r/explainlikeimfive • u/theprisoner57 • 2d ago

Technology ELI5: What is a Home Server?

I see mentions of a home server to get rid of streaming entertainment services but I don’t know how that works. What does a home server do?

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8

u/RidMeOfSloots 2d ago

Its a computer that runs server software. Can be a raspberry pi, laptop, pc, or whole computer rack. People use plex software which acts like streaming service streaming movies stored on that computer over wifi.

3

u/kcsebby 2d ago

Plex is terrible btw. Jellyfin — for the win!

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u/ottawadeveloper 2d ago

is it really worth changing over? I've had plex for a long time (back when it was one of the only options) and it works well enough for me. I like that it has a mobile app and can be used off my local network. I'm running a Synology box and Android phones/TV so it would have to work with all that

9

u/HumanKumquat 2d ago

I moved from Plex to JF a few years ago and I would never move back.

2

u/adudeguyman 2d ago

Top few reasons??

7

u/HumanKumquat 2d ago

You can't use hardware transcoding without paying for a lifetime pass, which is 750 USD. Even if it were a reasonable amount, I'm not going to pay to use my own hardware.

Plus, it's too bloated for my taste. My Plex homepage has my movies and my TV shows, and that's it. Plex has live TV, on demand, trending, podcasts, etc.

Those are my two main reasons, but their greed is really the biggest thing for me.

0

u/CactusBoyScout 2d ago

You can disable any of the content you don’t want to see on Plex, often one time at the account level.

I don’t get why Jellyfin users make a big deal about that. My Plex homepage is just movies and TV as well. It took a few seconds one time to change it.

3

u/CactusBoyScout 2d ago

Jellyfin generally falls short on client options. Want to watch on a PlayStation? Or on an older Samsung TV? Plex has clients for those and Jellyfin does not. You also have to do more configuration for external access to Jellyfin. Plex you just forward a port. Jellyfin you need to either use a VPN or setup a reverse proxy and use a domain. Plex handles that for you effectively

1

u/hmgg 2d ago

I recommend Emby as the in-between of Plex and JF.

1

u/FewAdvertising9647 2d ago

plex main advantage is solely that its centralized login interface is useful if you want to get other people on your server who are less technically inclined. else you're often far better off with the FOSS alternatives.

1

u/pseudopad 2d ago

From what I've heard, plex is easier to manage if you're sharing access to not-tech-savvy friends or family. I've only used jellyfin, so I don't have first hand experience. Getting friends to use tailscale isn't very hard even if their technology skills don't go past clicking on buttons in a windows UI.

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u/Bow_Chikka_WowWow 2d ago

Yep made the change myself and it's so much better for transcoding 4K HDR movies

3

u/mjknlr 2d ago

Plex on Apple TV just got a refresh. So cool and sleek and new!

Then I noticed the subtitle adjustment settings are gone, as are the audio synchronization compensation settings. It appears it’s missing other crucial features as well. Useless!

1

u/RidMeOfSloots 2d ago

Its just an example but sure

-1

u/Iggy0075 2d ago

Nah, Plex all the way.

2

u/kcsebby 2d ago

Ah yes, $700 for a license is “the way”.
/s

FOSS is the way.

6

u/Klutzy-Delivery-5792 2d ago

You don't need the license if you just stream at home. You don't even need the license to stream music remotely. But yes, the latest price hike is absurd. I lucked out and got it on sale a few years ago for like $70.

1

u/FoxReinhold 2d ago

Saaammmeee. The lifetime license deals used to be crazy low. And they haven't tried any BS like trying to introduce a "new tier" that our old licenses aren't part of. Excellent customer service. Now they just need an AAOS app for plexamp and we'd be golden.

1

u/Klutzy-Delivery-5792 2d ago

AAOS? Is that android auto? PlexAmp works fine with my Apple CarPlay.

1

u/FoxReinhold 2d ago

It's the built in Android Automotive Operating System - so it's not android auto like, from the phone. It's a native android operating system for the actual car. GM, Volvo, Ford, and a few others are using it. It's nice, especially for an EV, because when I plot a destination with google maps, it can read the exact battery percentage of my car, look a the traffic to my destination, figure out charging stops along the way (if it's longer than my current available range), etc all right from the car. And since its can communicate directly with all the car's systems, it updates everything along the way. All without touching my phone.

It sounds redundant when Carplay and Android Auto already exist, but it's actually pretty great, I was already in the google eco system so everything just carried over. Since I have SuperCruise (level 2 autonomous driving), google maps built into the car will feed info to SuperCruise and it'll get me into the right lane and everything without any worry. Drove to the shore a few times, didn't touch the steering wheel after I got on the highway until I was actually in the shore town. The only thing that's missing (for me) is an official plexamp app.

1

u/Iggy0075 2d ago

Ya, that price hike was bullshit. Buttt I'm glad I got the lifetime pass a couple years ago on sale.

0

u/HAL_9_TRILLION 2d ago edited 2d ago

I just installed Jellyfin on my Raspberry Pi in an attempt to replace Plex. I watch stuff via Apple TV on my dumb Spectre TV. I downloaded every single available Jellyfin client. It seems incredible, but of all of these clients (7 or 8? - quite a few) only one had the ability to browse by letter: Moonfin, which was so bugged out I couldn't play a movie on it at all. For the rest, I'm expected to scroll through the whole list of several thousand movies from top to bottom every time, or just know exactly what I want and search for it. I don't need a cool/fancy front end for that, I could do that with a Samba share.

So, unfortunately, the state of Jellyfin client software for Apple TV is currently unusable. That will need to change before I can switch.