Say you want to watch all 236 episodes of Friends, but know that Netflix is going to lose it to another service soon. The safe option is to buy it and then work out a way to make it accessible wherever you are. Ever thought about running your own streaming service? It's actually easier than you might think, and there are a number of ways you can do it.

This guide will take you through the basic steps of running your own streaming service using a common and powerful media software called Plex. Plex comes in two parts -- a media server and client -- which allow you to categorize (and more importantly) play back all of the media you've accumulated over the years both locally and via streaming.

First things first: while Plex will play nearly anything you throw at it, laws regarding the "ripping" of personal media vary in different countries. In the US, you have a legal right to backup your movies, but it's illegal to circumvent the encryption that prevents you from copying.

The general rule is that, as long as you aren't selling or sharing those files externally, you won't get in trouble. That said, if you're uploading that file to a cloud server, even if only for your own use, that may put you in an awkward legal spot depending on your local laws. You're responsible for ensuring the legality of your media.

Cloud Servers

The simplest way to run your own streaming setup is to choose a cloud provider that specializes in Plex media setups. Running your own virtual private server gives you complete control over your media library and makes it available on (nearly) any device with an internet connection. They will come with a monthly cost and require you to upload your media collection to the cloud, which could take a while depending on the size of your catalog. However, it reduces the headache of hunting discs every time and eliminates the wear factor completely.

There are a number of Plex-ready cloud providers that offer one-click installations of the Media Server. They're typically cheap, offer various organizational tools for managing the server and include lots of storage -- and more importantly -- bandwidth. Every movie or TV show you stream from a remote server will eat into your data allowance, so choosing a provider that can cater for the size of your media library is key.

Take a look at Bytesized-Hosting, Seedhost.eu, WhatBox and Seedboxes.cc for a peek at what is on offer. Use them to research other providers and familiarize yourself with what you want and need from a remote server. You may see that they offer both shared and dedicated boxes. This means you'll either split processing and memory resources with other users or opt for more singular control, flexibility and CPU power with a dedicated server.

Plex's web interface has real-time statistics on CPU and network usage.

Once you've chosen the type of server you want, find a provider that can offer ample storage, enough bandwidth to cover your streaming catalog and the CPU power allocated to Plex plans. Why does the CPU matter? Because every time you stream, the Plex Media Server will attempt to match the media to the device you're viewing it on. It will act as what Plex calls a 'Universal Translator,' using the server's CPU and memory resources to "transcode" the file you're trying to play. Transcoding a media file can be very CPU intensive if you're streaming a 4K file to a mobile phone that can't handle UHD streams, so make sure you allocate enough resources to cover your usage.

Whatever server you choose, the simplest solution to the transcoding problem is just to ensure all of your media is encoded at a format and resolution that your target devices support. If you have mismatched files, Plex allows you to transcode ahead of time, giving you the option of creating new versions of your pristine files over the course of hours/days/weeks. Unless you have a powerful server, you don't want it to be transcoding files each and every time you want to watch something on the go.

If you utilize the one-click options these providers offer, you should be given a dedicated web URL from which you can access the Plex server and manage your library. In all cases, you'll be asked to set-up a Plex account, which will then start the Setup Wizard and ask you to point it in the direction of your uploaded files. A good rule of thumb is to separate your media into separate folders -- one for Movies, one for TV shows etc. so you can properly categorize your files.