1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,640 Welcome to the deep dive the show where we dig into your sources and unearth the 2 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:06,400 really fascinating stuff. That's right 3 00:00:06,400 --> 00:00:11,400 Today we're diving into something that gives you back control of your digital media. 4 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:12,640 It's called jellyfin 5 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:17,680 Okay, and before we get started a big thanks to our supporter safe server 6 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:22,770 Yes, safe server provides hosting for this type of software and champions your 7 00:00:22,770 --> 00:00:23,760 digital sovereignty 8 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:25,840 You got it. You can learn more about them at 9 00:00:26,380 --> 00:00:32,580 www.safeserver.de. All right, so you sent us information about jellyfin. Yeah, you 10 00:00:32,580 --> 00:00:33,740 described it as a 11 00:00:33,740 --> 00:00:36,400 free software media system 12 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:41,740 For those who are just starting out that might sound well pretty technical. It can 13 00:00:41,740 --> 00:00:42,400 be a little bit 14 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:44,980 So our mission today is to break it down 15 00:00:44,980 --> 00:00:49,930 We want to understand what jellyfin is why you might want to use it and how it 16 00:00:49,930 --> 00:00:51,280 works on a basic level 17 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:54,290 That's right. And of course, we're basing all of this on the information you shared 18 00:00:54,290 --> 00:00:55,320 exactly 19 00:00:55,540 --> 00:01:00,760 So to get started we have information here from the jellyfin github page 20 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:01,200 Yes 21 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:05,680 And also their main website these sources give us a good overview of what jellyfin 22 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:08,860 is trying to achieve and how it operates exactly 23 00:01:08,860 --> 00:01:13,840 Okay, so let's unpack this what exactly is jellyfin in simple terms 24 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:18,680 So in essence jellyfin is a software system that allows you to manage and stream 25 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:20,720 your personal media collection 26 00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:26,520 Okay, this can include your movies TV shows music photos and even books 27 00:01:26,520 --> 00:01:31,530 So I'm picturing like all those digital files. I have scattered across different 28 00:01:31,530 --> 00:01:33,980 hard drives exactly jellyfin brings it all together 29 00:01:33,980 --> 00:01:38,800 Yes, it does. It's like creating your own personal Netflix or Spotify, but with 30 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:40,740 your own content. That's interesting 31 00:01:40,740 --> 00:01:45,120 So instead of relying on a streaming services library, I'm in control of what's 32 00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:48,460 available precisely you curate your own media experience 33 00:01:48,980 --> 00:01:53,100 No, that's pretty appealing. It is the sources emphasize that it puts you in 34 00:01:53,100 --> 00:01:54,380 control of your media 35 00:01:54,380 --> 00:01:58,770 That's right, and it describes itself as an alternative to proprietary systems like 36 00:01:58,770 --> 00:01:59,660 MB and Plex 37 00:01:59,660 --> 00:02:03,820 Yes, and while those systems also offer media management 38 00:02:03,820 --> 00:02:09,900 Jellyfin distinguishes itself as free software now we hear free software a lot 39 00:02:09,900 --> 00:02:13,540 Mm-hmm. What does that really mean for someone who just wants to use jellyfin? 40 00:02:13,540 --> 00:02:18,260 Well the jellyfin website highlights that being free software means it's licensed 41 00:02:18,260 --> 00:02:19,260 under the GNU GPL 42 00:02:19,260 --> 00:02:24,480 Okay, this license gives you the freedom to use study modify and share the software 43 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:26,460 freely. So it's not just about cost 44 00:02:26,460 --> 00:02:31,790 It's about control and flexibility exactly. It's about empowering users. Now the github 45 00:02:31,790 --> 00:02:34,020 page mentioned something that sounds pretty technical 46 00:02:34,020 --> 00:02:39,980 right, it says that jellyfin was descended from MB 3.5.2 release and 47 00:02:40,500 --> 00:02:45,940 Imported to the dotnet core framework to enable full cross-platform support, right? 