Windows client not playing video, displays picture and stops

[true911]

I'm new to Jellyfin and not a Linux expert.  I have an extensive Plex library and want to make the switch.  I installed Jellyfin server on a LMDE box and made a couple of mount points to try it out with the existing libraries (on a NAS).

I also installed the linux client on the linux box and things immediately worked as expected.  I then installed the v1.11.1 windows x64 client on a separate windows machine.  It seemed to communicate fine with the server, recognizing the IP, logging me in and displaying the movies in the libraries.  But when I press the play button on a displayed movie, it displays the full-screen image/thumbnail and then stops.  I cannot back up, no controls seem to work  I can only close the client window and start again.  

By comparison, the linux client also briefly shows the full-screen image before it launches the movie, so it seems to be part of the normal operation up to that point.

I wanted to include a log on this first message, but I searched and didn't see instructions on how to collect that.  If you need it I'm happy to comply.  However, the linux client working properly makes me think it is not a server issue.

I also removed the x64 and installed the x86 client, but that didn't work or load at all (on Win10 22H2).  I removed that and reinstalled the x64 and it continued to behave the same as above.

Thanks for your help.

[TheDreadPirate]

/var/log/jellyfin is where the logs are located for the server. Share those via pastebin.

For the Windows client, C:\Users\yourUser\appdata\local\jellyfinmediaplayer.

[true911]

The Jellyfin Linux server does not have a Jellyfin directory in that location. Here's a screenshot from the console:

https://pastebin.com/76VHPizE#dcLE7nud

(I also ran ls -a for good measure)

I found the windows client log and put it here:

https://pastebin.com/2M3Ecmdx

Not sure but I think you wanted me to emulate that list of items following. In my case:
Jellyfin Server 10.8.13 on linux Flatpak
Jellyfin MediaPlayer 1.11.1 on both Windows and linux
LMDE 6
Intel i3-4160
no discrete graphics
OS on 1TB SATA SSD
Storage
Some short-term recordings also on SSD
Long term movies and collections on QNAP NAS

[TheDreadPirate]

You said "Linux client" so I assumed you meant JMP.  The server flatpak is community created, not supported (even when 10.8.13 was the latest), and servers should not be run as flatpaks, in general.  Not just Jellyfin.

Additionally, JMP 1.11.1 requires server 10.9.  If you want to stick with your current server setup, you must use Jellyfin Media Player 1.9.1.

If you want to properly install Jellyfin server, it is a single command to install jellyfin via apt.

Code:

curl https://repo.jellyfin.org/install-debuntu.sh | sudo bash

[true911]

That's great, I didn't really want a flatpak anyway, but that's what the Software Manager was offering. I will try that option and come back if I need to.

[true911]

I removed the flatpak and installed the native app using your code. The results are the same - linux client is working, windows client stops after the intro photo.

Pastebin of server log: https://pastebin.com/DGK6QiBh

[TheDreadPirate]

You need to use "cat" to print the entire log to the terminal. Or use your browser to navigate to Dashboard > Logs to provide more of the logs.

Make sure that the firewall allows port 8096.

Code:

sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw allow 8096

Also clear your Jellyfin Media Player logs.

C:\Users\yourUser\appdata\local. There will be a "jellyfinmediaplayer" and "Jellyfin Media Player folder there. Delete both folders and try again.

[true911]

The ufw commands solved the problem, thanks. For a newbie to be running run into this problem, which blocks the basic functionality of what a media server does, I'd suggest this step should be handled by the installer. If that's not possible, it is possible for the installer to point it out to the user to check.

[TheDreadPirate]

Not every Debian/Ubuntu based distro uses UFW, nor does every Linux distro have the same firewall backend (UFW is a firewall frontend).

So it is impractical to include that in our script, nor do I think it is a good practice to make that kind of change on behalf of Linux users. I'm not aware of ANY other Linux app that makes firewall changes for the user. Not Nginx, not Apache, not Docker, not FTP, {insert more foundational FOSS apps}. Our documentation includes the ports used by Jellyfin and there is a certain level of knowledge assumed for our users running Linux.

Our WINDOWS installer does add an allow rule to the Windows Firewall. But there is only one mechanism for adding rules and it is common practice for Windows app to add rules to allow themselves through the firewall. There is also different level of knowledge assumed.