Credit: u/No-Refrigerator9154
Opening Notes (important stuff, please read)
This configuration of the Stremio app will allow you to stream movies/TV from most devices, with the exception being IOS devices such as the iPhone and iPad. If you want to stream from those devices, this guide is not for you.
You can use this Stremio configuration to stream movies/TV on most other platforms, including Windows, Mac, Android, FireOS (includes Fire Stick and Fire TV), Linux, AndroidTV, and even the Steam Deck.
However, the Stremio setup guide will require that you use a Windows, Mac, Linux, or Android device. Please don't attempt the setup steps on another device.
Additional information for FireOS (includes Fire Stick and Fire TV) and Linux devices is located below the Stremio setup guide, but you need to go through the Stremio setup guide beforehand with a required device (Refer to previous bullet point).
Stremio Setup Guide
Part 1: Stremio
For Windows/Mac users - Go to https://www.stremio.com/ and download the relevant client for your platform
For Android users - Install Stremio through the Google Play Store: Stremio - Apps on Google Play
Open Stremio and sign up with email or Facebook
Part 2: Real Debrid
Go to https://real-debrid.com/
Sign up
Go to Premium Offers
Choose a package and subscribe. I found that using Amazon Pay as the payment method is the most convenient (if you have an Amazon account)
Part 3: Torrentio
Go to Torrentio Lite - Stremio Addon
Towards the bottom of the page, select the "Debrid Provider" option and select "Real Debrid" from the drop-down menu. This will cause a new text box to appear underneath.
Copy the API key from this link https://real-debrid.com/apitoken and paste it into the "RealDebrid API Key**"** box
In the Debrid Options menu: Check the box "Don't show download to debrid links" and leave the other boxes unchecked.
Click "Install" at the bottom. It should open the Stremio app and prompt you with an "Install Addon" window. Click the green install button at the bottom.
Optional but highly Recommended - In Stremio, click the puzzle piece in the top right to view your addons. Click "My Addons" and uninstall the "WatchHub" addon. It's an eyesore and it clutters your streams list.
Now that you have completed the setup, you may install Stremio on any device of your choice (excluding IOS) and log in to your account to start streaming Movies/TV. Refer to the section below for Stremio installation on FireOS devices (Fire Stick, FireTV).
FireOS devices (Fire Stick, FireTV)
After you have gone through the setup on another device, watch this video on how to install Stremio on your FireOS device https://youtu.be/U1o-scADuIg and then log into your account in the Stremio app. At this point you're good to stream. It will download everything that you just set up and sync your shows across all devices. However, some FireOS devices may not be capable of 4k streaming.
Edit 10/16/2023 - if you are on firestick, make sure to download the Android TV apk from the Stremio downloads section. The youtube video linked above was created before Stremio had an Android TV version. The UI is much improved over the base android UI for use on a smart tv.
Linux
At the time of making this guide, I had issues in the setup process on Linux but I'm pretty sure that was my fault for having weird defaults on my Arch install. You should be able to complete the setup process on Linux without issues and streaming is guaranteed to work. In the case that you run into issues, Just complete the setup steps on a recommended device first, then install and log into the Stremio app on your Linux device.
Additional information
YOU DO NOT NEED A VPN.
Account sharing: You should only share your Stremio account with people who are connected to the same WiFi network as you. If you do not follow this rule, your Real Debrid account may be suspended.
Bugs/Glitches:
Sometimes, an episode of a show or a movie will display "No streams found" even though it should be available. This has only happened to me a handful of times, but the problem will resolve itself eventually.
If the picture is black but the audio is still playing, you should go back and select a stream with a different resolution.
Issue: No streams are appearing at all, or none of them work. Here are the possible explanations:
Your Real Debrid Subscription has expired. Go to Real-Debrid and check your account status.
Real Debrid servers are down/undergoing maintenance. Wait an hour or so, and then try again.
You made a mistake while following the guide. My DMs are open if you can't figure it out. I'll probably try to help.
