I currently have two TVs, one I use an appleTV with and the other with a googleTV HD (device formerly known as Chromecast), but they both have issues.
The jellyfin app on appleTV is messed up, it fucks up audio and subs all the time, and in general has a hard time with media that has multiple audio tracks, not using the audio I select with the remote.
The googleTV just stutters with almost everything, direct stream or transcoded doesn’t matter. All of my library is just 1080p, I have proper wifi to it, all mobile devices stream just fine.
So neither of these provide me with a solution that really works.
What solutions can you recommend, that allows for seamless navigation of jellyfin with my remote? I don’t want anything resembling a mouse/keyboard combo for navigation whatsoever.
I know people knock it, but Plex has worked without issue for me for years. They have apps dedicated to every type of media for easy browsing. It’s so simple my mom can use it without help.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Second Plex. It just works and doesn’t need any big configuration to get it running
Third Plex. It’s a bit baffling as to why it’s got such a bad rep recently because it performs its core function of serving media incredibly well, is super easy (barely an inconvenience) to setup, and there’s apps for every conceivable platform.
Yes there’s a few features locked behind a subscription (though they still sell lifetime passes, often at good discounts) and they’re trying to “legitimize” with their ad-backed streaming thing, but the core product of local media server is still very much there, and free, and isn’t going anywhere.
Exactly, and in contrast to Jellyfin it actually looks like someone with expertise in UI has worked on theirs. I personally would also prefer a monetization similar to Immich, but the lifetime pass on sale is definitely money well spent.
You may want check out Infuse for the AppleTV. I have found it fixed every audio drift and video jitter concern that I’ve ever had with Plex or Jellyfin.
You can point it either directly at an SMB share, or a library hosted on Jellyfin or Plex. The advantage of this is it caches the artwork in the library, not on the AppleTV, because the AppleTV will periodically flush its local cache, leading to long re-fetching times and waiting to watch things.
I have no recommendations for the Chromecast.
Since you are against using plex even with using it only locally I would suggest you look into the Jellyfin clients support. Specifically look at each client device documentation and take a look at what audio and video codex they natively support. If there is one they both support then I suggest you do some testing and stream a movie or show that is encoded with that specific format. This will let you know if it will work across both clients whether it’s a stream issue hardware issue or Wi-Fi issue.
This will prevent transcoding that can cause audio sync issues.
Edit - if that works then I suggest you convert you library to that format.
I don’t have audio sync issues at all. I have issues with appleTV using the wrong audio track when I select something different than the default. E.g. if I select Danish, it shows that it’s using the Danish track but it’s actually playing something else like Finnish or Swedish. This behaviour is only on the appleTV and no other devices.
Ahh, well I have found the Jellyfin clients to be less than perfect on appleTV. You may want to try another endpoint client if you don’t want to try another server side software.
There used to be a similar bug in the Roku jellyfin app.
If you can recreate the subtitle issue using test file 5 from this repo, it might be worth submitting a bug report. https://github.com/ietf-wg-cellar/matroska-test-files
Roku Jellyfin app has been pretty good lately, few complaints now!
I am using the “Chromecast with Google TV” connected to wifi via 5ghz and use mkv files from collection via Jellyfin. I used to transcode from the i7-8700u but larger files took too long to start playing (with quicksync and proper drivers and passthrough) and tried turning off transcode and surprising works fine without issues. Ive tried 15gb files without issues.
So i would suggest checking your set up to make sure not something configured wrong and if you use mkv files try turning off all transcode to see if it works better.
Same experience here.
Does it need to use the remote? I have a Chromecast (the casting device, not the app running device) and I use the Jellyfin app on my phone and I cast to the Chromecast. Works fine for me.
Doesn’t need to be the remote, but it does need to work independently of other devices than what’s connected to the TV. Having to cast from a device doesn’t really work with how we use TV watching in our house, especially for the kids since they don’t have their own phones or tablets to do it from.
I use Emby. It’s similar to Jellyfin, but the Apps get a little more attention to detail. Worth a try, and if you don’t need gpu transcoding you don’t need to pay.
But, if I was still using an Apple TV, I would use Infuse.
