Enhance Jellyfin & Moonfin: Add A 'More Like This' Feature

Hey everyone! Ever find yourselves scrolling endlessly through your awesome Jellyfin or Moonfin library, thinking, "Man, I wish there was an easier way to find more content just like this?" You're not alone, guys. As home media server enthusiasts, we all love the control and customization that platforms like Jellyfin give us. And for those rocking clients like Moonfin on Android TV or Firestick, the experience is already pretty smooth. But what if we could make content discovery even better, even more intuitive? Today, we're diving deep into a super cool idea: implementing a "More Like This" button directly into the Jellyfin interface, specifically designed to help us find related content, especially from the same series or collection. This isn't just about adding another button; it's about transforming how we interact with our media, making it a truly seamless and enjoyable journey from one great piece of content to the next. Let's talk about why this feature would be a game-changer for your home entertainment setup, making every viewing session an adventure of effortless discovery.

The Content Discovery Conundrum: Why We Need "More Like This"

So, let's be real, folks. While Jellyfin and Moonfin clients do an incredible job organizing our vast media libraries, content discovery can sometimes feel like a bit of a treasure hunt without a map. You've just finished a fantastic movie, or maybe you're halfway through a gripping TV series, and you think, "What's next?" Currently, your options often involve manually navigating back to the main library, using the search bar, or perhaps even jumping over to an external site like IMDb or TMDb to look up related titles. This process, while functional, breaks the immersion and adds friction to what should be a fluid entertainment experience. Especially when you're deeply engrossed in a particular genre, or when you've discovered a new favorite actor, the desire for more content like this becomes almost instantaneous. We're talking about the simple, undeniable urge to keep the good times rolling without interruption. Imagine finishing an episode of your favorite show and instantly being offered the next episode, or perhaps a spin-off, without lifting a finger (well, almost!). Or finishing a movie and seeing other films by the same director, or within the same franchise, just a click away. The current setup, while robust, doesn't quite nail that instant gratification aspect of content recommendation within the interface itself. It's a fantastic foundation, but there's always room to elevate the user experience, making it more intuitive and less reliant on manual input or external tools. This is precisely where a dedicated "More Like This" button comes into play, aiming to bridge that gap and provide a seamless pathway to your next viewing adventure. It's about enhancing the core functionality of Jellyfin and Moonfin, making them not just organizers, but curators of your personal entertainment journey.

Imagine This: A "More Like This" Button on Your Jellyfin Screen

Picture this scenario, guys: You're chilling on your couch, Firestick remote in hand, deep into a movie or TV show on your Moonfin client via Jellyfin. You finish an episode, or maybe you've paused a film mid-way and you're checking out its details page. Right there, prominently displayed on the content page, is a brand-new, shiny button: "More Like This." How cool would that be? This isn't just about finding any related content; the real magic happens when this button prioritizes content from the same series or collection. Let's say you're watching "The Mandalorian" – clicking "More Like This" would ideally surface the next episode, other seasons, perhaps even "The Book of Boba Fett" or other Star Wars content within your library. This intelligent linking would drastically cut down on searching time and keep you immersed in the universe you're currently enjoying. The beauty of this idea is its potential to be incredibly smart about how it identifies similar content. One clever way to implement this, as suggested, could involve applying a regex of the content name before any common delimiters like a colon ":" or a hyphen "-". For instance, if you're watching "Series Title: Episode 5," the regex would extract "Series Title," allowing the system to easily pull up all other content beginning with that exact string. This simple yet effective method could provide immediate, highly relevant results, especially for TV series and multi-part documentaries where consistent naming conventions are often followed. Another fascinating avenue to explore, particularly if direct in-app loading becomes too heavy, is to make a seamless redirect to the Jellyseerr search interface with the search terms already pre-filled. Imagine clicking "More Like This," and in a flash, you're looking at a comprehensive list of related content in Jellyseerr, ready to add to your requests or explore further. This leverages the powerful search capabilities of Jellyseerr without reinventing the wheel within Jellyfin itself, offering a robust and scalable solution for content discovery. Both approaches aim to empower users with effortless access to exactly what they're looking for next, be it within the same beloved series or a broader collection that captivates their interest, making your Jellyfin interface on your Android TV or Firestick feel even more personalized and intelligent than ever before.

Unlocking the Benefits: How This Feature Transforms Your Viewing

Introducing a "More Like This" button into the Jellyfin and Moonfin experience isn't just a minor tweak; it's a transformative enhancement that unlocks a plethora of benefits for us users. First and foremost, it offers an Enhanced User Experience that's unparalleled. No more breaking immersion by manually searching or jumping between apps. Imagine the sheer convenience of finishing an episode of a gripping series and, with a single click, instantly seeing the next one, or other related movies from the same franchise. This eliminates friction and makes your entertainment journey smoother than ever before. For those using Moonfin on Android TV or Firestick, this means less time fiddling with input devices and more time enjoying your content. Secondly, this feature would lead to Increased Engagement within the Jellyfin ecosystem. By making it incredibly easy to find the next thing to watch, users are more likely to stay within the app, exploring their library and discovering gems they might have otherwise overlooked. This retention is key for any platform, and for a personal media server, it means you're getting more value out of your meticulously curated collection. Think about it: less decision fatigue, more watching enjoyment – that's a win-win in anyone's book. Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly for TV show fanatics, it ensures Smoother Binge-Watching. Let's be honest, guys, binge-watching is a lifestyle. A "More Like This" feature, especially one that prioritizes the same series or collection, would be the ultimate companion. It seamlessly transitions you from one episode to the next, maintaining that critical flow and narrative continuity. No more scrambling to find episode three after episode two ends; it's right there, waiting for you. This functionality transforms the viewing experience from a series of disjointed searches into a continuous, flowing stream of entertainment. Lastly, it provides Improved Content Visibility. We all have those hidden gems in our libraries – movies from a director we love, or a lesser-known series within a broader universe. This feature brings those overlooked titles to the forefront by intelligently linking them to what you're currently enjoying. It acts as a personal curator, highlighting content that is highly relevant to your immediate interests, helping you rediscover parts of your library you might have forgotten about. Ultimately, this "More Like This" functionality is about making your personal media server a more intelligent, more intuitive, and ultimately, more enjoyable hub for all your entertainment needs, cementing Jellyfin as the go-to platform for effortless content discovery.

