Smart Home Cinema for Jellyfin is a Windows voice-control layer for an existing Jellyfin setup.
It works with your own Jellyfin Server and compatible Jellyfin TV/client devices, adding hands-free control for movie playback without replacing Jellyfin Server or the Jellyfin apps you already use.
The original Smart Home Cinema launch on Coder Legion focused on local VLC and PotPlayer playback. This launch covers the separate Jellyfin package, which includes three control editions.
Three editions in one Jellyfin package
Local Voice Edition
Use a microphone connected to the Windows PC and speak supported commands directly.
Voice recognition runs locally on the PC, so normal voice-command recognition does not require Alexa, Google Assistant, TRIGGERcmd, or a smart speaker.
Voice Assistant Edition
Use Alexa or Google Assistant as the voice input path, with TRIGGERcmd bridging the assistant commands to Smart Home Cinema on the Windows PC.
This edition is designed for users who already prefer voice-assistant routines around the home.
Multi-Zone Edition
Multi-Zone uses the same Alexa / Google Assistant and TRIGGERcmd input path, but changes how destinations are controlled.
It supports up to four independently configured Jellyfin viewing zones. Each zone can have its own Jellyfin user, compatible TV/client device, and Smart Home Cinema Movie List playlist.
The destination is included directly in the command, for example:
TV One Pause Movie
TV Two Play Movie Five
Multi-Zone is designed for independent room control. It does not synchronize playback across several televisions.
One selected TV or independent zones
The standard Jellyfin editions — Local Voice and Voice Assistant — can configure up to four TV/client targets, with one selected target controlled at a time.
That works well when one person or one household profile moves between different televisions.
Multi-Zone is intended for homes where rooms or users should remain independent. Each command names the zone directly, so one room can be controlled without changing the target used by another.
What you can control
The Jellyfin package supports a practical set of movie-control commands, including:
- pause, resume, restart and stop playback
- seek forward or rewind in several intervals
- next and previous playlist items
- playback progress
- a numbered Movie List
Play Movie One through Play Movie Twenty- supported Jellyfin views and navigation commands
- switching the selected TV in the standard editions
- direct zone commands in Multi-Zone
The numbered Movie List gives each supported movie command a clear position that can also be shown on the television.
Client capabilities differ across Jellyfin platforms, so Smart Home Cinema exposes only the behavior supported by the target client rather than assuming every TV app behaves the same way.
Built for an existing Jellyfin setup
Smart Home Cinema does not provide movies, host a media library, or replace Jellyfin.
Your media remains in your own Jellyfin environment. Jellyfin Server continues to manage the library and playback, while Smart Home Cinema runs on the Windows PC and adds the voice-control workflow around it.
The Jellyfin package requires:
- Windows 10 or Windows 11, 64-bit
- an existing Jellyfin Server
- a compatible Jellyfin TV/client device
- the Jellyfin app running on that device
- a microphone for Local Voice, or Alexa / Google Assistant with TRIGGERcmd for the assistant-based editions
TV/client support and available commands vary by platform, so there is a dedicated compatibility table on the Smart Home Cinema website.
Trial and licensing
The Jellyfin package includes all three editions in the same download.
A fully functional 14-day trial is available with no credit card required. Smart Home Cinema uses a one-time license rather than a subscription.
One Smart Home Cinema license applies to the Smart Home Cinema product family on the licensed Windows PC, covering both the VLC / PotPlayer and Jellyfin packages.
Smart Home Cinema is an independent third-party product compatible with Jellyfin. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or maintained by the Jellyfin project.
For the engineering story behind turning the working Jellyfin control layer into a distributable Windows product, I also wrote:
A Working Connector Is Not a Product: What It Took to Ship Jellyfin Voice Control on Windows
