I moved my entire library to Jellyfin, and nothing broke on the best way

Plex was at all times my go-to media library for quite a lot of causes, together with its acquainted interface, group, and distant entry, which let me watch my motion pictures and reveals away from residence. However, as more Plex services became subscription-based, I began questioning whether or not different choices have been accessible.

Jellyfin seemed like the obvious choice, however I didn’t wish to spend hours reorganizing recordsdata. Surprisingly, all the things went a lot smoother than I imagined.

Plex labored advantageous till it began asking for extra

I needed a alternative that did all the things Plex does

I by no means had an issue with Plex itself; it was the service that out of the blue gave me pause. After all, I already owned the films and TV reveals that I needed to host, with scores of ripped DVD titles, from over 20 years of accumulating. I saved them by myself {hardware} and hosted them by myself server, so I hesitated to pay for a Plex Pass to entry the platform’s companies.

I already use Kodi, which I love for its customization, however I can’t simply entry it remotely, which is a characteristic of Plex I exploit typically. Jellyfin’s server is free and open supply, with no premium options hidden behind paywalls.

So it supplied the identical options I routinely use on Plex, with no further price, however how straightforward would the switch be?

Moving my library was simpler than anticipated

Jellyfin did not make me reorganize all the things from scratch

This was the largest potential impediment. I didn’t wish to transfer gigabytes of media round simply to accommodate a brand new server. And luckily, I didn’t must.

Migrating my recordsdata was as straightforward as putting in Jellyfin alongside Plex and pointing it towards the identical folders containing all my motion pictures and TV reveals. Jellyfin instantly scanned the recordsdata, recognized the content material, and began building its own library, full with all metadata. I didn’t even must switch my media to a separate folder. Everything stayed precisely the place it was.

There have been a few hiccups alongside the best way, principally resulting from my sloppy file naming over years of storing motion pictures and reveals, and Jellyfin typically wanted assist figuring out a few of my extra obscure overseas content material. However, media servers are solely nearly as good because the recordsdata they’re given, and this was hardly Jellyfin’s fault.

The essential factor was that I didn’t have to start out from scratch—removed from it.

Everything I cared about nonetheless labored

Movies, reveals, art work, and playback survived the swap

All my motion pictures have been there, reveals have been there, and all seasons and episodes have been neatly organized. Posters appeared, and metadata was populated, together with scores. I may even begin watching a present, and it could save my progress so I may return to it later.

Jellyfin helps purchasers throughout a variety of platforms, too, together with Android, iOS, Android TV, Fire TV, Roku, WebOS, Tizen, Xbox, and the online. At that time, I spotted I cared much less about Plex itself than the content material I saved on it.

Jellyfin setup was intuitive; it has a well-established ecosystem, and it made sophisticated issues appear easy. Some hands-on configuration is required for issues like establishing distant entry or troubleshooting playback, however that’s frequent throughout all media server platforms.

Jellyfin is not excellent, however it’s shut

Somewhat extra tinkering was the value of getting management again

One characteristic that wouldn’t copy over was the Plex database. The Plex library is not only a assortment of video recordsdata; through the years, I had amassed watch statuses, playlists, collections, customers, customized metadata, and different organizational particulars. I discovered third-party instruments that would assist me migrate some data, however I made a decision to start out afresh.

That’s the factor I needed to remind myself: Jellyfin isn’t a magical alternative that replicates each Plex characteristic minus the subscription. It adopts a special strategy to working a media server. However, for those who’ve bought this far, you’re already liable for storing and sustaining your personal media library and working your personal server.

Somewhat further configuration is a small worth to pay to maintain all the things underneath your management. Rather than spend time fixing issues that broke, I used to be joyful to start out with a clear sheet, rename some disorganized recordsdata, chop away some lifeless wooden that I’d probably by no means watch, and streamline my system somewhat.

Switching from Plex to Jellyfin wasn’t a sudden enchancment, and it didn’t have to be. It made me notice I didn’t want Plex, as I’d thought at first. I already owned my very own recordsdata and {hardware}; Jellyfin merely let me set up them with out tying that performance to a different subscription.

In a international stage the place new media isn’t owned and subscription companies reign supreme, paying yet one more month-to-month charge to entry my very own recordsdata felt like too huge an ask. Thankfully, Jellyfin supplied the proper answer with nothing damaged and little or no tinkering concerned.

OS

Android, iOS/iPadOS, Android TV, Fire TV, Web browsers

Developer

Jellyfin Community

Pricing mannequin

Free (open-source)

Initial launch

December 8, 2018