I've been running a Plex server for a few years now. At the beginning of this year, I finally cancelled all my streaming services (including Disney+ and Hulu) and use Plex almost exclusively. It's always sad to see a boycott going on that I can't participate in because I've already quit the service.
I do still pay for Curiosity Stream, but that's basically like Netflix exclusively for documentaries. And super cheap compared to other streaming services. (Most expensive service is just under $6/mo if you pay annually) Gotta support the educational services!
I saw someone link to the PBS Passport here yesterday. I need to look into that too. PBS needs donations to stay alive, especially with our current administration trying to gut it.
I paid for Nebula's Lifetime account, back when it was much cheaper. If I can avoid subscriptions, I will. Because subscriptions always end up more expensive than a one-time purchase.
EDIT: I follow Legal Eagle on Nebula too. I used to follow Charles Cornell as well, but he's stopped releasing content on Nebula and has switched back to YouTube exclusively. I have a few others I follow on Nebula, but they haven't been posting much content lately. I'll have to check out City Beautiful.
Nice! I haven't heard of that one. I'm familiar with Shudder, which a streaming service exclusively for horror films and TV shows. Perfect for this upcoming season; my wife and I are already binging horror movies
I'm a huge fan of horror, so I've been toying with getting a subscription to Shudder for a while now, but every horror movie and show I want to watch eventually ends up on my Plex server anyway.
Since casting JF to a Chromecast requires that it be resolvable by Google's DNS (or at least, it used to be that way I think), here's a fun trick to get it working: point your public DNS record to your private IP. It's apparently not always supported by your DNS provider, but it works great for me (namecheap).
No need to expose your JF instance over the Internet this way, and no need for complicated DNS interception stuff with your router.
You may need to have SSL certs for casting, not sure.
complicated DNS interception stuff with your router.
It's often not that hard. Many routers have a setting for local dns records.
If you do make a public DNS record, I recommend not putting "plex" or "jellyfin" or "TV" in the domain or subdomain. Make it something more generic.
I recently got a domain from Namecheap, $100 for ten years. If you want something that changes every year, you can get some .xyz domain for like $2 for the first year (and then it'll go up to more the next years.)
It's often not that hard. Many routers have a setting for local dns records.
Right, that's easy, but IIRC google devices hard code their DNS servers for casting, so you need to intercept traffic bound for 8.8.8.8.
These folks suggest that just blocking the DNS servers allows you to use your own fallback. Haven't personally tried that, but perhaps more straightforward.
I'd intercept port 53 traffic for UDP and TCP, that way it doesn't matter what the IP is. I don't know about consumer stuff, but a dst nat rule should work.
Jellyfin is pretty good though I'm still not a fan of the player just because it doesn't give you options for transcode disable without setting it for a specific user.
Although it has gotten much better at not bothering to transcode when the device supports the source codec.
But hey I mean its miles better than the vomit UI that are streaming apps these days. And you can always just use your favorite player like Kodi or VLC if you want.
They fired Jimmy Kimmel after he said a very mild comment about Charlie Kirk's alleged killer, all because the FCC head threatened to take away their license, despite the fact that he was simply using his first amendment right to free speech.
Thankfully Disney had the sense to rehire him, but the fact that they caved to pressure from Fascists to begin with is some unforgivable shit.
I've been running a jellyfin server for a while now but barely use it. For some reason I can't get other devices on my local network to be able to sign into it. One out of ten times it'll work, but the other nine times it just doesn't and says it can't connect. I dunno. Probably a me problem.
Is the computer running it going to sleep and coming back with a new IP address maybe? Or just asleep when you’re trying to use it? Gotta set it to never-sleep, just display off
That too yes, but by denying sleep mode it never changes anyway. My router will give it the same IP after a reboot, but if it’s off for a while it will get a new one. I’m not sure if that’s the same with all routers.
If the DHCP lease has expired while the device is off or asleep it may or may not get the same IP when it reconnects depending on the settings on your router. If the machine is on when the lease expires it can typically renew the lease and retain the same IP. Generally DHCP leases default to 1440 minutes (24 hours).
Best practice is to do what I mentioned before and have your router reserve the IP so if the settings on your device get reset for some reason you won’t have to go hunting the IP. At least though, you should have a range of IPs outside your lease pool so you can assign static IPs on the device without running into a DHCP conflict, but this runs into the aforementioned issue of the device forgetting its settings.
