[snowjim]

Hi,

I have been using Kodi for many years with a MySQL database and SMB share from a local Windows server. There have been many problems over the year and there is still some  so now i'm looking in to alternatives like Plex and Jellyfin.

I notice that it's possible to run Jellyfin as media server and kodi as media client and that there is 2 ways of doing so. The question is what is the best choice in my case?

I got a local Windows server running Jellyfin connected to TRAKT and MySQl, it's also where the media shares(SMB) are located. The clients is only on the local network and its mainly Android units(Phones, Tablets, Nvidia Shield Pro units and so on). Nvidia Shield Pro units are wired while everything else is Wifi.

Jellyfin makes it possible to stream even to the phones and tablets over wifi without any problems but its client is not very good, specially the subtitle part.

So if I want to use Jellyfin as a media server and Kodi as the client, what is the best option? And will I be able to avoid that Kodi is refreshing library at every startup? Also, how would the subtitle (opensubtitle) integration work?

[jbinkley60]

Hi,

I have been using Kodi for many years with a MySQL database and SMB share from a local Windows server. There have been many problems over the year and there is still some  so now i'm looking in to alternatives like Plex and Jellyfin.

I notice that it's possible to run Jellyfin as media server and kodi as media client and that there is 2 ways of doing so. The question is what is the best choice in my case?

I got a local Windows server running Jellyfin connected to TRAKT and MySQl, it's also where the media shares(SMB) are located. The clients is only on the local network and its mainly Android units(Phones, Tablets, Nvidia Shield Pro units and so on). Nvidia Shield Pro units are wired while everything else is Wifi.

Jellyfin makes it possible to stream even to the phones and tablets over wifi without any problems but its client is not very good, specially the subtitle part.

So if I want to use Jellyfin as a media server and Kodi as the client, what is the best option? And will I be able to avoid that Kodi is refreshing library at every startup? Also, how would the subtitle (opensubtitle) integration work?

You can use Kodi as a client with Jellyfin.  Folks here do it regularly.  I'd suggest that since you are looking in that direction and looking to change, you might want to consider Mezzmo with Kodi.  It's similar to Plex and Jellyfin with Kodi but takes things even further, including all the things you mention with a level of automation and flexibility not available together in other solutions.  I author the Mezzmo Kodi addon.  You might take a peak at the Wiki.  I am happy to answer questions.  Mezzmo also supports many other clients including TVs, phones, web clients and much more.  I stream 4K video from Mezzmo to Raspberry Pi and Vero 4K+ Kodi clients.  You can test Mezzmo along side your existing setup.  The Kodi support forum is here.  The list of features is here and how it works here.  The FAQ is also very helpful.


Thanks,

Jeff

[izprtxqkft]

the jellyfin addon for kodi and kodi's library functionality are completely separate

if you use the jellyfin addon with kodi it will populate the library from jellyfin and will not have any sources configured, therefor no smb shares are needed, no scrapers are used from kodi and no mysql server - everything is jellyfin

since kodi is not managing the library, it will not update the library at any time in the normal manner, however, the jellyfin addon will perform updates from the jellyfin server - recommend utilizing the 'kodi sync queue' plugin for the jellyfin server

subtitles in general work as they normally would but im not familiar with opensubtitle integration to comment on that aspect from the kodi side

however, there is a plugin for opensubtitles available for jellyfin server which i expect would allow the server itself to load and store the subtitles which in turn are delivered to clients including the addon for kodi - https://jellyfin.org/docs/general/server...-subtitles

the trakt integration is still automatic when using jellyfin for kodi addon with the jellyfin server, jellyfin server will do the syncing and the trakt addon for kodi will not be needed

-----

overall i love the single point administration jellyfin gives, any time a new kodi needs set up its only a matter of loading from the jellyfin server from the addon

[jbinkley60]

the jellyfin addon for kodi and kodi's library functionality are completely separate

if you use the jellyfin addon with kodi it will populate the library from jellyfin and will not have any sources configured, therefor no smb shares are needed, no scrapers are used from kodi and no mysql server - everything is jellyfin

since kodi is not managing the library, it will not update the library at any time in the normal manner, however, the jellyfin addon will perform updates from the jellyfin server - recommend utilizing the 'kodi sync queue' plugin for the jellyfin server

I fully concur with you here on all the advantages of a centralized publishing approach when running multiple clients (including non-Kodi, web and other clients).   I went this route over 10 years ago and haven't looked back.  I had tried multiple other options and nothing else compared.  Being able to run different versions of Kodi at the same time, all sharing the library, artwork, resume points, play counters and more is a level of flexibility which is hard to match.  Client rebuilds on the fly and near zero touch Kodi upgrades/downgrades takes any risks out of the equation.  I've run 4 different versions of Kodi concurrently and with 100% parity.  Having a GUI based editor / scraper for the central library is great and most importantly, the users on the Kodi clients can't mess with the central library is the way to go when you have a household of button pushers    Snowjim is definitely thinking about this the right way.


