If you’re sick of paying a small fortune to subscribe to the ever-growing list of streaming services, there is another option. You can set up a media server, add your media files, and make your own streaming service. This sounds like it might be complicated, but with Jellyfin, it’s simple enough even for most non-technical people to set up.
What Jellyfin is (and why it’s free)
A self-hosted streaming service you control
Jellyfin is free and open-source media server software. You install the server on a local device such as a laptop, Raspberry Pi, or other computer and add your personal media folders to the server. You can then stream shows and movies from the server to Jellyfin apps on your phone, your tablet, or your smart TV, or even watch them in a browser.
Once you have it set up, it’s similar to using Netflix or other streaming services. You have a dashboard with all of your media, and you can choose which shows or movies you want to watch. Jellyfin can also handle music and photos.
Quiz
Cutting-edge Jellyfin features
Trivia challenge
Think you’ve kept up with Jellyfin’s evolution? Put your media server knowledge to the test.
StreamingFeaturesInterfaceClientsMedia
Which SyncPlay feature, added to Jellyfin, allows multiple users to watch content simultaneously in sync?
Correct! SyncPlay is Jellyfin’s built-in synchronized playback feature that lets multiple users watch the same content together in real time. It was introduced to bring a watch-party experience natively into the platform without needing third-party tools.
Not quite — the feature is called SyncPlay. It’s Jellyfin’s native synchronized playback system that keeps multiple viewers in lockstep, complete with play, pause, and seek synchronization across all participants.
What major overhaul did Jellyfin introduce to modernize its web interface in recent years?
Correct! Jellyfin’s web client underwent significant modernization efforts including a shift toward a cleaner component-based architecture using modern JavaScript frameworks. The goal was to improve performance, accessibility, and maintainability across all browsers.
Not quite. Jellyfin has been progressively modernizing its web client through architectural improvements and a refreshed design system built around modern JavaScript tooling. It remains browser-based rather than moving to a native desktop wrapper like Electron.
Which official Jellyfin mobile client was released to provide a native experience on Android and iOS?
Correct! Jellyfin Mobile is the official app available for both Android and iOS, providing a native mobile experience for browsing and streaming your media library. It has received numerous updates improving playback compatibility and UI responsiveness.
Not quite. The official mobile app is simply called Jellyfin Mobile and is available on both Android and iOS. Swiftfin is actually a separate community-developed native iOS client, while Jellyfin Theater is a different desktop-focused client.
What is Swiftfin, the community-developed Jellyfin client?
Correct! Swiftfin is a natively built iOS and tvOS client for Jellyfin, written in Apple’s Swift programming language. It was created to deliver a smoother, more native Apple experience compared to the web-wrapped mobile app, with support for features like direct play and native video controls.
Not quite. Swiftfin is a native iOS and tvOS application written in Swift, Apple’s programming language. It offers a polished, platform-native experience for Apple device users connecting to their Jellyfin server, with better performance than a browser-wrapped approach.
Which subtitle format support was notably improved in Jellyfin to better handle complex typography and styling?
Correct! ASS (Advanced SubStation Alpha) and SSA subtitle formats support was a major focus for improvement in Jellyfin, particularly important for anime fans who rely on complex styled subtitles with custom fonts, positioning, and animations. Better ASS rendering meant far fewer burned-in subtitle workarounds.
Not quite — the answer is ASS/SSA (Advanced SubStation Alpha). These subtitle formats are heavily used in anime fandom for their rich styling capabilities. Jellyfin improved support so these subtitles render correctly in the browser player without needing to transcode them into the video stream.
What hardware acceleration method did Jellyfin add support for to improve transcoding on Intel GPUs?
Correct! Intel’s Quick Sync Video (QSV) is a hardware-accelerated video encoding and decoding technology built into Intel processors and integrated graphics. Jellyfin expanded and refined its QSV support to allow users with Intel hardware to transcode media far more efficiently, reducing CPU load significantly.
Not quite. While NVENC is NVIDIA’s encoder and AMF is AMD’s equivalent, Jellyfin specifically improved support for Intel’s Quick Sync Video (QSV). QSV leverages Intel’s integrated GPU capabilities to handle transcoding tasks, making it a popular choice for home server builders using low-power Intel hardware.
What feature did Jellyfin introduce to allow users to manage and track their media progress across multiple devices?
