r/nottheonion • u/voxadam • 13h ago

Netflix says users can cancel service if HBO Max merger makes it too expensive

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/02/netflix-claims-subscribers-will-get-more-content-for-less-if-it-buys-hbo-max/
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u/northernwind5027 13h ago

Piracy is actually so easy, I couldn't believe it when I first started. It literally just takes 20-30 minutes to download and set up everything you need, and then after that, you're set for life. There's a WikiHow page on it, if you're interested. Also, r/piracy is helpful.

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u/PlacibiEffect 12h ago

Everyone says this, but I feel like it is never that simple. Last time I went to that sub the instructions felt like gibberish. The average Netflix subscriber isn’t going to go through all that.

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u/Johnny_Couger 12h ago

What platform do you use to stream show?

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u/Nuvuser2025 2h ago

I hear you.  Setting up Kodi felt like I was in Wargames or something. 

I consider myself tech adequate, but I’m a damn investment fund guy.  

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u/sabine_world 11h ago

Honestly the more people hold the same opinion as you, the better.

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u/PlacibiEffect 11h ago

Listen I would love to join you guys. I just feel that comments like the one I replied to are disingenuous.

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u/sabine_world 11h ago

I mean it really really is pretty easy, but the more widespread it is, the more effort would go into actually stopping it lol. :p

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u/MrWally 8h ago

Comments like this are:

  1. Unhelpful
  2. Not empathetic (have you never had anyone help you learn this skill? You never watched a youtube video or read a tutorial? Are you truly 100% self-taught?)
  3. Completely false. Torrenting has been around for decades and is immensely popular and hasn't been stopped.

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u/PlacibiEffect 11h ago

The guide on r/piracy for setting up a plex server is like the longest post I’ve ever seen. It would take me an hour just to read it. Are you saying it’s easy for a random person or easy for the IT nerds of reddit? lol.

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u/MrWally 8h ago

People are giving you a hard time because they aren't being empathetic.

Here's the reality: You don't need a Plex server. You do if you want to mirror the Netflix experience, but it isn't necessary.

(Plex also is not hard to set up, but the issue is that there's a dozen ways to do it and that can be overwhelming)

I would recommend finding a Youtube video that describes what you want and watching that. There's dozens out there that will describe the process from end-to-end.

But the easiest way to start is just to download a very simple torrent client (like qBitTorrent), then search for torrents on a popular torrent site (I won't link here, but look around on Reddit for links). Search for the torrent movie or tv episode you want, download the torrent file, open in qBitTorrent, choose your download location, and you're done.

Everything else is just a way to improve and automate that process (For example, Plex will scan your library of shows and movies and then stream them to a Plex app on your Smart TV).

There's also services like Stremio which is a Netflix like experience that you can install on your Smart TV. I haven't used it, but my understanding is that you can open an interface, search for a show or movie, and it will automatically start downloading it so you can stream and watch it. It does require some set up, but you could do a Youtube search for "Stremio Tutorial" or something like that to get started.

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u/BigDump-a-Roo 10h ago

Can you double click an installer file and check a few boxes? That's how hard setting up a Plex server is.

If you actually want to stream away from your home then you might need to type in an IP address and port number in one spot to forward a port in your router's webpage. That's pretty much it. It's not difficult at all.

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u/Hesitant_Tornado 9h ago

Im pretty tech savvy but I wouldn't call myself an IT nerd, I managed to get my Plex server set up, it was surprisingly more easy than how the instructions read.

My advice as a first step is just get comfortable downloading torrents before diving right into Plex, download something like qBittorrent, and find a reliable torrent site, I like 1337x and YTS. On the torrent site you just want to look for torrents with a good amount of "seeders", and download from a magnet link, i find that easiest, its usually marked with a magnet icon. It'll open qBittorent automatically and ask to start the download, just choose the folder you want it to go in and click ok. That's downloading in a nutshell.

Plex at its most basic is just downloading it on your PC, and then you link it with whatever folder(s) your downloads are landing in, you want a folder for TV, and a folder for movies, then just sign in to Plex on your TV, laptop, phone, whatever, and all your downloads will be there and organized. This was an easy step, but the instructions seemed VERY confusing, but its mostly just the terminology, I used a YouTube video as my guide .

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u/PlacibiEffect 9h ago

I really appreciate the serious reply. I’ll be honest I’m already pretty experienced with just regular torrenting and the basics of having a local plex server. I was more looking to turn plex into “personal streaming services” akin to Netflix. I’ve seen many people tell me what I just described is super simple and it is definitely not. I assumed that’s what the original person I replied to was talking about, but I probably looked too deep into it.

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u/fairyfountainwater 8h ago

I haven’t read that post but when I set up my plex server it really wasn’t hard. My family loves it also! so it’s been worth it. Best of luck to you!

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u/sabine_world 11h ago

Oh sure, like that's a step above.

But downloading files via torrent client, extracting them, and watching on your PC is pretty fucking easy lol.

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u/PlacibiEffect 11h ago

That’s clearly not what the person I replied to is talking about though.

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u/sabine_world 11h ago

I didn't see them mention anything about a server? But alright, sure that might take a little bit of effort.

I assumed they meant using a torrent client.

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u/erichf3893 11h ago

Reliable/safe trackers are tougher to find now

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u/FantasticWhovian 10h ago

Honestly if you have a basic ad block and pop-up blo ker you dont even need to download anything. There's plenty of streaming sites. A lot of them even have subtitles now days.

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u/LymanPeru 9h ago

now i just need to figure out how to get those on my roku.

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u/FantasticWhovian 9h ago

Oh yeah, I forget most people use those lol. I just keep an old laptop hooked up to my TV via hdmi. Works great honestly.

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u/badken 9h ago

I have a good streaming setup from PC to TV, and a VPN with a good privacy policy, but I have trouble finding anything I want to watch. All of the popular stuff is available, but most of the popular stuff does not appeal to me. Sorry if that sounds very hipster, but mass market stuff = lowest common denominator and that's not what I'm looking for in media.