HOMEFLIX 1.4.1: Linux install fix

A fix for the Linux version.

Fixed

• Linux .deb: HOMEFLIX didn't start on minimal Ubuntu/Debian systems (servers, WSL), with error while loading shared libraries: libasound.so.2. The .deb now installs the sound library it needs by itself. If you installed 1.4.0 and hit this, either install this version or run sudo apt install libasound2t64.
• Every Linux build is now also installed on a bare Ubuntu before release, to catch any missing library.

Install on Linux

sudo apt update
sudo apt install ./HOMEFLIX-1.4.1-linux-amd64.deb

Step-by-step guide, including running it in WSL and reaching it from your phone: https://github.com/kprakz/homeflix#install-on-linux

Everything from 1.4.0 is included: Linux support, the optional PIN, and home-network-only access.

Downloads

Computer	File
Windows 10/11	HOMEFLIX-Setup-1.4.1.exe
Mac, Apple Silicon	HOMEFLIX-1.4.1-mac-arm64.dmg
Mac, Intel	HOMEFLIX-1.4.1-mac-x64.dmg
Ubuntu / Debian / Mint (x64)	HOMEFLIX-1.4.1-linux-amd64.deb
Any Linux (x64)	HOMEFLIX-1.4.1-linux-x86_64.AppImage
Raspberry Pi / ARM	HOMEFLIX-1.4.1-linux-arm64.deb or .AppImage

The Mac and Linux files are built and tested by GitHub and appear here a few minutes after this release is published.

Website: https://kprakz.github.io/homeflix/

HOMEFLIX 1.4.0: Linux, and an optional PIN

HOMEFLIX now runs on Linux, and it's safer on every computer.

New: Linux

• .deb for Ubuntu, Debian and Mint, and an AppImage for most other distros.
• For 64-bit PCs (x64) and ARM computers like the Raspberry Pi 4/5 (arm64).
• Install: sudo apt install ./HOMEFLIX-1.4.0-linux-amd64.deb, or make the AppImage executable and double-click it. Don't run it with sudo.
• Using a firewall? Allow the port from your home network, e.g. sudo ufw allow from 192.168.0.0/16 to any port 8080 proto tcp.

New: optional PIN

• Settings → Require a PIN (4 to 8 digits). Each phone, tablet or TV asks for it once, then remembers it.
• Changing or turning off the PIN signs every device out.
• After 5 wrong tries, each new try has to wait longer.
• Off by default: nothing changes until you turn it on.

Safer by default

• HOMEFLIX now only answers devices on your home network. If your router forwards the port, or the computer has a public address, people on the internet are turned away.
• The page has to be opened by its address (like http://192.168.1.20:8080) or a home name (mypc.local), so websites can't reach your library through your browser.

Downloads

Computer	File
Windows 10/11	HOMEFLIX-Setup-1.4.0.exe
Mac, Apple Silicon	HOMEFLIX-1.4.0-mac-arm64.dmg
Mac, Intel	HOMEFLIX-1.4.0-mac-x64.dmg
Ubuntu / Debian / Mint (x64)	HOMEFLIX-1.4.0-linux-amd64.deb
Any Linux (x64)	HOMEFLIX-1.4.0-linux-x86_64.AppImage
Raspberry Pi / ARM	HOMEFLIX-1.4.0-linux-arm64.deb or .AppImage

The Mac and Linux files are built and tested by GitHub and appear here a few minutes after this release is published.

Website: https://kprakz.github.io/homeflix/

HOMEFLIX 1.3.0: now on Mac

HOMEFLIX is now on Mac too. Watch the movies on your Windows PC or Mac from your iPhone, iPad, Android phone or smart TV.

Download

• Windows 10 / 11: HOMEFLIX-Setup-1.3.0.exe
• Mac with Apple Silicon (M1–M4): HOMEFLIX-1.3.0-mac-arm64.dmg
• Mac with Intel: HOMEFLIX-1.3.0-mac-x64.dmg

Not sure which Mac you have? Apple menu → About This Mac. "Chip: Apple M…" means Apple Silicon. The Mac downloads appear here a few minutes after this release is published.

Or use the website, which picks the right one for you: https://kprakz.github.io/homeflix/

Installing on a Mac (macOS 12 or later)

1. Open the .dmg and drag HOMEFLIX onto Applications.
2. Open HOMEFLIX. The first time, macOS says it can't verify the app: click Done, then System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway. You only need to do this once; HOMEFLIX isn't notarized by Apple.
3. Choose your movies folder. When macOS asks whether HOMEFLIX may accept incoming network connections, click Allow.

HOMEFLIX lives in the menu bar on a Mac, and does everything the Windows version does.

Windows

Download HOMEFLIX-Setup-1.3.0.exe and run it. It updates an existing install, and your settings are kept. If Windows says "Windows protected your PC", click More info → Run anyway.

