this post was submitted on 01 Oct 2023
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Piracy: ꜱᴀɪʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʜɪɢʜ ꜱᴇᴀꜱ

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My good ol 2+ year Plex server host has been banned again. I have given up on this, I do not have access to an obscure server with few customers that will avoid future bans.

What's the platform of choice moving forward? Need wife-approval factor. Emby and Jellyfin? Where can I source servers? Reddit has made these hard to find and I haven't found a good community here.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Sorry for this maybe very naive question, but how can you possibly use Plex with only legal content? Can you actually purchase content within Plex? I always thought its just to play the content you provide, which almost always means its illegal since ripping your own discs is mostly piracy too, legally speaking.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago (1 children)

depending on where you live. in some places its legal to make copies of disk for personal use or as "backups". Same with music, or do you think apple would include a "cd ripping feature" in itunes if the usage would be illegal ?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Yes, I know thats the case, but at least in the case of Germany where you are allowed a private copy, its still illegal to break DRM to do so. So most stuff you could rip for private use is made illegal, since it comes with DRM.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

But you can always use the DVR, you dont violate any DRM-Laws. As its included in many settop-boxes or even TVs. Plex even has a feature to automatically record for you based on EPG data

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Thanks, you are the first person to actually provide a real argument. I did not know Plex can connect to a DVR.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

plex can be a dvr. I have my cableTV directly pluged into my server and use plex for recording, as well as watching tv

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

Jellyfin can work as a DVR too. You just need some extra hardware like a TVHeadend or a TV tuner card to hook it up to your cable/satellite/antenna feed

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I don't disagree with your definitions of legality, but I do disagree fundamentally that ripping a movie should be under the same umbrella of piracy if the intent is not to distribute.

Even blurays that offer a bonus "digital copy" are redeemed through a third-party that packs it with DRM so you can't use it for your own media server. How are they even supposed to enforce this absolute assanine law that I can't watch the damn movie that I bought on my own terms?

[–] [email protected] -1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Just to be clear, I don't support this definition either, its stupid.

Technically often making a copy is not illegal, but breaking DRM is. Unfortunately almost everything comes with DRM so in consequence rippping becomes indirectly illegal. At least in Germany this is the case.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

~~I mean if you want to go full technical here, your dvd/bluray player is breaking the DRM as well.~~

Edit: Ignore this, I am a dumbass.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

No it is not. Those players usually come with a purchased license to unlock the DRM. If you try and play them on a laptop you need a player software that has the same type of license. Try opening a disc like that on your PC with a freshly installed VLC player, it won't work. There you need to break DRM by adding the famous libraries like libdvdcss and what else they are called.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago

Oh yeah, I forgot about that. My brain is not a good brain.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

which almost always means its illegal since ripping your own discs is mostly piracy too, legally speaking

Is this actually the case?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Hasn't been tested in this context. But if you're sharing it, that puts you in another set of legal cross hairs.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

So I clarified this in another post, and I admit I only know German law on this but ripping is technically legal for a private copy, but you are not allowed to break DRM for it. So indirectly it makes it fully illegal since almost nothing comes without DRM anymore.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

In the US it is more breaking the DRM is applicable to the software/hardware used to break DRM. Against US citizens that break DRM for their own personal use hasn't been tested and most legal experts seem to argue it is fair use as long as you don't share.