48 00:02:45,940 --> 00:02:49,620 So for someone new to this, what does that even mean? What's the takeaway? 49 00:02:49,620 --> 00:02:54,030 Well, the key takeaway is cross-platform support. Okay, this means jellyfin can run 50 00:02:54,030 --> 00:02:55,500 on various operating systems 51 00:02:55,500 --> 00:02:59,860 So it's not limited to just Windows or just Mac exactly the github page 52 00:02:59,860 --> 00:03:04,280 Specifically notes that it supports all major operating systems with the exception 53 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:05,060 of free BSD 54 00:03:05,060 --> 00:03:10,560 So I have a lot of choices and where I set up my media server you do the dotnet 55 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:11,960 core framework is 56 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:16,340 The technical detail that allows for this wide compatibility 57 00:03:16,340 --> 00:03:19,660 I say so it's like a universal language that different computer systems can 58 00:03:19,660 --> 00:03:21,560 understand precisely now 59 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:25,680 This is interesting the jellyfin website also states that there are no premium 60 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:29,080 licenses or features and no hidden agendas 61 00:03:29,080 --> 00:03:33,900 Yes, that's a core principle of the project in today's world. That's refreshing 62 00:03:33,900 --> 00:03:38,100 It is so many apps try to push you toward paid features or collect your data 63 00:03:38,100 --> 00:03:42,300 Right, and it seems like jellyfin is consciously going in a different direction 64 00:03:42,300 --> 00:03:46,320 Absolutely, they're committed to building something better collaboratively without 65 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:48,060 paywalls or data tracking 66 00:03:48,060 --> 00:03:53,340 In fact, they explicitly state jellyfin has no tracking phone home or central 67 00:03:53,340 --> 00:03:55,060 servers collecting your data 68 00:03:55,060 --> 00:03:59,220 So if I'm concerned about privacy, this is a big plus. It is a big plus 69 00:03:59,220 --> 00:04:03,350 Okay, so let me see if I understand this correctly sure if I have a bunch of 70 00:04:03,350 --> 00:04:06,580 digital movies shows music photos 71 00:04:06,580 --> 00:04:10,460 All these files scattered on different hard drives. Yes, jellyfin can help me bring 72 00:04:10,460 --> 00:04:11,820 all of that together in one place 73 00:04:11,820 --> 00:04:15,620 Yeah, and then I can access it from all my different devices. That's exactly right 74 00:04:15,620 --> 00:04:20,750 The website actually lists a wide array of supported clients clients. Yes. These 75 00:04:20,750 --> 00:04:22,580 are the apps you use to access your media 76 00:04:22,580 --> 00:04:27,720 They have clients for web browsers desktops Android Apple devices Amazon Fire TV 77 00:04:28,660 --> 00:04:30,140 Roku 78 00:04:30,140 --> 00:04:35,840 Kodi and more so I could be watching a movie on my TV in the living room 79 00:04:35,840 --> 00:04:39,180 And then switch to my tablet in the kitchen all seamlessly 80 00:04:39,180 --> 00:04:43,540 That's right and all streaming from your own jellyfin server. Now you mentioned the 81 00:04:43,540 --> 00:04:43,700 server 82 00:04:43,700 --> 00:04:48,340 The github page refers to a server backend an API 83 00:04:48,340 --> 00:04:48,760 Yes 84 00:04:48,760 --> 00:04:52,680 Can you explain what the server part of this is sure the server is the core 85 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:55,140 software that runs on a computer you choose? 86 00:04:55,140 --> 00:04:58,660 It could be your home computer a dedicated server or even something like a 87 00:04:58,660 --> 00:04:59,420 Raspberry Pi 88 00:04:59,420 --> 00:05:04,350 This server is what organizes your media files and makes them accessible. Okay, so 89 00:05:04,350 --> 00:05:07,220 it doesn't necessarily require specialized hardware 90 00:05:07,220 --> 00:05:11,780 Not at all. You can start with what you already have and what about the API the API 91 00:05:11,780 --> 00:05:13,540 is a technical interface 92 00:05:13,540 --> 00:05:18,700 That allows different apps those clients we talked about to communicate with the 93 00:05:18,700 --> 00:05:19,000 server 94 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:24,430 It's how your phone for example knows how to request a movie from your jellyfin 95 00:05:24,430 --> 00:05:24,940 server 96 00:05:25,180 --> 00:05:29,670 So the server is