Jellyfin or Plex? Cheaper than Netflix + every streaming sub. Your library, every device.
$100+
Saved /mo vs Streams
2-100 GB
Per Movie (4K)
10-50×
HW Transcode Speedup
QuickSync
Indie Sweet Spot
Jellyfin vs Plex vs Emby
OPEN SOURCE
Jellyfin
Free, open, every platform. Solid UI. Hardware transcoding free. Best for technical users.
Plex
Polished apps + UX. Plex Pass ($5/mo or $120 lifetime) needed for HW transcode. Family-friendly.
Premium
Emby
Middle ground. Premiere $5/mo. Good but smaller community.
Hardware tiers
Pi / old laptop
1-2 streams, mostly direct-play.
SWEET SPOT
Intel mini PC w/ QuickSync
$200-$400 used. 3-5 concurrent 4K transcodes. Where most users land.
NUC + discrete GPU
5+ concurrent 4K. Heavy households.
DIY NAS
For 20+ TB libraries with ZFS / RAID.
Pro Tip
Encode your library in widely-compatible formats (H.264 1080p with AAC audio) to maximize direct play — free of CPU cost. Hardware transcoding is the fallback, not the default.
Library Sizing
4K movie: 30-100 GB. 1080p: 2-10 GB. Real libraries: 5-50 TB. Use NAS-class drives + ZFS / RAID6 if you can't afford to re-rip.
Library structure
Remote access
Movies/Title (Year)/Title (Year).mkv Scanner recognizes by folder pattern