Pricing reverts back to normal afterwards so be sure to cancel.
Apple TV Plus is also $6.50 for 2 months, expires December 5.
Pricing reverts back to normal afterwards so be sure to cancel.
Apple TV Plus is also $6.50 for 2 months, expires December 5.
over priced fragmented streaming services
Not to mention trying to cancel add-on subscriptions for Amazon prime was like trying to do a friggin sudoku with letters.
My lg TV wouldn't let me actually cancel anything in the webos app. It would tell me to use the website.
In the end I accidentally found I could cancel it via the PS5 app when I stumbled into subscriptions on it.
Deliberately dark pattern enforced.
What's stremio like?
GOAT
It's decent.
You have add-ons that make it better such as:
AI search i.e "movies to watch when sad".
AI recommendations from your watch history.
Adding personal lists such as must-watch netflix.
Don't get me wrong it's not perfect. But, you certainly won't miss netflix.
I just have the basics, I’m interested to know how this works. Do you have any links or recommendations?
@jefflang007: For starters I recommend this guide.
The add-ons I recommend are:
Film whisper for AI search. You can type in anything it will come up with a movie.
For lists you have MDBLists and trakt.
As for lists themselves look on reddit.
Torbox as it gives you usenet.
If you're deadset on debrid you can use usenet instead for $1-$3.
Aioratings ratings on the posters is nice, but I don't use it.
@SarcasticEmu: Can you tell me the difference between what you're saying with Torbox and debrid? The guide you linked to mentions debrid, but it seems like you don't use it?
@Scalding Coffee Cup: They both do the same thing but in different ways. Think of it like like
realdebred possibly has more copies of films for you to stream from, and is fast.
Torbox maybe has less copies of films, but it has better security. Maybe slower.
I use realdebrid and its worked perfectly since setup.
@speedyjonzalas: If you're focused on cached content, Real-Debrid might seem like a solid option at first glance.
But if cache is your top priority, AllDebrid actually has the largest cache, I’ve tested both, and that’s backed by multiple Reddit threads as well.
When it comes to video loading speed, I haven’t done a head-to-head test personally, but a detailed Reddit benchmark showed Torbox consistently outperforming the others in real life.
In my own speed tests from their site:
Real-Debrid peaked at 164 Mbps
Torbox clocked in at 162 Mbps
However, that test is likely outdated. Torbox recently added new servers in Australia, which could easily tip the scales in its favor.
But let's compare Torbox vs realdebrid:
No IP restrictions
Unlike Real-Debrid, Torbox doesn’t ban you for streaming from different IPs. This is confirmed by the developer on Reddit and on their site.
Seamless Plex & Jellyfin Integration
Torbox offers easy setup scripts, for both jellyfin and Plex you link to their drive.
Usenet + Custom Indexers
You're not limited to cached link Torbox supports custom indexers and usenet, unlocking far more content than Real-Debrid.
Private Tracker Seeding
Torbox lets you seed directly, which Real-Debrid doesn’t support.
Active Dev & Community
The developer behind Torbox is highly active, constantly pushing updates and responding to users. You can suggest features and he will develop them. That’s a major green flag for long-term support.
And then there's the Real-Debrid copyright mess, after the French court ruling, Real-Debrid openly stated they’d hand over user data and refused refunds. Meanwhile, Torbox stepped in to help many users migrate and stay protected.
But that's Torbox premium which is more expensive let's compare essential with Real-Debrid which is closer:
Torbox (Essential): $4.50/month - you get cache plus your own indexers, but no usenet.
Real-Debrid (Cheapest Plan): $5.40/month but you have to buy 3+ months.
So here’s the breakdown:
Best cache: AllDebrid
Best value: Torbox Essential
Most powerful features: Torbox Premium
Most likely to hand over your info and ban you for using multiple IPs: Real-Debrid
You can prefer Real-Debrid if you want but is it really better than Torbox?
When you weigh features, price, flexibility, and trust… I'd say Torbox smashes the competition.
So just because something is the most popular does not make it the best.
@Scalding Coffee Cup: The guide uses debrid as it's older. But I use torbox as:
No IP bans, you can stream from multiple IPs without getting flagged or banned (Real-Debrid doesn’t allow this).
Easy Plex & Jellyfin integration Torbox gives you simple scripts to link your library.
