JellyFin is the best Plex alternative, and it’s finally expanding to more TVs

Plex is the most popular app for watching stored content over a local network, but JellyFin has also emerged as a great alternative over the years. JellyFin isn’t available on Samsung TVs, though, but we’ve finally got some good news.

A user on JellyFin’s GitHub repository (h/t: Linuxiac and XDA-Developers) noticed that the media server app was now available on the Tizen app store for Samsung TVs. Another user followed up by posting a photo of JellyFin installed on their Samsung TV, as seen below.

JellyFin developer Anthony Lavado confirmed the release, while adding that the app is only available on some Samsung TV models for now:

I can confirm. Surprise! It’s not all models that are eligible yet, just some. Not all of the “bugs” were release blocking for all platforms, and I had to bargain with the Seller Apps Office to allow some to go through. Next up is an update with the latest web files, and see what happens.

Lavado previously noted that this JellyFin release isn’t available for “anything older than 2021 and below Tizen 6.0.” Some Redditors also reported that they weren’t seeing the app in countries like Brazil, Canada, and France, suggesting that this initial release is limited to a few markets at first.

It’s worth noting that Tizen TV owners could previously sideload JellyFin on their devices. However, this process typically involves enabling developer options, manually creating a certificate, compiling the app, and more. We have since seen a nifty tool that automates some of these steps  (e.g., creating a certificate), but this still isn’t a straightforward process for the majority of users. So being able to easily install and update JellyFin via the Tizen app store is a welcome and long-overdue move. However, people with older Samsung TVs still need to take the sideloaded approach.