I use torrents frequently for downloading Linux distros. Last weekend I downloaded Debian[0].
Plex has many legitimate use cases. More recently they've pushed into streaming by licensing free content[1], and adding a UI to show where to watch a given show given a set of streaming services that you subscribe to[2].
Aside from that they have their streaming Live TV/DVR[3] feature where you plug a TV tuner into your computer to stream your TV from anywhere, and record it to disk. I have this setup, and it can be useful when watching sports with friends because nobody I know has cable setup 24/7 -- they usually plug an antenna in when they want to watch a game.
The more common Plex features of managing a TV, movie, and music library have legitimate use cases of providing a way to stream media that you have purchased and copied to disk.
Lastly, just yesterday I uploaded all of the lecture videos of a course I'm taking to my Plex instance which allows me to stream them from anywhere or download them for offline viewing using a reliable app instead of the Canvas UI.
Out of honesty I'll admit that I do use Plex for piracy. I previously had subscriptions to Netflix and HBO, and I'll often purchase a subscription when there's a new show that I want to watch (e.g. the new Game of Thrones series). I'm not going to subscribe to 10 different streaming services to watch what I want (which is often just background noise while I work), which is what the industry is moving to.
Plex has many legitimate use cases. More recently they've pushed into streaming by licensing free content[1], and adding a UI to show where to watch a given show given a set of streaming services that you subscribe to[2].
Aside from that they have their streaming Live TV/DVR[3] feature where you plug a TV tuner into your computer to stream your TV from anywhere, and record it to disk. I have this setup, and it can be useful when watching sports with friends because nobody I know has cable setup 24/7 -- they usually plug an antenna in when they want to watch a game.
The more common Plex features of managing a TV, movie, and music library have legitimate use cases of providing a way to stream media that you have purchased and copied to disk.
Lastly, just yesterday I uploaded all of the lecture videos of a course I'm taking to my Plex instance which allows me to stream them from anywhere or download them for offline viewing using a reliable app instead of the Canvas UI.
Out of honesty I'll admit that I do use Plex for piracy. I previously had subscriptions to Netflix and HBO, and I'll often purchase a subscription when there's a new show that I want to watch (e.g. the new Game of Thrones series). I'm not going to subscribe to 10 different streaming services to watch what I want (which is often just background noise while I work), which is what the industry is moving to.
[0]: https://www.debian.org/CD/torrent-cd/
[1]: https://watch.plex.tv/live-tv
[2]: https://www.plex.tv/blog/end-the-streaming-struggle-with-ple...
[3]: https://support.plex.tv/articles/225877347-live-tv-dvr/