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.

[–] alekwithak@lemmy.world 33 points 3 weeks ago (5 children)

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.

[–] blitzen@lemmy.ca 11 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

They do not need a subscription, assuming you (the server owner) have a plex pass.

[–] alekwithak@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

That is what I thought, until this article. I'd be pleased to find out I misinterpreted.

[–] blitzen@lemmy.ca 17 points 3 weeks ago

The title of this article is vague.

Here is the important part

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

[–] PhAzE@lemmy.ca 11 points 3 weeks ago

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.

[–] deeferg@lemmy.ca 5 points 3 weeks ago

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.

[–] scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech 4 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

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.

[–] kent_eh@lemmy.ca 6 points 3 weeks ago

If you own a DVD and rip it - that itself is a grey area

In some countries. In others it is legally protected.

[–] Auli@lemmy.ca -1 points 3 weeks ago

Every single person I had managed to switch and they where not tech literate. But really it's putting a url in a box.

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