Starting Playback
- Navigate to any movie, episode, or music track.
- Press Select / OK on the Play button or directly on a poster.
- The player opens in full-screen.
If the item is in-progress, playback resumes from where you left off.
Player Controls
Press Select / OK or D-pad during playback to show the control overlay:
| Control | Description |
|---|---|
| Play / Pause | Toggle playback (also works with the media keys on most remotes) |
| Seek bar | Navigate with D-pad Left/Right to seek forward/backward |
| Rewind / Fast forward | Skip by a configurable interval |
| Previous / Next episode | Jump to adjacent episode in a series |
| Audio track | Switch between audio languages / tracks |
| Subtitles | Enable, disable, or switch subtitle tracks |
| Playback speed | Adjust speed (0.5×, 0.75×, 1×, 1.25×, 1.5×, 2×) |
| Quality / Bitrate | Force a specific stream bitrate or let the server decide |
Press Back to exit the player and return to the detail screen.
Subtitle Support
JellyWatch for Android TV supports:
- External subtitle files (SRT, ASS, SSA, VTT) served by Jellyfin
- Embedded subtitle tracks (burned-in or passthrough)
- Subtitle styling - font, size, and colour configurable in Settings (Premium)
Audio Track Selection
Switch audio tracks in real-time without stopping playback. All tracks reported by Jellyfin are listed.
Playback Methods
| Method | Description |
|---|---|
| Direct Play | File plays natively - no server processing, best quality |
| Direct Stream | Container is remuxed but codecs are unchanged |
| Transcode | Server re-encodes the stream - used when Direct Play is not possible |
JellyWatch selects the best method automatically based on your TV's capabilities.
Match Frame Rate
JellyWatch can automatically switch your TV's display mode to match the video frame rate:
- 24p content → switches display to 24 Hz (or 48 Hz / 120 Hz multiple)
- 25p / 50p content → switches display to 50 Hz
- 30p / 60p content → switches display to 60 Hz
This eliminates judder on film-rate content. Configure in Settings → Playback → Match Frame Rate.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Match Refresh Rate | Switch display Hz to match video fps |
| Match Resolution | Switch display resolution to match video resolution |
The original display mode is restored automatically when you exit the player. Non-seamless switches (e.g. 60 Hz → 24 Hz on some displays) may cause a ~2-second blank screen - this is normal.
Screensaver Integration
JellyWatch manages screen-on state while playing. When the app is backgrounded, the screen-on flag is released so your TV can enter power-save mode normally.
