Automating smaller iPad copies of Jellyfin videos for travel
The Jellyfin media library uses mostly high-quality video files, so the files are larger than needed for an iPad screen. For a long trip, smaller iPad-friendly copies would make it possible to store more movies and shows for offline viewing while keeping the original library unchanged. The current is manual: pick a few files from the Jellyfin library, then copy or upload them over Wi-Fi into VLC on the child’s iPad.
That works for one or two videos when the files are already a reasonable size, but it does not scale well for a larger batch. The desired is to select a folder, playlist, or group of files and automatically them into a smaller iPad-friendly format. Possible settings include 720p or 1080p , H.264 video, AAC audio, and a lower bitrate.
Tdarr is being considered, but it may be too complex because the goal is not to reprocess the whole library or maintain a full pipeline. A simpler option is an ffmpeg script that only converts selected files.
Key points
- Large Jellyfin files can waste iPad storage when offline viewing is the goal.
- The current process is manual copying into VLC over Wi-Fi.
- The desired setup converts a selected folder, playlist, or batch of files automatically.
- Suggested output settings include 720p or 1080p, H.264, AAC, and a lower bitrate.
- Tdarr may be more than needed if only selected files need .