the brain and the API is the communication system. Exactly. It's 97 00:05:29,670 --> 00:05:30,580 the messenger 98 00:05:30,580 --> 00:05:33,820 Now if someone wants to get started with jellyfin, where do they go? 99 00:05:33,820 --> 00:05:39,260 Well, the jellyfin website points to a getting started guide and a downloads page 100 00:05:39,260 --> 00:05:43,680 Okay, the github page also mentions an installation guide and for those who are 101 00:05:43,680 --> 00:05:45,300 more technically inclined 102 00:05:45,300 --> 00:05:49,200 There's even the option to build from source. So they offer different paths 103 00:05:49,200 --> 00:05:51,740 depending on your comfort level with technology 104 00:05:51,740 --> 00:05:55,730 That's right. For most people the pre-built downloads are the simplest way to get 105 00:05:55,730 --> 00:05:58,580 going. What about adding my media to jellyfin? 106 00:05:58,580 --> 00:06:01,100 Well, the process is fairly straightforward 107 00:06:01,100 --> 00:06:06,020 You essentially point the jellyfin server to the folders on your computer where 108 00:06:06,020 --> 00:06:07,220 your media files are stored 109 00:06:07,220 --> 00:06:10,860 So I don't have to upload everything to some cloud service. No, not at all. Your 110 00:06:10,860 --> 00:06:11,660 media stays local 111 00:06:11,660 --> 00:06:15,240 That's good to know and then what happens jellyfin then scans those files 112 00:06:15,860 --> 00:06:20,680 Identifies them and fetches metadata like movie posters descriptions and cast 113 00:06:20,680 --> 00:06:24,080 information to make your library visually appealing 114 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:28,630 So it does all the organizing work for me. It does it's designed to be as user-friendly 115 00:06:28,630 --> 00:06:29,180 as possible 116 00:06:29,180 --> 00:06:34,490 Now the website also highlights some really interesting features like automatically 117 00:06:34,490 --> 00:06:36,280 sorting TV shows by season 118 00:06:36,280 --> 00:06:41,900 Displaying artwork for movies playing music playlists and even live TV and DVR 119 00:06:41,900 --> 00:06:43,540 functionality if you have the right hardware 120 00:06:43,700 --> 00:06:48,580 Yes, and they also mentioned sing play for watching media remotely with others 121 00:06:48,580 --> 00:06:52,160 It sounds like they're trying to replicate a lot of the features of commercial 122 00:06:52,160 --> 00:06:53,200 streaming platform 123 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:57,660 Exactly, but with the added benefit of using your own content and having complete 124 00:06:57,660 --> 00:07:00,900 control and finally the github page mentions 125 00:07:00,900 --> 00:07:03,300 Opening an issue. Yes, what does that mean? 126 00:07:03,300 --> 00:07:07,260 This is where users can report problems or suggest improvements being an open 127 00:07:07,260 --> 00:07:11,420 source project community feedback is crucial for jellyfin's development 128 00:07:11,420 --> 00:07:15,420 So it's a collaborative effort very much. So users are encouraged to contribute 129 00:07:15,420 --> 00:07:18,100 their ideas and help make the software better for everyone 130 00:07:18,100 --> 00:07:23,760 Okay, so to sum it all up. Mm-hmm jellyfin gives you a way to create your own media 131 00:07:23,760 --> 00:07:26,140 streaming system using your own files 132 00:07:26,140 --> 00:07:32,450 That's right. It gives you control privacy and access across multiple devices. Yes. 133 00:07:32,450 --> 00:07:32,940 It's free 134 00:07:32,940 --> 00:07:37,130 It's open source and it's supported by a community of volunteers. It really is 135 00:07:37,130 --> 00:07:38,120 quite remarkable 136 00:07:38,120 --> 00:07:42,570 Now this brings up a question for you the listener. Okay, what would it look like 137 00:07:42,570 --> 00:07:44,580 to have all your movies music photos? 138 00:07:44,580 --> 00:07:50,900 All your digital media organized and accessible in one personal streaming hub. Hmm 139 00:07:50,900 --> 00:07:55,300 That's a great question. Could jellyfin be the answer for taking control of your 140 00:07:55,300 --> 00:07:56,780 digital life, perhaps 141 00:07:56,780 --> 00:07:59,980 It's certainly something to think about it is and of course 142 00:07:59,980 --> 00:08:03,700 We want to thank safe server again for their support of digital sovereignty 143 00:08:03,980 --> 00:08:09,340 Absolutely, you can find more information about their hosting services at www.safeserver.de 144 00:08:09,340 --> 00:08:13,220 Definitely worth checking out. Thanks for joining us for another deep dive my 145 00:08:13,220 --> 00:08:13,820 pleasure