The jellyfin problem is probably it downmixing surround 7.1 really shittily. You can run tdarr to downmix surround into stereo before you watch. Kind of a pain but it’s the only workaroumd I’ve got for the shit audio
I went the other way and just set up 7.1 sound. Being able to control the music and the speech channels has been really useful.
Not a bad idea honestly. That’s my next project after a home server upgrade.
I’m not getting sync issues at all, the jellyfin client on appleTV simply doesn’t select the audio track I select when I choose something different than default. It works perfectly fine on all other devices, just not appleTV. I only have stereo devices.
What did I write in my OP to suggest audio sync issues? You’re not the first to think that’s my issue, so I must have worded something poorly…
I think there’s miscommunication. I don’t mean you’re audio is out of sync, I mean that the file being played has 7.1 as the audio track, then when jellyfin downmixes it to stereo for you speakers it sounds like absolute ass.
The “doesn’t select the right audio track” is another issue that I personally don’t have, but the downmixing one is something that seems to be baked into Jellyfin for TV.
Aah, the audio quality if fine for me, I don’t have exceptionally bad audio quality.
an old laptop/desktop (like 6th-gen Intel or newer) that boots directly into jellyfin-media-player in TV fullscreen mode. it supports any remote that can emmit up-down-left-right, enter, esc (like, via InputRemapper). disable transcoding on the server and play anything you want via direct stream.
Was looking for something a bit more elegant…An old laptop is going to look like shit
stove them out of sight? well, you can go for a mini-PC if price isn’t an issue. but these things can be had for ultra-cheap, especially if you have one laying around or get one with a busted screen or sumsuch. an android box is a hit or miss, maybe it’s good, maybe it’s crap, maybe it’s loaded with malware… the middle ground would be a Raspberry Pi, there are unofficial LineageOS Android TV builds.
stove them out of sight?
We have a fairly minimalistic setup around the TV, there’s nowhere to hide it which is why we originally went with an appleTV because it looks pretty decent.
Raspberry Pi with a cute case then, and/or glued/velcroed to the back of the TV. they also support HDMI-CEC so your TV’s remote can work.
Do you know of a solution won’t boots directly to jellyfin and can ONLY be used with that?
You can also just install the libreelec os (Kodi), and install the Jellyfin Kodi addon. Haven’t tried that addon. I used to use Kodi when I had only one TV, and liked it. Now that I have 2 Android TVs, just installing Jellyfin on the TVs works fine. I might go back to rPIs and disconnect my TVs from the internet though.
like a commercially available one? negative, you have to tinker and make it such.
if you have linux on the player (like with said PC or Raspberry) you have full control and can set it up to boot directly into jellyfin-media-player in fullscreen TV mode (that’s the one where remotes work).
Yeah I really prefer as close to plug-and-play as possible, I don’t want to spend hours tinkering to get something that basic working.
I’ll take a look and see if it’s low effort enough.
I use the Kodi app on my smart tv to watch movies and shows shared from my server via SMB, never had any problems, aside from green tint on some HDR encodings. My TV’s wired tho.
I’ve used a bunch of different solutions over the years, but currently I just run Gerbera and it streams my local library to my TVs because of the sheer ease. It’s not perfect, fast forward and rewind can be iffy to get working with some configurations, but otherwise it has been a smooth experience.
It has to be user friendly enough for a literal 5yo though
Got an amazon firestick pro 4k. Have just a 1080p TV, but the pro4k hardware is just better than the other models.
Fully satisfied. Works beautiful with Jelly fin TV app.
Has amazon advertising tough, so YMMV.
Are you hellbent on using Jellyfin? It’s basically a Kodi for dummies where they removed the best parts, kept the worst and and slapped on a pretty ui. It’s bloated behind the scenes and does have it quirks.
An alternative could be to just set up an NFS share with your media and use whatever player you like. Nova video player on Google/Android TV isn’t as pretty as Jellyfin but it gets the work done.
I’ve had zero issues with Infuse on apple tv. Easy to navigate, looks good and plays stuff on my network shares. I think there is support for adding a Jellyfin library as a source as well but I haven’t tried it.
pretty UI
Lol
Beats Kodi.
