- cross-posted to:
- selfhosted@lemmy.world
- cross-posted to:
- selfhosted@lemmy.world
I was just forwarded this someone in my household who watches our server. That’s it folks. I’ve been a hold out for a long time, but this is honestly it.
They want me to pay to stream content that I bought from my hardware transcoded also on my hardware.
I’ll say it. As of today, I say Plex is dead. Luckily I’ve been setting up Jellyfin, I guess it’s time to make it production ready.
Edit I have a Plex Pass. More comments saying “Just buy a plex pass” are seriously not getting it. I have a Plex Pass and my users are still getting this.
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They sent the same message out months ago, and sent it again recently to all users. Nothing has changed since the first email. Plex pass owners that run a server are fine and can still stream to their users.
I guess lots of people missed or didn’t get the first message/outrage on fediverse the first time it happened.
Took me a bit to realise people are still talking about the same thing and that this isn’t new.
I’ll move over to jellyfin once the features ease of use and security parity is there. Or if Plex becomes a security issue by being hosted in the states. Until then I’m going to keep milking my Plex pass lifetime account from 10 years ago.
I’ve been trying it out for a few months. Parity is there. This is what finally convinced me it was time to leave. I’m a plex pass lifetime member, but I don’t like features that have been free for years suddenly requiring a monthly subscription. It’s time.
I can agree with you that I love free software. But I’ve always been aware that it’s not. I’ll be pissed if they paywall new things behind a new subscription even for lifetime members though.
I was really close to setting aside time to mess with jellyfin but a lot of people on the fediverse have been raising alarms about security issues if you are sharing with others over the web. I can’t comprehend what they are but it’s put that project on pause since everyone is happy with the Plex server right now.
Honestly what I’ve seen is that most of the security stuff is fairly overhyped. If you do even the bare minimum, like put it behind a reverse proxy, you’re going to more than likely be fine
the people giving their bandwidth away for free now want money to pay their bills?
To clarify, I disagree with needing an account (sharing my email) with Plex in the first place, and personally would not purchase what is essentially CDN or VPN depending on how plex distributes your content to your end users. However, from these comments it seems like this was a free service they offered and now want money for it, because it is not profitable. Enshittification? Sure, but not unexpected. Apparently this doesn’t affect you if you stream locally either.
This does complicate things though since now users have to consider paying a subscription for network security or begin distributing OpenVPN configurations to people. In some cases it won’t be possible, like on your TV.
That’s essentially my point of view. Plex enshittified. I was angry at how they handled the enshittification, throwing my users into a flurry, but I’m also not surprised that they’re doing it.
Plex pass pricing didn’t change for 10 fucking years. You can still stream locally (which is exactly what you’re doing if you’re using wireguard with Jellyfin, so you can use wireguard with your Plex and have the exact same experience) without a Plex pass.
If the server owner has a Plex pass then you need do nothing.
And for FUCKS SAKE, do NOT expose Jellyfin to the internet. It is an insecure pile of shit.
Plex also warned a month ahead of time without changing pricing so that people could get lifetime Plex pass at the old price.
I got no such warning, but then again I already have had a plex pass for more than 10 years. It’s the best $100 I ever spent.
How is it insecure?
and what the hell do they think they deserve my money for anyway? What feature have they brought server owners over the last… 2 or 3 years? Seriously what have they done for us? Last thing I remember is credit skip - which was years ago now.
Subtitle audio sync just went live.
Wait they’re charging people for the privilege of using one’s hardware and bandwidth to share to friends??
Only if the server owner does not have a Plex pass.
OP HAS a plex pass
I’m very aware, that’s why I said that. OP’s users are unaffected. Everyone got the email. It doesn’t mean that everyone is affected.
If I’m paying for a pass, and my users are getting emails that they need to sign up for a paid account, you better believe I’m getting annoyed. That’s a plain cash grab.
Correct! Having users connect to your server and your hardware is now a cloud service according to them.