Credit to u/OnlyTheCruxes for most of this stuff because I kinda just copied their guide and added more detail based on my own personal experience with the setup process (Original guide: Installing Stremino + Torrentio + Real Debird )
Im a cavewoman who downloads with torrents and just opens them on my pc when needed
what reasons would there be to not...do that
The difference is that with this kind of setup you have a somewhat similar experience to streaming services. You browse directly from the app and directly play the movie.
Torrent tip : if you make the download sequential you can start watching the movie using a player like VLC without it having to fully download. you start the download, wait a bit for it to load a few pourcentages and you can start watching while it's still loading.
It depends on your internet speed, the file size and the movie length but if you're internet is fast enough then no worries.
why would i want the streaming experience when pirating kinda goes against that?
There is nothing inerrantly wrong with streaming, it is the fact that all the streaming services suck. The experience to watch a show through streaming is:
If it were instead:
I would certainly not pay $35 a month.
That is fair. I was more trying to make the point that what each streaming service charges now isn't unreasonable, it is the fact that you need to pay for all of them which can easily be 80-100 a month. 35 for no drm, no bs streaming would be high, but still better than it is now.
Fair enough! I might be a little too stingy :)
convenience mostly. Having a streaming like UX is pleasant and It's easier to browse directly from the app instead of looking for a movie to watch , search for it on torrent sites and then download it to watch it.
I mostly watch in 720p and This is why I watch directly on pirate streaming sites instead of torrenting. It's more convenient for me.
Also, I don't think piracy is against anything, it's about making people's life easier. At least, that's what piracy is for me.
Why download beforehand when whatever i want can be instantly viewed ?
Eh paying for debrid(paying for access to pirated content) goes against being a pirate, not streaming. I pay for a seedbox and torrent/stream all my content. Its beautifully automated and worth the $20 a month for the online storage. Dont have to use a vpn, and i can easily download anything from the seedbox locally
Stremio works on android TV. I use the Stremio + RD + Torrentio setup, it's great for essentially mimicking the Netflix experience in that you can sit down and browse movies/series, watch trailers then just select something to watch right then and there. It's intuitive so my family can use it easily.
If you mainly watch movies on your PC/laptop then there may not be that much material gain from the above setup - but it is a good option if wanting to fully replace the Netflix-esque experience.
A Seedbox running jellyfin and an *Arr stack running on torrents work much better for this than streamio. It's like having a pirate dvr. Notifications goto my private discord channel when content is added or applications need updating, and i just open Jellyfin on my android tv box(or literally any smart device) to stream my downloaded content. I tell people its like having my own Netflix server.
That's more complicated than Stremio to setup though, and still requires you to download the movie/show before watching, correct? Stremio just requires adding Torrentio in the app and linking your RD account once - then it's easy times.
Listen, I think Jellyfish is great - but it really is a horse's for courses scenario. The Stremio + Torrentio + RD triad just works for a lot of people that need a wife proof solution (pardon the sexism) and don't want to store all this content.
Out of interest, does Jellyfish have ability to list Netflix, HBO catalogues? That's a convenient add-on in Stremio where you can essentially browse a specific streaming service's catalogue, or at least their most popular items.
Yes it requires you to download before streaming, because specifically torrent-streaming, i.e. streaming the torrent chunks as they download only leaches and is pretty negative in the p2p community. Im part of a private tracker and always seed back.
My grandmother can connect to my jellyfin just fine with her roku and shes the least tech savy person ever so I dont feel like the "wife-proof" holds water. Jellyseerr or Overseer (for plex) lets people request content in an app friendly manner. Theres things so your friends or family can access your content without touching the bones underneath.
No jellyfin is bare bones open source streaming app. It does have addon support, but no Netflix or hbo. But i dont subscribe to any actual streaming services, because i don't need them because of my Arr stacked Jellyfin. However an Arr stack server with Plex as the headend could do what you're asking.
If you have decent internet...zero. why would you start to pay for services to get the same content you are already getting with a tiny bit less effort.
i was talking more in relation to the services to setup yourselve
I'm not sure I understand what your question is. You are asking why to not torrent, but rather stream...but in relation to the services to setup yourself...
If you live in Germany or the USA
I live in the states and exclusively use torrents/private trackers 😂 seeding over 100 as we type (however they arent seeding from the states). There's no valid reason to use debrid or streamio imho, its pretty crap software.