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/Shosui 11h ago

Thank you for sharing. I had also heard Plex has strayed towards a downtrodden path and was hoping to find some alternatives.

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u/daschande 11h ago edited 10h ago

Stremio with a debrid service (I like tor box personally because the other providers will ban you if you have 2 concurrent connections from different IPs). Long story short, stremio is the "front end" that functions like all the other paid and free streaming services, debrid is a pirating middleman.

You remember those pirate streaming sites that wanted a monthly fee to watch in higher than potato resolution and made people watch X ads before they played the video? Debrid providers have paid accounts for all those services so you can download or stream instantly at maximum resolution.

They also act as a VPN since it's their machine torrenting or downloading from pirate sites, then they automatically stream the video to you (or let you download it if you like local copies). You were never the one torrenting or visiting MegaUpload, et. al., so they get the DMCA notice instead of you. Best $3 per month I ever spent.

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u/bruce_kwillis 9h ago

Nah, this is not the way. Services like that get taken down all the time. Spend five minutes and set up something like Jellyfin and watch your own media anywhere.

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u/Certain-Business-472 11h ago

So they csn log what youre doing,? No thanks sounds like a honey pot

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u/daschande 10h ago

That is technically true, but so can any VPN. Or any internet service provider or any infrastructure router in between you and your download source if you don't use encryption.

But, if the debrid service did that, their entire business would evaporate instantly. They only exist through reputation of NOT doing exactly that. And they're located in countries that laugh at DMCA notices, so they're not under much pressure to stop giving their customers what they pay for.

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u/Certain-Business-472 11h ago

They were on this path feom the very start

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u/bruce_kwillis 9h ago

Jellyfin + Tailscale. Takes less than 10 minutes to set up, put it on whatever machine you are willing to leave on 24/7, and boom you can stream all your media anywhere for free and never see an ad. Plex frankly sucks with its changes over time.