I switch to Jellyfin because Plex was always spamming me to try some off-brand streaming service. I know this behavior is so normalized that even Ubuntu Linux does it now but actions have consequences and it does drive users away.
I mean to be fair it does need to find a way to pay for itself. I paid for a subscription, removed those streaming channels and I don’t think I have been pestered about them in a long time.
It really doesn't though, and that's why I prefer an open source solution like Jellyfin.
I'm already paying for everything that incurs costs: it's my hardware, streaming my media, on my local network.
The only things left are users & developers donating time and energy to the project - and right now there are enough of us doing that to keep it alive.
This is absolutely not something that needs a subscription cost.
> This is absolutely not something that needs a subscription cost.
Having a server you can stream from - you're right.
For the other features, you're likely wrong. As in - the open source space hasn't come up with a viable solution. I use Plex for DVR, and beyond the one time fee it works. For DVR you need to get the OTA channel guide, and all the reliable services out there charge a subscription fee - which over time will cost more than the Plex one time fee.
Also, how good is Jellyfin at skipping credits and ads?
As I pointed out in another comment - I'll happily use Jellyfin once it is there. As of now, every time I try it the experience is worse than Plex. So Plex it will be till JF gets there.
Wasn’t Plex’s prime advantage was being able to stream your media outside your local network? Which means the infrastructure and compatibility to keep that working, not to mention mobile apps which are locked down in app stores.
Or - and I know people don't love this answer - just host it publicly. Yes - it requires some monitoring and a little bit of attention, but at the end of the day it's not that hard, and the risks are fairly low (even if it gets compromised - the world is not over).
Jellyfin has apps (which do incur a bit of overhead for maintainers in actual dollars) but honestly, as long as you're not on iphone, you can just build them locally and sideload them. No store/publisher required.
I primarily use the android tv client on a nvidia shield running a custom ROM.