Not entirely. The lease default is usually about 24 hours, that computer would need to be completely offline for a day and the IP address would usually need to be reassigned before the device gets a new IP. Even then, the router would probably try to give it the same.
When I moved I unplugged the Jellyfin server about 4 days before the router and it came back with the same IP. I dunno, maybe I have a good router. 🤷♂️
Other things come into play. If you don't have leases expire often or dozens of devices coming and going repeatedly like a public wifi may have, it's also stored in ARP tables, saves it some work later when it recognizes a device.
How does Jellyfin compare to Stremio? The wife likes Stremio because it works exactly like any other streaming app: get recommended stuff based on your viewing habits, pick something to watch, stream instantly. HDR and Dolby Atmos just works out of the box too. Couldn't be simpler.
Is Jellyfin similar, or does it work more like Plex/Kodi, where you have to acquire the content, stick it on a server, and build up a movie/TV collection manually?
But why go through all that effort when I could just continue using Stremio instead? There is nothing to automate in Stremio. You just pick what you want to watch and watch it.
Maybe people aren't explaining it in a way that clicks with me, but I just don't understand the benefit of Jellyfin. It seems like a lot of unnecessary hassle for no reason.
Its like plex but without any of the features and free content. You have to set more up yourself to use jellyfin, and you need your own content. You could technically watch plex's free content without bringing your own though.
I am trying to set something like this up, got as far as sonarr and qbit setup and talking to each other, but I can't figure out the RSS part of it.. are there any tips for a newbie to get into the fold?
I recently grabbed the new RPi 5 and a 16TB external drive, slapped Jellyfin, Tailscale and qBittorrent on it. It runs flawlessly and I will never go back.
Good luck "streaming" an old torrent or a high bitrate 4k movie. Plus, with jellyfin you don't need to have an internet connection once you have the media.
It totally depends on the situation. If the significant other here is the type of person who does not care one way or the other where their content comes from and just wants to watch Frozen, I see no issue with this hypothetical scenario. Though you would probably expect the family sysadmin to have already communicated the platform migration to the significant other before they try logging into the old platform.
60 Comments
cobysev@lemmy.world · 32 pts · 320d
I've been running a Plex server for a few years now. At the beginning of this year, I finally cancelled all my streaming services (including Disney+ and Hulu) and use Plex almost exclusively. It's always sad to see a boycott going on that I can't participate in because I've already quit the service.
I do still pay for Curiosity Stream, but that's basically like Netflix exclusively for documentaries. And super cheap compared to other streaming services. (Most expensive service is just under $6/mo if you pay annually) Gotta support the educational services!
I saw someone link to the PBS Passport here yesterday. I need to look into that too. PBS needs donations to stay alive, especially with our current administration trying to gut it.
Serinus@lemmy.world · 23 pts · 320d
I pay for Nebula.tv for a similar reason. Mostly for Legal Eagle and City Beautiful.
cobysev@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 320d
I paid for Nebula's Lifetime account, back when it was much cheaper. If I can avoid subscriptions, I will. Because subscriptions always end up more expensive than a one-time purchase.
EDIT: I follow Legal Eagle on Nebula too. I used to follow Charles Cornell as well, but he's stopped releasing content on Nebula and has switched back to YouTube exclusively. I have a few others I follow on Nebula, but they haven't been posting much content lately. I'll have to check out City Beautiful.
atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works · 9 pts · 320d
I’ll shout out NASA+, there isn’t a lot on there but it’s free.
FoxyFerengi@startrek.website · 7 pts · 320d
There's not a ton of content on PBS passport. I just keep the subscription running and check it every six months or so for new content.
I haven't heard of Curiosity Stream, but sounds like something I'd actually watch. Thanks for dropping that name
psivchaz@reddthat.com · 7 pts · 319d
If you're into small streaming services, also look at Dropout for your comedy needs.
cobysev@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 319d
Nice! I haven't heard of that one. I'm familiar with Shudder, which a streaming service exclusively for horror films and TV shows. Perfect for this upcoming season; my wife and I are already binging horror movies
I'm a huge fan of horror, so I've been toying with getting a subscription to Shudder for a while now, but every horror movie and show I want to watch eventually ends up on my Plex server anyway.
pineapplelover@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 4 pts · 320d
Damn, Sherlock is on PBS Passport? Crazy, great show
qjkxbmwvz@startrek.website · 22 pts · 320d
Since casting JF to a Chromecast requires that it be resolvable by Google's DNS (or at least, it used to be that way I think), here's a fun trick to get it working: point your public DNS record to your private IP. It's apparently not always supported by your DNS provider, but it works great for me (namecheap).
