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+--- Thread: Jellyfin Media Player vs VLC player | Resource usage (/t-jellyfin-media-player-vs-vlc-player-resource-usage)
Jellyfin Media Player vs VLC player | Resource usage - RogerRoger - 2025-05-03
Hello,
I've installed a Jellyfin server on a fairly powerful Windows computer.
I watch my content on a somewhat older Windows laptop:
CPU: i3-5005U
GPU: Intel HD Graphics 5500
RAM: 8 GB
When playing my media in VLC, the laptop uses around 20% CPU and about 3% GPU. The video runs smoothly without stuttering and the laptop stays cool.
However, when I play the exact same media through the Jellyfin Media Player, my laptop uses significantly more resources around 75% CPU and 80% GPU which causes it to heat up quickly and starts to lag a bit.
MPV Video Player settings:
- Play method: Direct play
- Container: MKV
- Video codec: HEVC 10-bit
- Type: SDR
- Audio codec: EAC3
Is VLC really that much better than the Jellyfin Media Player?
Why is Jellyfin so much more resource-intensive, even when playing the same media?
Are there settings I can change to improve playback performance or is the Jellyfin player simply more limited in this regard?
Lastly, is there a workaround such as using VLC for playback or a plugin that can do that? I’ve read that the option to use external players is only available on mobile.
Thank you
RE: Jellyfin Media Player vs VLC player | Resource usage - Generator - 2025-05-03
Look at as external player
https://github.com/jellyfin/jellyfin-mpv-shim
You can also try to disable hardware decoding (Settings -> Client Settings) see if it help somehow.
In my case hardware decoding was making the laptop running hot (CPU: 75c+, GPU: 80c) disabling HW decoding solved the issue (now CPU: ~67c, GPU: 63c)
Other alternative enable DLNA (install DLNA plugin) and you can browse the libraries with VLC (View -> Playlist -> Universal Plug n Play)
PS: DLNA doesn't support external files (external subtitles, audio tracks)