OK, so, I attempted to bring some clarity to this discussion that seems like it's all over the place in terms of methodology and difficulty. Here is a breakdown as well as some instructions that should hopefully help OP out.

1. Running VPN on Router (suggested by ruplicant):

   • Veracity: Valid. Running a VPN on the router secures all devices on the network.
   • Complexity: High for a beginner. Requires a compatible router and understanding of router firmware.
   • Suitability for Beginners: Not ideal due to the technical complexity.

2. Setting Up Media Server on Raspberry Pi (suggested by ruplicant):

   • Veracity: Valid. Raspberry Pi can effectively run media servers like Plex or Jellyfin.
   • Complexity: Moderate. It requires some technical know-how for setup and maintenance.
   • Suitability for Beginners: Moderate. Good for those with some technical background.

3. Standard Computer Setup with Torrent Client and VLC (suggested by send_me_your_ink):

   • Veracity: Valid. This is a common method for downloading and viewing content.
   • Complexity: Low. Easy to set up and use.
   • Suitability for Beginners: High. Straightforward and less technically demanding.

4. Using Plex Over Jellyfin (suggested by Reverendender):

   • Veracity: Subjective. Both are valid, but Plex is often seen as more user-friendly.
   • Complexity: Low for Plex, moderate for Jellyfin.
   • Suitability for Beginners: Plex is more suitable due to its ease of use.

Based on this analysis, for a beginner user, the most straightforward and effective approach would be to use a standard computer setup with a VPN, a torrent client, and VLC media player for streaming. This setup minimizes technical complexity while providing a good balance of privacy and ease of use.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Beginners:

1. Set Up a VPN on Your Computer:

• Choose a reputable VPN service (like Mullvad or ProtonVPN).
• Download and install the VPN software on your computer.
• Follow the software's instructions to connect to a VPN server.

2. Install a Torrent Client:

• Download a user-friendly torrent client (e.g., qBittorrent, uTorrent).
• Install the torrent client on your computer.
• Configure the settings for privacy (like enabling a kill switch, if available).

3. Download and Install VLC Media Player:

• Download VLC from its official website.
• Install VLC, following the setup wizard.

4. Download Content:

• Use the torrent client to find and download content.
• Ensure your VPN is active whenever you are downloading.

5. Stream Content to Your TV:

• If your TV supports casting (like with Chromecast), use VLC's streaming feature to cast content to your TV.
• Alternatively, connect your computer to the TV via HDMI for direct playback.

6. Practice Good Security Habits:

• Always keep your VPN active when downloading or streaming content.
• Regularly update your software (VPN, torrent client, VLC) for security.

7. Optional: Explore Advanced Configurations Later:

• As you become more comfortable, you might explore setting up a media server like Plex for a more integrated experience.

what "stuff" are you talking about?

if you want to do some pirating you need a decent VPN, like Mullvad or Proton, that you run on your system (Android/Linux/Windows/iOS), not some random leaky and dubious browser add-on

dunno why dafuq you're mentioning configuring a webserver (with SWAG) to point the DNS records (A and CNAME). the VPN will act as a proxy for you. but maybe i'm just way out of my depth here...

it might help if first you tell us what exactly are tou trying to achieve

The first thing you need is your pirate ship and your crew. Pirates steal, so I recommend just going to a nearby port and cause a mutiny. You'll need a pirate crew for this, so you'll need to go to your local tavern and bribe a few scallywags with some coin and beer. Before you set of to see, I recommend you get up to date on your sea shantys and have a large stockpile of cannonballs. Have fun sailing the seas!

Hey OP. I'm a bit late to the party, but I figure I'll throw in my two cents.

Generally speaking, you're going to want a VPN (I suggest Mullvad), a torrent client (I suggest qBitTorrent), a NAS (for storing data), a movie server (Jellyfin is great), and something that can connect to your streaming server.

I suggest Mullvad as a VPN because 1. it's a no log service, 2. you can pay for your subscription using Monero (a type of private/anonymous crypto), and 3. it has a "Lockdown mode" which will block any traffic from your PC that isn't routed through your VPN preventing IP leaks.

I suggest qBitTorrent as a torrent client because it has an advanced setting that allows you to specify which network interface is used for torrenting. You'll want to set that to the virtual network that Mullvad creates so that even if for some reason your VPN goes down, your torrent client won't leak your IP.

For actually hosting movies you'll want to store them somewhere. Network attached storage is good for this. I built my own using a raspberry pi, and it's separate from my torrenting PC, but there's no reason you couldn't also configure your torrenting PC to also be a NAS. If you don't want to think too hard about a NAS, there are companies like Asustor make premade network storage.

For actually hosting movies you'll want something like Jellyfin running on a computer that has access to where your movies are stored. Again, Jellyfin can run on the same computer that's running your NAS, and your Torrent client. It can all be the same computer. This step may require some configuration on your part. You may want to give your Jellyfin server a static IP so that your devices will automatically reconnect if your router resets.

Finally, you'll want to actually watch your movies. I have Roku boxes in my house, so my setup for this was downloading the Jellyfin app, and then typing in the local IP address of my Jellyfin server. You don't necessarily need an external box for this, Android TVs can install the Jellyfin app.

And that's a kind of high level example setup. There's other things that you can do that'll make your setup more secure like properly configuring wireguard in mullvad to obfuscate your traffic so that your ISP won't know that you're torrenting through a VPN, or encrypting your NAS data, but that's something you should decide if it's worth doing.

Thanks for asking, OP. I'm in a similar boat, except I don't even have a computer to get started with yet, only an old phone if I wanted to use that (not trying to do things on my daily). Thinking of buying a raspberry pi and diving in but dunno where to start.

Have plex and someone kind enough to share their library with me, but it doesn't have everything I want. Could be worse tho, I suppose.

If you want super easy then buy a GLInet portable router. Signup for a supported vpn and plug in the credentials in the portable router.

Install qbittorrent on your computer and then connect to the portable routers WiFi access point .

your whole connection should be tunneled through the vpn and you can download what you want.

Make sure you check your ip before doing anything and set a kill switch option in the router config.