Now that’s a low bar if I’ve ever seen one
It’s important that I can restrict certain users to specific content based on age rating, i dont want to do that manually. the server has content for both kids and adults, and my *arr stack + jellyfin works really well aside from these two devices which have quirks.
I’ve use Kodi years ago, i absolutely hated using it.
A simple and intuitive UI is important, since the kids have to be able to use it as well.
I see. The multi user support in Jellyfin is arguably one of its strengths so that’s a shame. Don’t have a good recommendation in that case.
Adult or not, Android/Google tv lacks good media centers or video players. Jellyfin, Kodi, Nova or VLC are basically your options and they are all crap in their own way. If you don’t want to watch something on Netflix, HBO etc. It’s really a bummer.
I don’t have specific troubleshooting advice to give, but I have been using an Nvidia Shield Pro as my main streaming device for about 4 years now. It is overpriced for what it is, but it has been rock solid for streaming via both Jellyfin and Plex.
The official Jellyfin app is definitely not as polished as Plex, but it has consistently worked for me on the Shield.
I will agree, I got an Nvidia shield pro two years ago, I was a bit afraid because it’s a product from 2019, but damn it’s been rock solid, it plays everything, it’s quite open and not limited like some other boxes, it’s even faster than the most Samsung smart TVs that I have tried, I can’t recommend it enough, even at the end of 2024 it doesn’t have any issues when playing YouTube and Plex.
I bought two like two months ago and they still hold up. I was very leery buying a 2019 model in 2024 but zero regrets (and I’ll be getting another).
I wish it had another HDMI and 2.5GBE but those aren’t deal breakers by any means.
My solution to that issue is to share my media over NFS with a raspberry pi connected to the TV, the pi runs OSMC (https://osmc.tv/) and has the media direct. you can control OSMC on the pi with your TV remote
Unless you have a commitment to only using open source software, I’d recommend Plex over Jellyfin. Mostly because I’ve found the client software for Jellyfin to be lacking, especially on AppleTV.
For the issues with the GoogleTV, you mention that it’s on WiFi, would it be possible to use a wired connection or get another set top box for it? Some TVs have the WiFi antenna behind the screen causing interference, so even though other devices get a strong signal the TV doesn’t.
Also, how’s the hardware on your server? Is the CPU powerful enough or do you have a GPU for transcoding? Also, is the server on WiFi or wired?
It’s worth noting that a lot of settop boxes have limited codec support, which might be forcing transcoding even if everything should otherwise support direct play.
The googleTV dongle doesn’t have any ports apart from usb-C for power and the attached HDMI cable. It’s what was once called a chromecast.
You can use a USB hub dongle which passes through power via USB C with a Google TV (4K) device. That’s what I do for mine to connect it to the rest of my GbE VLAN via wired ethernet connection and avoid Wi-Fi packet drops when streaming or casting 4K HDR content. A dongle is also handy to connect any USB web cam so I can use the TV for large family video calls with the grandparents in the living room, via Android apps like Google Meet or Zoom.
Here is the one I use that also has a combo headphone jack with GbE Ethernet and passthrough charging, so also nice for Moonlight gaming on modern android 120Hz HDR tablets where I don’t want to use low bitrate HFP Bluetooth for discord calls while also listening to game audio and music. Note, when used with the Google TV, I don’t use the USB Hub’s HDMI, opting for the Google TV’s international cord to maintain Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) functionality.
Anker 655 USB-C Hub (8-in-1), with 2 USB-A 10 Gbps Data Ports, 100W Power Delivery, 4K HDMI, 1 Gbps Ethernet, microSD and SD Card Slots, 3.5 mm AUX, for MacBook, and More (Charcoal Gray) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09MF6TJLW
Ah, it’s one of those. I was thinking it was the TV’s OS.
I don’t have a lot of experience with those smaller dongles, but as I understand it they’re fairly low power devices that are more meant for streaming relatively low bitrate media from the internet or from a phone. It may not have the horsepower for playing back high bitrate media from Jellyfin or Plex.
Others may have a solution that’ll work for that device, but my gut response is to say you should consider replacing it with something more powerful.
