Chris's server: info for users


Contents


Plex (plex.cdg.dev)

Plex is for watching TV and movies. It plays personal libraries like mine, and also has its own library of free content. My Plex server's name is "ruby", so if you see references to that, you know it's mine.

Getting access

Optimizing settings

The default settings are not great. They make it hard to find my library instead of their own library of content, and will limit your default streaming quality. You'll want to:

Here are some useful guides to configure some reasonable settings. If any of these links are broken, please let me know!

Installing Plex on your devices

Plex has apps for most smart TVs, mobile devices, and TV streaming devices, and installation will vary depending on what you have. If you have no idea where to start, ask me and I can help. For the best performance, I recommend not using a TV app and instead using some kind of external streaming device.

Making requests

To request shows/movies to be added to Plex, you have two options:

  1. Ask me to add it for you.
  2. Use Overseerr to add it yourself.

Overseerr

Overseerr is a system for request management. You can log in at https://overseerr.cdg.dev with your Plex account. Then just type in the search bar to find what you're looking for. If you've requested something a while ago but it's still not on Plex, let me know.

Troubleshooting

Playback is buffering/freezing a lot

Your connection might be too slow for the original quality, in which case you will want to change the quality. Where this setting is found differs between devices, but I believe in you to find it. The important thing to look at is the bitrate, which will be expressed in Megabits per second (Mbps). Lower numbers should play more smoothly, but will look worse.

Everything you stream is really low quality

Chances are your Internet connection or your settings are causing the media to be converted to a low quality. Make sure you've followed the instructions in Optimizing settings to change your default streaming quality.

A movie/TV show is corrupt or otherwise not playing

Let me know what you're trying to watch, and I'll make sure to download a working version. If nothing is playing, you probably have other issues and I might be able to help you solve them.

A movie/TV show is bad quality

Lots of stuff is stored in relatively low quality to save disk space, especially if I won't be watching it myself. Let me know what you're watching, and I can download a better version.


Calibre-Web (books.cdg.dev)

Calibre-Web is a system for managing ebook libraries. You can log in at https://books.cdg.dev to download ebooks for use on a Kindle, Kobo or similar ereader. If you have a Kobo, you might be interested in using kepubify instead.

Getting access

Ask Chris for access.

Downloading books

It's pretty self-explanatory: click on a book, then click the "Download" icon and then EPUB in the drop-down menu. I would recommend using Calibre on your computer to get the ebook onto your device.

Making requests

Ask Chris for any books you want added.


Kepubify (kepubify.cdg.dev)

This is a service specifically for downloading ebooks onto Kobo devices from the Kobo web browser, so that you can avoid connecting your Kobo to a computer.

Downloading books