How to set up Delfin on Chrome OS
Do you have a Jellyfin Media server on your home network? Want to watch movies from your Jellyfin server on your Chromebook? Try out Delfin. It’s a beautiful, Linux media app for Jellyfin. Here’s how to get it working on your system.
How to enable Linux on your Chromebook
Delfin is a Linux application, and it’ll run just fine on Chrome OS, however, Linux support needs to be set up first. To start the process, find the clock in the Chrome OS dash, and select it with the mouse. Then, click the gear icon to access the Chrome OS settings area.
Inside the Chrome OS settings area, scroll down and locate the “Advanced” section. When you’ve found “Advanced,” click on it to reveal its options. Look through the “Advanced” section for “Developers,” and select it with the mouse.
In the “Developers” section, find the “Linux development environment” section. Once in this section, find the “Turn on” button, and select the “Turn on” button with the mouse.
Clicking the “Turn on” button under “Linux development environment” will download Debian Linux to a container on your Chromebook, as well as a terminal application. This process shouldn’t take too long to complete.
When the download is finished, Chrome OS will launch the Chrome OS terminal app. In the terminal app, find “Penguin” and select it to gain command line access. Then, use the apt update and apt upgrade commands to update the Debian container on your Chromebook.
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y
With everything up to date, you’ll be able to use Linux on your Chromebook to install apps like Delfin.
How to install Delfin on Chrome OS
The Delfin app is available for installation on Chrome OS via the Flathub app store as a Flatpak. To get started with the installation, you’ll need to open up the terminal. Open up the Chrome OS terminal via the Chrome OS app menu.
With the Chrome OS terminal app open, search for “Penguin,” and select it with the mouse. Once you’ve selected “Penguin,” you’ll have access to the Chrome OS Linux command line.
Inside the Chrome OS Linux command line, you’ll need to install a package. This package is “flatpak,” and it handles all Flatpak packages, as well as app stores (like Flathub.) To install it, use the apt install command below.
sudo apt install flatpak
Once the Flatpak package is installed on your Chromebook, you’ll need to set up the Flathub app store. This store is where the majority of Flatpak apps come from, and without it, you won’t be able to install Delfin. To enable Flathub, use the flatpak remote-add command below.
flatpak --user remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
With the Flathub app store enabled on your Chromebook, you’re free to install the Delfin application on it. You can install the software using the flatpak install command below.
flatpak install flathub cafe.avery.Delfin
When the command above is finished executing, you’ll be able to run Delfin from the “Linux apps” folder via the Chrome OS app menu. Alternatively, you can launch the Delfin app directly from the Chrome OS terminal with:
flatpak run cafe.avery.Delfin
How to use Delfin
Using Delfin on Chrome OS starts by setting up your connection to the Jellyfin server you’re trying to watch content on. To add a server, start by launching the Delfin app. Once the Delfin application is open, find the “Add a server” button.
The Delfin app will show a pop-up window after selecting the “Add a server” button. In this pop-up window, you’ll be able to enter your Jellyfin server URL and give it a server name.
Note: Jellyfin server URLS all end in port 8096. Your URL should be similar to http://JELLYFIN_SERVER_HOSTNAME_OR_LOCAL_IP:8096.
Once you’ve entered the URL and Server name, click the “Add Server” button to add your Jellyfin Server to Delfin. Then, after adding the server, select it in Delfin under the “Select a server” menu.
When you’ve selected your server in Delfin, the application will ask you to sign into your account. Select the “Add an account” button with the mouse.
Upon selecting the “Add an account” button, you’ll need to fill in your Jellyfin username and password. After that, select the “Sign in” button. When you click the “Sign in” button, Delfin will log you into your Jellyfin server.
Once logged in, you’ll be presented with your Movies and Shows. From here, select what you want to watch on your Chromebook via Delfin, and it’ll start up. Enjoy!