It IS a cloud service. You should be smart enough to understand why.
How many manual connections have you had to set up for your users? That’s right, none. Why? Because Plex does it for you. That’s that cloud part that so desperately ignoring.
It’s literally just pointing them to my IP. It’s a bit of networking. How many manual connections have I set up? Most of them. I have DNS. I opened up 32400. That’s also all I had to do to get streaming to work with Jellyfin. Literally the only difference in getting Jellyfin “remote streaming” up and running is giving my users their username, password, and (DNS or IP) address.
That’s literally all plex is doing. It’s a dynamic DNS service, that tells your users how to connect to you for you. DynDNS or any dynamic DNS service can do that for you for like, 2 dollars a year, if not for free - or you can pay for a static IP. If someone can run a plex server, then they have enough networking knowledge to be able to set up dynamic dns.
https://github.com/jellyfin/jellyfin/issues/5415
Yeah, you should stop that right now.
Two of my favorites are streaming without authentication and the fact that it is possible for a non-user to create a user and then edit other users.
Plex works even without DDNS and port forwarding. What you are talking about is otherwise not possible for people with restrictive firewalls or with CGNAT.
I agree with you that if you expose the service through the internet, then yes, it’s just a DDNS remapping and their costs are tiny, but if you don’t it does go through their infra.
I have a Plex Pass and my users are still getting this.
To be crystal clear to anyone getting this email: if the server admin has a Plex Pass, users need to do nothing to continue as normal. The streaming pass is only for users who aren’t connecting to a server that has a Plex Pass.
What I find shitty about this is that it’s being indiscriminately sent to every Plex account. There’s bound to be lots of people who don’t understand what this means who will be tricked into buying a streaming pass they don’t need at all. I’ve been getting messages from my users all day asking wtf is going on, and I’m getting tired of trying to convince them to just ignore the email.
WAIT
WHAT?
That’s where my head was. If anything, it threw all of my users into a panic, thinking that they had to suddenly start paying. I had a couple immediately uninstall the apps. I don’t blame them, the way it was worded it was pretty much pushing them that they had to. Plex undid years worth of trust right there with them.
What gets me is that they didn’t message plex pass holders about this first. I would have gladly let my users know that they need to do nothing. Instead I’m fielding all kinds of panicked messages.
Same. Their wording was obviously meant to push them into just buying the membership. They chose language that sounded like you have to buy it ~or talk to your server admin~.
It should have been “Talk with your server owner, <<Server owner name>> to see if you need to purchase a subscription or not”. Language like that would be very clear - but they chose not to do that.
Or even better. <<ServerName>>, which is ran by <<ServerOwner>> already has a plex pass subscription, you can continue watching without a subscription! Gee, how nice that would have been.
I was reading your comment and the just came in the inbox. Lol I don’t even use plex at this point.
Who do you think it should be sent to? Only server owners?
I guess if they know that the user only connects to one server that has a plex pass then they can filter down the email, the thing that keeps me from trying to move to jellyfin yet is that most of my users use multiple servers as a lot of my friends host plex so we cross share to get more coverage
You state that you have a plex pass and are a server owner. In that case you shouldn’t be affected, yet you’re saying you are… what?
Just because I’m not affected doesn’t mean it’s not enshittification, and removing functionality that was free for over a decade.
I’m all for switching to FOSS alternatives but this is like complaining that video game companies charge you for playing games on your own computer. Maybe they’re just struggling financially.
More like complaining if a game company comes back to make your game worse after you paid.
“Yea I know you were enjoying Elden Ring and paid for it and host the multiplayer server yourself, but for reasons, all endgame content is going to require players to login and verify a subscription status to play online. Also greatsword have been depreciated and will be relaunched as a separate client: Elden Sword.”
bingo. “Sorry, we know that this game was completely on your computer, but every time you start the main screen the update of the day actually hits our servers and costs us money. About 4 cents a day, but it adds up! No of course you can’t just disable that, instead you will now need to pay us $5 a month to continue access. - Your friends.”
