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Watch on your TV

A phone screen is fine for a train. For a film on the sofa you want the big screen. There are five ways to get there — start with whatever hardware you already own, because one of these almost certainly applies to you.

Beginner 7 minutes
Which one applies to me?

If you own an Android TV box, Nvidia Shield or Fire TV Stick, use option 1 — it is by far the best experience. If your TV is a Samsung or LG smart TV, try option 2. If you have a Chromecast or a modern TV with casting, option 3 needs no installation at all. Option 4 works on any TV made in the last fifteen years.

1. Android TV, Nvidia Shield or Fire TV Stick

This is the best option: a real app, a proper remote-control interface, and no phone involved. The official Jellyfin app is designed for exactly this.

1
Open the store on the TV

Google Play on Android TV and Nvidia Shield; the Amazon Appstore on a Fire TV Stick.

2
Search for "Jellyfin"

Install it. Typing with a remote is miserable — most stores let you search by voice with the microphone button instead.

3
Enter the server address

When it asks for a server, type it carefully with the on-screen keyboard:

4
Sign in and you are done

Same username and password as everywhere else. The TV stays logged in permanently.

Typing tip

Entering a password on a TV remote is painful. Both Google TV and Fire TV have companion phone apps that turn your phone into the remote — including its keyboard. Install that first and the whole process takes a minute instead of five.

2. Samsung and LG smart TVs

Both platforms have a Jellyfin app, though availability varies by region and by how old the TV is. Open your TV's app store (Samsung calls it the Smart Hub, LG the LG Content Store), search for Jellyfin and install it if it appears. Then enter the same server address as above.

If it is not in the store

Older smart TVs are frequently abandoned by their manufacturers, and no amount of searching will produce an app that is not there. Do not fight it — a Fire TV Stick costs very little, plugs into any HDMI port, and turns any television into a far better one than trying to make a 2016 smart TV cooperate. Alternatively use casting or an HDMI cable below.

3. Cast from your phone (no installation)

If you have a Chromecast, a Google TV, or a modern TV that supports casting, you can send the video from your phone to the TV. The phone acts only as the remote — the video itself goes straight to the TV, so you can lock the phone or use it for other things while watching.

  1. Make sure the phone and the TV are on the same Wi-Fi network. This is the step that fails most often — a phone on mobile data cannot cast.
  2. Open Streamyfin or the Jellyfin app on your phone.
  3. Start playing something, then tap the cast icon — a small screen with waves in the corner.
  4. Choose your TV from the list. The picture jumps across in a few seconds.
Guest networks break casting

Many routers keep a separate guest Wi-Fi that cannot see other devices. If your TV does not appear in the list, check that both devices are on the main network with the same name, not one on "Home" and one on "Home-Guest".

4. A laptop and an HDMI cable

Unglamorous and completely reliable. Works with any TV that has an HDMI socket, needs no app, no account on the TV and no Wi-Fi compatibility worries.

  1. Connect the laptop to the TV with an HDMI cable.
  2. On the TV remote press Source or Input and choose the HDMI socket you used — they are numbered on the back.
  3. On Windows press Win + P and choose Duplicate or Second screen only. On a Mac, use System Settings → Displays.
  4. Open jellyfin.karafa.net in the browser and press play, then press F for full screen.
No sound from the TV?

HDMI carries sound as well as picture, but the computer often keeps playing through its own speakers. Click the volume icon near the clock and choose the TV as the output device.

5. Consoles, Apple TV and everything else

DeviceWhat to do
Apple TVInstall Swiftfin from the App Store — it is the Apple-native Jellyfin client and works very well.
XboxThere is a Jellyfin app in the Microsoft Store. Failing that, open the Edge browser on the console and use the website.
PlayStationNo app. Use the console's built-in web browser and go to jellyfin.karafa.net.
Raspberry Pi / old PCInstall Kodi with the Jellyfin add-on, or just run a browser in full screen.

Getting the best picture

A television is far less forgiving than a phone, so it is worth knowing two things.

In plain words

Direct play means the TV receives the original file untouched — perfect quality, almost no load on the server. Transcoding means the server has to convert the video on the fly because your device cannot handle the original format. That conversion is expensive, and if several people trigger it at once everyone's playback suffers.