Tips, updates, and guides from the JellyWatch team.
Four self-hosted photo platforms, four completely different philosophies. This in-depth comparison covers AI face detection, mobile auto-upload, RAW support, video handling, storage architecture, and which combination gives you the best Google Photos replacement in 2026.
Three operating systems dominate the homelab space for running Jellyfin: Unraid (flexible, user-friendly), TrueNAS SCALE (ZFS, free, Docker-native since Electric Eel), and Proxmox (hypervisor with LXC and VMs). This comparison covers Docker support, GPU passthrough complexity, storage architecture, backup capabilities, community size, and total cost of ownership for each platform.
Is self-hosting actually cheaper than paying for streaming services? This detailed financial analysis compares the 5-year total cost of a self-hosted media stack (Jellyfin + hardware + storage + electricity) against the combined cost of Netflix, Spotify, Disney+, YouTube Premium, and Google Photos. Includes hardware amortization, electricity costs, and the break-even point for different library sizes.
Remux or encode? This is the most-debated storage question in every Jellyfin community. This guide breaks down the differences in quality, file size, Direct Play compatibility, Dolby Vision handling, and storage cost - with a clear recommendation for every type of setup.
Emby supports IPTV and Live TV natively - but requires Emby Premiere. This complete guide covers M3U playlist configuration, XMLTV EPG setup, channel management, DVR recording to storage, mobile access, and monitoring active IPTV sessions with EmbyWatch.
