As you may have seen Plex decided it was OK today to send an email showing me what my friends have been watching. To be clear, this is Plex telling other people what I’ve been watching from my server, with my files, and this is not OK.
We all knew it was a matter of time before Plex started collecting data on our libraries and sharing it with advertisers. What happened to their “we don’t know, and don’t want to know, what is on your server”?. This, for me, is proof that those fears were absolutely founded in reality. On what planet would I ever want this information to be shared with friends on family on an OPT OUT basis?
It’s totally unacceptable to collect this data in the first place. It’s totally unacceptable to share this information with uniquely identifiable information. And it’s totally unacceptable to do this without explicitly asking me if it’s OK.
Unfortunately there is nothing you can do about this as a server admin, because technically these are Plex users and their marketing email preferences are controlled on the user side in the Plex website preferences. Not on your server.
This is an absolutely egregious overreach.
Thank goodness there are alternatives available in the form of Jellyfin and Emby. I left my Plex server up after the Jellyfin January challenge we did on the Self-Hosted podcast but because of this I feel that I have no choice but to take it down for good.
Thanks for the heads up, not a fan. I’ve been running it concurrently with Jellyfish but looks like it may be time to ditch it.
That’s why I just can’t trust proprietary software anymore. Some of it is unavoidable though without making things unnecessarily hard/worse for yourself.
Shit like this gets pulled all the time, most of it is probably never discovered because it’s all hidden somewhere deep in their executables/firmware/binary blobs or whatever shit they push onto you…
Jellyfin FTW!
Problem is my user base are TV and mostly non technical people. No way they setup and maintain a JellyFin install. That’s why Plex just wins.
What? Why would they need to setup a whole install to use your server? Just connect to the server in one of the numerous apps and login to your account?
Made the switch to JF about 6 months ago, Never looked back!
JF has no proper chromecast support… ☹️😤
Yes it does.
What do you mean? I have used chromecast with Jellyfin many times.
Chromecast in JF never worked…
When I click the chromecast icon in JF “Play On” (top right) I get “Google Cast Unsupported”.How did you manage to get it working?
This is why! It’s a crappy implication…
https://github.com/jellyfin/jellyfin/issues/6840#issuecomment-1042905147
Android required, no iphonies
Jk, i eagerly await ios support but for now android only
Windows browsers such Firefox, Chrome, Vivaldi, Brave have the same issue. It’s not OS or device related, it’s how Chromecast has been implemented in Jellyfin.
https://github.com/jellyfin/jellyfin/issues/6840#issuecomment-1042905147
I’m also the developer of a local media server, and I’ve easily managed to bypass the Chromecast client-side issues by doing a server-side discovery. Now no matter how I access my media content, I can always send it to a Chromecast, because the CC and my server are on the same network, so the CC can easily be discovered over Avahi/Bonjour/mDNS. Then it can be the server itself to provide the client with a list of discovered players, not necessarily the other way around.
The fact that there’s no server-side logic to manage the Chromecasts, and instead we rely on the client to discover them, explains why things are so broken. Why not provide a server-side CC scan logic as a backup for users who don’t use Chrome on Android but run the server on the same network as the CC, instead of relying on such a brittle client-side implementation?
You need to be hosting jellyfin behind a reverse proxy so that it works through https. Chromecast doesn’t support unsecured sources.
Yup… I have a reverse proxy. Chromecast in Emby works, Chromecast in JellyFin doesn’t. Really weird.
Then yeah idk that makes no sense to me. The only time I had problems with Jellyfin chromecast was when I wasn’t on https.
You have to use the Play Store version
iPhone has no Play Store. I got the app from the AppStore for iPhone, no luck, chromecast does not work.
Ohhh, that’s too bad then.
I am also strongly considering to make the switch now. Any notable drawbacks/learnings from using it for 6 months?
Is it supported on tv makers?
No Apple TV client. Bummer.
Guess it’s too late to change the stupid name.
It is what it is, until it isn’t
There is your answer.