No need to expose your JF instance over the Internet this way, and no need for complicated DNS interception stuff with your router.
You may need to have SSL certs for casting, not sure.
SpatchyIsOnline@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 320d
Here's hoping FCast gets the traction it deserves soon and more open source projects start supporting it over Chromecast's proprietary bs
Natanael@infosec.pub · 2 pts · 320d
Why aren't they implementing openscreen?
https://github.com/w3c/openscreenprotocol
thisisnotausername@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 8 pts · 320d
Com to c/selfhosted, we'll help
Serinus@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 320d
It's often not that hard. Many routers have a setting for local dns records.
If you do make a public DNS record, I recommend not putting "plex" or "jellyfin" or "TV" in the domain or subdomain. Make it something more generic.
I recently got a domain from Namecheap, $100 for ten years. If you want something that changes every year, you can get some .xyz domain for like $2 for the first year (and then it'll go up to more the next years.)
qjkxbmwvz@startrek.website · 5 pts · 320d
Right, that's easy, but IIRC google devices hard code their DNS servers for casting, so you need to intercept traffic bound for
8.8.8.8.These folks suggest that just blocking the DNS servers allows you to use your own fallback. Haven't personally tried that, but perhaps more straightforward.
Serinus@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 320d
Good to know. I don't have a setup yet, but I might soon.
SteveTech@programming.dev · 1 pts · 319d
I'd intercept port 53 traffic for UDP and TCP, that way it doesn't matter what the IP is. I don't know about consumer stuff, but a dst nat rule should work.
MehBlah@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 319d
I redirect all DNS to my router. Its how my ad block works. No matter what you try all DNS leads to the router.
FooBarrington@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 319d
That doesn't help you in this case, since Google isn't running their servers in your network.
MehBlah@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 319d
My chromcasting works just fine from jellyfin. miracast as well.
mlg@lemmy.world · 18 pts · 320d
Jellyfin is pretty good though I'm still not a fan of the player just because it doesn't give you options for transcode disable without setting it for a specific user.
Although it has gotten much better at not bothering to transcode when the device supports the source codec.
But hey I mean its miles better than the vomit UI that are streaming apps these days. And you can always just use your favorite player like Kodi or VLC if you want.
tfw_no_toiletpaper@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 319d
What happened at Disney, I've been pirating since forever lol
remon@ani.social · 10 pts · 319d
The whole Jimmy Kimmel cancellation.
DoucheBagMcSwag@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 8 pts · 319d
Bent the knee to losing the first amendment
Psythik@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 319d
They fired Jimmy Kimmel after he said a very mild comment about Charlie Kirk's alleged killer, all because the FCC head threatened to take away their license, despite the fact that he was simply using his first amendment right to free speech.
Thankfully Disney had the sense to rehire him, but the fact that they caved to pressure from Fascists to begin with is some unforgivable shit.
BilboBargains@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 319d
Doing the lord's work
MehBlah@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 319d
The dark lord.
BilboBargains@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 316d
Yes Satan, I will honour and respect our corporate overlords.
vonbaronhans@midwest.social · 10 pts · 320d
I've been running a jellyfin server for a while now but barely use it. For some reason I can't get other devices on my local network to be able to sign into it. One out of ten times it'll work, but the other nine times it just doesn't and says it can't connect. I dunno. Probably a me problem.
Mongostein@lemmy.ca · 9 pts · 320d
Is the computer running it going to sleep and coming back with a new IP address maybe? Or just asleep when you’re trying to use it? Gotta set it to never-sleep, just display off
atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 320d
You should be able to tell your router to always assign the same IP to the same MAC for specific machines.
Mongostein@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 320d
That too yes, but by denying sleep mode it never changes anyway. My router will give it the same IP after a reboot, but if it’s off for a while it will get a new one. I’m not sure if that’s the same with all routers.
atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 320d
If the DHCP lease has expired while the device is off or asleep it may or may not get the same IP when it reconnects depending on the settings on your router. If the machine is on when the lease expires it can typically renew the lease and retain the same IP. Generally DHCP leases default to 1440 minutes (24 hours).
