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Plex’s crackdown on free remote streaming access starts this week

⁨114⁩ ⁨likes⁩

Submitted ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨along_the_road@beehaw.org⁩ to ⁨technology@beehaw.org⁩

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/11/plexs-crackdown-on-free-remote-streaming-access-starts-this-week/

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  • RandomLegend@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    jellyfin welcomes you with open arms

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    • cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      This is for remote streaming. Can Jellyfin be accessed outside the network? I thought that was the difference.

      Like if I didn’t like Plex and I ran Jellyfin (and I have done), I could access it locally but I couldn’t access it, say, from a hotel a thousand miles away. Or it requires a lot more work (and maybe some paid service) to do.

      Plex may have gone up, but a bunch of us got it for $100 or less years ago and we are not affected by the new limitations. Still free for our family members accessing remotely. Wasn’t free for us to set up.

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      • nimble@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
        [deleted]
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      • MisshapenDeviate@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        I don’t run Jellyfin, but I’ve considered it. From what I understand, you have to set up a reverse proxy or something like Tailscale in order to access it remotely. Doing that safely can take a bit of learning, but the only part that could cost money is getting a domain name.

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      • RandomLegend@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        I also bought Plex years ago for 87€ but i gifted that account to a friend once i got jellyfin up and running.

        You’re right - Jellfyin doesn’t have a native built-in way to access it from outside. That’s the reason Plex intercepts with their own servers when you do remote streaming, that’s one of the aspects you pay for.

        Using tailscale (free and setup in like 5 min) you can access jellfin from everywhere. Easy peasy.

        Rumor says that Plex also denies you remote access when you use a VPN or mesh like tailscale… so ymmv

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      • PabloSexcrowbar@piefed.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        You absolutely can access it from outside your network if you configure it that way.

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      • Templa@beehaw.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Yes it can be accessed outside the network. We use Tailscale. Our Jellyfin setup cost us the energy to run it, lol.

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      • artyom@piefed.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Can Jellyfin be accessed outside the network?

        Yes. Jellyfin is just a Docker container. It can be accessed the same as any other Docker container. Plex simplifies this because they can basically configure all the DNS stuff for you, because it goes through their DNS. But either can be accessed.

        Or it requires a lot more work (and maybe some paid service) to do.

        More specialized knowledge to configure Tailscale or a reverse proxy, yes.

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      • alk@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Yes you can.

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      • fascicle@leminal.space ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Wouldn’t it be the same way, you open a port just like Plex, or figure out a reverse proxy. I ran jellyfin for a little while back when Plex used to charge people a fee for using mobile

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    • Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      As open as the source? (☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞

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    • MaggiWuerze@feddit.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      As open as the servers “security”

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      • theangriestbird@beehaw.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        is there some security incident you have in mind involving jellyfin?

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    • roserose56@lemmy.zip ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Yet can’t find a way to install it on my old Tizen… Pain.

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      • RandomLegend@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        i also would be on Tizen OS, got myself a cheap used NVidia Shield TV and use this now. debloated it etc.

        Magnitudes of order better experience than fucking Tizen

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  • fonix232@fedia.io ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Okay, let's clarify something.

    Plex has been essentially "giving away" a service for the better part of what, 20 years?

    And that service is the remote proxying of your server and its access. Basically, you didn't need to open a port, expose your server to the public, Plex provided a proxy through which you could stream to your heart's content, knowing that your server is both accessible and (more or less, more than if you managed it yourself in most cases) secure.

    Now obviously, they are a company and thus need to make revenue to continue developing the server, clients, and maintaining the infrastructure. Mind you, Plex has 25 million active monthly users... Even if just 10% of that is active at any given moment, streaming at 10Mbps... that's 25 MILLION megabits per sec. 25 thousand gigabits. 25 terabits. PER. SECOND. Being proxied through infra Plex has to pay for. Your average proxy/CDN dataserver unit can do usually around 100 gigabit, meaning Plex needs 250 of those. Just to serve 10% of the userbase.

    And don't forget that, unlike "traditional streaming platforms" where CDNs can greatly amplify bandwidth (due to repeating same content to thousands/millions of people), Plex can't easily utilise this infrastructure approach, AND they have to constantly stream INTO the proxy as well as outwards (a CDN pulls in the source file once and then distributes it, Plex literally needs to pull the data stream on-demand, without storing it).

    I don't like these restrictions they're putting in, "enshittifying" the service - e.g. if I have my server forwarded properly and don't need to go through their proxy, I should be given a free pass (albeit I already have that since I bought lifetime Plex Pass), but I do get how it would be annoying for the average user to not realise why they're asked to pay when their friend isn't.

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    • bamboo@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      They are requiring Plex Pass for all remote sessions, even ones which don’t go through plex servers, where your client connects to your remote plex server directly. IMO, this should not require Plex Pass if the remote stream is not going through Plex’s server.

      Also since the April 2025 update where they required the payment, the “new experience” apps have been terrible, and people have been side loading the old apps because they retain core functionality. Maybe there was a technical reason to release new apps to enforce the Plex Pass requirements, but it has been a terrible experience being told to pay money and then getting a worse experience, compared to what was free a year ago.

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      • scops@reddthat.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        For me, the value add of Plex is their maintenance and support of the apps on various platforms and the authentication and connection management. I do have my server port forwarded, so there’s no reason for them to handle my media streams. Being able to tell a new user that all they need to do is download an app from a trusted app repository and create a free account so I can invite them to my libraries is a super simple experience for most skill levels and well worth the $60 or so I spent on a lifetime Plex pass over a decade ago.

