Plex Hi all, I read today that Plex is doubling there Plex Pass lifetime subscription from towards end of April and you can get it atm for the normal price. However,...

[kev2021]

Hi all,

I read today that Plex is doubling there Plex Pass lifetime subscription from towards end of April and you can get it atm for the normal price.  However, i’m not entirely sure if its worth getting? For myself I basically run Plex on my synology NAS and use TV/Apple TV to open the Plex app and watch content.

Now, as you may recall, Synology are dropping the Transcoding on the synology from the latest DSM update (i’ve not updated yet hence mine is still working) but i’m not sure i’d gain anything by signing up to a lifetime pass vs a monthly subscription, plus i’m also wonering will they stop being able to use it on LAn for free and hence y then, its over $200 to sign up to get lifetime as opposed to the approx $99 i thin it is atm?

Any thoughts? I’ve never streamed from my NAS remotely i.e. via a mobile/tablet or over a VPN but in theory I could potentially over a VPN but never had the need to date.

I see some have mentioned alternatives such as jellyfin but some have said its not as good as plex etc so don’t want to shoot myself int eh foot by not getting it now, thinking don’t need it, only to have to sign up or switch to something else later.

The alternative suggested by Synology I believe was Infuse which is meant to play everything but requires you to pay.

Thanks

Kev

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[UK Sentinel]

Locking in the lifetime Plex Pass at $99 now could be worth it if you think you’ll want premium features or future-proof access in the long run.

Running Jellyfin or Infuse alongside Plex to see if they fit your needs maybe better before making a final decision?

 

• Jellyfin: It’s a fantastic open-source alternative to Plex. While it doesn’t have as polished an interface or some of Plex’s advanced features, it’s completely free and actively maintained. For LAN-only streaming, Jellyfin could work well, and you could experiment with it alongside Plex to see if it meets your needs.
• Infuse: This is indeed a paid solution, but it excels in playback compatibility and user experience, especially for streaming via Apple devices. If transcoding becomes irrelevant, Infuse could be a simpler and reliable alternative for playing media directly from your NAS.

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[kev2021]

Thanks, atm I have plex installed on the NAS and then I use plex on tv/apple tv to connect and play content.  I’m not sure jellyfin can be installed on synology and if supported. Same with infuse but I have heard some people use Plex on the nas/server and then use infuse to link to the plex library? I have installed Infuse on apple TV and linked it to plex library but can’t play any content as wants to me to pay.

Atm I believe Infuse and Plex are the same price (currently, although Plex is due to more than double in price).

If I update Synology DSM and due to transcoding being removed, content doesn’t play, maybe then pay for infuse and see it it works and if so, keep that.  However, if Plex just holds the library content and Infuse is used to play the content, would I need a plex pass for that, as I’d be using a 3rd party client to play the content? if so, I’m looking at effective paying approx. 200 for plex and infuse.

Kev

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[UK Sentinel]

. kev2021 Said:

if so, I’m looking at effective paying approx. 200 for plex and infuse.

Kev

£200 for both Plex and Infuse, that does sound expensive to myself, the lifetime Plex Pass at $99 lifetime subscription sounds a much better offer, but not as good as a free alternative

I believe Plex will still work on your Synology NAS even after transcoding is no longer supported natively by the DSM update but absence of transcoding capabilities will limit its ability to adjust media files on-the-fly to match the playback requirements of devices that can’t handle the original file format or bitrate.

What this means is: (I had to look this portion up)

• Direct Play: If your media files are in a format natively supported by your devices, you’ll still be able to stream them without any issues.
• Direct Stream: Media that requires minimal adjustments (like re-wrapping the file container) should work fine as well.
• No Transcoding: Media files that require significant changes (e.g., converting codecs or lowering bitrate) may fail to play on incompatible devices.

 

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[kev2021]

Thanks, so question then is, would infuse (paid version) do that? so if I kept Plex (free version) on nas for media library and linked infuse (paid version) to it, would that work or would i need plex (paid for) and infuse (paid for)?

I believe jellyfin takes time to setup on nas and not straight forward and it isn’t as good as plex so not sure its worth going down that route?

Kev

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[kev2021]

also appear jellyfin client not on appletv :( they show infuse for apple tv lol

Kev

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[UK Sentinel]

I thought Jellyfin does have a client for Apple TV called Swiftfin. It’s available on the Apple App Store and supports video playback, including Live TV sources ?

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[kev2021]

hmm looking at this page under recommended, doesn’t show it.. https://jellyfin.org/downloads/clients

if you change to all then it shows it but says Beta so would imply they don’t “recommend” it?

Kev

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[kev2021]

I’m kind of tempted to update my DSM and see what happens..

Kev

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[UK Sentinel]

I second that

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[kev2021]

Been looking online, seems a mixed bag of opinions, some say jellyfin, some say jellfin doesn’t work so well via appletv and strutters during playback etc…. Other say infuse but seems unclear whether if I paid for infuse, I’d also need a plex pass for local network playback.  I never playback content remotely via mobile, tablet etc, its always local network to a tv or appletv so remote streaming doesn’t bother me at all as never needed to do that.  Only issue with infuse is its apple only so no android but I have appleTVs so not a huge issue atm but later on down the line when TVs get better, I may decide to drop appleTVs and use apps on the TV itself.  At the moment, the plex app on tv is so so, it works but after i exit the app and go back to normal TV, it then doesn’t allow me to change TV channel, just says no channel, I have to power the TV off via wall socket and turn back on to be able to do it.  I suspect issue is the fire tv tbh and its pretty slow to bring up menus etc, hasn’t changed much despite updates.

Kev

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[kev2021]

think might update nas tonight and see what the result is.

If I’m correct, I’m assuming plex will still work but may not play some films but then if i buy Infuse, it probably will play all.  Unknown factor is do I need a plex pass to use infuse going forward.  ATM i suspect not but come end of April, its unclear. SO means effectively spending 200 – bit steep…. I guess work around is I could potentially use just standard SMB playback from network share OR I use a different bank end and infuse as the client as the nas wont do transcoding and I don’t have anything else I can use for it so it has to come from the nas.

Kev

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[UK Sentinel]

It does seem as though no clear path that is cost effective and works apart from Plex Pass at $99 lifetime subscription, especially as you are Apple orientated.

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[kev2021]

yeah, got my finger ready to upgrade but just not sure i should, been reading the update breaks plex and only download links available if have plex pass (but someone has linked to it) makes me wonder should i wait but brings 2 concerns:-

1. only got to end April till price rises if i nee to buy it
2. NAS has not got any security etc updates since 7.2.1 so not overly ideal so thinking maybe I should but don’t want to stuff myself have to spent ages getting plex working after…

Synology points to using infuse (which is fine) but doesn’t say if plex pass needed or not but was written prior to there announcement regarding plex pass price rises etc.

Kev

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[UK Sentinel]

From what I understand, it seems that using Infuse with Synology doesn’t require a Plex Pass. However, if you’re planning to use Plex Media Server on your Synology NAS and want features like hardware-accelerated transcoding, then a Plex Pass subscription will be required.

but not prepared to state this is 100% correct as so many different feeds out there making contradictory statements

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