Nothing. What people think and say is jail breaking is actually side loading custom android apps, which is actually already part of android. Amazon IMO made it more difficult than it's supposed to be. I installed vlc and stremio and use it alongside all the other apps. Nothing groundbreaking nor illegal. That's not jailbreaking, it's using Android the way it's designed to be used.

[–] Psythik@lemm.ee 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Wouldn't it be easier to just buy a TV or stick running stock Android? (Or GoogleTV, which is literally just stock Android with a launcher designed for TVs.)

That's what I did, and I have no issues side-loading any app I want. If it's got an APK, it can be installed.

[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 4 points 3 days ago (1 children)

So from my understanding the pirate sticks come preloaded with channels. Is that just streamio? I use torrents for downloading, so I am kind of naive.

[–] Psythik@lemm.ee 10 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Stremio is basically Netflix for torrents. Its interface is similar to the popular steaming apps.

Upon initial install it just looks like another paid steaming app with prices on all the content; the secret is to install plug-ins that allow you to steam torrents (Torrentio). Pair it with a Debrid service (like Real-Debrid) and you don't even have to wait for seeds. The show/movie starts playing instantly, just like the paid streaming apps. Like a Library of Babel for media, except it's real.

And the nice part about having a Debrid service is that it works any torrent, not just TV/movies. I have gigabit internet, so I can download literally any game I want in under an hour, even 100+ GB AAA titles.

[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Is it like Jellyfin? Or Plex?

I admit I don't really understand what a debrid service does or how it works, or how it's helpful for privacy... But it sounds interesting

[–] Psythik@lemm.ee 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Yes except simpler because you don't have to build a library of content. The plug-ins do it for you.

A Debrid service downloads torrents and uploads them to various file hosting websites, allowing you to directly download any active torrent at speeds up to 1Gbps. If the torrent you want isn't in their database (because it's less popular), then it behaves like a torrent client, except since it's running on a server you can shut down your PC and go about your day as it downloads in the background. Most torrents with at least a half dozen seeds are usually immediately available for direct download.

It doesn't really protect your privacy, per se, but it gets your ISP off your back because in most jurisdictions they don't care how much you download illegally, so long as you're not distributing the files, like you would with a torrent client. (Sharing pirated files is how they get you.)

The bad news is that these services also hit and run, so by using one you're not helping the health of the torrent. I wish they didn't do that, but I'm so used to having any file I want delivered quickly that I'm willing to sell part of my soul to have the convenience.