SHA-256 (Windows installer): A8D8FED59DCF1431151BAA5865B07C21C125E95FBAB9C9D67E66B71E015B1B8E

Includes unmodified FFmpeg (GPL): on Windows in resources\ffmpeg, on Mac in HOMEFLIX.app/Contents/Resources/ffmpeg, each with LICENSE.txt and SOURCE.txt.

HOMEFLIX 1.2.2: Start over and Volume boost

Start over and a Volume boost button, with 1.2.0's sound and playback behaviour restored.

What's new

• Start over: watch a movie from the beginning instead of resuming. It's next to Resume on the home screen and in More Info, at the top of the player, and in the TV controls.
• Volume boost: films mixed quietly for cinemas can be too quiet on phone and TV speakers, which can't go above 100% like VLC can. Turn on Volume boost in the player (top right; on a TV, press Up). It makes the sound about twice as loud on that device without distorting it, and the device remembers your choice. Turn it off for the original sound.

Changed back

• 1.2.1 changed how sound is lined up with the picture and how movies are first played. That's been undone, so this version handles sound and playback the way 1.2.0 did.

Install or update

Download HOMEFLIX-Setup-1.2.2.exe below and run it. It updates an existing install, and your folders and settings are kept.
If you used 1.2.1, click Settings → Free up space in HOMEFLIX once to remove the copies it made.
If Windows says "Windows protected your PC", click More info, then Run anyway.

Full instructions: README

Requires Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit).

SHA-256: 76474ED1B699896C32D7E7009705E0651E519225033BC7F1C72E3719F6F02BEA

Includes unmodified FFmpeg (GPL). See resources\ffmpeg\LICENSE.txt and SOURCE.txt in the install folder.

HOMEFLIX 1.2.1: sync, volume and seeking fixes

Fixes for sound out of sync, low volume and slow skipping on phones, iPads and TVs.

What's fixed

• Audio in sync on every device. Dubbed audio tracks often start a little after the picture (almost a second in some files). Some phone and TV players ignored that and played the sound early. HOMEFLIX now lines the audio up itself, to within about 0.02 seconds.
• Quiet films are louder. Many films are mixed quietly for cinemas, and phones and TVs can't boost them the way VLC can. HOMEFLIX now evens the sound out to streaming-service loudness (typically 7–9 dB louder), without distortion.
• Faster skipping. Jumping ahead in a converted stream now resumes in about 3–5 seconds instead of sometimes 20+, and sound and picture stay together after the jump.
• First play starts in seconds. It streams a converted version while the laptop makes a full-quality copy in the background (about 10 minutes per film). Every later play uses the copy, and skipping is instant.
• The laptop stops converting a movie once nobody is watching it, and quitting HOMEFLIX stops any conversion in progress.

Install or update

Download HOMEFLIX-Setup-1.2.1.exe below and run it. It updates an existing install, and your folders and settings are kept.
Copies made by earlier versions are replaced: each movie's first play after updating streams while its new copy is made. To free the disk space they used, click Settings → Free up space in HOMEFLIX.
If Windows says "Windows protected your PC", click More info, then Run anyway.

Full instructions: README

Requires Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit).

SHA-256: 11138E85A7427A3638A65004E2D405EA7AE1DBA8AD3F9458BB256F6D52078E3F

Includes unmodified FFmpeg (GPL). See resources\ffmpeg\LICENSE.txt and SOURCE.txt in the install folder.

HOMEFLIX 1.2.0: choose the audio language

Choose the audio language on your iPhone, iPad, Android phone and TV.

What's new

• Language button in the player for movies with several audio tracks, for example Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and English in one file:
  • iPhone, iPad, Android, laptop: tap 🔊 at the top right of the player (on iPhone/iPad, leave full screen first).
  • TV: press Up, then Audio.
• Switching keeps your place. The new language starts within seconds. The first time you pick a language, the laptop prepares it in the background, and after that switching is instant.
• Your choice is remembered on each device, per movie. The last language you picked becomes that device's default for other multi-language movies too.
• Readable track names: "Tamil", "English 5.1", "English SDH" instead of website names like www.1TamilMV… (subtitles too).

Install or update

Download HOMEFLIX-Setup-1.2.0.exe below and run it. It updates an existing install, and your folders, settings and prepared movies are kept.
If Windows says "Windows protected your PC", click More info, then Run anyway.

Full instructions: README

Requires Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit).

SHA-256: 164F035AAFAE12B6330EC93B6572789A1ABA5613937B9DE948DC60ED817EB247

Includes unmodified FFmpeg (GPL). See resources\ffmpeg\LICENSE.txt and SOURCE.txt in the install folder.

HOMEFLIX 1.1.3: banner fix

What's fixed

• On laptop screens, a long movie title in the big banner (for example Sethurama Iyer CBI) slid up under the HOMEFLIX top bar and hid the FILM label. The banner now grows to fit its title and always stays clear of the top bar, and long titles are set slightly smaller.

