Jellyfin
jellyfin · Entertainment
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What is Jellyfin?
Jellyfin serves a household's own media rather than operating a centralized content catalog. The server scans and enriches libraries, keeps users and playback state, and sends compatible streams to web, mobile, desktop, television, and set-top clients. When a client cannot play a file directly, the server can remux or transcode it for that device.
Jellyfin is a Free Software media system for managing and streaming your media. A dedicated server delivers it to end-user devices through multiple applications.
Core capabilities
- Catalog movies, shows, music, books, photos, and other personal media
- Stream through supported web, mobile, desktop, television, and Kodi clients
- Handle direct play, remuxing, transcoding, live television, DVR, and plugins
One server, many screens
The server manages libraries and playback while official and third-party clients bring the collection to supported browsers, phones, computers, televisions, streaming boxes, and Kodi. The server and official clients have no premium feature tier. Client capabilities still vary, so check support for the intended device.
- media server
- clients
- streaming
- users
Playback adapts to the client
Jellyfin prefers direct playback when a device supports the file's container, codecs, audio, and subtitles. It can remux streams when only the container differs or transcode incompatible video, audio, or subtitles, trading server resources for compatibility across heterogeneous devices and networks.
- direct play
- transcoding
- codecs
- subtitles
More than an on-demand library
Live television support accepts compatible tuners or M3U playlists and guide data, and can record broadcasts. A tuner or legitimate stream and a configured guide source are prerequisites; some guide services charge separately. SyncPlay provides a separate path for synchronized viewing with compatible clients.
- live TV
- DVR
- SyncPlay
- plugins
Where it fits
Use cases
- 01
Serve a household media collection
Run the server beside local storage, organize several library types with artwork and metadata, create separate user profiles, and make the collection available across the household's phones, browsers, televisions, and computers.
- 02
Watch together from different places
Start a SyncPlay group from a supported client so friends or family connected to the same server can keep compatible playback synchronized during a remote movie or television session.
- 03
Add live television to the library
Connect a supported tuner or M3U source and guide data, then watch channels through Jellyfin and schedule recordings that appear alongside the rest of the server's media collection.