Diving Deeper: Technical Considerations and Implementation Ideas

Implementing a "More Like This" button that intelligently suggests same series or collection content within Jellyfin and Moonfin clients requires some thoughtful technical considerations. Let's explore the proposed methods. The first idea, using a regex of the content name before delimiters like ":" or "-", offers a straightforward approach, particularly for TV shows. The pros are its relative simplicity and efficiency for highly structured content names. If your library adheres to a strict naming convention, like "Show Name - S01E01," a regex ^([^:-]+) could effectively extract "Show Name." This approach is fast and relies purely on metadata already present in file names, requiring minimal new database indexing. However, the cons are notable: its accuracy hinges entirely on consistent naming conventions. Variations, different languages, or unique film titles might yield inaccurate or no results. It also doesn't account for broader thematic similarities or genres, limiting its scope primarily to direct series matches. It's a quick win for series but falls short for general "more like this" scenarios. The second, and perhaps more robust, approach involves a Jellyseerr redirect with pre-filled search terms. This method leverages the powerful capabilities of an existing request management system like Jellyseerr, which is often already integrated with Jellyfin setups. The pros here are significant: Jellyseerr's search is typically more sophisticated, capable of handling broader queries, genre tags, and external metadata, providing much richer and more accurate results. It offloads the complex search logic from the Jellyfin client, making the client lighter and potentially faster. This also allows users to not only discover related content but potentially request it if it's not already in their library, creating a powerful feedback loop. The cons include adding an extra step for the user, as it redirects them out of the Jellyfin client (even if seamlessly) and introduces a dependency on Jellyseerr being installed and configured. Moreover, considerations around database indexing are crucial regardless of the method. For the regex approach, efficient string matching would be needed. For a Jellyseerr integration, ensuring Jellyfin's metadata is well-indexed and passed correctly to Jellyseerr's search API would be paramount. Thinking about client-side vs. server-side implementation is also vital. A simple regex could potentially be implemented client-side in Moonfin, offering quick feedback. However, a more complex, metadata-driven search or a Jellyseerr redirect would likely require server-side processing within Jellyfin to query its database or external services. Ultimately, a hybrid approach might be best: a simple regex for immediate series matches, and a more comprehensive Jellyseerr redirect for broader content discovery. This ensures that users on platforms like Android TV and Firestick get the best of both worlds – instant gratification and powerful, intelligent suggestions, making the Jellyfin interface an even more dynamic hub for all their media desires.

Making It Happen: A Community Call to Action

Alright, folks, now that we've talked about how absolutely awesome a "More Like This" button would be for our Jellyfin and Moonfin clients, it's time to think about making it happen. This isn't just a wishlist item; it's a genuine opportunity to significantly enhance the daily media consumption experience for countless users, especially those of us who rely on Android TV and Firestick devices for our home entertainment. The beauty of open-source projects like Jellyfin lies in the power of its community. Your ideas, your discussions, and your willingness to contribute are what drive innovation and bring features like this to life. We need to gather our collective thoughts, share our use cases, and articulate the value proposition of this content discovery feature in a clear and compelling way. Whether you're a developer with ideas for implementing the regex approach or integrating with Jellyseerr, a UI/UX designer who can mock up what this button would look like, or simply an avid user with feedback on how it would impact your viewing habits, every voice matters. Let's start a robust discussion in the relevant forums and issue trackers. We can propose specific technical specifications, discuss potential challenges, and highlight the immense benefits of easily finding same series or collection content. Think of the collective effort: developers could explore proof-of-concept implementations, designers could visualize the user flow, and the broader community could provide crucial testing and feedback. This isn't about demanding a feature; it's about collaborating to build a better, more intuitive, and more user-friendly Jellyfin interface. By working together, we can transform a simple feature request into a tangible enhancement that elevates the entire Jellyfin and Moonfin ecosystem, making content discovery effortless and truly enjoyable for everyone. Let's make some noise, share our excitement, and collectively push for this brilliant idea to become a reality. Imagine the day when you're effortlessly navigating your library, discovering your next favorite show or movie with just a single click – that's the future we can build, together.

Conclusion

To wrap things up, adding a "More Like This" button to the Jellyfin interface, particularly one that smartly prioritizes same series or collection content, is more than just a minor feature; it's a game-changing enhancement for content discovery. For those of us using Moonfin clients on devices like Android TV and Firestick, this would mean an incredibly smoother, more engaging, and ultimately more enjoyable entertainment experience. We've talked about how it would eliminate the pain points of manual searching, boost user engagement, and make binge-watching truly seamless. Whether through a clever regex approach for quick series matching or a powerful Jellyseerr redirect for broader recommendations, the technical pathways are there to be explored. This isn't just a dream; it's a highly achievable improvement that could redefine how we interact with our meticulously curated media libraries. Let's keep the conversation going, rally as a community, and help bring this fantastic idea to fruition, making our home media servers smarter and our viewing experience richer than ever before. Here's to effortless content discovery and endless entertainment!