Install or update

Download HOMEFLIX-Setup-1.1.3.exe below and run it. It updates an existing install, and your folders and settings are kept.
If Windows says "Windows protected your PC", click More info, then Run anyway.

Full instructions: README

Requires Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit).

SHA-256: BDD5E2066FC7D41BEF4BE19E16A0FA2203B2DF98CE6D962226FB12CDEA9DE3A8

Includes unmodified FFmpeg (GPL). See resources\ffmpeg\LICENSE.txt and SOURCE.txt in the install folder.

HOMEFLIX 1.1.2: TV fixes

Fixes for watching on TVs, especially Android TV.

What's fixed

• TV remote controls work. Pause, skip and subtitles were out of reach on some TVs:
  • Pointer remotes (LG Magic Remote, Samsung's on-screen cursor): move the pointer to show the controls, click the picture to pause, and click the progress bar to jump.
  • TVs HOMEFLIX doesn't recognise (many Android TV and Fire TV browsers): the first press of an arrow or OK switches to HOMEFLIX's own remote-friendly controls. A hint shows which button does what.
• Picture frozen while the sound plays (common on Android TVs with HEVC/x265 movies): HOMEFLIX now notices within a few seconds, switches to a compatible version at the same point, and remembers this for the device.
• Fixed "Unknown movie" when a device opens a movie right as HOMEFLIX starts.
• Cleaner titles: channel tags like @WMR or [TamilMV] are removed from movie names.

Install or update

Download HOMEFLIX-Setup-1.1.2.exe below and run it. It updates an existing install, and your folders and settings are kept.
If Windows says "Windows protected your PC", click More info, then Run anyway.

Full instructions: README

Requires Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit).

SHA-256: 5A14184145E439C1FE48208F0BC9FFF366E7B1C91CB93DDE3B42FCD95C224E61

Includes unmodified FFmpeg (GPL). See resources\ffmpeg\LICENSE.txt and SOURCE.txt in the install folder.

HOMEFLIX 1.1.1: firewall fix

Fixes phones and TVs not connecting after setting your Wi-Fi to Private.

What's fixed

• When Windows first asks whether HOMEFLIX may use the network, it only ticks the network type you're on at that moment. If your Wi-Fi was Public then, HOMEFLIX worked only while the Wi-Fi stayed Public, and following HOMEFLIX's own advice to switch to Private broke it.
• HOMEFLIX now checks the actual Windows Firewall rules and tells you exactly what's needed.
• New Allow on home networks button: one click, then say Yes when Windows asks. It allows HOMEFLIX on Private networks and removes anything blocking it.
• If HOMEFLIX is only reachable because it's allowed on Public networks, it now warns you. That setup would also expose it on café or hotel Wi-Fi.

Install or update

Download HOMEFLIX-Setup-1.1.1.exe below and run it. It updates an existing install, and your folders and settings are kept.
If Windows says "Windows protected your PC", click More info, then Run anyway.

Full instructions: README

Requires Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit).

SHA-256: 2F531E3E6C665D9522D5D2E6C5B8593A336C84EEF77C17BB3D8B2A190849D43C

Includes unmodified FFmpeg (GPL). See resources\ffmpeg\LICENSE.txt and SOURCE.txt in the install folder.

HOMEFLIX 1.1.0: Android and smart TVs

HOMEFLIX now works on Android phones and smart TVs, not just iPhone and iPad.

What's new

• Android phones and tablets: open the address in Chrome. Add HOMEFLIX to your home screen as an app. Videos go full-screen in landscape, and the back button works as expected.
• Smart TVs (Samsung, LG, Android TV, Fire TV): open the address in the TV's browser and use the remote. Arrows and OK move around, Back goes back, and the player has on-screen controls for pausing, skipping and subtitles.
• Movies play on more devices. Phones and TVs that can't play HEVC (x265) get a converted version that starts in a few seconds. It uses your laptop's Intel, NVIDIA or AMD graphics chip when it can.
• No more silent movies. Dolby audio (AC3/E-AC3) is converted so Android and TVs get sound.
• Picture missing? One tap switches to the compatible version, and your device remembers it.
• Disk space is managed for you. The oldest converted copies are removed when the laptop runs low.

Install or update

Download HOMEFLIX-Setup-1.1.0.exe below and run it. It updates an existing install, and your folders and settings are kept.
If Windows says "Windows protected your PC", click More info, then Run anyway.

Full instructions: README

Requires Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit).

SHA-256: AF20ABDFA7D8D3626A668210A378C10ECC951EF273637B0DEEE54A3CC79E13E5

Includes unmodified FFmpeg (GPL). See resources\ffmpeg\LICENSE.txt and SOURCE.txt in the install folder.