Supports custom indexers + Usenet (with Premium), you’re not limited to cached links like RD.
Private tracker seeding, great for keeping ratios on private trackers (RD doesn’t support it).
Active dev, the guy behind Torbox is super responsive, constantly pushing updates and actually listens to feature requests. He is on reddit.
And yeah, after the French court ruling, Real-Debrid admitted they’d hand over user data and refused refunds.
Meanwhile, Torbox helped users migrate and stay protected during this time.
Just based on how Real-Debrid handled the court situation I'm not touching them with a ten foot poll and banning users randomly, they've shown that they don't about users.
Pricing-wise:
Torbox Essential = $4.50/month (includes cache + custom indexers, but no Usenet)
Real-Debrid = $5.40/month (but you have to buy 3+ months)
Torbox premium = $13.74 (includes cache + custom indexers, Usenet).
But the essential plan only has 3 concurrent slots at time. But only effects downloading and seeding, not streaming from stremio.
So quick recap:
Best cache: AllDebrid
Best value: Torbox Essential
Most features: Torbox Premium
Most likely to hand over your info or ban you for multi-IP: Real-Debrid
@SarcasticEmu: Thanks for this, I just tried to install Film Whisper but it keeps coming up with an error.
Failed to fetch: NetworkError when attempting to fetch resource
Anyone else getting the same thing? Adblocker is off and I can resolve the domain it's trying to fetch from.
@bonezAU: Make sure you download from filmwhisper official site.
For troubleshooting:
Try using the browser interface or switching to a different device.
If it still doesn’t work, it’s probably an issue with your ISP. Do you have a VPN you could try?
Could also be your the app doesn't work with your version of stremio. Try another version.
But if you can't be bothered:
You can also try to see if this AI Search works.
It's an AI search someone people find works better.The website is not as flashy, and it's limited to Gemini. But it's made by an aussie.
Personally I use filmwhisper as I love being able to use different models from router.
I had it about 12-18 months ago and found it quite unusable, just constant buffering that i never get on paid services. I would try change the host, more seeds etc but didnt seem to matter
That’s definitely unusual.
At my parents place they on satellite so they can't stream 4k, and use SD.
Personally, I had issues with Real-Debrid, constant buffering. But using Torbox, everything streamed flawlessly.
If Torbox doesn't work for stremio you can try hooking torbox up to Jellyfin to see if that fixes your issue. But I don't recommend Torbox for usenet alone as you can get usenet cheaper.
If you download movies use a usenet provider like easy news so you can download movies to your hard drive, you can easily find deals for $2-$3 month.
You can also try Tivimate, It’s Android-only, it's a IPTV provider, but it has movies.
Tivimate costs $60 lifetime or $2 per month. But you're better just buying a lifetime sub on a black Friday deal.
You can get IPTV sub (you can find plenty on Z2U) for few $ per month. Movies are mostly SD, but depending on the provider, you can get access to over 32,000 live TV channels as well.
@bonezAU: 8k strong.
Tivimate is a IPTV player app. But, you need a player for any IPTV.
Technically you can use VLC but it has no TV guide and you have to set it up each time.
You can use also televizo which is free but it's not as good; It has trouble searching for a lot of movies at a time unless you're in a directory.
Tivimate has a free trial for seven days if you download it on a Android device.
Tivimate also allows you to record to your device. Which good if you're into sports.
But both have their uses.
Tivimate is better for smart TV/projectors. And for mobile televizo is better. It's just how their UI were designed.
@SarcasticEmu: Thanks. Just trying to narrow down resellers now, looks like there are a lot. Are they pretty much all the same?
@donkcat: If that's the case, it's definitely worth running the built-in speed tests on each service’s site to see what kind of speeds you’re actually getting.
That said, those tests don’t always reflect real-world performance. In my experience, it often feels like bandwidth is being split behind the scenes kind of like how NBN slows down during peak hours. It really depends on how each service manages and allocates bandwidth.
Also, don’t forget: you can change servers in Real-Debrid. A lot of users get routed through Sydney by default, but switching to the Cloudflare server can significantly boost performance.
When it comes to 4K, you sometimes need insanely fast speeds we’re talking up to 100 Mbps in some cases example.
Meanwhile, Netflix compresses its 4K streams heavily, so you can usually get by with around 15 Mbps. It’ll auto-adjust quality based on your connection, so most people don’t even notice the drop.