Been using Jellyfin since plex started to annoy me for using it without an account.
Came here to type this and forgot, and thought this was my comment :D
I used Plex way back when it was really just a desktop client that I ran on a Mac Mini. Once they wanted me to make an account with them to watch my own stuff I found a different solution.
I’ve been on Jellyfin for years and I am sure there are some features that I don’t have, but it works great for my setup. I have a docker running on my NAS and two shield tvs connected around the house. I keep all my content in a codec that plays on the clients just fine and everyone is happy.
My god people.
If you setup Wireguard to use Jellyfin remotely, that would also get around Plex’s fees for remote streaming.
Am i reading this wrong?
If you use Jellyfin you no longer need plex. You can both host it on your own domain or do the vpn method.
If you really want to keep using plex then the vpn method will bypass the new restriction but i recommend not staying with software that limits what you can do with it when alternatives exist.
“Alternatives” https://github.com/jellyfin/jellyfin/issues/5415
Deleted my Plex account as soon as I got this email, using the account link in said email, so hopefully they see the connection.
Glad I switched to Jellyfin last year.
“Yes they are your files on your hardware in your home using your internet bandwitdh. But uh… fuck you.”
In case people aren’t clear on what’s happening, here is a graphic that illustrates what’s happening.
I have never used plex, and never will because I like my privacy, but that 20 usd a year does not sound much. thats less than 2 usd a month
I bought a lifetime plex pass for like $80 in 2016… is Plex getting more annoying? Yes. But is this a huge affront? No.
People are angry because everyone’s spent too much time on social media and are used to assuming the worst and flying off the handle.
Does jellyfin let you set up different accounts for remote users so they can keep track of where they are in a tv series (and not give them admin functions?)
Yup!
Yes
Ok, ok that’s solid.
Does it have “library sharing” so one wouldn’t have to login/logout to browse between my own media on my server and media a friend is sharing with me from their server?
No, each server is accessed separately. You can swap between servers easily, but there is no central way to browse all of your servers simultaneously. Jellyfin was designed specifically to rebel against Plex’s centralization, so that’s not a feature they’re ever likely to implement. There are ways to sync your watch history between servers, but it’s using third-party plugins.
I don’t see a technical reason why a client couldn’t log in to multiple remotes to pull and aggregate content through a single interface. No “central” server is required, so if this isn’t an existing feature, I don’t think implementing it breaks any kind of ideology goal on that.
They’re totally different servers. You have to log in to each, but you don’t have to log out of one to log in to the other.
I currently have three up in my browser, each in a browser tab, observing that my siblings and friend who self-host are all into some campy shit. I love it.
I’ll need to take it for a test spin, specifically what the experience is through whatever app they’ve got to run through a tv.
My brother-in-law both share our libraries with a set of people who have accessibility concerns. The Plex interface on a tv blends our two libraries relatively easily for those people. We have the redundancy of the two servers.
For me it isn’t about what I can do, it’s what can the person who struggles the most with what we already have set up get going. I pretty desperately want to move to Jellyfin (already have the Plex pass, so just for ideological reasons) but I’m not going to leave any of my people behind in the process. This is why I’m so hyper fixated on the case of UX for people accessing through a TV app where someone has access to multiple shared libraries.
Setup for remote access by the host is more work, ofc. Remote access on users end can be more difficult depending on how the host sets things up.
Most popular freebie approach seems to be tailscale VPN. Which requires remote users to connect through the Tailscale VPN. And for the host the free Tailscale option has a cap of 3 users. There is probably a learning curve and perhaps frustration for a low-comfort-with-tech type person.
Requires some money but I think the easiest remote user experience is Cloud Flare. This is what my brother does, so I haven’t seen it from his end, but on my end it is very easy to access as a user.
Both have so many help guides online, Tailscale or Cloud Flare.