It says available for Android TV and WebOS. Which are the TV OSes now most of the time.
I also recently installed it on Tizen(Samsung’s OS) and using the docker container(https://github.com/babagreensheep/jellyfin-tizen-docker) it was stupidly easy and the hardest part was enabling developer mode.
AppleTV + Infuse
Wdym TV makers?
They mean Smart TVs. My Dad’s Samsung TV has a Plex app, but no way to install anything like Kodi that would let him use Jellyfin instead of Plex to serve media.
Amazon stick is the cheapest (easy) way to turn any TV into a Jellyfin TV.
Personally, I’m getting increasingly annoyed with my Fire Stick. It’s kind of sluggish, and very locked-down. You used to be able to sideload a custom home launcher, but Amazon is cracking down on that. Their launcher is filled with bloat and ads. Recently I’ve noticed mine auto-playing Amazon Prime video trailers on boot which makes me want to throw it out the window.
I have JF installed on my Samsung (Tizen) TV and it works great. And the TV will auto-launch back into JF on boot… something I wish Fire Stick allowed.
I’ve been tossing the idea around to set up a cheap mini NUC-like box, like a Beelink or something similar. About the same prices as an Apple TV or higher end Roku, and you can either use Windows, Linux, or even Android on it. Just needs a convenient remote to navigate it without needing to hook up a mouse and keyboard, or gamepad, and it would be a great little set top box.
Also I’m kind of surprised there aren’t more Linux distros for this already. We’ve got gaming console-like dedicated distros in Batocera, Lakka, RetroPi, Recall Box, etc. even stuff like SteamOS, or customized clones like Bazzite, Holo and Chimera. Where’s the TV focused OS? The closest I see are typically just running Kodi on boot, which is ok I guess, but I want something more like an all-around HTPC where Kodi is just an application I launch when I want to watch something, rather than the sole UI.
Strange, I haven’t experienced that, but I’m also connected to Amazon Canada, so maybe it’s different.
Even side loaded Steam Link to stream games and it works pretty well.
Amazon Fire days being based on Android appear to be numbered. Doesn’t mean JF or any other client can’t have a React-based client for whatever Vega becomes if/when launched, but I’d expect it to take some time. The prior effort for a React-based client seemed to have died a number of years ago.
I’m also not a fan of Amazon’s streaming devices. I grabbed a 4k fire cube for $50 last year during one of their sales. This thing already lags like crazy and recently started playing an ad when you first turn it on. Annoying.
My 2017 NVidia Shield still rocks.
How has been your experience with higher bitrate/quality stream directplay?
On my 4-5 year old Samsung TV I notice sluggish playback with 4K and high bitrate files with the Tizen Jellyfin app.
With plex the same files were working fine.
On my Desktop (using MPV) all files playback fine.
Now I think about buying something like a FireTV stick or Xiaomi TV Box…
Yeah, I use one myself. He’s already using all the HDMI ports on his AV receiver though, so there’s no room for any extra devices.
I know modern TVs can send the audio from the TV to the receiver, so in theory he could plug the stick into the TV instead, but his one seems to only be able to send certain formats that way, and you can’t see the receiver’s overlay on the TV when using it that way, so it’s impossible to adjust anything.
Why would you install Kodi to use Jellyfin?
I think Vizio doesn’t have a Jellyfin app either, unless they’re also using Android under the hood like Fire TV?
Not sure about if Samsung TV has Google play store where the jellyfin or infuse app exist, but you can do chromecast / airplay if not Google play store
Definitely no Play Store on his TV. I don’t think it has any Chromecast /Airplay apps either, but even if it does I don’t think they’re any substitute for Plex or Jellyfin.
Just don’t use Samsung tv then and get an inexpensive android TV box…
Infuse is Apple only AFAIK
Samsung TVs run Tizen OS, not Android TV, so obviously no “Google Play Store”.
Also apps are pretty restricted, most are just able to use web-technologies, so nothing heavy-handed.
The process in getting TV Apps approved on platforms like Samsung’s Tizen OS is pretty annoying for most developers/open-source stuff.