I’m lucky I’m connected through my uni, so bandwidth isn’t really an issue. But for most ISPs, you should be fine. Still, it’s smart to configure your Stremio add-ons to find sources that match your connection speed, ideally with about a 5 Mbps buffer. Look for compressed 4K files to get a more Netflix-like streaming experience.
Also worth mentioning: check out Lossless Scaling. It can upscale SD to HD using some legit voodoo magic basically gives old content a fresh look without needing huge files. Especially worth it if you have old anime that's only created in SD. Granted, the purest hate this technique as it does remove some of the finer details that you can't see without a magnifying the image.
If you don't know what this is, definitely look into it
It's what streaming services should be.
I'd pay 15 month for a single service and happily have my 15 split amongst all the services based on what I watched. But no… They want 15 each even if I didn't watch a thing on their service.
Stremio is so easy my kids use it now
south park is delayed sad :(
thanks. 2 months of Lionsgate for $2 sounds great I have a few movies on them on the list, and usually find 1 or 2 more to watch. plenty of movies for $2.
but their yearly recurring 1 week free trial should be offered to me soon, so I should hodl? one week is a tight squeeze to watch everything I want but it's free so.. 💁♀️
also for anyone else wondering. yes even if your month of prime expires the sub keeps going and can be watched.
Anyone know how long these discounted prices last? I wanna wait for my Crunchyroll sub to end
July 14.
Thanks
Just renewed my Apple tv+ for 18.70 per year. Even cheaper than 1st year was. Might check Lionsgate out
How did you get that price pls???
How did you do that? By signing up to Apple TV+ through Prime with the current special? Sounds like a great deal.
There's guide here on OB. Search "Apple tv+ India guide". It says EXPIRED but actually still working.
Any idea which platform will stream Final Reckoning?
Paramount
rarbg
Reminds me of the $5 a year deal I first got with paramount
The main thing that has stopped me from taking advantage of these deals is the large amount of negative feedback from users wanting to unsubscribe from the service and getting batted back and forth, from provider to Amazon.
Can't recall if that is mostly the US customers or if Oz customers have also been subjected to the 'subscription through fatigue' business model, but it was enough to make sure I steered clear of it.
the large amount of negative feedback from users wanting to unsubscribe from the service and getting batted back and forth, from provider to Amazon.
huh? I never had an issue. I sign up for free trial/$1 offer through the app, then cancel straight away or a few days later it's up to you.
you even go through 2 confirmations so you know you've definitely cancelled the renewal. when renewal comes around I just lose access. very simple.
I find it easiest to manage this on desktop browser amazon site.
'subscription through fatigue' business model,
I have experienced and agree with this though. just maybe in a different way. they split up all the content on an endless number of services, so yes I had a problem with money management and budgeting where because I was subbed to so many services (either free trial or discount offer) I was seriously losing track and some were renewing at full price or unintended. this is not just together on Prime though but multiple separate streaming services.
now I have a rule, 2 paid services at a time no matter what. if they slightly overlap, and one ends so I'm only on one, I will still sub to one more sub and that counts as two. I have been bending the rules recently though because I signed up to Free 3 months Docplay. free is free and it's 3 months so I thought I can manage it easily.
should've made it more clear.
huh? I never had an issue with subs through Primevideo.
and yeah there are some terrible services that make cancelling extra difficult. one which i haven't subbed too for a long time, and which sucks overall anyway (app sucks, buggy, crashes, can't read the full movie info, wishlist limited to like 15 movies which pushes the end of the list off if you add too many) was Binge.
when doing the cancellation process. after what you think is click to confirm cancel renewal. they show you a feedback form, which you have to complete and submit for the cancellation to apply. absolutely terrible. pretty sure I saw a post or comment on reddit that mentioned how bs this was.
now that Binge has merged with Kayo, I assume this cancellation process applies to all Kayo services as well. 😓
I also don't like that last time I subbed to Netflix, and cancelled like a week before renewal. every time I would open the app, a popup would show up saying expiring renewal and "would you like to renew instead?" just a wrong tap away from signing up to another month. terrible.
It's very much a real thing.
I've written about it in another comment.
For no good reason it is inexplicable hard to unsubscribe from many prime videos apps.
I don't use prime video on my phone or computer.
Not a deal when stremio exists.