How to set up a Jellyfin server for a local movie library?

It's true that you pay for the convenience they offer, but in the long run, you have to ask yourself if it wouldn't be wiser to spend that money on other, more important things. Especially if you already have all the equipment you need at home to set up a local server through which you can watch movies and series.

Kako se znebiti naročnine na Googlov (Applov ali drugi) oblak, smo že pokazali v našem vodiču za samostojno gostovanje preko Immicha. Zdaj je čas, da se znebite naročnine na Netflix ali drugo pretočno platformo.

However, self-hosting movies and series is not for everyone. If you don't have an existing collection of movies and series (DVDs, Blu-ray discs, etc.) that you can digitize, and you don't plan on buying physical copies in the future, then streaming platforms are still a better and cheaper option. Streaming services will likely always be cheaper than self-hosting, unless you're really careful about your purchases.

Zakaj bi potem sploh postavili strežnik Jellyfin? Ker bo vsak film ali serija za vedno v vaši lasti, ogledali si jih boste lahko kadarkoli in nikoli vas ne bo skrbelo, ali se bosta Netflix in Miki Miška čez noč odločila, da iz knjižnice odstranita Prijatelje ali katero od drugih serij, ki jih radi gledate. Tudi kakovost medija iz lastne zbirke bo v večini primerov veliko boljša. Delite jo lahko s prijatelji in družino – brez dodatnih stroškov. Ali pa do nje dostopate, ko ste na dopustu, vikendu ali kjerkoli drugje.

We will not deceive ourselves. Many people will blindfold themselves and enrich their archive of films and series under the flag of piracy. We do not advocate or support this, but at the same time we cannot pretend that this is not an option that many people will take advantage of.

Why Jellyfin? Why not Plex, Kodi or any other?a another solution?

Choose the one that suits you best at first glance. For me, it's Jellyfin, which I've been using alongside Plex for a long time. The latter is still easier to install, the interface is more intuitive, but we went our separate ways after they introduced some restrictions, locked certain features in exchange for a subscription, and also made the latter more expensive. The most painful blow was the end of free streaming outside the home network. For example, when I was on vacation, I wanted to access my home library in a hotel. With the changes, this is now only possible with a Plex Pass or Remote Pass subscription.

Jellyfin is free. All features are available straight out of the box, including remote streaming (even outside your home network), hardware acceleration, syncing with multiple devices, and more. With a little customization, you can also turn it into a replacement for Spotify, Google Photos, but more on that later.

I have no experience with Kodi, although I have heard a lot of good things about it. You can try it out and let others know in the comments which one you like better. I have noticed that some people use Kodi as a frontend/skin for Jellyfin, which I may try myself.

How to install Jellyfin?

Najprej morate vzpostaviti strežnik, do katerega boste potem dostopali preko televizorja, telefona, tablice ali drugega računalnika. Jellyfin strežnik si lahko postavite kar na domačem računalniku, uporabite pa lahko tudi NAS ali Rasberry Pi, odvisno, kaj imate na voljo. Za večino bo to računalnik. Lahko uporabite star računalnik, ki ga ne uporabljate več, pa je morda še vedno dovolj dober za občasno pretakanje. Če gre za starejšo napravo, po vsej verjetnosti ne bo dovolj zmogljiva za pretakanje več kot ene povezave (4K pretakanje odpade v celoti), ampak za eno 1080p povezavo bi starejši procesor vseeno moral zadoščati.

• Pojdite na https://jellyfin.org/, razdelek Downloads → Server → Select the system on which you will install Jellyfin server.
  • Be sure to choose the correct version. Windows users with AMD and Intel chips should choose the AMD64 version, as should Mac users with older Intel chips. ARM64 is for Snapdragon computers with Windows and for Mac users with M chips.
• After downloading, follow the installation instructions. I used Windows for the installation example. Once the installation is complete, Jellyfin should open in your browser, where you will again follow the instructions (username, password, language, etc.) to set up the server.
  • Če se Jellyfin ne odpre samodejno, v brskalnik vtipkajte https://localhost:8096.
• You can add media libraries (movies, series) immediately or later in the control panel.

I recommend that you do not trust your profile to others, but rather create multiple profiles in your control panel if you plan to share your library of movies and series with others, especially from other households. Go to the section Users, ustvarite novega in mu dodelite celoten dostop do ustvarjenih knjižnic – ali pa le do posameznih.

How to access Jellyfin server with another device on the same network?

Ko boste končali z nastavitvami, vas bo zanimalo, kako do novo vzpostavljenega Jellyfin strežnika dostopate z drugih naprav. Na telefonu boste Jellyfin aplikacijo našli v Googlovi in Applovi trgovini. Če imate Android TV, jo boste prav tako našli v uradni trgovini. Večja težava so Samsungovi televizorji s sistemom Tizen, vendar tudi za to obstaja rešitev na https://github.com/Georift/install-jellyfin-tizen (enostavnejša namestitev) ali https://github.com/jellyfin/jellyfin-tizen (bolj zahtevna). Ali pa za nekaj deset evrov kupite eno od Android škatel z nameščenim sistemom Android TV ali Google TV.

V aplikaciji (lahko tudi v brskalniku) boste najprej vpisali http://IPvašegaračunalnika:8096. IP računalnika (to je računalnik, na katerem ste vzpostavili strežnik) lahko najdete z Command prompt (cmd), in which you type the command ipconfigYou need to find the IPv4 line (for example 192.168.1.100). Type it into the app and then enter your username and password.

But this procedure only applies if you access it from another device via the same network as the Jellyfin server, for example from your home TV, phone connected to the same Wi-Fi...

Don't worry, you can access the library even when you're at sea or on the other side of the world.

How to access Jellyfin server with another device outside the home network?

Načinov je več, na primer z odpiranjem vrat (angl. port forwarding) na usmerjevalniku, z VPN-jem ali z VPS rešitvijo, kot je Tailscale ali ZeroTier. Če se spomnite, smo slednjega že uporabili v vodiču za pretakanje iger preko domačega strežnika. Tokrat sem za primer izbral Tailscale, čeprav je postopek na obeh zelo podoben.

Install the Tailscale application on the computer where you have the Jellyfin server installed. Download it on your phone or on the device through which you will access the Jellyfin server outside your home network (another computer, TV, etc.). After installation, you will receive a Tailscale IP address, which you should remember, as you will need to enter it on the device through which you want to watch movies and series.

Then all you have to do is enter the same IP address in Jellyfin (for example http://100.64.12.34:8096) and later your password and username for Jellyfin.

Končali ste. Zdaj imate lasten medijski strežnik, ki ga lahko napolnite z najljubšimi filmi in serijami. Mogoče ne takoj, ampak sčasoma boste lahko za vedno ukinili naročnino na pretočne platforme. Ko ga boste usvojili, priporočam, da si ogledate še vtičnike, na primer za preskakovanje zaključnih špic (angl. credits).