As an Infuse customer who uses it with file shares (SMB) instead of any backend server like Jellyfin or Plex or Emby or whatever, the number of people using a server on the backend makes me wonder, what are the benefits in doing so vs. just using file shares?
Maybe for some people running into challenges on older hardware with Jellyfin 10.8 support being an issue, it might be worth looking at how well Infuse works with a few file shares. Less software to manage, and support for file shares would work regardless of the hardware you were using to house them. Of course, I make this suggestion not knowing what the benefits are to using a full-fledged server on the backend myself, but anyway, I found myself wondering if people realize how simple their backend setup can be.
P.S. Is there a matrix comparing functionality across the various backends? Maybe this would help people realize what’s possible so that they make the right decisions when evaluating their setup.
not being tied to just Infuse is 1 reason, you may have other devices not on the apple platform.
another reason, easily manageable and centrally updateable content.
Thanks @chenks. Understood about the different device ecosystems…we’re all Apple for TV/mobile devices here and use Infuse everywhere but I can’t use it on my Windows laptop, although there I just access the file shares directly and pull up whatever I want that way. If I used Android I’d want something else for sure.
…easily manageable and centrally updateable content.
Would you please explain the last part, about easily manageable and centrally updateable content? I have a NAS where I could run Jellyfin, and have considered it, but opted for SMB for simplicity, yet I find Infuse + SMB to be lacking in some features that are key to me, mostly related to how Infuse consumes tmdb data as-is without option to really change much (examples: TV episode ordering to correct how Firefly is presented in Infuse, differences in how automatic collections vs. custom collections are handled, and the ordering of films within those collections, etc.). What does Jellyfin allow you to manage when it comes to content and how it is presented in Infuse that SMB does not?
jellyfin (and others) solve exactly the problem you described.
you have complete control over all the metadata, manual or automatic collections and playlists, ordering content in whatever way you want (be it alphabetical or release date etc).
basically you have full control over all the content before it reaches any playback client, and it doesn’t matter which client you use as the content will appear the same regardless.
Thanks again @chenks. That’s reason enough for me to setup a Jellyfin server…the lack of control (and the lack of open source for Infuse itself – I’m a dev, so not being able to address issues myself is annoying) has been bugging me more and more as I’ve grown my collection, so I’ll be giving Jellyfin a try.
bear in mind that if you do use jellyin as the server then you should remove all your existing shares in infuse and connect infuse to jellyfin in direct more (not library mode).
Thanks @NC_Bullseye. That linked documentation mentions collection size as a factor when weighing the pros and cons of the Direct vs. Library approaches, but it doesn’t do anything to qualify what a small, medium or large collection would be, so it’s hard to figure out which might be better based on the size of the collection. Any guidance on what those size buckets are intended to represent so that it’s less vague?
I wish I had some answers but I’ve decided to stay with strictly Infuse. I’m running 3K+ Movies and 28K+ TV episodes and Infuse has been pretty solid so far and with the new iCloud sync fixing the slow syncs and the syncing in the background it’s been pretty darn good all around.
I use Plex server for the simplicity of accessing my media library via Infuse at multiple locations- which is not as easy to set up using a secure file share service like WebDAV.
i.e. on my iOS devices when I am remote, when visiting a relative’s home, from a vacation home, etc.
it’s just as easy using jellyfin or emby, it’s just a different method compared to plex.
with plex you have go via their authentication servers to get access to your content, and now you have to pay to do that as well (either via Plex Pass or remote playback subscription).
with jellyfin you just using something like tailscale to do it - all free.
with plex hardware transcoding is being a paywall, but isn’t with jellyfin.
I like using Jellyfin, mostly because of how easy it is to customize and select artwork for series. You can even add plugins like TheTVDB and Fanart to have more art to choose from, including logos and backdrops. It also has an option to keep those files saved locally, which is definitely the right thing to do — otherwise, an error could overwrite all your curated art. With local copies, it’s easy to back them up.
Jellyfin also lets you easily modify other metadata, such as summaries, and change the episode ordering when using TheTVDB, as I do. For example, you can switch from aired order to DVD order if needed. You can also get a detailed view of your content at a glance — for instance, you can see all seasons for a show along with their artwork. And even if you delete episodes, as long as you keep the season folder, the seasons will still appear with their covers.
It also supports CSS, with an official guide and examples, so you can modify the UI to remove elements and make it cleaner.
I moved from Plex because I find it a bit limited in this regard, but I still use Plex as a way to browse and discover content I might want to watch.