Jeff

[snowjim]

I have now setup Jellyfin and Kodi with Trakt, kodi sync queue and Jellyfin for Kodi. I choose the default settings that streams media from Jellyfin and not using SMB and it works far better than I could have thought so far. Kodi feels a lot more stable now but there is still at least one problem. When downloading a subtitle in Kodi it does work during that session but If I come back later its gone so I suspect that the download is not really adding anything to the library on the server?

Did not know about Mezzmo, have to take a look at it and see how it compares, thanks for the suggestion.

[izprtxqkft]

I have now setup Jellyfin and Kodi with Trakt, kodi sync queue and Jellyfin for Kodi. I choose the default settings that streams media from Jellyfin and not using SMB and it works far better than I could have thought so far. Kodi feels a lot more stable now but there is still at least one problem. When downloading a subtitle in Kodi it does work during that session but If I come back later its gone so I suspect that the download is not really adding anything to the library on the server?

Did not know about Mezzmo, have to take a look at it and see how it compares, thanks for the suggestion.

kodi is no longer in charge of the library so it makes sense that t would not be able to add those subtitles to the jellyfin server

i suspected that would be the case, look in to the opensubtitles plugin for the jellyfin server and see how it works for you

all my subs come from the disc when i do backups so i dont have any real insight but thats my best recommendation

[jbinkley60]

Did not know about Mezzmo, have to take a look at it and see how it compares, thanks for the suggestion.

I don't use external subtitles but Mezzmo supports a rich set of options for handling them. Here's a link from their Wiki.

Let me know if you have questions.


Thanks,

Jeff

[Klaus1121]

Buy an SSL certificate for your "better" media server website first before advertising it...

[Anca]

Using Jellyfin as your media server and Kodi as the client should work well for your setup. Ensure Kodi uses Jellyfin's library directly to avoid library refreshes at startup.

[Pisco]

To prevent Kodi from refreshing the library at startup, set your sources as "Remote Share" and disable automatic scanning. For subtitles from OpenSubtitles, Kodi plugins can handle this integration smoothly.

[Truehddovi]

Maybe you would have moved on but still one of the best fastest solutions to access movies from my winows to Kodi in fir tv cube

Setup JFIN Library on windows

Jellyfin Repository
Setup Server in windows and add files in library.Which will auto discovered in Kodi Jfin repository
Open Kodi, go to the settings menu, and navigate to "File manager"
Select "Add source"
In the text box, enter https://kodi.jellyfin.org
Enter a name for the data source, such as "Jellyfin Repo" and select Ok

From the settings menu, navigate to "Add-on Browser"
Select "Install from Zip File"
If prompted, enter settings and enable "Unknown Sources", then go back to the Add-on Browser

Select the data source you just added
Install repository.jellyfin.kodi.zip

It is highly recommended to install the Kodi Sync Queue plugin into the Jellyfin server as well. This will keep your media libraries up to date without waiting for a periodic re-sync from Kodi.

Install Jellyfin for Kodi Add-on
Install Jellyfin for Kodi.
From within Kodi, navigate to "Add-on Browser"
Select "Install from Repository"
Choose "Kodi Jellyfin Add-ons", followed by "Video Add-ons"
Select the Jellyfin add-on and choose install

Within a few seconds you should be prompted for your server details.
If a Jellyfin server is detected on your local network, it will displayed in a dialog
If a Jellyfin server is not detected on your local network, select "Manually Add Server". Enter your server info into the text field.
Enter the server name or IP address and the port number (default value is 8096)
Host: 192.168.1.10:8096


Select user account and input password, or select "Manual Login" and fill in your user information
Once you are successfully authenticated with the server, you'll be asked about which mode you'd like to use, Add-on vs Native, which are outlined below

Add-on Mode
Add-on mode uses the Jellyfin server to translate media files from the filesystem to Kodi. This is the default setting for the add-on, and is sufficient for most use cases. It will work both on the local network and over the Internet through a reverse proxy or VPN connection. Providing network speed is sufficient, Kodi will direct play nearly all files and put little overhead on the Jellyfin server.
To use Add-on mode, simply choose "Add-on" at the dialog and proceed to Library Syncing

[Anca]

For using Jellyfin as your server and Kodi as the client, go with Jellyfin's Kodi add-on. It integrates your library smoothly without refreshing at every startup. OpenSubtitles can be set up through Jellyfin, ensuring subtitles work seamlessly across your devices, including Android ones on WiFi. Stick to wired connections for Nvidia Shield Pro units to keep things stable.

[stooovie]

I'm probably missing something but Jellyfin for Kodi doesn't work for me with Kodi on Pi and media on NAS (SMB)

- The Native mode can't be set up as as of 10.9, Jellyfin no longer supports direct SMB paths in libraries (they need to be mounted into the filesystem first - so Kodi running on a different machine has no direct access).
- The Addon mode is incredibly slow (Kodi runs on Rpi 4, JF has no performance issues otherwise), it creates all sorts of Dynamic folders that, again, do not work (files aren't found for whatever reason, but they ARE found in the addon's Folders)
- JellyCon doesn't integrate with Estuary well, everything else is unnecessarily complex and slow on a Pi 4)

Any tips? I have no issues with Jellyfin itself but my TV needs Kodi. I want to have one library with one media view.