stopping the film.
- Night mode lifts quiet dialogue and holds back loud scenes.
- HDR10 and HLG films play in real HDR on any Mac screen that can show it.
- The mini player floats over your other apps and follows you between Spaces.
- Play, pause and skip from your keyboard's media keys, AirPods or Control Center.
| Space | Play or pause |
|---|---|
| Left, Right | Back or forward 10 seconds, or 60 with Shift |
| Up, Down | Volume |
| S | Skip intro or credits |
| N | Next episode |
| [ and ] | Subtitles earlier or later |
| < and > | Slower or faster |
| Page Up, Page Down | Previous or next chapter |
| M | Mute |
| P | Mini player |
| F | Full screen |
Take it with you
Download a film, an episode or a whole season to your Mac and watch it on a plane or anywhere without Wi-Fi, subtitles included. Where you stop is sent to your server once you're back online.
Your music too
Usher plays your Plex music library as well: artists and albums, gapless from one track to the next, with a player bar that stays put while you browse. Media keys and Control Center work for music too.
Everyone in the house
If your Plex account has a Plex Home, each person picks their own profile and gets their own Continue Watching and recommendations. Profiles with a PIN ask for it first.
What Usher knows about you
Nothing. Usher talks to plex.tv to sign you in and find your servers, and to your own Plex server to play. There are no analytics, no ads and no tracking, and the developer never sees your library or what you watch. Your Plex sign-in stays in your Mac's Keychain.
What you need
A Mac with macOS 26 Tahoe or later, a Plex account, and a Plex Media Server you can reach, at home or away. Usher plays the files your server already has, so a fast, steady connection to it gives the best picture.