Best practice is to do what I mentioned before and have your router reserve the IP so if the settings on your device get reset for some reason you won’t have to go hunting the IP. At least though, you should have a range of IPs outside your lease pool so you can assign static IPs on the device without running into a DHCP conflict, but this runs into the aforementioned issue of the device forgetting its settings.
ohulancutash@feddit.uk · 2 pts · 320d
That seems like a problem with the router.
thermal_shock@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 320d
Not entirely. The lease default is usually about 24 hours, that computer would need to be completely offline for a day and the IP address would usually need to be reassigned before the device gets a new IP. Even then, the router would probably try to give it the same.
Mongostein@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 320d
Ah ok. I’d call 24 hours a while ;)
When I moved I unplugged the Jellyfin server about 4 days before the router and it came back with the same IP. I dunno, maybe I have a good router. 🤷♂️
thermal_shock@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 320d
Other things come into play. If you don't have leases expire often or dozens of devices coming and going repeatedly like a public wifi may have, it's also stored in ARP tables, saves it some work later when it recognizes a device.
Mongostein@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 319d
Huh. Neat
vonbaronhans@midwest.social · 1 pts · 320d
I'm unsure. It's been a while since I tried. I'll do some troubleshooting when I get a moment.
SatyrSack@quokk.au · 4 pts · 320d
cyrano@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 320d
What is the error/issue I found it really straightforward especially with the QR code for quick connect
uranibaba@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 320d
Maybe hairpin nat?
bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 320d
Actually me lolll
Psythik@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 319d
How does Jellyfin compare to Stremio? The wife likes Stremio because it works exactly like any other streaming app: get recommended stuff based on your viewing habits, pick something to watch, stream instantly. HDR and Dolby Atmos just works out of the box too. Couldn't be simpler.
Is Jellyfin similar, or does it work more like Plex/Kodi, where you have to acquire the content, stick it on a server, and build up a movie/TV collection manually?
aeternum@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 3 pts · 318d
Psythik@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 318d
But why go through all that effort when I could just continue using Stremio instead? There is nothing to automate in Stremio. You just pick what you want to watch and watch it.
Maybe people aren't explaining it in a way that clicks with me, but I just don't understand the benefit of Jellyfin. It seems like a lot of unnecessary hassle for no reason.
aeternum@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 318d
BigPotato@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 319d
More like Plex but without the 'corporate' that Plex has these days.
Rekorse@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 319d
Its like plex but without any of the features and free content. You have to set more up yourself to use jellyfin, and you need your own content. You could technically watch plex's free content without bringing your own though.
Psythik@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 319d
Okay thanks for the info.
We'll be sticking with Stremio. It's just too convenient.
snackzilla@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 319d
I am trying to set something like this up, got as far as sonarr and qbit setup and talking to each other, but I can't figure out the RSS part of it.. are there any tips for a newbie to get into the fold?
potustheplant@feddit.nl · 1 pts · 319d
What's the "rss" part of it? I have the arr suite + jellyfin and jellyseer and I didn't have to configure amything related to rss.
Afflictedlife@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 319d
Just set up my old rpi3b+ with omv6, a docker compose jellyfin server + nginx duckdns reverse proxy and 6tb of external storage today
SirMaple__@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 320d
Muffi@programming.dev · 1 pts · 318d
I recently grabbed the new RPi 5 and a 16TB external drive, slapped Jellyfin, Tailscale and qBittorrent on it. It runs flawlessly and I will never go back.
rapchee@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 318d
is tailscale for accessing stuff from outside? as i see it's a vpn thing
Lord743@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 318d
Yeah, accessible out side without port forwarding.
TheJesusaurus@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 317d
Is there somewhere that explains how to do this susscinctly?
Everyday0764@lemmy.zip · 0 pts · 320d
i was a long jellyfin user, but i dismissed all of that, stremio is just too easy to use.
potustheplant@feddit.nl · 2 pts · 319d
Good luck "streaming" an old torrent or a high bitrate 4k movie. Plus, with jellyfin you don't need to have an internet connection once you have the media.
unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de · -63 pts · 320d
Forcing people to follow a boycott is pointless tho... Just talk to them about it.
SatyrSack@quokk.au · 26 pts · 320d
It totally depends on the situation. If the significant other here is the type of person who does not care one way or the other where their content comes from and just wants to watch Frozen, I see no issue with this hypothetical scenario. Though you would probably expect the family sysadmin to have already communicated the platform migration to the significant other before they try logging into the old platform.
uranibaba@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 320d
The SO could always pay for a subscription themself.
TheTimeKnife@lemmy.world · 24 pts · 320d
Nobody forced you to do anything. You got told about a boycott and just started acting like a dishonest assclown. We had nothing to do with it.