Usually, when I recommend a free streaming service to a friend or family member for the first time, one of the first questions I get is: “Is there actually anything good on it to watch?” And that’s a fair question. Most people associate the biggest movies and TV shows with paid streaming services like Netflix and HBO Max.
The reality, though, is that while you might not find the latest blockbuster movies or buzzy new TV series on free streaming platforms, there’s still a huge amount of great content available. Many free streaming services offer thousands of on-demand movies and TV shows, along with hundreds of FAST (free ad-supported TV) channels.
One of those free streaming services is Plex. While Plex is best known as an app for hosting and organizing your own local media server, it also launched a free ad-supported streaming service in 2019, offering thousands of free movies and TV shows on demand, along with hundreds of free live TV channels.
QuizMedia server trivia
The ultimate streaming challenge
From local libraries to remote streaming — how well do you really know the world of media servers?
StreamingSoftwarePlexNetworkingHistory
Which media server software uses the name of a Star Trek alien species as its branding?
Correct! Emby takes its name from a playful riff on ‘M.B.’ but is also associated with sci-fi culture in its branding and community. Emby started as a fork of the Media Browser project and has grown into a full-featured media server platform.
Not quite — the answer is Emby. While several media server platforms have sci-fi-inspired communities, Emby has strong ties to that aesthetic in its branding history. It began life as Media Browser before rebranding.
What is the name of Plex’s free, ad-supported streaming feature that allows users to watch content without a subscription?
Correct! Plex TV (sometimes called Plex’s free streaming) offers thousands of movies and TV shows supported by ads, meaning you don’t need a Plex Pass or a personal media library to enjoy content. It’s a smart way Plex competes with other free streaming platforms.
Not quite — the correct answer is Plex TV. Plex Pass is actually the premium subscription tier that unlocks features like offline sync and live TV, not the free ad-supported service. Plex TV lets anyone stream a large catalogue without paying a penny.
Jellyfin was created as a fork of which other media server project?
Correct! Jellyfin was forked from Emby in 2018 after Emby moved to a closed-source model for some of its components. The Jellyfin community wanted to keep development fully open source and free, which remains its core philosophy today.
Not quite — Jellyfin was forked from Emby, not the platform you chose. The split happened in 2018 when part of the Emby codebase became proprietary. Jellyfin carries on as a completely free and open-source alternative.
What does the acronym DLNA stand for in the context of media sharing?
Correct! DLNA stands for Digital Living Network Alliance, a set of interoperability guidelines that allow devices like TVs, phones, and computers to share media over a home network. Many media servers support DLNA to ensure broad device compatibility.
Not quite — DLNA stands for Digital Living Network Alliance. It’s an industry-wide standard designed to let consumer electronics share media seamlessly over a home network. Support for DLNA is a common feature in media server software.
Which media server application is primarily designed around a plugin and add-on ecosystem and is often installed on dedicated hardware like an Amazon Fire Stick?
Correct! Kodi is famous for its highly extensible add-on system, which allows users to customise their media experience dramatically. It runs on a wide range of hardware including Amazon Fire Sticks, Raspberry Pis, and Android boxes.
Not quite — the answer is Kodi. Kodi’s defining feature is its massive library of official and community-built add-ons. It’s one of the most flexible media centre applications available and runs on an impressive variety of devices.
What type of storage device is most commonly recommended as the backbone of a home media server build?
Correct! A NAS (Network Attached Storage) device is the go-to recommendation for home media servers because it offers large storage capacity, RAID redundancy options, and is always accessible over the network. Brands like Synology and QNAP dominate this space.
Not quite — the most recommended solution is a NAS, or Network Attached Storage device. NAS units are designed to run continuously, offer large drives in RAID configurations for data safety, and integrate neatly with software like Plex and Jellyfin.
What is ‘transcoding’ in the context of a media server?
Correct! Transcoding is the process of converting a media file in real time from its original format or bitrate into one that the playback device can handle. It’s one of the most CPU-intensive tasks a media server performs, which is why powerful hardware matters.
Not quite — transcoding refers to converting media from one format or bitrate to another on the fly. This is essential when a client device can’t play the original file natively. It’s demanding on processor resources, which is why media server hardware specs matter so much.
In what year was the Plex media server software originally released?
Correct! Plex was first released in 2008, growing out of the open-source XBMC (now Kodi) project as a macOS-focused fork. Over time it evolved into the cross-platform, client-server media ecosystem it is today, with apps on virtually every major platform.
Not quite — Plex was first released in 2008. It originally began as a fork of XBMC tailored for macOS before expanding into a fully independent platform. Its growth over the following decade turned it into one of the most recognised names in personal media servers.
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And just like The Roku Channel, Plex is constantly expanding its lineup of free live TV channels. This June is no exception, as Plex has added three more channels you can start watching right now (via Cord Cutter News). Here’s a look at all three:
- BBC Sci-Fi – A channel dedicated to science fiction programming, featuring a mix of BBC-produced sci-fi series, documentaries, and films.
- Mayday Air Disaster – Features episodes of Mayday, the long-running aviation documentary series that reconstructs major air disasters and follows the investigations into what went wrong.
- StarTalk TV – Episodes of StarTalk, the talk show hosted by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, where science, space, and pop culture are all discussed with celebrity guests and experts.
- notable shows
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Broadchurch, The Kids in the Hall, The Fall
- notable movies
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Warrior, A Walk to Remember, Heat, Halloween
- Premium Subscription
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No
- Originals
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No
How to find these new free channels and more on Plex
Plex added 15 new channels earlier this month
If you’re interested in checking out any of the new free channels Plex has added, it’s fortunately pretty easy. First, you’ll need to download the Plex app if you don’t already have it. The app is free and available on most major streaming platforms and devices, including Roku, Google TV, Fire TV, Samsung TVs, LG TVs, Xbox, PlayStation, Android, and iOS.
Once you’ve installed the app, open it and head to the top navigation menu. From there, you can either use the Search option to find a specific channel or select Live TV to browse Plex’s full channel lineup, including its newest additions (as you can see in the image above).
You don’t need to have a Plex account to access its free content.
And it’s not just these three channels that have recently arrived. Plex also added 15 new channels earlier this month, with notable additions including Murdoch Mysteries, Documentary Plus, and Heartland.
Here are the 15 channels Plex added earlier this June:
- A&E Alaska Troopers
- A&E Live PD Greatest Shifts
- beIN Sports Extra
- Cesar’s Pack Leader TV
- Documentary Plus
- Frightflix
- Heartland
- I Shouldn’t Be Alive
- Lawless
- Lifetime Movies Black Stories
- Live PD
- Monsters Are Real
- Murdoch Mysteries
- The Great British Baking Channel
- Z Nation
In total, Plex now offers more than 600 live TV channels, putting it on par with The Roku Channel in terms of size. So if you’re looking for free TV to watch, it’s definitely worth checking out.
If you’re after even more free streaming options, Tubi and Pluto TV are also excellent choices, with both offering large libraries of free movies and TV shows. For example, several Indiana Jones movies are streaming for free on Pluto TV right now, while Fast & Furious 6, Independence Day, and The Patriot are all available to stream for free on Tubi this month.