Correct! Jellyfin stores playback progress server-side, meaning your watch state — including where you left off — syncs automatically across all your devices and clients. This lets you start a movie on your TV and seamlessly resume it on your phone without losing your place.
Not quite. Jellyfin handles this through server-side playback state syncing, which means your resume points and watch history are stored on the server itself. Any client — whether mobile, TV, or browser — can pick up exactly where you left off without needing a third-party cloud service.
Which major plugin capability was formalized in Jellyfin to allow community developers to extend server functionality?
Correct! Jellyfin formalized its plugin ecosystem by providing a standardized plugin API alongside an official plugin catalog that users can browse and install directly from the server dashboard. This made it much easier for community developers to build and distribute extensions for metadata providers, authentication systems, and more.
Not quite. Jellyfin established a proper plugin framework complete with a standardized API and an official in-app catalog for discovering and installing plugins. This opened the door for community contributions like custom metadata scrapers, last.fm scrobbling, and alternative authentication providers.
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Unlike some other media server options, such as Plex and Emby, Jellyfin is completely free to set up and use. You don’t need to pay a subscription to access any of the features. It’s a community-developed project that’s intended to let users watch their own media content without being forced to pay.
One of the best parts is that Jellyfin can run locally on your home network, so you don’t need to rely on any cloud services. If you want to watch a movie on your TV, the media server streams the relevant file to your smart TV over your home network, so it should work even if your internet connection is down, unlike Netflix or other subscription services.
What you need to run Jellyfin
Use anything from a dedicated device to an old laptop
You don’t necessarily need to purchase any new hardware to run a Jellyfin media server. There’s a good chance that you can run one on hardware you already own.
You can run Jellyfin on a wide range of devices, such as a desktop computer, an old laptop, a mini PC, a Raspberry Pi, or a dedicated home server. For beginners, an old laptop is often a simple option as it has storage for your media files, a screen and keyboard for setting things up, and Wi-Fi or Ethernet. You can install Jellyfin on Windows, macOS, or Linux; you don’t need to worry about figuring out Docker containers or building a server from scratch.
For basic streaming, Jellyfin doesn’t need hugely powerful hardware. If your smart TV supports the file as is, Jellyfin will use Direct Play to stream the file unchanged over your local network. However, if your TV doesn’t support the video or audio format, or the file is too demanding for your network or device, Jellyfin has to transcode the file into a different format or resolution on the fly, which older hardware can struggle with.
You don’t need to get bogged down in the technicalities of transcoding and video file formats when you’re starting out. Just set Jellyfin up and give it a try; you may find that your media files play directly without any issues.
- CPU
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Celeron FCBGA1264 3.6GHz
- Graphics
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Integrated Intel Graphics 24EUs 1000MHz
The Beelink Mini S13 Pro desktop PC is a ultra-compact computer powered by the Intel N150 processor. Shipping with 16GB of DDR4 RAM and a 500GB SSD, this micro desktop is perfect for a variety of workloads. From running simple server programs to replacing your old PC, the Beelink S13 Pro is up to the task.
Getting your library set up
Point Jellyfin at your media files
Setting up a Jellyfin media server is quick and simple. You can download the software from the official Jellyfin site and run it on any Windows, macOS, or Linux computer. Once it’s installed, you’ll need to point it to your media files. You can access Jellyfin in a browser by going to http://your_local_ip_address:8096/, replacing your_local_ip_address with the IP address of the device you’re running Jellyfin on.
When you launch Jellyfin for the first time, it will walk you through creating an admin user before prompting you to add your media libraries. The simplest way to do this is to keep your media files in a folder on the same device or on a drive connected to the same computer as your server. You should then be able to select the relevant folders in the Jellyfin setup wizard.
Once you’ve added media to your server, you’ll need something to watch your shows and movies on. There are Jellyfin apps for mobile devices, as well as for many smart TVs and streaming devices. You’ll need to enter the same http://your_local_ip_address:8096/ address again and sign in with your user account.
Jellyfin may take a while to scan and organize your files. You should then see your media library on your phone, tablet, or TV, and you can start watching.
One thing you should be aware of is that you’ll only be able to stream content from your media server on your local network, and only when the device hosting your media server is running. It’s possible to stream remotely, too, so you can watch your shows and movies from anywhere, but this is more complicated to set up securely.
Give Jellyfin a try
Jellyfin is free and relatively simple to set up and use. Features such as transcoding and remote viewing are more complicated, but you should be able to get a simple media server up and running in your home without too much head-scratching.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
