After being impressed by Jellyfin's server setup as a free Plex alternative, the author found the default Android TV client lacking polish compared to years of Plex use. Switching to Wholphin, a community-made Jellyfin client for Android TV, resolved most friction points: cleaner UI, faster library browsing, instant thumbnail loading, and built-in Jellyseerr support. The author recommends Wholphin as the go-to Jellyfin client for TV, while still praising Jellyfin itself as a compelling free alternative to Plex's increasingly expensive pricing.
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The server impressed me, but the TV app didn'tWholphin made Jellyfin feel like a finished productWholphin also solves a lot of Jellyfin's problems186 Impressions