It was?

I started streaming video in around 2001. Over SMB. Using VLC as the client.

Then I switched to using iTunes as a server.

Then came XMPP/Kodi.

And eventually, Jellyfin.

Every few years, I’ve tried Plex, and it’s never done quite what I wanted, and required security/privacy compromises. About the only thing it has going for it is that the client and the server will run on just about anything.