Before the influx of “just use jellyfin” bros come in let me get ahead of it.
I ran Plex for a decade and loved it, had the subscription, was happy to pay for software I found value in. This however was the kicker, not because it i was directly affected (not because I had a lifetime subscription), but it signaled the end of Plex that I knew from before.
So I did switch. It was not easy or painless like people here claim. Metadata is stored in different ways that made conversion difficult. I tried multiple conversion tools and none of them worked for me, or left my library in a half state. I ended up just staring from scratch, and it was a couple of months before I was happy with it.
That being said, I think it’s worth it. It’s pretty much at feature parity, but mostly because Plex hasn’t been doing anything for server owners while jellyfin devs have been for years now. I’m happier with jellyfin than I was with Plex.
So, to the “I use jellyfin LOL” guys here, no that’s not helpful, and it’s condescending. It pushes people away, but I have a weird feeling they want to push people away (and honestly if that’s your only comment it’s the same energy as crypto bros).
Instead, I empathize with Plex hosters, I was there, it’s not a fun place to be anymore, and I am here to say that yes you can switch, no it’s not as easy as Plex, but I personally think it’s worth the effort. With all open source things the user interface and experience is definitely lacking, but if you’re willing to put in the time it will be worth it.
The conversion is not the biggest issue. For my dad or Grandmother to stream my content, Plex as a streaming app is something they can easily understand and digest (though Plex’s new streaming app has done quite a bit to undo that -_-). I have the subscription, I acquire the content, I choose who to share it with. Now they need a subscription, too? Where’s the value? Why wouldn’t they just pay for a streaming service at that point? I’m using my hardware and doing all the work and they are paying Plex? And if I accepted payment for the same thing it would be a crime!
BUT I’m not sure I’m comfortable opening Jellyfin to the internet, even behind nginx, and I don’t want to have to spend time setting things up for them or troubleshooting their issues w/ Jellyfin. I put enough labor into this thing already.
So yes obviously everyone should switch to the FOSS option, but in reality it’s not that simple because the services aren’t 1:1.
Under the new rules announced in March, a server owner needs to have a Plex Pass subscription, which starts at $7 per month, to grant users remote access to their server. Alternatively, someone can remotely access another person’s Plex server by buying their own Plex Pass
TLDR; there has to be at least one pass in the chain
Yes! I’m glad you mentioned the crime! If you own a DVD and rip it - that itself is a grey area that is mostly acceptable now. However, sharing it digitally is another grey area that providers have been skimming under the radar, but by requiring a subscription that is 100% illegal. You cannot pay for shared content. I think they’re trying to get around it but personally, I just want to avoid the whole thing. Jellyfin was a no brainer from that aspect.
BUT I’m not sure I’m comfortable opening Jellyfin to the internet, even behind nginx, and I don’t want to have to spend time setting things up for them or troubleshooting their issues w/ Jellyfin. I put enough labor into this thing already.
This is still where I’m at too. It’s a great service, but the fear of messing something up when opening it up to the internet is too worrying. I’m usually pretty good picking up new tech with easier setups, but when there are 4 different networking techniques with their own pros and cons, at that point it’s just easier to just run as a local service.
Yeah, switching isn’t that easy. Especially if you have a lot of “unique” media types with different requirements for scraping metadata. Things like anime, audio books, or comedy albums.
TBF Plex doesn’t handle those all that well either from a stock install. It was a lot of work to get it to handle everything well.
But also, Plex’s proxy service for remote streaming, is it’s killer feature that prevents me from switching. I need to access my media from networks where my private domain is blocked.
I’m in the open, but have a proxy and a nested domain so it can’t be automatically port scanned. It’s a tradeoff I made for simpler setup for my family, and so far it’s been fine. I could do tailscale, but there’s no way my family would be in favor of it.
I never once found plex to be user friendly for me, it required me to leave my laptop running at all times or buy a dedicated pc for it. I find it infinitely easier to just Pirate what I want and put it on a usb stick or hdmi the laptop to the tv. For me plex was always a thing I felt I never had a use for
it required me to leave my laptop running at all times or buy a dedicated pc for it.
Yeah, that’s not exactly a software issue … you can’t stream data out of thin air.
find it infinitely easier to just Pirate what I want and put it on a usb stick or hdmi the laptop to the tv.
That’s pretty cute, but get’s kind of tedious when you have thousands of movies and tens-of-thousand TV show episodes. That’s when you’ll see the need for a software like plex.
I can’t view thousands of movies and episodes at once, why would I want it all on my HD? Anyways, plex just seems like a bloated solution to a problem it invented.
The server is indeed meant to be ran on a server by someone comfortable with running servers. I was referring to the clients mostly and connecting new clients.
Before the influx of “just use jellyfin” bros come in let me get ahead of it.
I ran Plex for a decade and loved it, had the subscription, was happy to pay for software I found value in. This however was the kicker, not because it i was directly affected (not because I had a lifetime subscription), but it signaled the end of Plex that I knew from before.