Just buy a Plex Pass, damn. If you really like the software and it does everything you want, but you just want all the features for free then move to Emby or Jellyfin or whatever. I do hear Emby and Jellyfin have some good qualities but I haven’t tried them myself.
Personally, the lifetime Plex Pass was one of my best purchases ever, but if you’re against paying for it, then you do you.
Plex requiring a centralized accounts for self hosting was the bullshit I needed to move to Jellyfin and I never looked back.
Charging to share your own content? Hah!
If you don’t want the centralized auth, then yes, find a solution that works for your needs. Glad you were able to.
I didn’t like that auth change, but stuck with it and long-term overall it’s been a non-issue for me and my users. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a deal-breaker for others.
I have a plex pass.
So then all the users of your server are fine, as the email states.
Even if I wasn’t a Plex pass holder, they’re removing functionality. How do you not see that that is unacceptable? If they need income they can add new functionality that’s paid but this is something that was free before, and is now no longer free. Worse yet, it’s my server, I don’t know how they need 7 dollars a month for any infrastructure they have to support it when I do the heavy compute and streaming myself.
It’s absolutely just greedy. They could have charged for that new UI they released. Or any new feature. They’re charging for things that either cost them pennies, or worse yet probably nothing.
And we’re not even talking about how with my Plex pass they’re still getting emails pushing them to join and how scummy that is
I could see how you could see that, but previously if you weren’t a Plex Pass holder, you had to pay a one time fee to activate the Plex app to steam for more than 60 seconds (IIRC) remotely. How is this any different? If anything, it makes it cheaper because of the server owner is a Plex Pass holder, none of their users need to pay anything, versus today where it’s $5 per device unless you’re in a Plex Home covered by a Plex Pass.
what’s cheaper is leaving the platform that’s trying to shakedown my users for $7 a month for a service that has been free for them for years. If they couldn’t tell the difference, then they shouldn’t have sent the email.
what’s cheaper is leaving the platform that’s trying to shakedown my users for $7 a month for a service that has been free for them for years. If they couldn’t tell the difference, then they shouldn’t have sent the email.
Or they can still just pay the $5 permanent activation in Google Play or Apple App Store. You know, the same one they’ve always needed.
https://support.plex.tv/articles/203868088-unlocking-or-activating-plex-for-android/
All the Remote Pass gets you is streaming from any Plex server you have access to, independent of if the server owner has a Plex Pass. If the server owner does, the remote streaming user doesn’t need to buy anything.
It’s all great until they eventually revoke your lifetime pass too and make it a subscription. If you think corporations won’t do something scummy like that I have a bridge to sell to you.
Call me when it happens. Until then, that’s just speculation masquerading as a justification.
My lifetime pass from 2017 for $100 still works just the same as the day I bought it. I’m almost down to $1 per month for my overall costs. It’s ludicrously cheap compared to other entertainment options.
The thing is, a the length of a lifetime license isn’t defined by law.
So? How does that change my perceived value of the product I’m using today?
“They could change your license tomorrow!!!111!1”.
Ok. And then at that point I look for alternatives. I guess I don’t understand the rage at whatever future possibility you are sure is going to happen any second now.
Then your so called lifetime license of 150 bucks is worthless, all your efforts you will no longer be able to enjoy.
You are enabling this enshitification!
“My concert ticket from last night is worthless!”
Because the concert was canceled just as you were queuing up.
“If you buy this product that might potentially change at some point in the future in a specific way that I can’t definitively say will occur but will absolutely be BAD™, you’re enabling the very change I totally said would occur and you’re out your money!”
I bought in 2017. How exactly is my continued use of a purchased product enabling anything? As a Plex Pass user, this does not impact me, or anyone I share with, in any way.
“Just hand over your money because otherwise you don’t deserve these features”
If you really like the software, find a way to contribute however you can.
Walled gardens and greed are value destroying.
Yeah if I didn’t buy lifetime pass for like $50 years and years ago I’d be done with Plex probably.