There is an actual app for Tizen TVs, but it needs to be sideloaded manually: https://github.com/jeppevinkel/jellyfin-tizen-builds
Then why use the shit when you can get a GoogleTV stick for less than 20 bucks.
PSA: Pre-built images are available, which avoids having to compile the app yourself. https://github.com/jeppevinkel/jellyfin-tizen-builds
The install process is pretty straightforward. I’d recommend giving it a try. More or less copying commands, then you’re left with the Jellyfin client on the TV. Works great once installed.
No Kodi sadly though.
There’s a Jellyfin app for Tizen (Samsung TV) but it’s kinda stupid to get installed and is kinda sluggish. Actual playback is perfect however.
His TV is a few years old, so I’m not sure if it uses Tizen but I’ll have a look, thanks.
If it helps, I think my TV is either 2018 or 2019 and Jellyfin app works. But yeah definitely take a look
And if JF won’t work for you, Emby is pretty decent as well.
Does Jellyfin have an adequate apple TV iphone and android client with library sharing thats comparable to plex? Im not trying to start a war here, i just want to know. Only reason I don’t use jellyfin is because back in the day it didnt have library sharing or a decent apple tv app.
What’s the safe way to expose jellyfin for users to access without a vpn or cloudflare tunnel (tos)
I would love to switch but their agent is so bad. It only finds like 10% of my videos. I dont want to spend 80 hours searching the metadata one at a time.
Is there some way to send a invite to someone from your jellyfin where they just need to install the app and follow your link? Or some other way to seriously streamline install and setup?
The whole use this hostname and managing reverse proxy etc is the reason I have not switched. It’s just not user friendly for a grandma or typical consumer. That’s the majority of my users.
Plexamp?
Unfortunately Jellyfin is just missing features. Opening and Credits skip? Nope. There is a plugin, but it doesn’t work with the Android client. On that front the Android client is so temperamental. Half the time it just doesn’t work on my Nvidia Shield. The UI is really clunky as well. I was using it for several months and the app just frustrated me so much I just went back to Plex.
I left Plex as soon as they made it a pain to not use cloud logins.
Wtf? Why are you asking me to look g into MY system through your server? Get outta here.
This is why I don’t use Plex.
I went to install it once because I heard it was good. It said the next step of the installer is make a plex online account so I can log in. I looked for the ‘I don’t want online I want local’ option but I didn’t see one. So I uninstalled.
Nowhere did it explain what if any access Plex servers have to my media library (metadata or files), so I said no thanks I’ll just go back to using folders.
Glad to see I made the right choice.
Scarily, one can opt to receiving the summaries, but I see no tick box for sharing _my_ activity with friends???
Right - it’s controlled server side by Plex and so far as I can tell there’s nothing you can do. Your friends would have to go in and turn it off in their accounts. It’s disgusting.
I think you can disable it here:
Settings > Account > Sync my watch state and ratings
It’s kind of disguised as some feature to allow you to sync movie status among all plex servers. But disabling this would probably disable their ability to see it.
FYI, my setting is marked inactive, I do remember the in-your-face popup on my tv and I disabled all of the sharing. Still got an email this morning.
Isn’t the content of that email what the other people see though? If you disable your sharing, then yours won’t be shared but others might be unless they decide to disable it. I opted out of those emails.
I guess we’re getting pitchforks out then!
What other option do we have? Either stop using it or attempt to get Plex to respond and change their ways.
Plex haven’t taken user feedback into consideration for years. They seem to be making universally hated features exclusively.
Your realistic options are to accept Plex as it is, or switch to something else.
Plex haven’t taken user feedback into consideration for years. They seem to be making universally hated features exclusively
Reason I left for emby years ago was because they kept making the UI worse with no option to customize it at all. Came to find out a bit later the reason for that was to push their own stuff on users
I’ve been a Flex Pass lifetime user since 2018 and I honestly feel like I got my money’s worth during that time so I can’t complain too much, but I’m absolutely ready to switch. They only focus on money-grab features these days, and playback & subtitle issues are getting worse every update.
