How to Stream Movies/TV Shows

Two Options:

There are two options to stream from my server...

Jellyfin - The Free Option

The free option is to stream using a piece of software called Jellyfin. It is available on most platforms and is entirely open source. That means there isn't any company out there that is gathering up your information and selling it. The software is completely hosted on my machine and none of your information or watch history ends up floating around in "the cloud."

The potential downside to Jellyfin is that some platforms don't allow an open source program like this to have access. Most notably in the case of Jellyfin, it doesn't have an app listed on the game consoles. So, if you intend to stream your TV/movies from a Playstation or XBox, then you will not be able to do so using jellyfin. Instead, you will have to pay to have access to...

Plex - The Paid Option

Plex is another piece of software that lets you stream media from my server. However, it is developed and run by a company, and you must have an account set up with them. Plex (the company) is what manages your login and it will keep track of all your watch history. Finally, to be able to stream from my server, you will need to pay a subscription to plex to get remote access (since you don't live in my house). That will run either $2/month or $20/year.

The advantage of Plex is that it is available on more varied platforms. Pretty much any smart tv or game console or whatever will have a version of the plex app. Of course, this comes with the tradeoff of costing money and compromising privacy.

My Takeaway

In general, I suggest people use Jellyfin if it is supported on the clients/devices you plan on using. I regularly use Jellyfin in a browser, on a smart TV, and on a phone without issue. If you try it out and Jellyfin doesn't work for whatever reason, then you can switch to Plex. Because it has the resources of a corporation behind it and has been around longer, Plex tends to be a bit more polished and is definitely available on a wider range of devices (however you pay for that financially).

Instructions for Jellyfin:

Step 1: Tell me you want an account

For Jellyfin, I actually need to make your account for you. So, the first step is simply to tell me that you want an account and what you want your username to be. I will create the account on the server, making sure you have access to the media libraries, and with a temporary password. Then, I will give you the login credentials.

Step 2: First Login

My jellyfin is hosted at jf.wjs018.xyz, so navigate to that site in your browser or enter that in as the server in your Jellyfin app on whatever device you are logging in with. Pop in the placeholder password I provided you, and you will be greeted with the Jellyfin interface.

The first thing you should do is change your password to something more secure. I can't speak to how to do that on every single app out there, but in the browser, you can click the little person icon in the upper right and then select "Profile" from the menu. This gives you the option to change your password.

Step 3: Let 'er rip

From there, feel free to stream to your heart's content. If you run into issues, feel free to reach out.

One issue that can sometimes happen if you watch lots of content with subtitles (like anime) is that subtitles aren't being displayed or are displayed with improper timing. A way to try to solve this is in the menu. Going into the subtitles menu within the app, I recommend two settings to try to help this:

• Burn Subtitles - I usually keep this set to "All Complex Formats" and it generally works well. If you are still running into issues, you could try setting this to "All"
• Always burn in subtitle when transcoding - I keep this checked as it helps ensure the timing is correct on the server before sending it to your device.

Instructions for Plex:

Step 1: Make a Plex Account

The first thing you need to to do is make an account at plex.tv. This is the software I use to stream my media to you via the internet. You will need a plex account, because those are the credentials you will need to use to log into my plex server and stream the media.

Sidenote: I don't ever have access to your login credentials. All the authentication is done via plex's servers, so I can only see your email, but not your password.

Step 2: Becoming Friends

The next thing you need to do is become friends with me on plex. This actually needs to be initiated on my end. I will send an invite to you via email. I recommend first signing into plex.tv in your browser. Then, in that email, you can click a link to verify that your plex account is now friends with my plex account. If I have spoken to you about getting access, but haven't sent you the invite email yet at this stage, let me know.

Step 3: Access Streaming Media

Now that we are plex friends, you will have access to my plex libraries. You can access that one of several ways. First, you can go through the plex.tv website and click the Launch button in the upper right after you have logged in (below).

The final way of streaming content would be from a plex app on your phone/smart TV/game console/chromecast/etc. Like the other methods, after you are signed into your plex account, you should be able to access my media after we are friends on plex.