Seamless Jellyfin on Android TV? Meet Elefin

If you run a Jellyfin server for your media, you know the struggle: the official Android TV app can be a bit clunky, and casting from a phone isn't always the ideal living room experience. What if your Jellyfin library felt as native and integrated as Netflix or Disney+ right on your TV's home screen? That's the itch Elefin aims to scratch.

It's a clever little project that bridges the gap between your personal media server and the polished Android TV interface, focusing on simplicity and a seamless user experience.

What It Does

Elefin is a lightweight Android TV application that connects to your Jellyfin server and integrates your media libraries directly into the Android TV home screen's content rows. Instead of being a standalone app you have to open, it makes your movies and TV shows appear as native content sources, complete with "Continue Watching" and "Next Up" rows. Think of it as a sleek, minimal client that puts discovery front and center on your TV's main screen.

Why It's Cool

The clever part is in its design philosophy. Elefin doesn't try to rebuild the entire Jellyfin media player. Instead, it acts as a launcher. When you select a movie or show, it simply hands off playback to another, more capable app on your TV—like VLC, Just Player, or the official Jellyfin app itself. This leverages the strengths of dedicated playback apps while providing a vastly better browsing and discovery experience.

It's also built with the Android TV Leanback interface, so it feels right at home on the big screen with remote navigation. The setup is straightforward, focusing on connecting to your server and selecting which libraries to display. It's a pragmatic solution that solves a specific pain point without over-engineering.

How to Try It

Since it's an Android TV app, you'll need to sideload it for now. Here's the quick path:

1. Grab the latest APK from the Elefin GitHub Releases page.
2. Sideload the APK to your Android TV device. You can use a tool like adb install or an app like "Send Files to TV" to transfer and install it.
3. Open Elefin on your TV. You'll be guided through connecting to your Jellyfin server (you'll need your server URL and a user login).
4. Configure which libraries you want to appear on your home screen.
5. Sit back on your couch and browse your personal media right from the Android TV home screen.

Final Thoughts

Elefin is a great example of a tool that identifies a narrow friction point in a popular ecosystem and builds a minimal, effective solution. It doesn't need to replace your whole setup; it just makes the entry point better. For developers, it's a neat study in Android TV integration and a pragmatic approach to leveraging existing APIs and apps. For users, it's a straightforward upgrade to the TV-side Jellyfin experience. If your media server is a core part of your entertainment, this is worth the quick sideload to try out.

Found this interesting? Follow @githubprojects for more tools and projects from the community.