Setting up a media server

[Ryois]

So I want to setup a media server for a couple of phones, tablets, chromecasts, remote streaming. I have used plex before and I liked it until I found out that you have to have a Plex Pass or pay-per-app to use the app. This was a deal breaker because I don't want to buy a Plex subscription. I looked at Emby and saw this exact same thing. Now my question is, is there a server software that allowed for free app streaming, remote access, and playing audio through chromecasts?

[jkirkcaldy]

I'm not sure how it works with Emby, but a plex pass is well worth the money.

 

Get a lifetime pass any it's a one off price, then you don't have to pay for the apps or anything and then you get access to features like syncing to clients for offline viewing. Very useful for times where you won't have access to the internet like on a plane or a train where signal may drop etc.

 

Not sure about free apps though

[Ryois]

1 hour ago, jkirkcaldy said:

I'm not sure how it works with Emby, but a plex pass is well worth the money.

 

Get a lifetime pass any it's a one off price, then you don't have to pay for the apps or anything and then you get access to features like syncing to clients for offline viewing. Very useful for times where you won't have access to the internet like on a plane or a train where signal may drop etc.

 

Not sure about free apps though

Ok. I will look into getting a Plex Pass since I have been using Plex and I might add a CD, DVD, and tape to my library.

[KingCollins]

1 hour ago, jkirkcaldy said:

I'm not sure how it works with Emby, but a plex pass is well worth the money.

 

Get a lifetime pass any it's a one off price, then you don't have to pay for the apps or anything and then you get access to features like syncing to clients for offline viewing. Very useful for times where you won't have access to the internet like on a plane or a train where signal may drop etc.

 

Not sure about free apps though

Definitely agree that the Plex Pass is worth it, especially with the ability to set up separate user accounts. 

 

But if you don't want to go with a monthly/annual subscription for Plex Pass, you can purchase a single one-time license per device in the Play Store/App Store for €5 (your equivalent currency).

 

Useful if you only have let's say an iPhone and an iPad, then it would only cost you €10

[Ryois]

Just now, KingCollins said:

Definitely agree that the Plex Pass is worth it, especially with the ability to set up separate user accounts. 

 

But if you don't want to go with a monthly/annual subscription for Plex Pass, you can purchase a single one-time license per device in the Play Store/App Store for €5 (your equivalent currency).

 

Useful if you only have let's say an iPhone and an iPad, then it would only cost you €10

I'll have

• 3 Phones
• 3 iPads
• 3 Chromecasts
• 1 TV
• then Web Clients

[KingCollins]

Just now, Ryois said:

I'll have

• 3 Phones
• 3 iPads
• 3 Chromecasts
• 1 TV
• then Web Clients

So you would need a license for the 3 phones and 3 iPads (not too sure on the TV, depends on the marketplace, I doubt it though).

 

Even still, that's €60 worth of licenses, a Pass is only €40 for the year, it's a no-brainer 

[Ryois]

Just now, KingCollins said:

So you would need a license for the 3 phones and 3 iPads (not too sure on the TV, depends on the marketplace, I doubt it though).

 

Even still, that's €60 worth of licenses, a Pass is only €40 for the year, it's a no-brainer 

yeah plus if we wanted to watch stuff on the go we would run into our data caps very quickly!

[KingCollins]

1 minute ago, Ryois said:

yeah plus if we wanted to watch stuff on the go we would run into our data caps very quickly!

Another cool feature with a Plex premium subscription is that you can set the maximum outgoing bitrate for remote streaming. So any device that is not streaming on your local network would be for example, limited to maybe 2mbps 720p to save your mobile data! 

 

I've been using Plex for years now and know it fairly well, if you have any questions feel free to ask!

[Ryois]

44 minutes ago, KingCollins said:

Another cool feature with a Plex premium subscription is that you can set the maximum outgoing bitrate for remote streaming. So any device that is not streaming on your local network would be for example, limited to maybe 2mbps 720p to save your mobile data! 

 

I've been using Plex for years now and know it fairly well, if you have any questions feel free to ask!

I thought you could already do this?
 

[KingCollins]

9 minutes ago, Ryois said:

I thought you could already do this?
 

That's the Internet streaming quality for that device/web browser only.

 

Where as this is a global value for all devices. If enabled, all devices are limited to what you set here. So if a family or friend is streaming content, it stops them cranking up the quality super high and eating all of your upload.

Also, here you can see another field that limits the total upload rate for the whole server which is handy so that you don't hit your ISP's limit.

[Ryois]

16 minutes ago, KingCollins said:

That's the Internet streaming quality for that device/web browser only.

 

Where as this is a global value for all devices. If enabled, all devices are limited to what you set here. So if a family or friend is streaming content, it stops them cranking up the quality super high and eating all of your upload.

Also, here you can see another field that limits the total upload rate for the whole server which is handy so that you don't hit your ISP's limit.

Oh!

[Mikensan]

I believe when you buy the app, it is tied to your plex account and not your google-play / apple-store IDs. So if you install the app (It's a free download) and sign in with a single account... You could technically get away with only buying it one time. However I could be totally wrong, but worth looking into.

 

The only drawback is if different people are watching the same show then it will be all over the place with your "last watched episode." Hence having the plex-pass sub so you can have multiple sub-accounts.

 

I think I only paid $70 for my lifetime sub, so happy I did.

 

Also I don't know what you can or can't do now, but Kodi (formally XBMC) might work.

[DarkPlatinum]

Ok let me tell you something. If you use plex free, you can use only website versions on only one account. Got it? So this means on all devices you have to use the same account. About the server part. I will be setting up my plex server tommorow using a raspberry pi 2. If you would like me to tell you how it goes, then just ask.

[Ryois]

Just now, DarkPlatinum said:

Ok let me tell you something. If you use plex free, you can use only website versions on only one account. Got it? So this means on all devices you have to use the same account. About the server part. I will be setting up my plex server tommorow using a raspberry pi 2. If you would like me to tell you how it goes, then just ask.

Ok yeah I figured that out you have to share the libs if you want to do multiple users. I have the server setup I was just wondering what should I use. Emby or Plex which I chose to use

[DarkPlatinum]

I haven't used emby before (only looked at their website.) only plex. Plex can be used as a media server but only one account can access it. If you wanted to add more users, you would have to buy the plex pass. You woudnt be able to use their apps if you are on a tablet/phone. You would have to goto the website.