I’ve been putting off having a local copy of the series and movies I watch because I still can access them quickly and cheaply enough in some streaming service, I think it’s time to plan ramping up my selfhosted setup.
SSDs are very cheap these days
Maybe they noticed that most people don’t want the most expensive Plan if they are not allowed to share anymore
Netflix will be losing to a competitor with an ad-free tier that costs $0.00
Literally all you need is a networked raspberry pi with a content hard drive, and Kodi installed anywhere. Don’t look back.
Sonarr and Radarr with Ombi for requests if desired. Transmission + OpenVPN for the download side.
Or you could manually rip DVDs/Blu Rays if you can still get ahold of them for the stuff you want to watch.
Yeah I see you harping about having to download your own material, but that is the reality of self hosting, acquiring content. And the joy of not having an algorithm recommending things. It’s not for everyone. If someone’s not capable of such things, that’s fine, then this convo isn’t for them and they should just keep using netflix.
But that’s the point I’m making. It’s absolutely fine that it’s not as simple as using a ready-made service. And we shouldn’t behave like it is, because that’s just not true.
They’re just driving us to self hosted content quicker. Honestly if you can afford a NAS like a Synology or an Asustor, setting up Plex is so easy.
Some edits to this comment:
- It’s surprisingly easy to do this versus most other custom configurations. You don’t even have to build a PC and setup holds your hand.
- This is NOT including obtaining content, I was simply saying “Getting Plex running”.
- There are other configs you may need to get Plex the way you want, but watching your content on your local network effectively is complete once you complete the standard setup.
Even though many people suggest that, I don’t believe you can compare any off-the-shelf streaming service with a self-hosted Plex.
You have to find and download content to your Plex. You don’t get recommendations. You don’t get a built-in interface on your smart TV. You have to deal with network configuration, VPN, private trackers, seeding ratios etc.
How on earth is that comparable to pressing the Netflix button on your TV and selecting a recommended show? Even my boomer parents managed to do this on their own.
