this post was submitted on 16 Jun 2025
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Plex has paywalled my server! (lemmy.giftedmc.com)
submitted 1 day ago by haui_lemmy@lemmy.giftedmc.com to c/selfhosted@lemmy.world
254 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

I tried testing a movie from my home server in plex through firefox and repeatedly got this message, even after reloading.

I knew that they had paywalled the apps on mobile and streaming from outside the network but now they have also blocked watching your own movies through your own hardware.

I do get the point that making software should be able to sustain people but I dont see the move of plex as a fair thing to do. Yes, they have made great software but taking your home server hostage feels like the wrong move.

Even a pop up that says "we need you to donate please" would have been fine. make it pop up before every movie, play donation ads before any movie but straight up disabling the app is kinda cruel.

Anyway, i have switched to jellyfin and it is insanely good. please give it a try. you can run it alongside plex with not issues (at least i had none) and compare the two.

In any case, good luck. Let me know if you need help.

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[–] curbstickle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 41 points 23 hours ago (5 children)

Remote, yes, they announced you need Plex pass one side or the other for it to work.

Local, no, that shouldn't happen. Your device isn't reaching your Plex server locally.

To work around the remote issue, you can VPN to your local network.

But you're better off in the long haul with Jellyfin as you're doing now.

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[–] lambalicious@lemmy.sdf.org 25 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Plex has paywalled my server!

Skill issue tbh.

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[–] tkw8@lemm.ee 18 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago) (12 children)

I've never been a Plex user. Always been with Jellyfin. I've heard that plexamp is a killer app but finamp has always been sufficient for my pretty basic needs. But I have a question for you (meant in good faith). You say,

I do get the point that making software should be able to sustain people but I dont see the move of plex as a fair thing to do. Yes, they have made great software but taking your home server hostage feels like the wrong move.

If Plex needs a sustainable business model, asking for donations isn't enough. So what is the move for them? What do they do to both fulfill their need for a sustainable business and also not upset their userbase? (I'm not defending Plex or this move of taking your server hostage, in any way.)

I'm genuinely curious how, with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, they should have played this or at a minimum, made better moves than they did.

Very glad you're with jellyfin btw. You can check out some cool plugins at awesome-jellyfin.

[–] ragebutt@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 23 hours ago (2 children)

Donations isn’t going to cover the hunger of a 40 million dollar VC round. Those investors want more than a return, they want plex profitable ASAP

[–] ininewcrow@lemmy.ca 13 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago) (3 children)

Investors are like parasitic leeches to any business model. As soon as you add them, the business has to grow in order to satisfy the leeches who provide no benefit to the model other than to be attached to it. If you ignore the leech, they'll drain all your lifeforce, so your only option is to satisfy them and feed them. Unfortunately, they are also ravenous creatures who are never satisfied. If you feed them a little, they'll want more next time in an endless cycle.

Once you are infected by investors ... eventually they will destroy whatever you created.

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[–] oxjox@lemmy.ml 10 points 23 hours ago (6 children)

So what is the move for them?

Plex has a two-pronged VOD service. They have ad-supported "live television" and they have content to rent.

I don't know if that's enough to sustain them but I don't really care. I've been a PlexPass owner for over ten years. I have only asked that they resolve bugs and made requests for things like proper organization of classical music (which they've explicitly stated they will not consider).

You do bring to light something I hadn't considered; that they see Plex as a business model. From my perspective, I want to buy a fully developed product with the expectation of bug fixes and security patches etc over time. I genuinely can not think of a single thing the developers have added to the service that I've used in the past ten years.

So, what kind of business model charges money to do things that don't have an apparent impact on the user experience?

Plex has been one of my most used applications in the past decade. However, it has its limitations and they are actively imposing more limitations on the experience in favor of "a sustainable business model".

The issue is that their sustainable business model is interrupting the users' sustained use of a platform they've already paid for. I've had to go through all of my devices and disable all auto-updates to ensure I do not get the "New Plex Experience".

What we should be asking is why "selling a product" is no longer a business model.

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[–] fuckwit_mcbumcrumble@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Plex really needs to do a Tailscale style connection to your server. But instead they chose to keep their outdated method of funneling all of their traffic through their servers, and need to charge lots of money in order to pay for it.

[–] rezz@lemmy.world 19 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago) (4 children)

Considering both Plex and Tailscale are going toward VC exits, Headscale and Jellyfin is the only FOSS way atm.

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[–] HybridSarcasm@lemmy.world 11 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Make sure your home server config isn’t mistaking this client as a remote user. Check your networking, etc

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