I never bothered _too_ much about the privacy stuff, but after they got so “me me me” focused I trust them less with my data.
I’m just waiting for the Jellyfin Tizen-version to be approved (Samsung OS “app store”) and once that’s done I’m immediately switching.
I have Jellyfin on Chromecast, but unfortunately my TV doesn’t supports Dolby Atmos passthrough, so only native apps support it (+ Chromecast is just a bit sluggish)
You can set it in your profile settings
But it’s worrying if it’s opt-out and not opt-in - even if they did prompt me to look at it when I first logged in after the added the Friends Discovery thing. Although the disclaimer suggests that for US users at least it might be opt-in, I honestly don’t remember what the default was for me.
the fuck?
it’s a media server. Why do I want ‘friends’ involved at all?
This here. This setting is absolutely controllable and if memory serves me right i had to enable it when the feature rolled out. In fact, I just made a brand new account and after signing in the very first option is to either accept or change the setting.
Yup. The feature smacks you in the face.
I assume this stuff is US only at the mo’ because I can’t see those settings at all.
UK here and I can see it
exegamer76’s comment above gives the link
It seems to be the following:
Go to https://app.plex.tv/desktop/#!/profile/edit
Click on “Privacy Settings” at the bottom of the page
Dialog from the screenshot pops up
Thanks for sharing this. How do I get to the settings page you showed in the screenshot?
It seems to be the following:
- Go to https://app.plex.tv/desktop/#!/profile/edit
- Click on “Privacy Settings” at the bottom of the page
- Dialog from the screenshot pops up
Thank you good Sir!
Thank you. That looks like it. Here’s what it looks like:
Ahh, thanks!
I’ve had plex and the arrs going but without a VPN (USA), got hundreds of take down notices sent to an old email address and went to spam folder, and two personal paper letters from ISP. I decided to shut down the arrs and haven’t torrented in about a few months.
A few weeks ago I added someone on plex to share my media with. Just got a 3rd letter from my ISP for sharing media. Plex is the only thing running that could cause this.
Time to finally shut it down and load Jellyfin. It’s been coming for some time; but this is the nail in the coffin.
umm??? How does it share this data with respect to its own privacy statements???
https://www.plex.tv/about/privacy-legal/
M. What information does Plex collect from my Plex Media Server?
Plex does not share information about your Personal Content with third parties. Plex does not collect:
-
Content titles of your Personal Content.
-
Filenames EXCEPT those that may be collected under Debugging Information below.
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Metadata for Personal Content (e.g., information about the specific file, cover art, subtitles, running length, etc.) EXCEPT to customize viewed content syncing to enhance your account or if you have enabled metadata matching capabilities in which case such data will be anonymously sent to us or you have integrated with a third-party control or playback mechanism that requires us to access your metadata to play the relevant content (e.g., if you use Amazon Alexa to play a particular song or movie from your Personal Content, then our Services may search your Personal Content metadata in order to find and play the song or movie requested.)
-
so what’s the option now? jellyfin?
Just use Plex offline and you are good to go. If you don’t know how to use Plex offline read up about reverse proxies like Nginx and how you can allow access to download meta data but block basically all the rest and even fake that Plex thinks its online.
I guess you could do that…or you could switch to a company that hasn’t gone to $hit like Jellyfin or Emby.
Please elaborate more on the blocking, such as what IPs should be whitelisted.
Do any of you check your privacy settings? Because you can turn off sharing data with other users.
OMG this is a company killer mistake. I will never use or recommend Plex. wow
Making me more glad i never had plex. DLNA ftw!
I drop Plex years ago when they started doing shifty stuff. If I was sharing content with another person or someone with sharing content with me it it would start getting blocked and turned off. I guess they don’t want people to use their software
Now everyone knows all my weird kinks! How am I supposed to explain my weird milk, baby diaper, shaming fetish to them? Unless…
Lol, time to use alternative media servers.
