I gave Jellyfin a Kodi makeover, and my media library was completely new

Over the past couple of years, I’ve spent a lot of time tinkering with the Jellyfin server. It was enough to know that organizing my media library was only half the battle. The other half enjoyed it from the comfort of the couch, without having to navigate a better interface or deal with the hassles of gameplay that wouldn’t be a problem in 2026.

I appreciate Wolfin on Google TV because it gets the job done, but I’ve always felt there was room for something better. Enter Kodi, a media center that can do much more than play files stored on my local network. After a bit of thinking, I brought my Jellyfin library to Kodi and immediately had to explore the difference. A new coat of paint was just the beginning.

It took some work to get Jellyfin and Cody to play well

Installation was not as plug and play as I expected

I thought getting Jellyfin into Kodi was pretty simple, but then I tried it. I started by installing the Jellyfin for Kodi add-on via ZIP repository onto a USB drive, then configured the official Kodi Sync Queue plugin for Jellyfin to keep my library in sync. So far, so good, just getting the two applications to talk was half the battle.

Eventually, Kodi synced my Jellyfin libraries, but I had to go through a few more tutorials to get my movies and shows to show up on the home screen. After several forced restarts and manual configuration, Kodi’s home screen started to look like the media center I wanted.

Now Jellyfin remains my server and it makes my entire media collection available across devices. However, on my TV, Kodi now acts as a new interface, using its own local library database to organize and present synced metadata.

The initial setup took me a bit more patience than running Wholphin, but once everything clicked together it paid off. I found a better way to interact with the Jellyfin server without having to transfer my files or rebuild my server.

Skins are only half of what I like about Cody

To be fair, Jellyfin TV interface serves very well, but Kodi allows me to transform my media library into something that feels much more personal. With the right skin, I can build a home screen around my Jellyfin libraries, complete with layouts with artwork, recently added themes, and shortcuts to really interesting content. Now, instead of navigating through a series of menus, I can make my collection the star of the show.

Kodi’s support for skins is another great reason why I now only use this app instead of Jellyfin. Kodi skins support different layouts, widgets and navigation structures. It even lets you decide how much information you want to see before opening a title and starting a movie. This new interface makes my entire media center feel like something I carefully configured myself.

There is also a practical advantage to using Jellyfin for Kodi. The official addon (Jellyfin for Kodi) syncs library metadata to Kodi’s local database. This allows him to browse that information without constantly retrieving it from the server. Depending on the device and setup, this makes navigating a large collection very sensitive.

Best of all, I didn’t have to rebuild my server or reorganize my files. Jellyfin still does the heavy lifting, and Cody gives me a more flexible way to enjoy the collection.

Kodi has more reliable playback features

This fixes the nasty playback conditions I’ve learned to live with

A beautiful home screen is not enough to switch to a new app. Fortunately, Kodi offers much more than that. Its playback controls are where the makeover really comes into its own. When the subtitles are out of sync, I can adjust their timing directly from the playback menu instead of editing the SRT file myself. I can even adjust the position of the subtitle depending on the format and playback interface.

I was also impressed with the audio editing in Kodi. Kodi’s Center Mix Level setting allows you to increase the proportion of the center channel when mixing multi-channel audio to stereo. Since dialogue is usually in this center channel, this feature often makes it easier to hear voices through the TV’s speakers — which is great when most movies have annoying audio mixes.

Kodi’s add-on ecosystem is another reason why I envy it. The official repository offers everything from subtitle downloads to music services, and third-party add-ons can greatly expand its capabilities. Of course, you don’t need to install every add-on, and third-party repositories require a little more due diligence, but the flexibility is hard to ignore.

Like Stremio, some add-ons even stream content from online sources without requiring me to download the entire file first. Of course, add-ons that pull content from legitimate gray sources are what give Kodi its reputation as a pirate app. Community-made add-ons shouldn’t affect Kodi’s reputation, but they can make life easier when connected to the right sources.

Jellyfin isn’t going anywhere, but Cody has a place on my TV

I’m not ready to tear apart the media server I’ve spent countless hours configuring just because another app does certain things better. Installing and configuring Kodi on my TV allows me to keep the infrastructure I’m familiar with and find new ways to use it.

Would I recommend this to everyone running Jellyfin? Not possible. If you’re very happy with its TV app, Kodi’s installation process may seem like it solves a problem you never had. But if you want a flexible media center, working with Kodi in the evening might be the most effective upgrade you’ve ever seen.