        I get that there are use cases where it makes more sense to go with a completely free solution like JellyFin, but many critics of Plex act like ALL they are doing is serving user-supplied media on a web server, and that’s a gross misrepresentation of their offering.

        I don’t love the IPTV stuff that they do, but it’s not that difficult to tweak the current app so that only my libraries are shown. Compared to an experience like my smart TV which is shoving ads down my throat and adding steps to get to the apps I want, it’s an experience I can live with if it keeps Plex in the black.

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    • remon@ani.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Even if just 10% of that is active at any given moment, streaming at 10Mbps… that’s 25 MILLION megabits per sec.

      Streaming traffic doesn’t usually go through Plex’s server, though. That only happens with “indirect streams”, which usually means something is wrong with your connection and they are capped at like 2 mbps.

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      • fonix232@fedia.io ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Streaming traffic has to go through the Plex proxies if your server isn't exposed to the internet (meaning proper port forwarding, no CG-NAT and no other ISP fuckery that would prevent such functionality).

        Of the 25 million users of Plex, how many do you think have the setup (either the ability or availability) that supports direct playback remotely?

        Ideally yes, only basic things like authentication and server mapping should go through the main Plex servers but sadly this isn't the case. And Plex has provided that service for years, for free. Them asking money for a service that isn't free to run, is fair game.

        What isn't fair is how they've been doing it.

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  • Damage@feddit.it ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    I’ve never understood how Jellyfin vs Plex can be so polarizing

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    • 1hitsong@lemmy.ml ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      I work on Jellyfin. I once posted saying Plex is not a competitor because we are not in a race, so there is no such thing as “winning.”

      So… many… angry… responses.

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    • Templa@beehaw.org ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      I don’t get it either. Most of us just want to help by signaling there is an alternative but maybe people are resistant to let go because they paid for Plex, I think.

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  • HulkSmashBurgers@reddthat.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Ah a stream of enSHITification.

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  • RunJun@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    I used Plex, and have a lifetime account, for the past decade. I just switched over to Jellyfin this week.

    Feel free to ask any questions that you have about differences or my opinion.

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    • lionel@toot.coupou.fr ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      @RunJun
      Same here, had a lifetime license very early, ultra cheap but stopped using it a longtime ago, I think they changed the license or something along those lines that made me not trust them anymore.

      I used kodi for a longtime but recently switched to jellyfin, never been happier.

      Seeing they turned into another one of those big companies that just whant to trap you I'm even happier with my choice
      @along_the_road

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    • PhAzE@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Why did you switch if you already have a lifetime plex pass? With that, it costs nothing for anyone else to stream from your server.

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      • RunJun@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        I would not update to windows 11. I installed Bazzite and Jellyfin was a one click install. Plex was more involved. Plus Plex seems to be well on its way to enshitification.

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    • octobob@lemmy.ml ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      How well does remote viewing work on jellyfin? I have a lot of friends and family that use my Plex, I’ve also had a lifetime pass for pushing a decade.

      Like how easy is it to send an invite and the person be rolling with no technical setup from me? I just sent a Plex invite last week to my friend’s brother who did some plumbing work on my house, dunno if I’ll even ever see that dude again haha. I’m certainly not goin over to his house to set something up.

      Or my dad struggles enough with it as it is, he’s 70 next year so I get it. But that might be more of a problem with the Plex app on his ancient smart TV.

      This is a big reason I stick with Plex.

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      • imetators@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        I have Jellyfin instance open to the internet. Not many people use it besides me (and even I use it seldom for now) but I have like 3 people beside me that have tried it out.

        I am not sure if there is invite capability or anything. But the way I did it is just create logins and basic passwords for my friends and family and tell them that they should change it upon first login.

        As for streaming - I did watch couple of movies outside home through android app and had no issues with anything quality or connection-wise. It just worked.

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      • Damage@feddit.it ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        Not OP, never used Plex, I make accounts for people and send them the address, username and password, that’s it.

        As for the work I had to do, I run Proxmox so I copy pasted a command from the PVE community scripts, and set up a reverse proxy.

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      • RunJun@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

        I haven’t set this up myself as my internet provider doesn’t do a public IP address per customer. I never even corrected it with plex.

        But as far as I’ve heard, the difficult part is setting it up on the host side with tailscale. From your dad’s side, it should just be entering your IP and then the user/password.

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    • anon@lemmy.sdf.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Anything you’re missing from Plex?

      Regarding the big picture interface:

      • Are there trailers for upcoming movies and shows?
      • Can you easily search, download and sync subtitles?
      • Can you sort your library after various parameters?
      • Can you put movies on a watch list and have Radarr download it?
      • Can you delete movies and shows (including their files)?
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      • RunJun@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
        • I don’t see anything in settings or in the official plugins but there seems to be some plugins. Some seem to be to just search and not the pre-roll trailers.
        • There is a subtitles plugin that works well. It is not as cleanly handled for my tastes. You have to search for it on the media landing page. You cannot download and select while playing your media.
        • You can filter and then sort
        • I do not have experience to answer that
        • There is a delete media option. I am transferring a large amount of data right now and cannot test if it deletes it from Jellyfin or entirely.
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  • BryceBassitt@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Cool sticking with plex still. Screw your jelly fins

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