What you need: Jellyfin software Time required: 60 minutes
You’ve probably heard of Plex (www.plex.tv), the media-streaming server from which you can stream your music, films and TV series. It’s easy to set up and many of its key features are free – but not all of them. You’ll need a Plex Pass, which costs £3.99 a month, to unlock the full range of Plex settings and watch or record live TV. That’s not expensive for all these features – and more – but if you prefer to use software that’s completely free, there are alternatives.
The best one is Jellyfin. It doesn’t have all the same features as Plex, but it does let you catalogue and manage your media collection. You can also use it to watch live TV and record broadcasts – and even use it to organise books, magazines and photos.
It uses the traditional server-client model, wherecentral computer – ideally an old PC – from which ‘client’ programs running on other computers, phones, tablets and smart TVs stream content. Because the content all lives on the server, there’s no need to store it on every device on which it’s played back.