So I did switch. It was not easy or painless like people here claim. Metadata is stored in different ways that made conversion difficult. I tried multiple conversion tools and none of them worked for me, or left my library in a half state. I ended up just staring from scratch, and it was a couple of months before I was happy with it.
That being said, I think it’s worth it. It’s pretty much at feature parity, but mostly because Plex hasn’t been doing anything for server owners while jellyfin devs have been for years now. I’m happier with jellyfin than I was with Plex.
So, to the “I use jellyfin LOL” guys here, no that’s not helpful, and it’s condescending. It pushes people away, but I have a weird feeling they want to push people away (and honestly if that’s your only comment it’s the same energy as crypto bros).
Instead, I empathize with Plex hosters, I was there, it’s not a fun place to be anymore, and I am here to say that yes you can switch, no it’s not as easy as Plex, but I personally think it’s worth the effort. With all open source things the user interface and experience is definitely lacking, but if you’re willing to put in the time it will be worth it.
The conversion is not the biggest issue. For my dad or Grandmother to stream my content, Plex as a streaming app is something they can easily understand and digest (though Plex’s new streaming app has done quite a bit to undo that -_-). I have the subscription, I acquire the content, I choose who to share it with. Now they need a subscription, too? Where’s the value? Why wouldn’t they just pay for a streaming service at that point? I’m using my hardware and doing all the work and they are paying Plex? And if I accepted payment for the same thing it would be a crime! BUT I’m not sure I’m comfortable opening Jellyfin to the internet, even behind nginx, and I don’t want to have to spend time setting things up for them or troubleshooting their issues w/ Jellyfin. I put enough labor into this thing already.
So yes obviously everyone should switch to the FOSS option, but in reality it’s not that simple because the services aren’t 1:1.
They do not need a subscription, assuming you (the server owner) have a plex pass.
That is what I thought, until this article.
The title of this article is vague.
Here is the important part
TLDR; there has to be at least one pass in the chain
No, you’re mistaken. If YOU have a subscription on your server, they do not need to pay anything to stream from you.
They only need a subscription if you do not have one associated to your server.
Yes! I’m glad you mentioned the crime! If you own a DVD and rip it - that itself is a grey area that is mostly acceptable now. However, sharing it digitally is another grey area that providers have been skimming under the radar, but by requiring a subscription that is 100% illegal. You cannot pay for shared content. I think they’re trying to get around it but personally, I just want to avoid the whole thing. Jellyfin was a no brainer from that aspect.
In some countries. In others it is legally protected.
This is still where I’m at too. It’s a great service, but the fear of messing something up when opening it up to the internet is too worrying. I’m usually pretty good picking up new tech with easier setups, but when there are 4 different networking techniques with their own pros and cons, at that point it’s just easier to just run as a local service.
Yeah, switching isn’t that easy. Especially if you have a lot of “unique” media types with different requirements for scraping metadata. Things like anime, audio books, or comedy albums.
TBF Plex doesn’t handle those all that well either from a stock install. It was a lot of work to get it to handle everything well.
But also, Plex’s proxy service for remote streaming, is it’s killer feature that prevents me from switching. I need to access my media from networks where my private domain is blocked.
fair assessment. there are two major features i still miss from plex:
also setting up users with tailscale is a struggle, even the ones relatively tech literate.
Security is definitely a tradeoff, and you have two good features missing. I think they’ll make their way over, but it’s a pain for sure.
How are you doing remote streaming with Jellyfin?
tailscale is the easiest option. learning curve isn’t too bad, but definitely a hurdle for users.
I can write my own iptables so the learning curve isn’t really a problem, but making it easy for users is a lot more important.
I’m in the open, but have a proxy and a nested domain so it can’t be automatically port scanned. It’s a tradeoff I made for simpler setup for my family, and so far it’s been fine. I could do tailscale, but there’s no way my family would be in favor of it.
There’s no Jellyfin app for my TV, and it’s shit in the TVs browser
Use a Roku or another streaming box
I never once found plex to be user friendly for me, it required me to leave my laptop running at all times or buy a dedicated pc for it. I find it infinitely easier to just Pirate what I want and put it on a usb stick or hdmi the laptop to the tv. For me plex was always a thing I felt I never had a use for
Yeah, that’s not exactly a software issue … you can’t stream data out of thin air.
That’s pretty cute, but get’s kind of tedious when you have thousands of movies and tens-of-thousand TV show episodes. That’s when you’ll see the need for a software like plex.
I can’t view thousands of movies and episodes at once, why would I want it all on my HD? Anyways, plex just seems like a bloated solution to a problem it invented.
Maybe you want to watch them later?
Anyway, I suggest you don’t use it then and keep on shuffling around with your usb stick.
The server is indeed meant to be ran on a server by someone comfortable with running servers. I was referring to the clients mostly and connecting new clients.