Features

Everything Holix Play is built to do

Holix Play is still in development and not yet in the App Store. This page describes what is built or being built today. Items marked Planned are not in the app yet.

Full Jellyfin support

The aim is everything the Jellyfin web client can do — in a native app, as well or better.

  • Quality playback. Files are played directly or remuxed without re-encoding whenever the device can handle them; the server only converts video when it has to.
  • Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG on capable screens. On Apple TV the display switches to the content's dynamic range and frame rate.
  • Dolby Atmos passthrough to a compatible soundbar or receiver. Planned
  • Skip intro and credits using Jellyfin media segments, with a next-episode countdown.
  • Trickplay thumbnails while scrubbing, plus chapters.
  • Audio tracks and subtitles, embedded or external; switching text subtitles does not restart playback.
  • Quick Connect sign-in on the TV with a short code — no typing passwords with a remote.
  • Libraries, collections, playlists, favourites, watched state and continue watching.
  • SyncPlay, Live TV with a guide, music and photos. Planned

Netflix-style profiles

  • A “Who's watching?” screen with an avatar or your own photo for each person.
  • Optional PIN on any profile — adults, kids and guests alike.
  • Kids profiles: the age rating follows the birth date entered when the profile is created.
  • Guest profile: nothing is recorded — no watch history, no Trakt.
  • Each profile's own history and likes shape its recommendations.

Multiple profiles use the Holix plugin on your Jellyfin server and a Holix account. Without the plugin, Holix Play works with one profile per Jellyfin user. Install the Jellyfin plugin · GitHub

Apple Watch remote

  • Pick a device playing on your Jellyfin server and see what's on: artwork, title and progress.
  • Play/pause, skip ±10 seconds, and volume with the Digital Crown.
  • Arrow-pad navigation, select and back.
  • Choose the audio track and subtitles from your wrist.

Screensaver

  • Your photos: an Apple Photos album, your Jellyfin photo library or your own Immich server.
  • Slow, gentle motion and soft cross-fades.
  • A large clock and date, the weather, sunrise and sunset — each widget can be turned off.

The screensaver runs while Holix Play is open; apps cannot replace the system screensaver on Apple TV.

Trakt

  • Connect with a short code — on Apple TV, scan a QR code with your phone.
  • What you watch is scrobbled to Trakt as you play.
  • Trakt belongs to the profile that connected it; other profiles and guests are never sent.

Ambilight — no box required

Light that follows the picture usually needs an HDMI sync box between your player and your TV. Holix Play takes the colors straight from the frames it is already playing and sends them to the lights on your network. No sync box, no capture card, no camera.

  • Works on Apple TV, Android TV, iPhone and Mac.
  • LED layout editor, brightness, saturation, white balance, smoothing, delay compensation, black-bar detection and test patterns.
  • Lights fade out when playback stops.
  • Philips Hue
  • Govee
  • WLED
  • Hyperion
  • HyperHDR
  • Nanoleaf
  • LIFX
  • Yeelight
  • Adalight (Mac/PC)

Ambilight works with what Holix Play itself plays, not with other apps or HDMI inputs.

* Names are trademarks of their respective owners. “Compatible” means Holix Play talks to these devices over their documented local protocols; it does not imply affiliation or endorsement. Philips Hue needs a Hue Bridge with an entertainment area; Govee and Yeelight need LAN control enabled in their app. Device support is still being tested and may change before release.

Holix Light

Our own Wi-Fi LED controller, made for Holix Play's Ambilight, is on its way.

Email me when it's ready

Smart home

  • Home Assistant

    A local integration: pair once with a PIN shown on screen, then use playback, profile, HDR and intro/credits events in your automations, and control playback and Ambilight from Home Assistant. Released — v0.1.0.

    Setup guide · GitHub

  • Apple Home cinema scenes Planned

    Run your own Home scenes when a movie starts, pauses or the credits roll — on iPhone, iPad and Apple TV, while Holix Play is open.

  • Siri and Shortcuts Planned

    Play, pause, ask what's playing or switch profiles, and use them in your own Shortcuts.