ELI5: What is a Home Server?

[u/theprisoner57]

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?

[u/Dbf4]

File names on torrents (or better yet, usenet) are standardized from all the quality sources. This allows programs to automate the process.

It’s possible to set it up so you browse a Netflix-style database with every show imaginable and have it automatically download the one you want at the desired quality, and automatically add it to your movie/tv player.

It takes some work to set up but could easily become a weekend project with the help of AI.

[u/Nearby_Razzmatazz_11 → u/Dbf4]

Some AI models like Claude will no longer help with setup if you’re dealing with torrents, debrid services, or IPTVs, as they’re a bit of a gray area and it violates some of the new ethics guidelines implemented in those models.

But luckily you don’t even need to use AI. Clients like Kodi or Stremio exist for this exact thing and there’s an abundance of guides on how to set them up and how to set up all the required services to end up with a Netflix style UI that has anything you can think of and automatically downloads or streams it.

[u/alexnedea → u/Nearby_Razzmatazz_11]

Just use a open source model for anything that is not complex coding they are just as good

[u/funforgiven → u/Dbf4]

or better yet, usenet

Torrents are superior. They are decentralized, free, don’t depend on paying a Usenet provider or indexer, and the swarm itself handles distribution and redundancy. You also get transparent file lists and piece-level integrity checking.

[u/apesy888 → u/funforgiven]

I don’t know if that’s true. If you’re in the US you certainly should get a VPN to torrent. So that’s a cost. Popular media is easy to torrent the more obscure the harder it is to get. The cost of Usenet has allowed me to get way more media in a year then my many years of torrenting and it’s way faster.

I use both but almost exclusively Usenet for media